Water Ballast Boats?

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G

George

Small Boat Choice

Take a look at the Catalina 22, over 15,000 built and still counting. Must be something there worth considering. Go to: http://www.catalina22.org/
 
sailortonyb Allied Mis

sailortonyb Allied Mis

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Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
Roger MacGregor

Roger MacGregor has gotten raising and lowering masts and launchung down to fine art. If that is what you are primarily going to be doing, the Macs have no equal in that category. If you are only going to be launching once or twice a year, then you might want to consider a heavier boat with a larger mast. Are Macs flimsey? YES !!!! No doubt about it. But how flimsey IS flimsey? I never heard of one cracking or slitting in half. Macs have been around a very long time. Go to any marina and you will be able to see what I'm saying. I dont know of any 25 to 27 ft sailboat that is manufactured at the rate of one every 2 hours leaving the factory. If they were that flimsey, word would have gotten out a long time ago and MacGregor would have been out of business. Remember, the lighter the boat, the easier it is to handle. The easier it is to handle and launch, the more you will use it. Former Mac 25 owner Tony B
 
sailortonyb Allied Mis

sailortonyb Allied Mis

.
Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
Roger MacGregor

Roger MacGregor has gotten raising and lowering masts and launchung down to fine art. If that is what you are primarily going to be doing, the Macs have no equal in that category. If you are only going to be launching once or twice a year, then you might want to consider a heavier boat with a larger mast. Are Macs flimsey? YES !!!! No doubt about it. But how flimsey IS flimsey? I never heard of one cracking or slitting in half. Macs have been around a very long time. Go to any marina and you will be able to see what I'm saying. I dont know of any 25 to 27 ft sailboat that is manufactured at the rate of one every 2 hours leaving the factory. If they were that flimsey, word would have gotten out a long time ago and MacGregor would have been out of business. Remember, the lighter the boat, the easier it is to handle. The easier it is to handle and launch, the more you will use it. Former Mac 25 owner Tony B
 
R

richard

Again, flimsy is incorrect!!!!

I hit the dock really hard once the hull flexed and came right back. The hull is not as thick, the hardware is not as solid...but for the weight it seems to perform well. I suggest you look up the dfinition of flimsy sailortonyb...because your statement is ABSOLUTELY wrong! Macs have been sailed hard by many...IF you ask a MAC OWNER (who has the best data to go on) they hold up very well. There are no stats to back your opinion...lots os stats to back mine. Lighter built, yes, flimsy, NO! Paul, I sail the lakes around charlotte alot, as well as charleston...always love to sail play with other people! I meant no disrespect towards other production boats...they all have their niche...it just gets old being told that your boat is "a great lake boat" by people who are ignorant of what your boat can (and does!) do.
 
R

richard

Again, flimsy is incorrect!!!!

I hit the dock really hard once the hull flexed and came right back. The hull is not as thick, the hardware is not as solid...but for the weight it seems to perform well. I suggest you look up the dfinition of flimsy sailortonyb...because your statement is ABSOLUTELY wrong! Macs have been sailed hard by many...IF you ask a MAC OWNER (who has the best data to go on) they hold up very well. There are no stats to back your opinion...lots os stats to back mine. Lighter built, yes, flimsy, NO! Paul, I sail the lakes around charlotte alot, as well as charleston...always love to sail play with other people! I meant no disrespect towards other production boats...they all have their niche...it just gets old being told that your boat is "a great lake boat" by people who are ignorant of what your boat can (and does!) do.
 
T

tom

Mac is lightweight

I owned a Mac 26 for 7 years and sailed it a lot. Towed it a lot. That are strong enough for their intended purpose but compared to some other boats they could be described as flimsy. My liner would bend rather easily when hand pressure was applied. I never noticed any hull flex. But compared to my Pearson 12500's my old mac 1700#s was flimsy.
 
T

tom

Mac is lightweight

I owned a Mac 26 for 7 years and sailed it a lot. Towed it a lot. That are strong enough for their intended purpose but compared to some other boats they could be described as flimsy. My liner would bend rather easily when hand pressure was applied. I never noticed any hull flex. But compared to my Pearson 12500's my old mac 1700#s was flimsy.
 
R

richard

They could be described as flimsy....

but said describer would be wrong. I have only sailed my mac for 2 1/2 years, but have sailed it very hard. Flimsy denotes inadequate, which it most certainly is not. I would not sail 12 miles down the coast to an island in a boat that fit the definition you see in the link provided! Again, MANY people sail these boats hard in SALT WATER...the statistics don't jive with deragatory pic painted by the word flimsy...to say it is flimsy is, in large orange neon, WRONG! http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flimsy
 
R

richard

They could be described as flimsy....

but said describer would be wrong. I have only sailed my mac for 2 1/2 years, but have sailed it very hard. Flimsy denotes inadequate, which it most certainly is not. I would not sail 12 miles down the coast to an island in a boat that fit the definition you see in the link provided! Again, MANY people sail these boats hard in SALT WATER...the statistics don't jive with deragatory pic painted by the word flimsy...to say it is flimsy is, in large orange neon, WRONG! http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flimsy
 
NautiDuck

NautiDuck

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Jun 3, 2004
730
Catalina 250 Wing Keel Eugene, OR
It's all about you

What are your needs? Every boat - every one of them - is a trade-off of one sort or another. Money helps. For instance a Seaward 26RK is both easy to launch and rugged. It is also really expensive. I think that just about any of the boats mentioned so far are good boats that will satisfy a lake or bay sailor. I had a Catalina 22 and loved it. I now have a Catalina 250 and love it even more. It is heavier than the 22 and requires a more robust tow vehicle but is has lots more room which is what we decided we wanted. Whether a Pearson is more rigid than a Mac is completely irrelevant. Again, any of the major production boats will let your family cruise and race. I like the Catalina 22 because there are a lot of them which helps in support and racing. They are also easy to sell if you decide to change down the road. I had a fixed keel but for trailering I would suggest swing keel. Mast raising is easy too. I also hear lots of good things about the C250 water ballast boats and the folks at my cub with Hunter 260s love them as well. Get a boat and have fun.
 
NautiDuck

NautiDuck

.
Jun 3, 2004
730
Catalina 250 Wing Keel Eugene, OR
It's all about you

What are your needs? Every boat - every one of them - is a trade-off of one sort or another. Money helps. For instance a Seaward 26RK is both easy to launch and rugged. It is also really expensive. I think that just about any of the boats mentioned so far are good boats that will satisfy a lake or bay sailor. I had a Catalina 22 and loved it. I now have a Catalina 250 and love it even more. It is heavier than the 22 and requires a more robust tow vehicle but is has lots more room which is what we decided we wanted. Whether a Pearson is more rigid than a Mac is completely irrelevant. Again, any of the major production boats will let your family cruise and race. I like the Catalina 22 because there are a lot of them which helps in support and racing. They are also easy to sell if you decide to change down the road. I had a fixed keel but for trailering I would suggest swing keel. Mast raising is easy too. I also hear lots of good things about the C250 water ballast boats and the folks at my cub with Hunter 260s love them as well. Get a boat and have fun.
 
CalebD

CalebD

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Jun 27, 2006
1,479
Tartan 27' 1967 Nyack, NY
Splitting hairs are we?

Flimsy vs lightly built? I think that flimsy has some negative connotations to it so I apologize for anyone who used this word to describe a Mac 26S. And for the record I am talking about the 26S not the speedboat-sailor 26X. My current boat is 7200#s with overbuilt everything as they did in 1967 which gives me some comfort. The Mac 26S is lightly built by comparison but by no means is my 27 footer faster than the 26S. We hit speeds approaching 7 knots in the 26S outside NY Harbor which really impressed me. When properly tuned and handled this boat can be a lot of fun and is, as others have attested to, fast. Flimsy describes a cooked piece of spaghetti or something that is shoddily constructed and neither of these attributes has anything in common with the 26S.
 
CalebD

CalebD

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Jun 27, 2006
1,479
Tartan 27' 1967 Nyack, NY
Splitting hairs are we?

Flimsy vs lightly built? I think that flimsy has some negative connotations to it so I apologize for anyone who used this word to describe a Mac 26S. And for the record I am talking about the 26S not the speedboat-sailor 26X. My current boat is 7200#s with overbuilt everything as they did in 1967 which gives me some comfort. The Mac 26S is lightly built by comparison but by no means is my 27 footer faster than the 26S. We hit speeds approaching 7 knots in the 26S outside NY Harbor which really impressed me. When properly tuned and handled this boat can be a lot of fun and is, as others have attested to, fast. Flimsy describes a cooked piece of spaghetti or something that is shoddily constructed and neither of these attributes has anything in common with the 26S.
 
sailortonyb Allied Mis

sailortonyb Allied Mis

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Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
Richard

Before you open your big mouth, read all of what I say and imply. I dont know what stats you think you have and how much you think you know. If your brain was as big as your mouth you would understand that I am a big advocate of MacGregors. I learned to sail on a Mac 25 - my first sailboat. I will bet my life that I have sailed them in storms in the Gulf of Mexico much worse than you have. Flimsey does not necessarily denote inadequate. Maybe its because you have an inferiority complex or is it that you are just plain inferior? People like you are the reason that others give up on this site. You cant explain your point without making it a put down. Is that what I'm doing back to you....you bet it is. Tony B
 
sailortonyb Allied Mis

sailortonyb Allied Mis

.
Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
Richard

Before you open your big mouth, read all of what I say and imply. I dont know what stats you think you have and how much you think you know. If your brain was as big as your mouth you would understand that I am a big advocate of MacGregors. I learned to sail on a Mac 25 - my first sailboat. I will bet my life that I have sailed them in storms in the Gulf of Mexico much worse than you have. Flimsey does not necessarily denote inadequate. Maybe its because you have an inferiority complex or is it that you are just plain inferior? People like you are the reason that others give up on this site. You cant explain your point without making it a put down. Is that what I'm doing back to you....you bet it is. Tony B
 
Paul H

Paul H

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Nov 2, 2005
91
- - Ohio
Tony

You are as ignorant about the size of my mouth as you are concerning the use of the word flimsy.
 
Paul H

Paul H

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Nov 2, 2005
91
- - Ohio
Tony

You are as ignorant about the size of my mouth as you are concerning the use of the word flimsy.
 
sailortonyb Allied Mis

sailortonyb Allied Mis

.
Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
Nauti....

I loved my Catalina 25. Took it through hell and back. Never once was i afraid the boat wouldnt make it. It had the stomach to handle a lot more than i had. If i were to want a trailerable to move just a few times a year, the Cat 25 would be my choice. If i was going to move it regularly, then the Mac, without question would be my choice. I am 60 years old, dont know how much more big sailing time I have left, but my ultimate desire when i older would be a new Mac 26. they improve dramatically through the years. With a Mac 26. i would eventually cruise the big rivers and waterways and sail the bays inbetween. As you can see, I'm a big fan of both Catalina's and Mac's. De3pends on as you said earlier, what your needs are. I hope some day you will get a Catalina 30. Then you will think you died and went to heaven. Tony B
 
sailortonyb Allied Mis

sailortonyb Allied Mis

.
Jun 12, 2004
1,181
Allied Mistress 39 Ketch Kemah,Tx.
Nauti....

I loved my Catalina 25. Took it through hell and back. Never once was i afraid the boat wouldnt make it. It had the stomach to handle a lot more than i had. If i were to want a trailerable to move just a few times a year, the Cat 25 would be my choice. If i was going to move it regularly, then the Mac, without question would be my choice. I am 60 years old, dont know how much more big sailing time I have left, but my ultimate desire when i older would be a new Mac 26. they improve dramatically through the years. With a Mac 26. i would eventually cruise the big rivers and waterways and sail the bays inbetween. As you can see, I'm a big fan of both Catalina's and Mac's. De3pends on as you said earlier, what your needs are. I hope some day you will get a Catalina 30. Then you will think you died and went to heaven. Tony B
 
Paul H

Paul H

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Nov 2, 2005
91
- - Ohio
Not to mention the spelling of it.

I don't care how much sailing experience you have...I am not contending your ability as a sailor or your boat experience...I am contending your use of the word flimsy...and if you don't think it has a negative association perhaps you should work on your vocab.
 
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