about the Mac 65
Not too long ago we spent some time in the South Pacific, part of it in company with at least one MacGregor 65. Our feeling was that we would not have traded straight across - but they probably felt the same way about our Legend 43. We had seriously considered the 65, even visiting the factory, before we bought our present boat, but opted out for several reasons - none of which had anything to do with the strength of the 65. It CAN be very fast. In actual practice, however, while sailing from Australia to Honolulu, we found the two boats to be about the same speed. The reason is that the 65 is very narrow, making it a little "tippy". The owner's wife, on the one we kept company with on our way back, is very short and she didn't like living on the walls. Coming up the east coast of Oz, most of the time we were broad reaching in 20-25knots of wind. We usually had a reef in the main and full 135 jib out. The 65 used a reef and a staysail. Both boats were doing about 8.5, for days at a time. We were both heeling about 5-7 degrees, about all you really want to live with for any length of time. They could have used their genoa and left us at any time; it was capable of 10-12 knots, but the ride might not have been fun, with a heel angle of 15-20 degrees. When you climb up on the cabin top of the 65, which is very narrow, you get a feeling of insecurity, at least we did. The deck over the cabin has a pronounced curve to it and I suspect that footing is a little precarious under sail. I wouldn't want a bunch of kids running around on deck while underway. To access the aft cabin, it is necessary to climb up on the aft deck. Our friends used their aft cabin like a "garage" - stowage for things they didn't need often. The living area in the main cabin gave the feel of being not much larger than our own, if any. Bottom line? We felt that it was not a BAD cruiser; we just would not have liked one. On those rare occasions when you can find a dock, moorage for a 65-foot vessel can be very expensive. On the other hand, if you can afford the boat, moorage is a secondary cost. (It's like an airplane owner being concerned about the cost of gas.)
Not too long ago we spent some time in the South Pacific, part of it in company with at least one MacGregor 65. Our feeling was that we would not have traded straight across - but they probably felt the same way about our Legend 43. We had seriously considered the 65, even visiting the factory, before we bought our present boat, but opted out for several reasons - none of which had anything to do with the strength of the 65. It CAN be very fast. In actual practice, however, while sailing from Australia to Honolulu, we found the two boats to be about the same speed. The reason is that the 65 is very narrow, making it a little "tippy". The owner's wife, on the one we kept company with on our way back, is very short and she didn't like living on the walls. Coming up the east coast of Oz, most of the time we were broad reaching in 20-25knots of wind. We usually had a reef in the main and full 135 jib out. The 65 used a reef and a staysail. Both boats were doing about 8.5, for days at a time. We were both heeling about 5-7 degrees, about all you really want to live with for any length of time. They could have used their genoa and left us at any time; it was capable of 10-12 knots, but the ride might not have been fun, with a heel angle of 15-20 degrees. When you climb up on the cabin top of the 65, which is very narrow, you get a feeling of insecurity, at least we did. The deck over the cabin has a pronounced curve to it and I suspect that footing is a little precarious under sail. I wouldn't want a bunch of kids running around on deck while underway. To access the aft cabin, it is necessary to climb up on the aft deck. Our friends used their aft cabin like a "garage" - stowage for things they didn't need often. The living area in the main cabin gave the feel of being not much larger than our own, if any. Bottom line? We felt that it was not a BAD cruiser; we just would not have liked one. On those rare occasions when you can find a dock, moorage for a 65-foot vessel can be very expensive. On the other hand, if you can afford the boat, moorage is a secondary cost. (It's like an airplane owner being concerned about the cost of gas.)