New to Sailing Looking for a good Craft

I am new to sailing, like so new I dont even have a boat. I have been doing a lot of research and because I am a novice (sailed with other owners) looking for something small like 20 to 26 foot trailerable and of course affordable. I like the Macgregor because of the options it has for a beginner.

I would not want a 50hp motor though... Dont want it as a motorboat but want a motor. I am reading a lot of bad things about it so if anyone has suggestions to what might be an alternative.. I am all ears.. I do have a family and my kids know more about sailing then I do.. would like something that has a berth and head (porti-pottie) due to the size I am looking for.

 

May I ask what are the bad things you hear that put you off a Macgregor ?

I am asking only from a marketing perspective, not to discuss what is good and bad about boats in general.

 

what i have read about mac's is usually good reviews from owners and bad ones from people that have no experince with them. if the mac suits you just put a 20 hp on it.

 

I personally havent found a roomier, more versatile and value for money boat on the market yet.

I was out sailing the other month, and a new Mac passed alongside.

"Hey", I said to the sailing enthusiast, who had obviously never seen one before "There goes an example of the worlds biggest selling trailer sailor, and the designer has been inducted into the Sailing Hall of Fame for the design innovations"

"Oh really", he said "Its so bloody ugly", and turned his back on it to watch the 50yo wooden boats coming in from the ocean.

All a matter of personal priorities I guess.

 

The Mac 26 is a compromise, tries to be both a sailboat and a power boat. Can do both, but doesn't excell at either. The one person I know that has one complains about the filling and draining of the water ballast system. If you just want a sailboat, try a swing keel Catalina 22 or 25. They have been around for 30+ years, plenty of good used boats on the market at affordable prices. They have all the requirements you are after.

 

What problems do they have ?

That was the easiest thing to do on the boat - polishing the rust on the stainless steel and repairing the hull fitting leaks was the hardest for me.

 

It was several years ago, I don't remember the specifics, just that he said for him it was a PITA. Maybe it was the fact it had to be done, instead of just lowering the keel.

 

Cant understand his problem. Maybe he preferred a heavy duty trailer and larger tow vehicle for the 500 kilos of permanent lead, instead of just pulling the valve lever.

Most of those ballasted trailer sailers are a PITA to lower the Centreboard - 100 kg of steel plate on a winch, blocking up the living area.

The couple I sold my Mac to were amazed that the missus could use a single string to drop or raise the CB, with one hand, after their previous boat.

I could take the CB out of the hull slot by myself on the Mac, with a screwdriver, for the seasonal clean up - sure beat the hassle of a major extraction job on a full steel CB.

 

First time I saw a 26X, I said to an equally long time sailing friend, "Will there be anyone dumb enough to buy such a boat?" That just shows how much I know about marketing. Not very much, its clear. My opinions are obviously driven by entirely different genes plus past experience with other Venture boats than those who like the boat. The 26X clearly meets a perceived need of the boat buying public that I did not embrace. I do hear that quality issues still bug most who buy from Macgregor.

The Mac 26 does get many into sailing and they do seem to enjoy them so I relent and withdraw my objections, which they don't care about anyway.

I'm trapped in the concept that a sailboat should be good looking and cause the owner to keep looking back at it as they walk away form the dock and no Mac 26 could ever be accused of that.

As stated above, If you don't need the high speed potential, there are many good used sailboats in that size range that will make great entry boats for much less outlay of capital.

 

A Mac 26 or another vessel this size isn't going to be sailed very often once the "newness" wear off. This is because it's a job to haul it around, set it up, launch, recover, de-rig, dog down and haul it home. Take two hours out of your day just to setup, launch, recover and tear down and this is being modest, particularly if you're new to all of this.

If you want to sail and sail when the mood strikes, not when you've allotted half a day for launch and recovery, then keep your first boat under 20', preferably a free standing rig too.

A small, light, easy to setup boat will bring maximum enjoyment and will get used often, because it's not a chore to own, setup, operate, launch, recover, etc. Your sailing skill set will only improve after many hours and sessions with your boat. The quick and easy to use boat, will get more sea leg time on you and this is the key, mostly because currently you haven't any idea what you want or desire in a boat.

So, before plopping down a healthy chunk of cash for something you haven't a clue about (Mac 26 or similar), get an older, well used 16' to 20' something or other and develop you skills, experiences, desires and taste. Once armed with many hours of sailing adventures, you'll be so much better prepared to make a rational decision about your next boat.

 

Par is very correct on the time to rig-derig, and he hasnt even allowed for the drive to the water, and issues at the launching ramp.

The idea of a smaller trial boat has a lot of merit - or you could even get two smaller, cheaper sailing dinghys so the whole family can be out on the water at once ( nothing worse than having to hang around for your turns) and the boats can have fun competing with each other, and having two skippers at a time instead of one. Bolgers "Brick" schooner that has family size carrying, but can split into two smaller boats is sheer genius for this. http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/03/r/gatherings/kingston/


The one thing I found was because of the unpredicability of the weather, carting any boat for an hour, and finding it too windy, too rough or too crowded left you hanging around in the toiletless car not enjoying life.

With a roomier, covered boat - you had accomodation and toilets, for the bad day, for that night, and could wait till Sunday for a change in weather. The worst case is that you had to spend your weekend in a 'mini-caravan'
best case was that you had all day sailing, could sleep on the water for free overnight, and sail some more on Sunday before having to de-rig and drive home.

If you get two small dinghies, just be aware that some classes take longer to rig and launch than a larger trailersailer.