MacGregor 26 not good? Water-ballast in general??

[rwatson]

Originally Posted by skepticsam

The new McGregor 26 is awesome. It is a beautiful yacht. I have been in it on the water. Anyone that says different has never been out to sea.

When I first saw a Mac ( the 26X ) I thought it was very attractive too. As a concept, I have a lot of time for the boat, but it has some limitations that drove me nuts in time.

After owning it for 2 years, I was really over its style. Its like Toyota cars, very bland and blobby. The new 26M has two layers of portholes, looking a bit like a wedding cake.

The ugliest part of the boat is its stern. As it is pulled from a mould, it cant be very stylish, and as it has to fit in a container, its very old maid narrow and flabby.

The new 26M isnt any better. And access to the water thru the stern is even worse, even though they have gotten rid of the tiller bar. You have to put the wheel over to turn the motor to squeeze past to get off the boat for bigger people.

That helm seat is hopeless as well. When sailing, you tend to slide off to one side, and there is no deck shape to get a purchase with your feet on.

Thanks to analysis by a very clever engineer ( :-) ) I can confirm that the nasty tendency for the Mac to round up in a gust is serious design flaw, not a 'safety feature' as propounded by some Mac owners.

It can be done better !!!

[powerabout]

off shore in a Mac means no more than a boat length from the dock in a lake in the US thats 3 feet deep and doesnt have a fetch more then 50 yards in any direction and a max wind speed of 5 knots
Then its quite up to the job that it was designed for
Anywhere else its goes it seems to kill people unless they can swim

[skepticsam]

Hunter is a good one. Sailboats are like other products. Everybody has the ones they like and don`t. Ford has owners that hate Chevy. Chevy has owners that hate Dodge. Blah Blah Blah. Boat owners will even bad mouth ones they`ve never been on. I like MacGregor and so do a lot of others that have had all kinds of vessels.

[rwatson]

Originally Posted by powerabout

.....
Anywhere else its goes it seems to kill people unless they can swim

Thats rubbish.

Name one fatality in winds over 10 knots !!!!!

[skepticsam]

Stop spreading lies powerabout. Take your <insult removed> elsewheres. These posts are for mature comments.

[Perm Stress]

Originally Posted by skepticsam

The new MacGregor 26 is awesome. It is a beautiful yacht. I have been in it on the water. Anyone that says different has never been out to sea.

On what other type of boat have you been at sea?

Edit:

I mean, it is exciting to be at sea in almost any boat.
However, when someone say, that boat X is especially exciting, it is quite normal to ask, in comparison with what boats Z, Y, ABC, ... such a conclusion is made.

[skepticsam]

The new 26M is geared more to a a motorlaunch as the engines are getting larger. More horsepower. But the cost is the lowest it seems for such a well made boat. Hunter,Oyster and Beneteau are nice.

[rwatson]

Originally Posted by skepticsam

The new 26M is geared more to a a motorlaunch as the engines are getting larger. More horsepower. .....

going from 50hp to 60 hp is not much of an increase.

They are still babies compared to real motorlaunch sizes of 200+ hp

[skepticsam]

That`s very true. And you pay more also. Real men don`t boast about size. They just have fun and enjoy what they can afford.

[skipwave]

Originally Posted by Tres Cool

I've heard a few people say negative things about the MacGregor 26 and was wondering why?

I'm looking to buy a 24-28 ft sailboat and would like to stay with a "traditional" sailboat and not a cross between sail and motor. Some are trying to convince me that MacGregors are REAL sailboats but I beg to differ.

Thoughts on MacGregor 26 or water-ballast boats in general?

Thanks!
Tres

I believe you answered yourself in the question...I want to stay with?..The Macgregor is a great boat for what it is...A Chevrolet is not a Rolls Royce a Biplane is not a Learjet so why do you expect a Sail/Power watercraft to be pure Sail or Powerboat...You know Italy made a car in the 1960's that was a Car/Boat and was not a great Car or Boat...But try to go fishing in your Lincoln...

[skepticsam]

If you beg to differ then move on. Go buy a "traditional sailboat"