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Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 1:21 pm
by kmclemore
It remains to be seen what will be produced, but I suspect you'll see a strong resemblance to the 26X/M line, but with many improvements.
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 2:06 pm
by HERNDON
Too Bad but everyone deserves to retire.
Rob
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 2:28 pm
by MadMacX
kmclemore wrote:|
! | kmclemore: |
Thanks for the clarification, Cheryl. Much appreciated. I wanted to make certain we got the facts straight and to quickly eliminate any rumors.
Cheers,
Kevin |
now wait just a darn minute, what good is a forum without rumors and speculation?What fun is it if everything we post is true?
pat
Re: Is it true?
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 3:46 pm
by DaveB
Think its called moving to a state were limited production is a No..No.
Lets face it, building one boat a day were one has done 4 a day is a no brainer issue.
On my door steps, like to see whats comeing up.
Actually his boats are perfect for Florida.
I am surprised it took him that long after the 1 day boat restriction.
If he does a redesign on the Mac 26 , I would add 2 ft. to length as my 6 ft. frame only fits at aft berth.
Dave
tkanzler wrote:While I'd be sorry to see MacGregor go, or maybe just move to Florida (what's the new operation going to be called?), I'm glad to see BWY is going to continue to support the boats, and take a larger role in fact.
Sure would like to know what's in the pipeline.
Assuming all this is true, of course. I guess it must be; they can't put anything on the internet that isn't true, after all.
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 5:07 pm
by Chinook
Ormonddude wrote:I am asking all our customers who have had their lives changed for the better by sailing a MacGregor boat, to send Roger and Mary Lou a Thank-You card and maybe a picture of you and your boat. I think they would really like that!
I received my notice from BWY yesterday, regarding Roger's retirement, and I really like Cheryl's suggestion. I'll be following through soon, and I would encourage others to do likewise.
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 5:34 pm
by kmclemore
[mod="kmclemore']I had the pleasure of speaking to Roger MacGregor this earlier evening. Here's what I can share with you:
- The plant in California has become increasingly inhibited in their capability to do business due to regulation and encroaching development in the immediate neighborhood.
- Roger and his wife are at a point in life where they'd like to begin to step back a bit.
- MacGregor Yacht Corporation in California will cease building the 26-series of boats.
- Roger will continue to develop and produce the larger 70-series boats.
- Roger's children have been involved in MacGregor business all their lives and know boat building as well as, or even better, than Roger himself.
- Roger's children plan to start a wholly new venture, in Florida, and it will initially focus on producing two boats - a 26-foot boat and a 22-foot boat.
- This new company will not have any relationship with MacGregor Yacht Corporation of California, other than the fact that Roger's children happen to be involved.
- The new venture and boats will not carry the "MacGregor" name, however the actual name has not yet been decided.
- The new 26-foot boat will be very similar in design and manufacture to the existing 26M, but with a nice series of improvements, including some new hull colors.
- The new 22-foot boat will be a newly designed vessel, and will be an epoxy-based boat (i.e stronger & lighter).
- Warranty and support will be continued by MacGregor Yacht Corporation for those boats which have been sold by MacGregor and their dealers.
- Blue Water Yachts and the other dealers will be able to supply parts and support for existing MacGregors for a long time into the future.
To answer the first two obvious questions:
- No, I don't know what the new 22 will look like.
- No, I cannot say what the improvements or new hull colors on the new 26 will be.
[/mod]
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 8:41 pm
by Russ
Thanks Kevin.
I'm sure the existing Macs will be well supported. We all look forward to the new generation of the Macgregor family line.
In the meantime, this forum is a great resource for us all.
--Russ
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 8:42 pm
by seahouse
I see some very diligent straight-to-the-source sleuthing here. Well done Kevin!
I do see good news here for some, but it’s a shame that some of the workforce was unlucky enough to have located in a business-unfriendly state. Good for Florida!
To Roger and MaryLou, their family, the dealer network, customers, business associates I wish all well, we have all benefited from their activities. I have no doubt that Roger’s multi-faceted capable hand at the helm extends to succession planning, and we will be seeing some great products in the future.
The 26 series boats were the bread and butter backbone of the trademark, continuing on with that successful line is pretty much a business no-brainer.
I think we are witnesses to a significant milestone in sailing history here.
-Brian.
ps. Q: so how long do I have now before I can no longer visit the factory for a tour? (Better move California up on the list)! Did Roger allude to any timeframes, Kevin?
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 8:53 pm
by kmclemore
seahouse wrote:Did Roger allude to any timeframes, Kevin?
No, but he did say he'd be posting something on his website, so keep a lookout there.
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 9:05 pm
by bwygirl
I'm glad to see you got confirmation (and a little more elaboration) from Roger of the details that we put out this morning. There were already getting to be some not intirely acuate postings based on assumptions and conjecture (totaly understandable) but we will try to keep you all up to date as information comes available. As to the first question I have seen, no, we do not have a time frame for when the new boat will be in production in Florida. We hope soon, but these things take time so we will all have to wait and see.
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 9:25 pm
by finding41
I wonder why they were measuring the 26D hull a while back?
Hmm.
Roger deserves a long happy retirement.
He has done on heck of a job opening up a sport to the masses.
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 4:13 am
by Catigale
1. Denial and Isolation
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
6. Buy a sailboat
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:02 am
by K9Kampers
The new company will have at least two advantages… Legacy and brand awareness.
Legacy - younger family members that were involved with the original business
Brand – although a new brand will be created, it’ll feed from the existing MacGregor audience.
The proposed 22 model is great news! Many current Mac owners desire a larger Mac model, but Mac is more of a get-into-sailing kind of boat with less competition than the variety of up-sizing-to market choices.
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 7:26 am
by C Striker
I do my share of whining about the Mac being a cheap boat. Totally ridiculous! It is simply an unfinished boat. The hull is sound as can be. We just about broke a floating dock once while the Admiral was learning the ropes at the healm. Not a scratch at the bow though.
I commend the MacGregor family for building a boat that is affordable enough for the lower class working grunt. I commend them for making it trailerable in all 50 states, so we all can finish it as we see fit in the free comfort of our back yards. The best way to make 1 boat for a million types of folks is to give them the freedom to finish theirs off exactly the way they want it. If I hit the powerball, I wouldn't buy another boat. I sure would have my perfect Macgregor finished a lot sooner though.
Erik
Re: MacG to cease product'n in CA. New boat to be made in FL
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2013 8:22 am
by Tomfoolery
Sea Striker wrote:If I hit the powerball, I wouldn't buy another boat.
If I hit the powerball, I'd get another dock queen in a heartbeat. But I'd keep my
and make improvements, too, as it can do things a keel boat can't. Or get a new one. Or something like that. But the more I use my
, the more ways I find to use it, and I'm getting more use out of it than any other boat, especially the dock queen.
And kudos for getting actual hard facts out there before wild speculation and rumor gets too much of a toe hold. Unheard of in the internet age.
Is there any information about what part of Florida the new facilities will be in? My FIL, who's my most frequent crew, lives down there during the cold months (when sailing is too uncomfortable), and I'm sure he'd like to pay them a visit at some point, depending on where they are, and see the new offerings up close. Florida is a big state, after all.