Congratulations on the new Mac - only half way there to getting my own! The Mac is designed for a large motor and in Europe the cheapest (or should I say the lesser expensive) are the Suzuki brand. I like the 40hp Suzuki fourstroke because it is fuel-injected and more economical and has a good reput...

On a similar vein, here is the story of a circumnavigation of Ireland:

http://www.bluemoment.com/ireland/index.html

...love reading these stories on a cold winters night...

Any Parker is a good boat, the bulid quality is reknown and even the smallest - the 235- is well put together. It does not have the volume or motoring speed of the Macgregor but there are some things worthy of note about its construction from good design and ease of use points of view. The lifting ...

Funny, the term always reminds me of the first time I went sailing in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland. (The lough is one of the largest freshwater loughs in Europe but is fairly shallow - if you draw more tham 1 metre you will run aground sonner or later - one of the attractions of the Macgregor 26x f...

Wow...Macgregor sailors not thinking latterally? First. You already have the basis of such a vessel (Mac 26) Second The only thing missing is this... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ROLLS-ROYCE-SILVER-SPIRIT-6750cc-ENGINE-AUTOBOX_W0QQitemZ4596211638QQcategoryZ108791QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Just reinforce the ster...

Caution should be exerted in your selection of foam. some foams can actually absorb water. I believe the foams used in the marine industry today are referred to as 'closed cell' foams and resist ingress of moisture. I once saw an injected type foam being removed from an old wooden dingy and it was a...

As someone who has an interest in all kinds of trailer-sailers, have a look at the Delphia 22 (formerly Europa TS240) or the Delphia 24. Both boats are built in Poland to a high standard and come with an inventory often listed as 'extras' by other manufacturers. Layout is very similar to the Mac X a...

Sorry, used wrong verb - rather than 'accuracy' I should have used something like 'trustworthy' or 'confidence enhancing'. The following is a quote from a recent debate on the topic from the UK based Practical Boat Owner forum: " Found on http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001280.html and thou...

Loran C is about to make a comeback.... Orginally developed by the Americans during/after WW11, it fell into the doldrums after the event of GPS and lack of development. If I understand it correctly, Loran C will be able to provide coastal navigation to an accuracy greater than GPS (including select...

Had experience of this on another type of boat (about 12 years old) and could not afford a dealer remedy (over 4000) which works out at nearly $8000 at today's rates! This would have involved planing the whole gel coat below the waterline, drying the hull, repairing the damage, rebuilding the gel co...

A company 'CFS fibreglass supplies' refer to painting fibreglass surfaces as applying a 'flow coat' and have some advice about this on their web site.. http://www.cfsnet.co.uk/ They state..."Gel coat forms the smooth outer surface of the finished laminate and therefore is applied to the prepare...

I must say that I found virtually every sort of goods to be ridiculously over-priced. And one of the key reasons is just this sort of legislation... as you noted in your first line, you are paying dearly for "the 'feel good' factor" - almost double the price! We here in America are starti...

I too am considering the purchase of a 26m in 2005, have been a 'lurker' on this site for some time and have gleaned a lot of information and good advice about the Macgregor marque. I am posting from Europe (Ireland) where a 26M works out at about twice the price of that in the USA. Interestingly, i...

It has come to my attention that some NASA transducers that have been sealed with 'Silkaflex' have degraded the transducer material at the mounting flange to the point that the transducer flange on the outside of the hull has almost come off. It is suggested you mount these tranducers with a silicon...