Advice on buying 26M/X

[Firemanbill]

I’m brand new to your forum and don’t own a macgregor yet so I’m looking for some advice. I’m looking to purchase a 26M or X, there’s one of each for sale in my area, and I was wondering if I could get some advice on what I should be looking out for or concerned about when inspecting one prior to purchase.

Many thanks in advance.

[DaveC426913]

Previous thread on same topic:
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/phpBB/v ... f=9&t=8767

Googling 'compare MacGregor X versus M' will turn up a lot of articles written by owners. These are good reads because you'll get a wide array of opinion.

Ultimately, neither is truly outstanding over the other. It comes down to how you recreate.

My wife and I compared them before buying. Ultimately, for us it came down to the interior layout - we liked the location of the head in the X better than the M.

[paul I]

I’m brand new to your forum and don’t own a macgregor yet so I’m looking for some advice. I’m looking to purchase a 26M or X, there’s one of each for sale in my area, and I was wondering if I could get some advice on what I should be looking out for or concerned about when inspecting one prior to purchase.

Many thanks in advance.

Where are you? And what area are you looking in for boats? If you put your location in your profile owners in your area may be able to help you more. If you are buying a salt vs. fresh water boat, you may want to look more closely at different things. For instance the Mac steel trailers are known to rust out at the trailer yoke, especially in salt water. Aluminum trailers don't seem to have that problem. With a location you might even get a neighbor Mac owner to go look at one with you.

[Tomfoolery]

For instance the Mac steel trailers are known to rust out at the trailer yoke, especially in salt water. Aluminum trailers don't seem to have that problem.

Though even if they do, isn't that OEM pole tongue simply bolted into the aluminium rails? Easy to replace. Certainly easier than the OEM trailer, anyway.

And yes, some location info would, as always, be helpful.

[Firemanbill]

Thanks for the replies. I’m in CT so more than likely it would be a saltwater boat.

[NiceAft]

The advantages of one over the other is really a personal preference. You have to get on each to help decide.

How close are you to L. I. Sound. An owner from queens keeps his boat near the Throgs Nexk Bridge. I am sure he would not mind helping you become more familiar with the . I am not aware of any owners close by, but hopefully one may come forward and help you out.

My boat of choice was the . Frankly, I chose the because I believe the interior was more attractive, but being a retiree from the home furnishing industry created a bias for finishing’s. The head location did not bother neither me nor my wife.

You must really try to get onboard each, so as to help with your decision.

Ray

[KootsChewt]

We ended up with an M, partly because it is supposed to sail better (I haven't sailed an X), newer was nice, and my wife liked the looks better. What we discovered after (ie in 2017, less then one year of owning it) though is that our boat has lots of small blisters, like the pox, on the bottom, which will be minimum $1k to fix (assuming all my labor, 2k more if I pay someone). SO, if I were looking at either again right now, top of mind would be how much time it spent in the water at a slip/mooring, and if so, whether the previous owner(s) had put on a proper epoxy sealant to keep the osmosis from happening, then I'd inspect the bottom of each. Other than that minor issue, we've really enjoyed the boat so far! The shallow draft has made so many awesome places accessible for us for anchoring that fixed-keel boats can't get to (or have a heck of a time).

[whgoffrn]

Each has their own opinion of why one is preferred.....so take my account as also just that but an opinion.... I chose an x because of its swing keel ... the dagger board can ground if not paying attention and break and I was a newbie and wanted the most foolproof sailboat I could find...ps during that first year or two I did accidentally sail in areas by accident that would have snapped my dagger board off ....my swing keel just kicked up and I heard it scraping the bottom...nothing was damaged.... also the rudder system / brackets are easier to modify since they are just hung on the back .... if u look at the m rudders they are kinda recessed into the boat ....hard to mod the brackets ..... just my reasoning .... My main playground is the keys though which is shallow waters

[Herschel]

Each has their own opinion of why one is preferred.....so take my account as also just that but an opinion.... I chose an x because of its swing keel ... the dagger board can ground if not paying attention and break and I was a newbie and wanted the most foolproof sailboat I could find...ps during that first year or two I did accidentally sail in areas by accident that would have snapped my dagger board off ....my swing keel just kicked up and I heard it scraping the bottom...nothing was damaged.... also the rudder system / brackets are easier to modify since they are just hung on the back .... if u look at the m rudders they are kinda recessed into the boat ....hard to mod the brackets ..... just my reasoning .... My main playground is the keys though which is shallow waters

Ditto from Central Florida. The swing keel has been very forgiving of my occasional navigational errors.

[LeePierce]

We chose the X due to the bathroom location and the lack of carpet on the walls. (My first sailboat and the Admiral had most of the X vs M opinion.)
She felt it was easy to clean. With some experience, I find the backstay on the X to be annoying.
My advice is to look at the motor's condition very carefully as it is a major part of the overall cost, affects what you can do, and you really want the motor to be reliable.
You will need to examine your own desires and where you plan to use the boat.
Some see the boat as a powered cabin cruzer and dump the mast all together. (cheapest power cruizer you can sleep on you will ever find.)
Some see the boat as a sail boat only so downsize the motor to drop weight and save fuel.
Mine has the "sorta" default honda 4 stroke 50 with no power lift.
It is plenty if you think of the boat as a sailboat first with the occational no-balast kid-on-a-tube pull. 50hp is not enough if you plan on pushing the boat to any speed with full balast.
No balast and any waves and swell makes everyone sick as it bobs like a cork, with balast it cuts through the water and keeps everyone happy.
That being said, I got caught on the wrong side of the lake when a 40 mph wind came up and I had plenty of motor to push us at hull speed against the wind.
Any faster and my crew started complaining and I got wet.
Power lift on the motor is worth a LOT by my book. I find lifting the motor annoying enough that I often just leave the motor down and in neutral.
With the motor down it is very hard to get through a tack in low winds so will often gybe instead.

[Harry van der Meer]

Hi Firemanbill,

We have a 2001 X and love it. We live in MA close to the border with CT. Our plan is to sell our X at the end of the season this year or early next year as we are close to retirement and plan to go sailing full time on a bigger boat. Please send me a PM if you are interested.

Best regards - Harry

[Cougar]

I belong to a rare species who actually sailed both the and the , though in very different circumstances. The was chartered in Croatia, where water depth is not an issue in most areas. In the Netherlands, where I live, the is by far superior because we have very shallow tidal waters and the swing keel is less prone to damage than the dagger board of the
Nonetheless, the swing keel was an added bonus and proved it's value. What initially made us choose the was the better cabin layout. Who wants to sit opposite to the head?

[dlandersson]

An additional, unforeseen, expense that you need to allow for: New owners have to buy everyone pizza. I like extra cheese.

I’m brand new to your forum and don’t own a macgregor yet so I’m looking for some advice. I’m looking to purchase a 26M or X, there’s one of each for sale in my area, and I was wondering if I could get some advice on what I should be looking out for or concerned about when inspecting one prior to purchase.

Many thanks in advance.

[Gazmn]

Hey FiremanBill,

Welcome. New Guy buys the pizza - once you purchase your Mac. Either choice, you win

Private message sent.

[Gazmn]

Further Thoughts:

Since you're new here, I can understand being somewhat shy about giving information. Especially in view of Zuckerberg having a "Lotta 'splainin to do" this very moment

But knowing regular planned crew size, sailing area etc can help us help you. eg, the has a more comfortable & nicer/newer interior. The a larger cockpit area, where you will most likely spend more of your time. With either choice get a good sized bimini