Dealerships in the mid-west

jcairy · Post by **jcairy** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 6:55 pm

I'm moving down from a Morgan 383 and it looks like the 26M will be my next boat. I live in N. Michigan and am looking for a dealership in MI, IN, IL, WI, OH. I've contacted some and they have no boats to demo sail, no water available, no support services for electronics, canvas, etc. Some of them appear to be "boat in a box" dealers who just assemble what the factory sends to them. Anyone have positive experience with a "full-service dealer" Thank for the help! Jack

KRV · Post by **KRV** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:35 pm

Blue Water Yachts is renowned for being one of the best quality dealers of Macgregors. They are located in Seattle,WA . I purchased mine from them without even one problem. If you want someone closer to you call them to find out who they recomend. That way you will know that the boat is rigged right. From people on this board too many of these dealers take short cuts with wiring,rigging etc...

norbert · Post by **norbert** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:14 am

boats4sail. bill is frequentlly present on this board (imo he is the only us dealer who contributes here). see "dealer info" button left. his ad also supports this website.

Merrick White · Post by **Merrick White** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 5:47 am

I bought my 26X from Strictly Sail in Cincinnatti, OH in 2001. Very professional outfit and service has been outstanding.

I visited several dealers closer to home, but never looked back after visiting them. Their web site is http://strictlysailinc.com/

From years of reading this board it's obvious that having a good dealer is a must.

deacm · Post by **deacm** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 6:42 am

Near Cleveland , OH is Powersailing Center (440-834-2000) which have not only been a solid Mac dealer over the years but offer a catalogue of Mac accessories and a complete line of canvas as well. I don't know about demo sails, but they'd put you in touch with a few Mac owners in the area that typically love to show their boats off.

CaptEd · Post by **CaptEd** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:19 am

I purchased my 26x from Superior Marine Service Inc , the owners of the company are Jerry Cohen and his son Roy..they own a 26x and they believe in doing things the right way the first time..they now sell the 26m new and sometimes have a used 26x or two..They have been very helpful and friendly to me. they are at 4405 east us-12 Michigan City, In 46360
telephone (219) 879-5636..If you call then, tell them Ed Walters (Dual Porpoise) says Hi!

mike · Post by **mike** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:24 am

I second Bill at Boats4Sail. While I've never had any direct dealings with him (I'm way down here in Louisiana), he actively participates here, gives great advice, and appears to bend over backwards to keep his customers happy.

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/cgi-bin ... AdNum=1500

--Mike

greybird-M · Post by **greybird-M** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 8:44 am

Well, if anyone is ever in Florida and needs a dealer, I can steer you clear of one dealer that is well worth avoiding. I know I'll never spend a dime with them again.

Having a good/great dealer is important, I reccommend taking your time and finding one. I will say that Bill B. at boats4sale is terriffic. He offered to ship me parts for my Mac 26M and did not ask for 'up front' payment-I sent the payment after I received the parts plus he shipped quickly after he heard about my damaged boat. I wish I had a dealer of even half his integrity and skill in or near my area.

-Walt

Captain Steve · Post by **Captain Steve** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 9:20 am

I agree.....Bill at Boats 4 Sail, has been here contributing to our collective knowledge. Last week I posted a query regarding replacing my frayed backstay. Bill shot me an email and put the backstay in the mail! If you look at the ads, he is the only dealer that advertises(which supports) on this site.

Mark Prouty · Post by **Mark Prouty** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 3:48 pm

Bill at Boats 4 Sail. I was seriously considering a 26M. I took a look at a couple that he had. He spent a considerable amount of time with me and my son talking about the X and M as well as other topics. I know that Joe with Timewarp bought a boat from Bill earlier this year. From what he told me, he was happy with Bill as a dealer. I also checked other prices on new M's and no dealer could quote me a better price.

Joe 26M Time Warp · Post by **Joe 26M Time Warp** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:30 pm

Thanks for the intro Mark.
I have to mention that I'm probably one of the very few who have bought two M's from two dealers so far. After the fire last fall I spent a lot of time talking to MacGregor dealers around the area and around the country. I was trying to get more information about repairing the first boat.
From that experience and from a few others I've talked to here's how I rank the dealers in and around the Great Lakes area.
#1 Bill of Boats4sail is my favorite. I'm not sure my mentioning everything Bill did for us would be good for his business, he really did go out of his way. Trust me though, you should give Bill a call.
#2 Jim at Sailboat Centre. Jim's a nice guy but I have to mention he doesn't offer much in the line of dealer support after the sale.
#3 John Gerber at Super Sport Marine also seemed like a terrific guy who was very knowledgable and helpful. Seems like a top notch operation in Ne.
#4 Power Sailing Center, in Burton Oh. Another top notch operation, I believe.
#5 Superior Marine Service in In. I only mention them because I've run accross several folks who were very happy with them. I've had nothing but bad luck attempting to talk with them over the phone. That includes trying to buy a boat from them and trying to dig for information.

I've always thought it was odd there isn't a Mac dealer in Michigan, after all, we still lead the nation in the number of registered boats.
Good Luck Jack.

Dimitri-2000X-Tampa · Post by **Dimitri-2000X-Tampa** » Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:48 pm

I've always thought it was odd there isn't a Mac dealer in Michigan, after all, we still lead the nation in the number of registered boats.

Joe, I hear that people in Michigan sometimes keep old burned out boats registered even though they've gotten a new boat....just to inflate their state's numbers over Florida and California!

Sorry buddy, that one was just irresistible.

ESPERANZA · Post by **ESPERANZA** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:47 pm

I also agree with Nrobert and Captain Steve, I'd call Bill at Boats 4 Sail. He's helped me a bunch. He's gonna slug my main and add reefing lines for me next week...

Dik...

Joe 26M Time Warp · Post by **Joe 26M Time Warp** » Fri Jul 23, 2004 6:06 pm

Alright Dimitri, this means war!!!
Well,,,, you'd be in trouble if you didn't have such cute kids in you're little pic there. Uh, Uh, Actually....You and I almost always agree on stuff, and I'd hate to have that ...
Hmmm, why do I have 2 boats?
Well... AH-HA!
I got it!
Actually, only one is registered.
THERE!
I think I got you back. Didn't I?

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Sat Jul 24, 2004 3:46 pm

Dimtri 1
Joe 0

MacGregorSailors.com

MacGregorSailors.com

Dealerships in the mid-west

Dealerships in the mid-west

Call BWY

Mac dealer

Midwest dealers

off topic?