Are These Boats Good Enough To Last?

[waternwaves]

Like many on this board, I play with mulitple boats, from human powered to decayed dinosaur powered versions.

And while I look lustily at newer big boats, I am not made of money, nor am I ever likely to win the lottery(I dont play), nor do I have any really rich relatives likely to leave me a pot of gold. So the water toys I have, I have to enjoy on all levels, looking at, working on, playing with, putting away and shopping for.

The mac satisfies almost all of the maritime urges I suffer from. It sails, it carries my kayaks, pulls watertoys, keeps the rain off my head, and mostly carries me there and back again. It is easier to keep clean,(even if it is a bit sterile looking) peaceful, robust, and fits anywhere I boat.

I think it is easier to maintain the mac in ones driveway than driving to a marina. Boats require maintenance. Skipping 2 years of maintenance on a boat can make any boat less than fun. Like Delevi, those of us who work can only broker small amounts fo time to get our water fix. Things that have always been easy to maintain on my mac, electric toilets, pumps, presurrized water systems, electrical systems and the like are always mmore complex on a larger boat. (and take more time) (as I go through my 23 yr old hunter and my !2 year old mac......there is a lot to be said for simplicity.

Every boat should be fun, and if it serves a purpose that is even better. But as a mulitple boat owner.......I still really like tinkering and cleaning on my mac, and anxiously go through my boat show list trying to make eash part of this silly hobby work a little better in the coming year.

The real question is.... Is your maintenance and upgrade efforts good enough to last. If you like seeing the frutis of your won labors, and you like a smooth well oiled machine, then you are going to continue to love your mac for many years. and believe me......they are so inexpensive compared to 500+ a month of moorage for a larger boat.

You will be sorely challenged to find something that gives as many smiles as playing on the water with loved ones, and th emac is a very affordable way to do that, and it is not really very particular as to the kind of water it is on......(if it is at least 2 or 3 feet deep)

Enjoy.
Darren

[Loefflerh]

Waternwaves is right on the money. I had my X for 10 years, and iwith minor maintenance it looked still excellent inside out - and it sold immediately for a good price. Why did I sell and buy the M? Because I am hooked to the Macgregor, and I liked he looks of it. By comparing to upgrade my X to a new bigger motor and the rotating mast versus a new M, there was not much difference.........
Hans

[Scott]

Had mine for 7 years. It was a 97 and had minimal maintenance dollars spent. ( a lot of mod dollars though) I replaced my standing rigging and one spreader. All of which were broken by me and not worn out. I didnt have any breakage at all on the boat due to wear and I sailed it as hard as anyone on this board and perhaps harder than most. I rebuilt the rudders, once again needed due to my breaking them. (dragging them up the ramp)

[John McDonough]

I bought my 4th macgregor in January 2000.

I had it parked under my deck for two years. It got really dirty, I thought I would never get it clean and shiny, but it cleaned up perfectly and I applied 2 coats of wax. When I got it to the Marina, (summer 2007) a couple asked for a tour. They thought it was a Brand new boat.

I intend to keep my 26X for a long time. Ovioulsly parts will wear out. These are easily replaced.

I owned a 1988 Mac 26D. I broke the daggerboard and rudder. Easily replaced. I saw it this summer. 21 years old, used and abused. A litle dull but still in good shape. It still has the original Sails which I had sent out for upgrades, and yes the 26D outsailed the 26X. Sailing 15 miles along the Erie Coast, the 26D beat me by at least 2 or 3 miles. Which means I had more time to enjoy being out on the water. ??

[ronacarme]

Bot a used 1972 Venture 17 (made by Macgregor) in 1880 and ran it till I sold it in 1988.
Bot a new 1988 Mac 26D and ran it till I sold it in 2000.
Bot our current 2001 Mac26X new in fall 2000 and continue to run it happily, with no intention to replace it.
All 3 Macs held up very well.
After 29 years of owning and running Macs, it is my humble opinion that a suggestion that Macs do not hold up as well as other trailerables is untrue and likely based on either ignorance or the desire to sell a non-Mac boat.
Ron

[Highlander]

Bot a used 1972 Venture 17 (made by Macgregor) in 1880 and ran it till I sold it in 1988.
Ron

Man hope if I live that long I'm as agile as you !!! Did'nt know Roger was also around then ! So what ever is in that bottle I'll have some too ?
So was that a Old Wooden Boat ?

J

[waternwaves]

lets see.....1989-1990.........The Kininvie Distillery is one of the youngest distilleries in Scotland, the distillery began production on the 4th July 1990.

so it can't be the juice from those fine folks that brought out Monkey shoulder.....(circa 2005)

could it be....Grand Marnier is a liqueur created in 1880

nope........ what could the mystery life extending concoction be.........?

[Andy26M]

I received my new 2004M in April 2004. For the first four summers it was sailed fairly heavily, 3 in salt water then in fresh. This past year it was sailed lightly, due to work, not the boat. All 5 summers it has spent moored at a dock, not safe on it's trailer under shelter.

All of the original equipment is in fine working order, and the hull looks great, except where I've scratched it.

The only real problem I see is the greying/oxidation of the black stripes and some minor crazing of the gel coat in places where the lifeline stanchions causes it to flex. While these will eventually get to the point of needing correction, neither pose any real threat to the long-term health of the boat as long as I don't wait too long to correct them.

My father still owns and regularly uses the 17' AMF Crestliner powerboat that we had when I was a kid - last summer while camping we celebrated that boat's 30th year of service to our family (and 28 years for the Mercury 115 on the back). Over the years the only major work done to that boat was a replacement of the wooden sub-flooring when the original particle board fell apart. We replaced it with 3/4 inch marine plywood 24 years ago. I don't see anything on my Mac that says it won't last as long as my Dad's boat if I take good care of it. Fiberglass and stainless steel do not have a "half life" of set decay, at least not one that is meaningful when compared to the length of our own lives.

If you think the Mac's gelcoat is substandard or something, just take a look at ads for fiberglass boats 20+ years old from reputable builders (Valiant, Island Packet, etc. - not cheapos like Hunter): a very large percentage of those ads are going to mention the "new" Awlgrip - telling you that the original gel coat, even from those guys, eventually wears and the boat gets painted. I might even guess that our trailer-sailers' gel coat can last a lot longer than the big boys, because we can put much more direct attention on caring for the it by having the boat in our front yards any time we need it there!

Properly cared for, I don't see a reason to expect less than a 30-35 year service life from a 26M or X.

The trailer, however, is a completely different story.

- Andy

[Hardcrab]

One way that dealers comment might be semi-valid is if the "popular notion" is correct.
That is, the Mac's are known as a great first-time buyers boat.
It even highlights it in the sales lit.
So, that much seems to hold water.
On this board, many have so stated that their boat is their first, with no previous experience.

If this is more true than not, then it would follow that a different, larger, traditional type boat might be in store for those who fall in love
with sailing, or perhaps the stinkpot side, after having a taste of each with a Mac.
As the threads in this topic have shown, that is not the option for everyone.

My heart says I too would like a bigger "real" sailboat, but my head tells me how good I've got it now.
Lift and yard costs, greater maintenance costs, slip fees, and purchase price are the huge and real dream killers for the Catalina-Morgan 440 I lust after.
I'm not independently wealthy, nor will I ever be.

So, at the end of the day, like it or not, my M will continue to be the boat in my future.

I'll go through a few trailers along the way, I'm sure.

[pokerrick1]

the Catalina-Morgan 440 I lust after

That's Funny - - - I lust after the EXACT same sailboat after I inspected it fully at the Long Beach in the water boat show last year Isn't it gorgeous

Rick

[NiceAft]

John,

You said I was getting as bad as you, no way You're still the king Just don't knock me for trying

Ray

[Highlander]

lets see.....1989-1990.........The Kininvie Distillery is one of the youngest distilleries in Scotland, the distillery began production on the 4th July 1990.

so it can't be the juice from those fine folks that brought out Monkey shoulder.....(circa 2005)

could it be....Grand Marnier is a liqueur created in 1880

nope........ what could the mystery life extending concoction be.........?

Darren

I think I found that concoction "St, Leger" Another Blended Scotch malt whiskey I found it @ the SAQ in Quebec City PQ CAN. of all places ! not avail. in Ontario Can.
The sad thing is that $astard Q1 bertrand has been holding out on us all . But the secrets out now !
I brought two bottles home at the new year one for me & one for "Ray" sorry Darren ! but for some reason when I took them bottles out of my case when I got home the contents of "rays" bottle had mysteriously evaporated ! sorry Ray I'll keep you up-dated when I find out who the culprit was !

J

[Highlander]

John,

You said I was getting as bad as you, no way You're still the king Just don't knock me for trying

Ray

Knock, Knock who's there. Not "St.Leger" thats for sure !!!!!!!!!,
sorry Ray just could not stop myself

J

[James V]

I think that this is just a dealier scam to try to get people not to look at a MacGregor.

I bought mine in Jan '06. Put on 3500 miles before Oct '07 and then another 5500 miles, crossed the gulf stream 2x and Bahamas for 5 months and still living aboard. Built to last a long time on the water. Most boats never see that many miles.

Don't buy what a boat broker/dealier says. I never talk to them anymore.

[C Striker]

Leon had wrote " Once you get all the cheap stock hardware replaced"

Anyone care to make a list?

Erik
edited because I never remember to check the box to notify me