MacGregor sailing performance

[Bencoles]

I'm thinking of buying a Mac 26. However, a yachting friend of mine told me that a Mac 22 "sails like a dog". Is he a sailing snob? How does the Mac 26X compare?

[mike]

I think most 26X owners would agree that it's not the best sailboat in terms of performance (particularly upwind), but there are tradeoffs.

A traditional sailboat owner that I know expressed great envy in the fact that, to reach Cat Island, he has to wake up at 5am and endure a 12+ hour trip under power, while I can make the trip in far less than half that time. I love being able to venture into shallow waters... on our trip a few months ago, we anchored in a cozy little cove from which most sailboats would have to stay far away.

Anyway, it boils down to what you want to use the boat for. As I had mentioned in a thread a few weeks ago, we'll probably move up to a bigger boat in 4 or 5 years, but when we do, giving up the versatility of the 26X is going to be very difficult. Yes, another knot or so of speed under sail, and being able to point a little higher would be nice, but having to keep an eye glued to the depth sounder at all times, not being able to motor fast when needed, and not being able to pull the boat out of the water with my truck (for maintenance, hurricanes, etc.) is going to be hard to get used to.

--Mike

[Harry van der Meer]

Browse this board and you will get a good impression of the love the X and M-owners have for their boat.

I like to compare the Mac to a minivan. It can do a lot of things, but nothing really well. Anyone looking for performance would never go for the minivan.

My wife and I took a week vacation this summer. Towed the boat up to Maine (about 200 miles) and were soon sailing among some wales. Found wonderful little shallow coves to anchor, etc.

Met a couple in Camden with a nice 30 ft sail boat from Connecticut. They had spent a week cruising Penobscott Bay. Told us that the trip was two years in the making. Why we wondered. Well, it took one week to sail from Ct to Camden, Maine. One week to cruise, and then their 2 week vacation was over. So they needed to coordinate with friends to get the boat back to Ct. They were amazed we were able to tow the boat within half a day, cruise for the same week and tow back home.

All in all, we love our Mac.

[Ken Smith]

If you want to race either buy a one man boat like a laser or crew on someone elses boat. Ask yourself if that 1 knot more is that important that you have to have it. With the mac you could power to your sailing spot, then sail. If your into speed then power up wind and sail on a broad reach back, you will find the speed you need. If your on a river you can sail anywhere down river and if the wind dies power back home. Not if but when the wind dies you can power home from any location. I use the mac for scuba diving, wakeboarding, and fishing. I live in Buffalo New York and went to the florida Keys last year 1500 miles and back with a v6 with no problems. I've had the boat since 99 new and I trailer it wherever we go. The saving over a dock site is large. I could keep on going but you get the idea.
Ken

[Moe]

I've only been a forum member here for a couple of months, but didn't take long to observe a few things about this community.

Everyone here seems self-confident in their decision to own an X or M. With possibly one exception, no one appears to care whether some others may bash Macs. With possibly one exception, no one appears to need to squelch insecurity, by constantly defending their decision, bad-mouthing other boats, or pretending the Mac is something that it isn't. And no one here seems to feel the need to call those who may bash the Mac snobs or other names. I guess that logically follows if no one cares what others might say.

Why is that? I'd like to think it's because Mac owners are too busy having fun with their boats to waste time worrying about what others may think. But the reality is, that's probably secondary, and that the owners here are self-confident in all aspects of their life, and would be that way if there were no Macs. Owners here typically have done the research and know what they're getting:

A design specifically focused on low price, adequate quality, light weight. easy trailerability, launching at even the shallowest of ramps, very shallow water operation and beachability, stand-up headroom without a pop-up, unsinkability, motoring at two to three times the hull speed of similarly sized sailboats, and easy, uncomplicated sailing.

Another thing I noticed about this forum is the respect members have for one another. There are many well-educated, very intelligent people on this forum, deserving of some really big egos. It's pretty amazing how well those are left at the door here.

On most other forums, if a newbie comes in, "passing on" a deragotory comment, followed by a leading question baiting members to respond in kind, he would immediately be labeled a "troll." There are those who have nothing better to do, who "troll" on forums, soliciting emotional responses from members. You'll note here that no one responded to your question as if you were trolling. You didn't ask for tangible performance data and you got none. You did get reasoned answers about how a Mac compares to other sailboats.

If you're worried about someone saying something as intangible as "sails like a dog," and whether you should label them as "a sailing snob," perhaps in addition to questioning whether the 26X is right for you, you should be questioning whether you are right for the 26X. I'm absolutely serious about that and do not say it to offend you.

--
Moe

[mike]

Why is that? I'd like to think it's because Mac owners are too busy having fun with their boats to waste time worrying about what others may think.

This reminds me of another point... our 26X probably doesn't sail as well as most of the sailboats at my marina. However, most of the boats at my marina appear to rarely, if ever, leave their slips. Ours gets used regularly.

--Mike

[ken lockhart]

Unless you want to race in PHRF fleets, go buy a Mac. Although I own a Hunter 26 now, I have owned a 26D,26S, and 26X. A lot of people put down the Macs, but you wont find a better boat for the money and the M and the X rate high on the fun meter. Although I love my H26, I can see a new M in my future. Besides, you won't find a better group of folks then Mac owners.

Fair Winds,
Ken

[kmclemore]

Very well said, Moe... and Harry, Ken, Mike and Ken, I agree with all of what you said, too.

I feel absolutely no need to apologise for my Mac, no more than I might apologise for my house, my car or my shoes. Like each of you, I knew just what I wanted in a boat and I did my research before buying. Since I've owned and served on several boats and yachts before, I knew what I liked and didn't like about the different types. The Mac is a comprimise, as are most things in life, but one with which we are all pretty well pleased.

True, it sails and motors a bit like a barge. And a mini-van handles like a pig and is about as fast as a Volkswagon bug, too, but nobody looks down on folks that make that choice, do they? They sell tons of mini-vans because they fit a market segment really well, and they sell tons of Mac's for just the same reason.

You ask "How does the Mac 26X compare?"... well, I suppose, about like a Toyota Sienna and a Chevrolet Corvette... or an apple and a chicken... or a hammer and a staple gun... they are simply two different types of products and cannot be compared. One does not compare a power boat against a sail boat do they? Nor should one compare a sailboat against a powersailor. Simply put, you cannot do with a C&C 26 what you can do with a Mac 26X, and vice versa.

None of us bought the Mac to go sail racing or motor-racing. We bought it because it does a lot of things basically pretty well... it holds a family of four for a weekend or a week with amazing comfort, it has a private head and a pretty good galley for the comfort of our ladies, the taller ones of us can still stand up straight down below, it easily fits in tight slips, you can tow it to any lake or bay you want with amazing ease, it's easy to maintain, and it can sail, motor and beach in places where you couldn't go with any other boat except a canoe.

What it comes down to is that during the day we can tow our kids behind and see the joy on their faces as they bash along in the wake, and yet later in the day, with the kids now slumbering in their roomy berths safely below, we can still have a quiet, lazy sail... with a nice glass of wine in our hand, the wife snuggled up next to us, and the gentle sounds of the water slipping by in the cool evening air. Name another boat that you can do that with, at a reasonable price, and I'll be surprised.

Buying boats, cars or anything comes down to what computer contractor's call the 'big decision'.... when you say to the customer "Yes, sir, you can have it fast, cheap and with the highest quality... now just pick two of those." The Mac is such a choice, but in our case, surprisingly, we got a little of each.

[Harry van der Meer]

... with a nice glass of wine in our hand, the wife snuggled up next to us, and the gentle sounds of the water slipping by in the cool evening air.

Thanks a lot. You have just made the winter here more dreadful. Can't wait till next summer. Have no more vacation left, otherwise I would tow my Mac to Florida this winter......... Maybe we should just move......

[mark,97x]

Harry: land is cheap here in so. ga. and north west fla,come on down,,the bays are shallow but so what we have our mac's

[kmclemore]

Got me to thinking... I suppose the Mac is sort of the "JEEP Wagoneer" of boats... not especially sexy, not especially fast and not especially great handling... but it goes pretty much anywhere you want no matter what the terrain, it's easy to fix, there's plenty room, and you get there in relative comfort.

[TampaMac]

I love my MAC.

I want a bigger boat but frankly I would be giving up the low draft and motoring speed. In normal use those two are far more important then the additional amenities of a larger cabin etc.

To replace my mac I would have to buy a flats boat, a cabin cruiser, and a sailboat. And since I am only one guy I'd only be able to bring one at a time with me and would have to go home to switch boats all the time.

What needs to happen is that Mr. MacGregor needs to go back to the drawing board and make us a 30 to 33 footer that has the same basic pluses of the X, then I can upgrade.

[RandyMoon]

I get my new Mac M in 8 long days and counting.

I am waking up at night with flash backs... when I was a six year old kid waiting for Santa to come.

Thanks to Kevin's story about: "... with a nice glass of wine in our hand, the wife snuggled up next to us, and the gentle sounds of the water slipping by in the cool evening air."

Now I'll be waking up at night with other fascinations.

Thanks for the sleepless nights Kevin.

[kmclemore]

Thanks for the sleepless nights Kevin.

Well, with any luck at all, you and the little lady will have lots of them!

"If this boat's a rockin.... "

[Pouw Geuzebroek]

Well I'dd like to mentioned another point not mentioned before about deciding on buying a Mac. First of all you need money to buy a boat, now there are a few ways to get enough money to buy the boat you realy like.

• 1e: start saving. Problem is, it may take a few years before you can enjoy sailing
  2e: take a loan. I personaly don't like that because in the end you pay too much on interest.
  3e Buy a relatively cheap boat which is rather bare and start adding stuff, so that in say 4 or 5 years time you have the perfect boat

I went for option 3 and the Mac was the ideal boat for this. Extra benefit, your own Mods are ofcourse always the best thing in town and make your boat very personal. Another extra benefit, it keeps you of the street during winter, always busy with your Mods.