Beginner boat?

[fedguy]

I'm sure you old salts have answered this question a tim eor two before, but would you consider this a good first time boat purchase, or would another boat be a better decision?

[K9Kampers]

I guess that would depend on you boat / sailing background / experience. Starting from zero, learning the basics on a simple boat like a Sunfish or dinghy sailor would be more conducive to a positive learning experience, imo.
In the 20'-26' range, yes, the Macs are a good first time purchase, but so are many other brands in this range as well.

[c130king]

I took a 3-day ASA sailing course (24', 30' and 44' boats on the three days)...had never sailed a day prior to that in my life. Then I bought my Mac. So yes...good first boat IMHO. Recommend getting a good "Beginners" sailing book...I have several and got them all from Amazon (but there are many other places to find them).

Enjoy.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König

[kmclemore]

The Mac was designed specifically to be a 'first boat' type of vessel, so yes, it's clearly a 'beginner boat'. Mac's generally tend to be pretty simple to operate, and even the owner's manual has instructions on basic sailing.

[NiceAft]

To sum up the above, yes

If you list where you are, there may be some owners nearby, and available to take you out on one of their boats, or at least give you some help when you get yours.

Ray

[Catigale]

On the financial side, buying new or used, it has the lowest depreciation of any boat out there that I know, so if you 'arent sure' about getting into sailng you risk the least with a Mac.

I bought mine with the intention of buying a 40 footer someday for cruising, but once the kids go a decade from now, my Mac will still be in my driveway for cheap week long trips to the Cape.

[technicalman]

Go cheap till you are sure you like this sort of thing. There are lots of good used cheap boats out there, thanks to our economy. Take someone who knows boats to go with you when you're thinking of buying.

[Russ]

The Mac is actually a very good beginner boat in its size class.
It's very safe, spacious and relatively inexpensive to own and operate. The Mac is, however, a compromise boat that neither sails well, nor powers well. For a new sailor, performance might be discouraging as a sail boat. However, many new sailors are not competition class folks looking for speed and performance. It's easy to sail and get out there.

If you want a boat that will get you out on the water and having fun, it's perfect.


--Russ

[Rick Westlake]

I'm sure you old salts have answered this question a tim eor two before, but would you consider this a good first time boat purchase, or would another boat be a better decision?

I'd say it depends on what kind of sailing you're going to do - where you're going to keep her, whether you're just day-sailing or planning weekend cruises, that sort of thing. If you want to keep the boat in your driveway and go sailing a couple of hours at a time, you might be best off with an open dinghy that has a mast light enough to set up by hand. If you want to do overnight or multi-night cruises, along with trailering the boat to far-away places, I think the MacGregor is just about ideal.

Bossa Nova, my Mac 26X, is not a very small boat. I was intimidated by looking up at a Mac 26 on its trailer, the weekend I went to do the ASA small-boat class in Flying Scots from Washington (DC) Sailing Marina; so I chose to start with something smaller, something that was closer to the Flying Scot. I was charmed by the West Wight Potter, and I still find that boat charming, but I couldn't find one to buy; what I found was a MacGregor 19, which is like a short and squashed-down Mac 26. (I also described her as "an obese Flying Scot with indoor plumbing.") I sailed that boat for two seasons, by which time I'd recognized that I really wanted stand-up headroom and a better galley. That's when I sold Beija-Flor and bought Bossa Nova.

I kept Beija-Flor at a marina five minutes from my office, and it was very convenient for afternoon and evening sailing. I retired shortly after I bought Bossa Nova, and now I keep her on the Chesapeake Bay. I keep her at a marina, on her trailer, with the mast up; it takes maybe five or ten minutes to get her in the water, park car and trailer, and sail her away from the ramp. When I haul the boat elsewhere, it takes me an hour or so, working alone, to get her mast down and secure everything for the highway; another hour, at my destination, to raise her mast and prepare her for launch. (My Mac 19 took about as long.)

A Mac 26 on a trailer will require a pretty robust tow vehicle. My 4Runner handles it well, and the water ballast makes Bossa Nova a lighter load. On the road, I can use her as a travel-trailer. On the water, she's pretty capable, but she's lightweight for a sailboat of her size and she doesn't have much ballast; I'm most comfortable with her in light winds. (I think she's a good boat for the Chesapeake Bay, but I'd be timid about taking her on the ocean.) At anchor, she swings back and forth around the anchor line with any breeze at all, but I haven't found that a problem. (Of course, I'm looking for quiet nights and well-protected harbors for my overnight stays.)

For a "pocket cruiser," I think you'd do very well with a MacGregor.

Hope this helps - Rick

[Québec 1]

Catalina 22 is a very good starter , trailer sailor and can be found for 5K or less. I got the Mac cause I needed the interior space to live in for extended periods of time.
Q1

[Catigale]

...fair warning ...you will find a group in the sailing community that are 'mac bashers' - these are guys who read sailing bibles and spout off in loud voices how boats 'should be built' and generally spend more time yakking than on the water....ignore them and have fun..

I email my old boss when I am on Nantucket for the weekend with my Mac and ask him where his keelboat SCAMPI is....

His response one day from email..

SCAMPI- a lonely old racing boat seemingly locked to a mooring..with large overhead

Macgregor- a "new" motorboat with a mast that brings constant joy to its owner at a pittance

On edit - adding 'sailing' to modify 'bibles' to clarify context

[jschrade]

I agree with some dinghy sailing to get a "taste" prior to making the investment. Often there are local community sailing centers that you can join to see if it's for you.

Jim

[madguy]

I was always into power boats but got fed up with the fuel prices. i opted for a Macgregor 26s cause all the info i read said it was the easiest to sail.

We put our boat on the water on a saturday and had a three hour lesson, been sailing and getting better ever since, i have to say in our experiance this has been a very simple way to learn and loved every minute of it.

Have fun.

Madguy

[StUrrock]

Hi fedguy,

Cannot comment on Mac ownership for beginners, as I don't have the pleasure of owning one. Yet!

However, since joining this forum and the MacGregorowners club UK, myself and my family have met owners and cruised on Xs and Ms.

For what it is worth all I can say is thanks to this excellent website and the new 'MacGregor' freinds I have met here in the UK, it has inspired me to buy my first boat. OK not a Mac at the moment.

I have loved my time on my friends' Macs, and there is one thing for sure the 'Mac' community is the best support ANY new boat owner can have.

Whatever you decide to buy you will always re-visit this site as long as you have a boat. If you but a Mac you will have a ball!

Good Luck.

[dennisneal]

I can only speak for myself. As I see it, the advantages/disadvantages of a MacGregor are:

1. Relatively low cost to purchase/own. ( You won't see any teak.)

2. Lots of interior room for a 26 foot sailboat. ( High freeboard means a bit rough to dock with a cross wind.)

3. Hybrid Sail/Power boat means that when the winds die, or become threatening, one can motor, or quickly return back to the harbor. ( Its not the fastest sailboat, nor the fastest power boat in the fleet.)

4. Its easy to operate. One can learn to sail a MacGregor in only a few hours. ( But, to learn how to circumnavigate, I'd choose a different boat.)

5. The boat is relatively safe. There is enough floatation built into the boat that it will not sink. (---)

6. The boat is on a trailer. One can keep the boat at home and avoid marina fees. The boat can be easily transported to distant marinas. ( Setting-up and taking the mast down is a bit of a pain.)

Personally, I'm not interested in racing: its too much work. I just want to have fun on the water. My Admiral and I use our Mac to go on a mini "vacation" at least once a month. When we are on our MacGregor, we are transported into another world, far away from our home in the semi-desert.

Hope this helps.

Dennis