would like to hear from anyone with 25 hp

[bahama bound]

as i write this i cant believe i am considering this ,i have a chance to buy a left over 25 yamaha 4 stoke with prop and controls for about half what its worth ,after reading all these threads i am more confused than ever ?seems like alot of people arent really happy with the 50-60 hp range ?i have a nice powerboat and i bought this mac to trailer all over the south east and cruise it ?fuel consumption ,weight ,and speed are all factors but i really did fall for the hype of a mac being able plane off with a 50 honda ?if its not going to perform that great with a 50 -70 maybe i should step back and go smaller ?????would love to hear from someone with a 25-30 horse just for the input ???

[aya16]

If some are not happy with the performance of the 50hp, It doesn't make sense to me to go down even farther in hp. A twenty-five hp wont get you the speed or the fuel millage you are looking for, a planing hull will get better millage from a motor that will plane the boat.

The boat works fine with a 70hp, even the etec 60hp. But you can buy the 25 for half what its worth, sell it for 3/4's what its worth and plop down for the etec.

Really though, look at the etec 60, on a mac, look at the weight, then look at that 25, The etech is about the same size and weight as the yamaha 25.

being stuck with something you may not like, is still being stuck with something even if its half the price. That 25 will not perform anywhere near a 50.

fuel consumption ,weight ,and speed are all factors but i really did fall for the hype of a mac being able plane off with a 50 honda ?if its not going to perform that great with a 50 -70 maybe i should step back and go smaller ?????

Thats what you said
Mike

[Ixneigh]

Boy I sure hope Yamaha got its act together as far as metallurgy goes. I had a couple of 9.9 s in the nineties and they both bit the dust due to clogged cooling passages. Months in the Bahamas and extensive cruising in the keys where flushing the critters was impossible lent to thier demise I am told. Hopefully the newer engines are better.

Ixneigh

[TAW02]

Seems whenever there is a discussion over horsepower it generally centers over speed. HP vs SPEED.

Let's discuss this topic in terms of HP vs POWER.

Now, let's imagine this ...

You've had a lovely day out sailing in open seas. Weather is great wind is right, but now it's getting dark and you have to make it back through the channel into protected waters (Intercoastal Waterway). You dowse the sails and batten them down tight cover them and prepare to navigate the inlet. The tide is running out to sea and currents are running at least 10kts with an offshore wind of 10-15kts and gusting. Something is wrong ...

You are hammering the engine at WOT and are not making any headway! Power boats seemingly slice the water around you with little effort as they make-way into protected waters and do so effortlessly.

Now is the best time to figure out the best outboard for the job as you struggle to see what brand/horsepower they are as they cruise on past you.

You see my friend, it isn't really about speed ... it''s about prop size and the horsepower to effectively spin that prop that really matters. The truth of the matter is, an engine that has the horsepower and LOW-END TORQUE makes the ticket here. You want an engine that can power into a heavy load and carry it along at the lowest possible RPM. Two-Stroke engines fit the bill for this, while four-stroke engines acquire their rated horsepower at higher RPMS.

The rest is all cosmetic

-Tom

[Elandrigil]

Hello,
This is a first post by a wannabe sailor. Tom, I read your post with interest. I will be in the market for a boat this winter. The question of what motor is very important to me. So if a 2 stroke is the best power ratio, do you have a recommendation of what make or model motor? And doesn't the 2 stroke have the disadvantage of requiring a gas oil mixture? If so I assume you think it is worth the effort?
I will be lurking around looking for ideas to help me in my search for a used Macgregor. I have some experience, learning to sail on the muddy waters of the Charles River in Boston, back in the day. Thanks for any information and Merry Christmas to all who read this.
Greg

[bscott]

Hello,
This is a first post by a wannabe sailor. Tom, I read your post with interest. I will be in the market for a boat this winter. The question of what motor is very important to me. So if a 2 stroke is the best power ratio, do you have a recommendation of what make or model motor? And doesn't the 2 stroke have the disadvantage of requiring a gas oil mixture? If so I assume you think it is worth the effort?
I will be lurking around looking for ideas to help me in my search for a used Macgregor. I have some experience, learning to sail on the muddy waters of the Charles River in Boston, back in the day. Thanks for any information and Merry Christmas to all who read this.
Greg

Welcome to the board,
There is a lot of information concerning the 2 stroke vs 4 stroke here. The late model Evenrude E-tec and Tohatsu engines are direct oil and gas injected and do not require mixing oil/gas. The best way to research this is to use the search feature of this board OR Google Evenrude and Tohatsu.

Bob

[SeaGriff]

Hi Bahama bound I see no one has really answered your question.
I have a 25 hp evenrude on my 97 MacX. For what I want to do, it
performs perfectly. I use it to exit & enter a bay or dock, anchoring
and occasionally go upwind in a narrow channel. I am satisfied with
its performance for what I want it to do. It won't empty the ballast
I don't have power tilt which would be nice but it is easy on fuel and
is not in the way for exiting and entering through the transom.
My sailing is all inland lake sailing and for me this is first and formost
a trailerable sailboat. I can see the desire for more horsepower if
you are using it in conditions as described by Tawo2 but I am not.

[TAW02]

Hello,
This is a first post by a wannabe sailor. Tom, I read your post with interest. I will be in the market for a boat this winter. The question of what motor is very important to me. So if a 2 stroke is the best power ratio, do you have a recommendation of what make or model motor? And doesn't the 2 stroke have the disadvantage of requiring a gas oil mixture? If so I assume you think it is worth the effort?
I will be lurking around looking for ideas to help me in my search for a used Macgregor. I have some experience, learning to sail on the muddy waters of the Charles River in Boston, back in the day. Thanks for any information and Merry Christmas to all who read this.
Greg

-Greg;

My preferances based on my sailing area is the Evinrude Etec line of outboard engines. It is rugged and easier to maintain by virtue of never having to change oil or a timing belt. It is lighter than its four-stroke counterpart and because it swings a bigger prop (as compared to its hp counterpart 4 stroke), its workload is less at RPM. It will pull ahead of a four-stroke on a 'hole shot' every time, but it is a bit louder and you have to fill an oil tank every three or four hundred miles. Takes a quart or two and it mixes itself automatically with the gas so there is no worry of how much to add to the fuel. And it burns environmentally clean and safe ... so long as it is an ETEC. Your first service interval is 3 years! And it is ready for wide open throttle right out of the box new. No break-in period to contend with. And like I said adding oil is as easy as just filling an oil tank to the full mark when the level gets low. And if you forget ... the engine alarm will tell you to do so in several running hours and if it isn't done then it will still run safely for a few more hours before it drops into 'safe mode' by which it will limit throttle RPMS until you can make it to a marina and buy more oil. All of which 'no harm done'.

Merry Christmas to you too Greg

-Tom

[bartmac]

We have a Suzuki 15hp c/w high thrust prop on our 26X.....no use going beyond about 3/4 RPM as hull speed has been reached and just burning fuel.....going no faster...going to a motor which doesn't reach planing speed is no use.My outboard mechanic also mentioned the need for motors to reach a minimum loaded rpm for long runs.....relevant for both 2 & 4 stroke

[Elandrigil]

OK Tom, Great information. I thought the oil would need to be hand mixed in a tank. I will definitely check the web for more information on the E tech.
I think the most difficult part of purchasing a boat will be making a decision between all options. It is the same problem I have in the cereal isle at the grocery store. I think life was simpler when the only choices were Raisin Bran, Wheaties, Cheerios and Shredded Wheat! Now I get lost in the cereal isle!
Greg

[Québec 1]

I have a 2003 Honda 50 4 stroke, and consider it the minimum for a 26M on the St Lawrence River where I sail and where 5 knot currents and 8 knot swirling water holes at the entrance of rivers flowing into the St Lawrence are habitual.

Q1

[captronr]

Hi Greg,

The Etec is probably the best choice of motors, but when I heard the price of one, I dropped to a Tohatsu (Nissan) 50 two stroke. It has worked flawlessly in 3 yrs.

Ron

[Elandrigil]

Great to get the helpful responses.
I'm sure I am not alone in going over and over the pros and cons of MacGregor vs. a more "traditional" configuration. What I wanted to say is that the esprit de corps on this forum would seem to indicate folks are very happy with their choice of boat.
My wife has already made up her mind. She can see the grandchildren (one in the oven for four months) being towed on an inner tube behind the Mac. Also, she has had enough of the gymnastics required for our last boat a Hunter 25.5. I however am having some arguments with myself over something like a Seaward 23-25 footer. You know a "real" sailboat. I am impressed with the amount of information available and the general positive tone I have seen while lurking around here.
Anyway, thanks again, and pray for me, it may be a life and death decision!!!! (You just need to know my wife)
Greg

[bscott]

Great to get the helpful responses.
I'm sure I am not alone in going over and over the pros and cons of MacGregor vs. a more "traditional" configuration. What I wanted to say is that the esprit de corps on this forum would seem to indicate folks are very happy with their choice of boat.
My wife has already made up her mind. She can see the grandchildren (one in the oven for four months) being towed on an inner tube behind the Mac. Also, she has had enough of the gymnastics required for our last boat a Hunter 25.5. I however am having some arguments with myself over something like a Seaward 23-25 footer. You know a "real" sailboat. I am impressed with the amount of information available and the general positive tone I have seen while lurking around here.
Anyway, thanks again, and pray for me, it may be a life and death decision!!!! (You just need to know my wife)
Greg

Seward 25 is a great sailing yacht--consider your ability to rig (heavy) and tow (F350 4X4) it.

Bob

[robbarnes1965]

Great to get the helpful responses.
I however am having some arguments with myself over something like a Seaward 23-25 footer. You know a "real" sailboat. I am impressed with the amount of information available and the general positive tone I have seen while lurking around here.
Anyway, thanks again, and pray for me, it may be a life and death decision!!!! (You just need to know my wife)
Greg

I visited the Seaward's at Annapolis and Miami. They are expensive for a trailer-able. Don't forget the trailer weight for the 26' is 6000lbs. Your tow vehicle will be expensive. I love the concept of the 46 however

Don't feel bad about trying to make the wife happy - it will allow you to sail a LOT more if you buy the boat for her. I was always in a battle with the ex over going sailing. I have seen a lot of couples at the boat shows where the lady can barely board the the boat. I think, "why are they even looking at it?" The current admiral races sailboats and I was surprised to see even more critical analysis like, "is it easy to get to the fore-deck in stormy conditions to launch and retrieve the spinnaker?" LOL Seems that at he two extremes you want an easy to step on boat with a nice and flat surface to walk around the deck from stern to bow - that is NOT a MAC. That said, for a 26' boat you will not find a roomier interior and light, easy to launch boat. IF you can keep it in the water at a marina - go for a keel boat. I like being able to bicycle over to the club, cast off and go. Other features of the mac make it still an ideal boat for my sailing area even though I don't trailer it.

Rob