MacG cease product'n in CA. 2 new boats to be made in FL

[Tomfoolery]

That can't be right. the first generation (Roger) builds the wealth. The second generation (the kids)conserves it, the third generation loses it.

With the family businesses I've been involved with, the first generation starts the company and makes a going concern of it, usually with great sacrifice of time and treasure, the second generation takes it up an order of magnitude, and the third milks it dry and runs it into the ground. But that may be because off the one's I know (first-hand) were started during the depression or right after, and it might have something to do with the times as well as the people. But almost universally, the ones growing up with everything don't appreciate what it took to get there, and continues to take to keep it there, let alone expand and/or improve it.

It'll be interesting to see how this works, that's for sure, but I'm pretty set with my , so this is just a nice distraction for me.

[BOAT]

I sort of wondered why Mike was so excited that "boat" was a 2013 Macgregor: one of the first 2013 boats. And when I was at the factory there was very little activity there. Not a lot of people. I saw two finished boats in the back ready to ship and only three parked in the line in front of the building bays. I sort of had a suspicion that this was my last chance to get a MAC. That's one of the reasons why we pulled the trigger so early before we were even ready to park the boat in the side yard that did not even have a driveway yet. If mike knew, he did not let on, but I think maybe he suspected too. He talked a LOT more about the 70 footer than the other boats. In fact I think I DID ask him if there were any new ideas in the hopper for the 26 and he directed me to the 70. As we were looking at it he said that it was the only thing on Rogers mind at the time. They were all pretty excited about the new material that the 70 was made from so I’m not surprised they are moving to a different material.

I mentioned the rumors when I got here to this site but the moderator on this post said it was all bunk and he even played a joke on us telling us the new boat was 28 feet. After that I just assumed it was a rumor that Macgregor was no longer going to build boats after 2012 or 1013 when the moderator said that, but by then, I had already bought my M so it did not matter.

Oh well. I guess all things must end sooner or later!

Guess I’ll call Gale at BWY today and order some parts! (Still need another mast hound!)

Roger: THANKS FOR THE BOAT! It’s exactly what I needed! No other boat can fit my needs as the M does.

[DaveB]

I give them best wishes for their new facility. Wish they had gone to Cape Coral,FL were shallow draft boats are needed and the local Gov. will pay for manifactures who employ people.
Dave

Any time line between the end of production and start of the new boat?

No timeline had been announced.

As to any further questions, I have given you all the facts that are currently able to be released. If I hear more that I'm able to pass on, I will do so here first.

As regards boat supplies, of course there are several existing 26M's still in the pipeline and I'd imagine these will sell out very quickly as these will be the last 'new' 26M's available ever again.

Starting any new business takes time, and I should know because I've started two of them... there's a host of issues to be sorted - location, site work, legal, financial, workforce acquisition & training, local regulations & permits... loads to do... so (and I have no inside information on this, so I'm speaking on my own opinion here) I'd think it may take as much as a year before you'd see the first boats off the line.

[finding41]

So who is Laura Sharp? One of Rogers kids?
She seems to be the boss. http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/ ... 25480.aspx

[dlandersson]

Heck, so will the state of Indiana...plus Indiana is one of the most fiscally sound states in the US. If they based themselves off the Ohio/Mississippi they would within easy reach of most of the US.

Or, they could make the parts anyplace, and assemble them in another. Last time I looked, Haiti was really inexpensive.

I give them best wishes for their new facility. Wish they had gone to Cape Coral,FL were shallow draft boats are needed and the local Gov. will pay for manifactures who employ people.
Dave

Any time line between the end of production and start of the new boat?

No timeline had been announced.

As to any further questions, I have given you all the facts that are currently able to be released. If I hear more that I'm able to pass on, I will do so here first.

As regards boat supplies, of course there are several existing 26M's still in the pipeline and I'd imagine these will sell out very quickly as these will be the last 'new' 26M's available ever again.

Starting any new business takes time, and I should know because I've started two of them... there's a host of issues to be sorted - location, site work, legal, financial, workforce acquisition & training, local regulations & permits... loads to do... so (and I have no inside information on this, so I'm speaking on my own opinion here) I'd think it may take as much as a year before you'd see the first boats off the line.

[C Striker]

De plane boss !!!! De plane de plane. !!!!@##$#@@#!!!

[mastreb]

So who is Laura Sharp? One of Rogers kids?
She seems to be the boss. http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/ ... 25480.aspx

She is Roger's daughter, yes.

[Catigale]

Folks, no one has done anything wrong here, but I think we need to back off the speculation and give the new venture the space to handle the millions of things that need to be done starting up. Leases, hiring , local relationships are all critical to a startup and the Internet makes the world a tiny place.

I've asked Heath to think this over. This thread may be locked or deleted as a result, his call.

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

Roger built 26' boats that he could ship two in a 48' tractor-trailer to me and his other dealers.
His daughter Laura did the international sales and had to ship one 26" boat in a 40' shipping container.
My guess is that she is going to make 22' boats so that she can ship two of them in a 40' shipping container, which would cut shipping costs in half +/-. Just my guess.

[Mac26Mpaul]

Well I wish the Ms the best of luck in their semi-retirement and I also wish the best of luck to the Sharps in their new venture, but I can't help in agreeing that the new name does not sound that appealing/classy . Turning Macgregor Yachts into Sharp Yachts would have sounded just fine. Anyway, just my opinion, best of luck to anybody involved in the new venture and Thanks Mr M for the great family times (and occasional near divorce) that my M has given me

[kmclemore]

[mod="kmclemore']I agree with Catigale. Let's back off on the speculation and such.

Think of it like good bread... you let it sit quietly and rise on it's own, if you want a really good loaf of bread... but if you keep fiddling with it you'll end up with a hard, tough thing nobody will want.

So.... let's let the bread rise and see what comes out of the oven. And let's stop all the conjecture.

I promise - if I hear any more facts I can share, I'll do so here before anywhere else.

Thanks.[/mod]

[Tomfoolery]

[mod="kmclemore']I agree with Catigale. Let's back off on the speculation and such.

Think of it like good bread... you let it sit quietly and rise on it's own, if you want a really good loaf of bread... but if you keep fiddling with it you'll end up with a hard, tough thing nobody will want.

So.... let's let the bread rise and see what comes out of the oven. And let's stop all the conjecture.

I promise - if I hear any more facts I can share, I'll do so here before anywhere else.

Thanks.[/mod]

Sounds good, and thanks for not *poofing* this thread.

[Capt Smitty]

My new "toy" suddenly feels like an investment!

[rfrye94760]

On the other hand, if those involved in this new venture are aware of what is written on this forum, I'm sure they're thrilled that they've generated this much buzz before they've even built a single boat. I can't think of anyone who would say, "I'm trying to start a new business that will manufacture and sell a product. Please don't talk about it." In fact, if I was sitting in a meeting to discuss financing and to present a business plan, I would include this forum as proof of the market and to show the very small and inexpensive changes that the customer is looking for and is willing to pay for.

[LMSharp]

I hope there isn’t a length limit to posts

I have read with great interest the forum posts regarding the news that my parents are retiring from production of the MacGregor 26. They leave a huge legacy of tens of thousands of boats, and of making sailing accessible to a huge number of people.

As noted Paul and I are starting a new boatbuilding company in Florida. This has been in the works for some time and we have already built tooling for a 22’ power sailer.

This was rather a lucky decision, as Roger and Mary Lou’s retirement leaves a void in the trailer sailer market that we now hope to fill. We will be selling boats through many of our existing overseas dealers, as well as the major dealers in the US.

We have long appreciated the niche market of affordable trailer sailers. We intend to keep making boating affordable.

I have worked in and around boats since I was 13, when I did gel repair at the MacGregor factory. I built all the tooling for the MacGregor 65. Paul and I have been building boats together for 26 years, from International 14 racing skiffs to a 70’ cruising boat. We ran the MacGregor 65 factory, where we built and sold almost a hundred MacGregor 65s.

We have been the overseas distributors for MacGregor sailboats since 1990, and have exported thousands of MacGregor sailboats. We owned the UK dealership for almost 20 years, which was one of the highest volume MacGregor dealerships in the world.

On a personal note, we have three adult children of whom we are extremely proud. They have all worked since they were teens. The oldest owns his own, very successful, company. The middle one has left her career in commercial aircraft leasing to help us get the company up and running. The youngest is working towards her engineering degree. No Ferraris or tattoos in the bunch.

Speaking of tattoos… Tattoo Yachts is a nod to our British and Scottish heritage. The word ‘tattoo’ comes from the closing-time cry in the inns in the Low Countries during the 17th and 18th centuries - ‘Doe den tap toe’ (‘Turn off the taps’). It evolved into a tradition of evening music (like Taps in the US). Our logo reflects the drums of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a world famous event with stirring pipe and drum music. If you have 6 minutes to spare there is an excellent clip at :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQdsqD9TzpI

Paul and I are very pleased that you are happy with your boats. We agree that their value could increase as a result of the upcoming changes. It certainly happened with the MacGregor 36 and the MacGregor 65!

I am sure you can appreciate the scope of introducing two new boats in a new location. We will be updating our website as we finalize designs and specifications. If you are interested, follow us on http://www.tattooyachts.com and http://www.facebook.com/tattooyachts. There isn’t much posted yet but there will be soon.

In the mean time, enjoy your boats, and we wish you all smooth sailing.

Laura MacGregor Sharp