Doesnt matter the main thing about the Mac is it attracts a certain kind of people to it. Real sailboat people hate it real power boaters hate it. But it seems that the people that get them are the nicest people around. They even have chat boards and web sites dedicated to the little boat. I have owned a lot of boats over the years and frankly was getting bored with the whole thing till the little mac came ito my life.
Ill tell you what, they really sail, they really motor and you can spend lots of cozy time below We didnt buy it to cruze the world but as a daysailer, weekend/ week sailer and I can take it anywhere to get sneered at. All you mac people out there its not the boat as much as its you guys, I see a Mac and I presume they are nice people. That says alot in todays society. As we get out more and see you guys out there it brings a breath of fresh air to me. Scott and I coming back from Catalina last week had a large power boat cut us off with a huge wake coming right into us, We laughed and went on cause our little macs shrugged it off. When we sail past past an X boat even those people take the time to smile and wave, as they try to catch as much wind in their sails as possible to catch up, even though they pretend that they are not doing that.
maybe we should take applications as to who can own a mack If you buy a Mac your going to have to be a least as nice as the people on this board.
So far the biggest fish landed has been on a Mac 26x. So you can catch bigger fish on a X boat rather than the M
172 LB halibut
39 lb King Salmon ( yes that was done on a ultra light reel and rod)
Proof bigger fish are caught on a X
You guys are some of the nicest people Ive had the pleasure to spend some of my time with. You challenge my perceptions, my beliefs, and most importantly you let me play with my little boat while Im sitting in front of my computer. Im still sailing and designing even when Im not on the boat thank you all for that. Theres a wealth of boating experience here. I am so lucky. Thanks for accepting me into your family. Im humbled.
Now, for the boats. Any comparison youll read here would necessarily be somewhat tainted by the writer this one will be. I chose the M. That is not to say that Moes dissertation on the comparison/contrast of the little Macs was bias. I was very impressed with its objectivity and detailed examples. Moe, as I read your work, I couldnt help but think that you have entirely too much time on your hands. But, it actually made me, for a brief moment, want to sell my M and get an X for the reasons you cited. Moe, youre the man!!
Neither boat is a flyer by any stretch and I did consider getting a Corsair F9 for about long enough to realize it was more than the Catalina 38! Again, money was a strong factor in choosing the M. Its a no brainer that you can save many thousands on a used boat and some of us were lucky enough to find one still in the box with everything but the kitchen sink installed.
First of all and most importantly, we are all sooooo married!! If you dont think that keeping your lovely bride happy is important, than youre probably divorced and re-married. Teaching a Divorce class for years taught me that on top of my personal experience, but thats a different class. My lovely bride, Marta, fell in love with the M immediately. She hated the J30 we were courting, but I loved it. She was a racing only boat! No real cabin, but every thing else on board was racing. Her cored hull had seeped water and turned into oatmeal. The Mac has a glass hull.
The Cat 38 was a beautiful Sparkman/Stevens designed classic racer/cruiser many dollars, many, many dollars more than the Mac. Marta, all 5 100lbs (risky, Michael) of her in the Cat was like being in an apartment! She loooveeeed the Cat! Too much money, dock fees, older boat, repairs, money, repairs, time, sail or fix the boat. . . . Besides, sadly, she died during Ivan.
The Mac is resting nicely right outside of our bedroom windows we feel like were living in a marina. Her blue hull (Martas) is truly beautiful. Will it draw heat? Physics 101 says yes, show more scratches? Yep. Who cares? I dont. Yin Yangs a tool to have fun with. Shell get damaged, trust me; its the nature of sailing.
As for sailing ability X or M? Well, the M reminds me of a Hobie with a cabin. Rotating mast, dagger board, Spartan rigging, no backstay, tall rig, etc. The X has less sail area, shorter rig, rigid mast, tit for tat. None of that really matters, you know? A good crew wins races, not the boat. Sure some are faster, but who really cares? I dont.
Remember that weve only sailed her twice, so Im not Mac experienced at all. I do know boats, though, and can recognize a winner when I see one. I like the smaller cockpit. Would you believe the Catalina 38s cockpit is actually as small as the M? I like the closed stern on the M over the open X and appreciate the bracing ability of the narrow sole.
The X does seem to be more efficient cabin-wise, but I dont spend much time below to be honest. I lived on a Columbia 23 for a while during my stint with NOAA tagging Blue Runners gathering research on their migratory habits. Only slept there all other time was topsides, so whats down there must be form follows function. I think the M follows this rule based on my functional needs.
Dry salted, or honey roasted? Go with your feelings dont let your brain confuse you. Do your homework, make informed decisions, dont spend more than you can afford. If you can afford and want a new boat, get one. If not, get a used boat. Lifes short.
Chip wrote: . . . How many of you are, with any frequency whatsoever (more than once or twice a year), cruising for the weekend or longer with a spouse?
Now let's narrow the pool again. How many of you are cruising for a weekend or longer with anyone other than your respective spouses and your own children, and are inviting these overnight guests more than 1-3 times a year? . . .
Chip,
There is another scenario for which the X cabin is MUCH better suited. When I'm NOT cruising w/ my chosen female companion(s), I have several times been out for weekend or longer w/ one or two adult GUYS! The X makes it EASY to arrange separate sleeping for two, and even acceptable arrangements for three crew. I don't think the 26M can match this usage model.
* Even w/ a full dodger, could one of three adults sleep in the cockpit?
* Could two adults comfortably have separate sleeping areas in the cabin?
The X can be arranged for 3 separate, in-cabin beds. In fact, some X-owners use them as dive boats for exactly this scenario.
Its interesting to follow the passionate comparisions between the X and M. I liked Moes comparision but everyone must choose whats important. Our family is definitely 90% daysailors, 10% overnighters. I bought the 26X in the fall of 2000 because of its key features. If it had been an M instead of an X the decision would have been the same, for the same reasons:
Trailerable, cruising, powersailer, with a large motor, helm wheel, permanent head, galley, dinette, and sleep aboard capability.
What I compromised on was finish quality, sailing performance, and lack of traditional sailboat appearance.
Id be ripe for an upgrade today, but there isnt one. The M offers no significant improvement over the X in any area ( lets not split hairs here) described above. Even boats like the Mast 28 are still boxy, slow sailing mediocre-finish-quality boats. If Macgregor wants to get in my pocket again give me a serious performance improvement in both sailing and powering speed. Ill buy it regardless of whether the cabin is more X-like or more M-like.
Well, the debate may be ancient but it's still lively I see! For my purposes, the X is winning. As one poster wrote -- the M has no significant differences. I really like the X, and I'm trying "not to let my brain get in the way" though I've already been waiting 4 years to get one -- for my son to get a little older and for more time away from work.
My admiral hates sailing. But she will like boating on smooth waters. I am sailor with Hobie as my first love. I've looked seriously at the Corsairs, and recently the new Telstars. But mostly I will use the boat to go places I like -- now the range and draft become the most important features. The other thing I like doing is hanging out on my boats at port -- and as a floating condo or "treefort" on the water the X wins big time for me.
Now, the Windmusher posts here too? I loved looking at his wedsites and would like to acknowlege the Windmusher as one of the famous boats amoungst my family! :macm: :macx:
Have your admiral read my webpage before looking at the boats. A lot of it came from my admiral.
We're also in the situation where WE aren't sure WE're going to like sailing. If we do like it, the sailboat has to be very close to our little Whaler at launching at shallow ramps, transiting skinny waters, beaching, etc because it will replace the Whaler in a year. If we don't like it, or like it so much we want a bigger sailboat, we won't have to take the big hit on initial depreciation. Someone else already did that for us.
I like Windmusher's site too. But looking at the forecast in North Pole AK this morning, if he's "on the pond" now, his admiral has a higher threshold for cold tolerance than mine. Of course, that's not saying much in OUR case.
We try to get out every two weeks minimum overnight during the summer. I think most of the Mac users are weekend cruisers thus the drop in sale when the 03-04 M was introduced. I think Rodger did not realize this usage and had to make changes in the 05 to get his sales back up. But this all proves is that we each love our macs for different reasons. When I look at this site and read the topics it indicates to me most of us are weekend cruisers. The daysailing/cruising question would make a good poll subject.
So far, I am not hearing that most Mac owners are regular full-weekend cruisers. A poll would be nice but it doesn't seem like most ever participate, so you never get a good sample size. 20 polled responses don't tell you anything about the population.
Of course, that's not saying much in OUR case. 
