San Diego Sunroad Boat show 2014 Tattoo 26 in attendance

[mastreb]

I went to the San Diego boat show today. The Tattoo 26 was the very first boat on display inside the gate, and the only trailerable sailboat there excepting the very different J70. Mike Inmon was aboard, so I had a chance to sit and chat with him about the changes (and the mast I'm ordering from him).

Bareboat price is 24,900 MSRP sans motor and without options. That includes the main but not a foresail, as per historical.

The Navy Blue trim is really pretty--nicer than the flat black of the 26M. It's the same color for the deck stripes as the hull. The break in the bandit stripes is a nice update, although I still wish the boat could be ordered without topside dark gelcoat. It appeared to me that the window lexan was not smoothly bevelled or rounded. Some jaggies were apparent in the cutting and that made it appear cheap if you looked closely. Otherwise the finish of the boat appeared to be bit better than the 26M, although as we all know that varies from boat to boat.

First thing to clear up is that according to him, the sole liner moulding is the same and the new table will fit just fine on a MacGregor 26M.

He indicated that while would could retrofit a traveler track in front of the companionway easily, it would need to be an inflexible higher-profile track because he did not believe that they glassed up that area enough to accommodate a low-profile aluminum track. The Mainsheet is connected not at the pedestal, but at a pad-eye on the centerline of the cockpit forward seat. Honestly it looks like it would be a lot more "in the way" to me than the traveller. I think the best compromise I've seen is dual mainsheets rigged to the cockpit forward stanchions mod. Yes, you have to switch mainsheets when you tack, but everything else is simple and out of the way of the cockpit and you've got a built-in gybe preventer.

As previously seen, the steering bar and controls penetration as well as swim ladder are flipped compared to the 26M. Not sure why that was necessary or even worth the engineering, because its otherwise exactly the same. The new BRP throttle for the ETEC-60 is super-nice compared to the ones that were current in 2011; I'm going to retrofit one on my boat.

I wasn't super thrilled with the halyards aft rigging; I'd rather do my own. The boat at the show was fit with Inmon's roller furler; it is not changed from the previous boat, and rolls up the new fathead main just fine. I did like the cut of the new mainsail.

The interior cushion backs are a big improvement over the 26M. Unfortunately, they're backed by glassed-in wood that the snaps screw into (similar to the way the table is mounted in the 26M) and impossible to retrofit.

The trailer is a bit nicer. It appears that they've gone away from building their own trailers and are using a base trailer by a company called "Float On" and has fenders with steps, longitudinal bunks, and a forward custom aluminum welded ladder and V-block assembly that bolts onto the tongue. The wheel and jack is a swing-away Fulton, exactly the same models as what I've bolted onto my trailer.

The nice thing about the new method of trailer assembly is that you can simply replace the steel drawbar with an aluminum one of your choice, and then bolt-on the ladder and V-block part to get to the same quality of trailer. I'm going to look into doing that as I've never been happy about the steel drawbar.

Anyway It's mostly a nice update to the 26M, the traveller being the only downside and easily remediated.

[Ixneigh]

Thanks for the great write up.
The price increase sounds reasonable.
Were there a lot of people looking at the boat?
Ix

[mastreb]

I saw three families look at it in the three hours I was there. Mike said the show boat sold on day 1, and he expected he'd sell another one while there. According to him, he would sell out his allocation early in the year.

I understand that production has been limited by a facility that is too small and so they've had to either move or expand and that has slowed them down considerably. They're on a eight-month backlog right now. The 22 will not see the light of day until the 26 is up to full production.

[raycarlson]

As with anything Base price is all marketing and just bait, what was a fully loaded with motor and dealer prep with delivery price. I've seen on another forum a actual selling price of 44K. Did Inmon give you any kind of idea or was he not specific on price. Thanx for the nice report.

[mastreb]

Reasonably fit out with an ETEC-60, RF-Genoa, and the actually necessary options it's 36K, picked up at the dealer. Shipping varies widely. The boat at the show had a Bimini, RF main, and was otherwise optioned up so it was probably around the 44K mark. No trons though.

[Divecoz]

That is JIMHO .. A Darn Good Price for what your getting ...

Reasonably fit out with an ETEC-60, RF-Genoa, and the actually necessary options it's 36K, picked up at the dealer. Shipping varies widely. The boat at the show had a Bimini, RF main, and was otherwise optioned up so it was probably around the 44K mark. No trons though.

[NiceAft]

Is the Fat Head sail standard with the boat?

[Highlander]

Is the Fat Head sail standard with the boat?

Why Ray were u looking for a fat A$$ sail instead !

J

[dlandersson]

And nada at the Chicago boat show - I'm jelouse.

[NiceAft]

Thanks John

I have a Fat Head on Nice Aft. The sail is great for low wind situations, but when the the wind picks up, the boat can be hard to control unless you reef. With a Fat Head, you have to reef much sooner than you would with a traditional rig. So, if the Fat Head is standard, that is good news for those who sail in low wind areas. Those who sail in San Francisco may not be happy with it.

Ray

[mastreb]

Yes, the fathead sail is the new stock sail.