Favorite Competitors to the 26M

[Mark J]

After one season with the 26M, it has been a great boat. Still I waffle about the X vs M, slipped keelboat vs trailerable, and day-sailor vs weekend. Greatly enjoyed having the boat in a marina for 3 months this summer (Just watching Ft. Vancouver fireworks on the Columbia was worth 3 months $$). And truly enjoyed having a trailerable sailboat for multi-day trips.

If you're looking for a similar value to a 26M, I believe you would have to downsize, or go used. I have seen used Flicka's that have some appeal, but the no one praises their trailerability. Saw a couple of 20-24 foot keelboats being pulled out this weekend with the 40 ft strap-trick.

Here is one boat I'ld like to check out at the Seattle Boat Show this year.
http://www.westwightpotter.com/
Anybody sailed on a West Wight Potter? Would have to give up all headroom, which on an M is a good portion of the cabin if you're 5'8.

But I'm a 26M guy for now. And I love my DF70 when the tide's running.

[Gerald Gordon]

Like my X, I do. Keep it on the trailer for $31.00 dollars a month. It's paid for and all mine. Home sweet Home.

[Mark Prouty]

Lancer 27, maybe? Though I'm not sure how big a motor it can take. But the claim of speed in excess of 20 mph must come from a big motor. I don't think trailering would be as smooth. BTW, the Lancer is no longer made but you can still find them on the market pretty cheap. Not my cup of tea, however.

For a photo and more info:

http://www.lancerowners.com/brochures/l ... ps-2-5.jpg

and more here:
http://www.lancerowners.com/

Jackie
26M '05
Orange County, CA

Jackie,

Your Lancer 27 really sparked my interest. It looks like a nice boat. I looked at Lancerowners.com and found no specs. Anybody know anything about this cool looking powersailer. Why isn't produced anymore?

umm

[Zavala]

It does look pretty cool. One wonders what happened to the company. There's several of the 27's for sale on Yacht World.

They seem to have a pretty deep draft though, wouldn't want to run up on the beach...

[Mark Prouty]

What a 140 hp on a sailboat. Billy you are not alone.

Very rare and unique motorsailer powered by a 140 hp Suzuki outboard with power tilt/trim and a top speed under power of 18 knots! The interior room is comparable to much larger sailboat. It has a queen size aft stateroom, head w/shower. Comes with heavy duty trailer. Sails are good shape, Main and Genoa. VHF radio

I wonder how it handles offshore. It is pretty sharp looking. For now, I need my Mac trailerablity and beachability.

I wonder how it works. Looks like a displacement hull.

[Randy Smith]

I like the Nimble....If I didn't like to sail, that would be a great "little" boat. What would concern me is that it seems "little". Anyone know what kind of water it could take? Columbia gets rough. Is it as small as it seems? It looks like a great boat for a single hander........anyone know about the boat, anyone ever have one.....I think it is a "cute" boat. What is the new retail? Randy

[waternwaves]

Up close and personal.........

I had one parked next to my26X for much of last winter, the boat is now up in Belllingham harbor (squalicum)

It is a Salty boat..... with decidedly less pitch and heeling response than what we are used to... A seemingly very tough hull, as I observed the bottom scraping and painting this spring, and pounded on her hull a few times. Full displacement round bottom..... I have been itching to be out at the same time with her and see how badly my 26X would be trounced. The owner is very happy with her, and has looked at other lancers with 75 hp and 115 hp motors. I think tho the 18 kts is a bit of advertising hype. Rubrail wood and cabin sole external companionway wood is standard.

the Owner takes month long trips in her. He uses a small honda in the enclosed motorwell.... so it is a very quiet boat operating at displacment speeds. A few more through hulls than most macs...and the rigging is stouter., and this particular boat has a bit less headromm than my mac... but it is still a comfortable.

But it does sit way.!!!!!......................up on the trailer.. This one has a fin (shoal draft keel) but his trailer has a neck extension for setting up for deeper launch capability. Cream and brown color........A good looking boat...,

all in all a pretty boat. But I dont think she points as high as a Cat 25

[Miami]

The difficulty, I think, with the Lancers is that, under power above 15 mph, the rudder and keel (maybe not the shoal keel) would act as powerful lifting or diving devices in the water. Could be very squirrely and dangerous at speed, as the rudder and keel could drive the boat under on a fast turn.

You really need tilting rudders and keels to go fast in a sailboat, except maybe in a very straight line.

[Mark Prouty]

The difficulty, I think, with the Lancers is that, under power above 15 mph, the rudder and keel (maybe not the shoal keel) would act as powerful lifting or diving devices in the water. Could be very squirrely and dangerous at speed, as the rudder and keel could drive the boat under on a fast turn.

You really need tilting rudders and keels to go fast in a sailboat, except maybe in a very straight line.

From my experience with Mac centerboard down (forgot) under power, it is exceptionally squirrely. I don't get this boat.

[kmclemore]

Umm.. wait now...

140HP motor...

Top speed is 18 knots...

I do think our Macs do a wee bit better than that, don't they? I mean, mine will do nearly 20 knots with just a bloody 50HP on it. And I agree with the squirley comments, too... I can't imagine taking that baby into the kind of turns I put my Mac through when I'm taking the kids wake-boarding.

[Chip Hindes]

I belive Billy claims 35mph (not knots) with his 140 and a mostly empty boat, no ballast.

The Mac is more than squirelly at speed with the foils down. It's dangerous. If you don't succeed in rolling the boat when it "trips" over the foils in a turn, the loads are quite high and you're likely to break something.

[jackie m]

Jackie,

Your Lancer 27 really sparked my interest. It looks like a nice boat. I looked at Lancerowners.com and found no specs. Anybody know anything about this cool looking powersailer. Why isn't produced anymore?

umm

Not mine, but there are lots more photos on different Lancer models here:

http://www.lancerowners.com/gallery.asp?catid=sailboats

Brochures (specs) for different models here:

http://www.lancerowners.com/brochures.asp

I don't know why they don't make Lancers any longer. Lot of boat makers have gone out of business. But you can find a *lot* of these on the market. Some reading suggests they didn't have a good reputation among other boat owners. But then, we MacGregor owners are kind of used to that

Jackie

[jackie m]

It does look pretty cool.

Yep. It looks pretty cool. I especially like the interior layout.

But then, you can't do this with it.....



Jackie
26M '05
Orange County, CA

[Zavala]

IThe Mac is more than squirelly at speed with the foils down. It's dangerous. If you don't succeed in rolling the boat when it "trips" over the foils in a turn, the loads are quite high and you're likely to break something.

This may be why they don't make the Lancers any more. I sure wouldn't want to be flying along with that big keel. I'd be curious what a Lancer owner would actually report though....

[Richard O'Brien]

There is a group here of Ultimate 20 competitors. It's a nice looking , and handling boat from what I've seen. While they claim you can overnite in it, I don't see much room below decks. the nice thing about the Macs is the 6' of room. The cost of all that freeboard is very high in terms of competition performance, as the crew is pretty high if the fulcrum is the center of gravity? Roger put a lot of water in the ballast to offset that, but then you have all that weight to pull, 1450 lbs. In our favor we have a pretty narrow beam, and that translates into fast beam, and downwind performance. I think Macs could hold there own against Hunters, Catalinas, Chryslers, San Juans, and so on in the 22 to 26 range in the right wind. i.e. 7-20 kts. Below that I am among those who stalls upwind constantly. I'd like to hear what others find is their "sweet spot" for sailing?