Bought an ugly boat (26X) today!

[Moe]

I dunno.. although the Mac is no great feat of yacht beauty, it does look kinda neat when you pull the mast off.

Ditch the stanchions and lifelines, get rid of the rudders and assembly so the outboard can swing as far as on a powerboat, and install a long, 3-4" high keel in the centerboard slot (that would clear the trailer bunk) for longitudinal stability missing without a powerboat's harder chines, and you'd have a cabin cruiser powerboat, albeit one with a lot of rocker.

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Moe

[Tim Stone WindDancer]

Well, I have sailed the traditional boats and this X boat. I guess every mother's son is beautiful so Roger I'm sure would argue with you..

BTW the ODIN/Mast 28 is a loose copy of the 26X so you know what they say is the sincerest form of flattery...

Fair Winds
Tim Stone

[Jim Cate]

[quote="eric3a"]Hi All;
Intro time. I am a ex pro sailor and sailor at heart.
Tastes will obviously vary but like may sailors at heart I find find the hideously ugly. However since I am going to be doing my sailing in very shallow bays and estuaries (Houston/Galveston Bay) the 26X is hopefully a good compromise of "fit" over "form" and I hope my wife and I will enjoy it as an escape from the city.
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Forget about how it looks and get it out on the water and sail it! The Macs have somewhat unusual handling characteristics, in my opinion, so the more time you spend sailing it and learning about it now, the quicker you will learn about its characteristics and the quicker you will begin to appreciate its capabilities.

Incidentally, I'm in the Galveston Bay area also. - Where are you going to keep it, and where will you sail it? We are lucky here in that, with our climate, we can usually get in quite a lot of sailing even during the Winter months. - No need to put the boat away.

Jim

[Night Sailor]

Eric, welcome aboard.
I've owned and sailed much prettier boats, bigger boats, more luxurious boats, cheaper boats and more expensive boats but chose the X when I retired because it was so practical for coastal and lake cruising and gunkholing. Nine years later I'm still happy to say it's still the best all round 'go anywhere' boat I've owned.

Yes, it does take some getting used to, and it's no racer to windward, but as a cruiser it's hard to beat for thin water cruising under power or sail unless you go over 100K or get a large cat or tri.

[Frank C]

Not sure how quickly your dealer will begin implementation of your order sheet, but consider learning from my earlier rework:

• - I have & enjoy the powercleats, but installing them is too much work, so
  ... doing over, I'd just use a Spinlock XAS triple (which is cheaper too);
  
  - Splayed deck organizers are fancy looking, but a Garhauer quad can sit atop the forward jib track
  ... (just 2 boltholes and keeps those lines off your deck);
  
  - Garhauer's rigid vang 12:1 is an inexpensive and very effective alternative to a vang & topping lift;
  
  - The GRV also is a necessary alternative for vang-sheeting the main in higher winds;
  
  - Sta-master adjusters are effective alternatives to turnbuckles, cheaper, easier-to-use and more durable for trailering;
  
  - Four 6-gal tanks are a better alternative than two 12s; 3 diff brands will fit.

If you haven't pulled the trigger, ask for more details.

[Idle Time]

They sure are purty when nosed up to the beach....take a look at the pictures posted by Kmclemore....and the boys sure look like they are enjoying themselves....that's the real beauty in an X or an M....the whole family can have fun.

[maddmike]

Eric,

Three fun things to do with your MAC considering you spent most of your life on 'regular' keelboats.

(1) First time you come up a narrow channel into the wind and don't like the less than 'immediate' response you get as you tack up the channel, try doing quick jibes with your crew pulling up the centerboard during the actual jibe (I do this single hand and it still works) then lowering it immediately thereafter. With a little practice you can basically spin the boat around its center point and amaze your sailing friends and yourself with how close you end up to where you would have by tacking. Takes lots of practice but its very cool. I've actually won a couple of nice free dinners from IACC/Volvo type sailor friends on this one.

(2) Maintaining sail trim and heading directly at something like a channel marker or small island and miss it by pulling up the centerboard and letting the boat 'sideslip' downwind of whatever happens to be in your way (this can be done on an autopilot heading without having to touch the unit if whatever is in your way is small enough-like a stationary barge) Again very cool way to confound your regular sailing friends.

(3) Back into a slip or on a dock in reverse by using the engine for directional control (even in strong cross-currents or wind)-works really well in crowded anchorages if you also cleat off your anchor rode and run it to the cockpit (outside the rigging!), then just drop as needed and keep chugging along.

Welcome to the world of MAC sailing fun and games! MM

[PeteC]

Madmike,

Please explain #3 more.

Thanks

[captin5317]

Dang!!! I 'v been told my boat is the most beautiful on the Lake!!!!

[vkmaynard]

I was told the 26X looked like a floating bleach bottle.

[Frank C]

or, "On the Bleach"

[beene]

I for one would never call my boat an ugly duck. I had several compliments from other sailors who own the more traditional versions. Most of them wanted to go for a cruise any time I was willing to take them out.

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

They sure are purty when nosed up to the beach....take a look at the pictures posted by Kmclemore....and the boys sure look like they are enjoying themselves....that's the real beauty in an X or an M....the whole family can have fun.

Yisssiirrrreeee ! I couldnt agree more. And with the Mast up, sails tied and down...its a class act when nosed on the beach. Definately a nice family boat. sigh I think my Mac-X is the 'purdiest in my Marina, well wait a minute...the Mac-M may have a slight edge.

[Divecoz]

For the life of me I cannot understand why anyone would waste his money on a sailboat that he thinks is Ugly A Cheap Compromise Uselessly over poweredSails poorly on all points of the wind A boat with so many faults and short comings it takes close to 50 post to list them all
And yes I too get a lot of compliments from sailors and power boaters alike on what a great looking boat we have . We are often one of the few that go out in iffy conditions while those bigger better Marina Queens sit in their slips yet another day. And while they pay for winter storage I am as I type looking t my Beautiful Little Sloop sitting next to my Garage.

[ssichler]

Eric,
Sounds like you made the right choice in boat for your present needs.

You might consider taking it a notch or three on the forum. It's like you've moved to a new community and introduced yourself by writing a letter to the editor explaining how ugly and cheap you find the town.

Give the good members a chance here and you will find that they are generous with advice, insights, and in some cases physical assistance like my buddy Aya16 who installed a stereo in my boat this summer.

-Scott