MacGregorSailors.com

Well, I hate to disappoint you guys, but I happen to have it on very reliable inside sources that MacGregor has realized the market for boats is shrinking and will correspondingly be shrinking their new design - the market can't currently support a larger, more expensive boat.

I have seen plans for the new boat, and it's a 24' Mac with a single, longer, central rudder, but with the capability to place two smaller motors on either side at the transom (adding up to a max of 60HP). The cabin is somewhat shorter - a bit more like the 26S/D cabin - and it would use an anti-fungal carpeting on the walls much like the 26M, and although there's no wood trim in the new boat a 'wood upgrade' kit will be offered, in either mahogany finish or teak.

It will retain the rotating mast of the 26M, and will have the same sort of mast lowering rig. Interestingly, it will have a bowsprit to support an external anchor, much like many folks have added to their boats. It will also have the option to add a second fore sail to give a cutter-style configuration. The cockpit is short, like the 26M but the binnacle is off to one side to allow better pass-through in the cockpit. There is no rear transom seat, and this has been replaced by basically an open area. Oh, and it will no longer be water ballasted, but will use a lead-filled dagger board. The boat will be offered in the traditional white or blue, but now two more colors have been added - black, and, surprisingly, a very few models will be made in white with pink trim, and these will be marketed to support breast cancer awareness.

So, there you have it. From the horses' mouth. Or something.

Of course, it won't have have any annoying foam flotation, and a standard macerator will process head waste for use cooking. Former aft sleeping area will now hold 100 gallon fuel tank for the twin 90 hp OBs upgrade! White with pink trim... now there's a boat for boobs!!

Dovetails into the hull testing thread from the summer?

Will sunbeam Alpine motors be an option, I wonder?

I vote for water-jet propulsion - no more pesky propellers to mess up in shallow water.

Captain kmclemore – you forgot to put in the sailing ‘pun’

We were all doing sailboat ‘puns’ in our posts.

Sounds like the new boat is gonna be HEAVY to tow.

Hasps?

Is this to be a planing hull? Can't fathom what 60hp would be without it. But if they're measuring the 26D hull, they aren't making a planing boat.

What is the mechanism for raising/lowering that daggerboard? It's got to weigh about 400 lbs. to do the job, which means a 10:1 purchase would be necessary for human leverage. That's either a very compound block & tackle or it's an electric winch. Possibly a windlass?

Odds that the leaded daggerboard will be in a larger trunk than a 26M: 0%

Odds that it's in the same or close enough sized daggerboard trunk to fit without modification: 25%

Odds that it could be glassed up to fit the 26M trunk perfectly: 100%

I smell a mod coming...

Sounds like a great boat for the market. Must be tiller steered with this configuration. While I'd prefer that configuration, my boat is just barely big enough for my family, so unless there's no enclosed head I can't see how this boat would be big enough, which means I'm sticking with the 26M.

It's hard to see how a center rudder works with an open transom, but it could be done.

It does however bring up the possibility of simply removing the outboard, helm, steering mechanism, and captain's seat on the 26M and clamping a large rudder to the transom. Replace the two rudder brackets with jackplates for twin fixed 30hps and you're there. Not sure where you'd put the throttles, instruments, or chartplotter, however. Also not sure how tiller steering works on a plane, although it might be quite a bit harder to make a mistake.

Any more clarity?

WHOOOOSH!!

Yup - sounds like the rebirth of the A23 to me. That was a VERY stiff boat. You can have enclosed head at 24 feet but I'm not sure if you can have headroom. I suspect the return of the pop top, (didn't Roger invent the 'pop-top' way back in 1969 on the early Venture boat?)

(didn't Roger invent the 'pop-top' way back in 1969 on the early Venture boat?)

In 1959, Ermal Fraze invented the pop-top on a boat named Endeavour...

ALOHA airlines invented the poptop on the airplane in 1988....

I think that Westfalia invented it with the VW Camper bus, in the 1950's



~Rich

Well, at least SOME of you figured out that my post was utter horsesh*t! Man, a few of you really bit down hard!

kmclemore wrote:So, there you have it. From the horses' mouth. Or something.

I just figured I'd have some fun with you guys.... after all, everyone is so busy speculating!

Catigale wrote:Will sunbeam Alpine motors be an option, I wonder?

Now that you mention it... here's the manual for the new Mac motor....


And the skiff they are testing it in...



And a movie of early testing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGlwYSdJ5CU

(note the motor's strange similarity to this one )

Catigale wrote:ALOHA airlines invented the poptop on the airplane in 1988....

I thought they invented this?

This I have to see, no water balest requires a weighted keel and whats the keel depth? Twin outboards ? twin rudders? Carpet walls below deck? Mast mastard system for raising mast?
If I was Macgrgor I would design a 28 ft boat like the Macx and add 6 inches to beam and length Vberth 6inches, gally sette 1 ft. and anchor lochor 6inches, other 6 inches is for stearn boarding.
Yes I know about the max. 8 ft. beam for shipping. Since they are limited on daily productions...
Put on a 90 hp Suzukie
Dave

kmclemore wrote:Well, I hate to disappoint you guys, but I happen to have it on very reliable inside sources that MacGregor has realized the market for boats is shrinking and will correspondingly be shrinking their new design - the market can't currently support a larger, more expensive boat.

I have seen plans for the new boat, and it's a 24' Mac with a single, longer, central rudder, but with the capability to place two smaller motors on either side at the transom (adding up to a max of 60HP). The cabin is somewhat shorter - a bit more like the 26S/D cabin - and it would use an anti-fungal carpeting on the walls much like the 26M, and although there's no wood trim in the new boat a 'wood upgrade' kit will be offered, in either mahogany finish or teak.

It will retain the rotating mast of the 26M, and will have the same sort of mast lowering rig. Interestingly, it will have a bowsprit to support an external anchor, much like many folks have added to their boats. It will also have the option to add a second fore sail to give a cutter-style configuration. The cockpit is short, like the 26M but the binnacle is off to one side to allow better pass-through in the cockpit. There is no rear transom seat, and this has been replaced by basically an open area. Oh, and it will no longer be water ballasted, but will use a lead-filled dagger board. The boat will be offered in the traditional white or blue, but now two more colors have been added - black, and, surprisingly, a very few models will be made in white with pink trim, and these will be marketed to support breast cancer awareness.

So, there you have it. From the horses' mouth. Or something.