The Macx was pure genius, and the m is pretty smart, too. Moe's slightly deeper v hull on an x make the most sense. It takes someone on the outside -- who never grew up around boats or boating in general -- to see how smart a design she is. BTW, Tampa, how does that rig affect the x's stability w/o ballast? Also w ballast sailing on a reach?
Rolf
Hi Im Roger Macgregor (NOT)
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RandyMoon
- Captain
- Posts: 779
- Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2004 7:05 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
- Location: Rockwall, TX Lake Ray Hubbard 2005M #0690 L405 Tohatsu TLDI 90 (Rhapsody in Blue)
Tampa Mac, that is a beautiful picture!!! That should be on a calendar.
You just made me have severe pangs for my days growing up in Sarasota. The clear water and white beaches. Ahhh.... those were the days. I lived there in the 50's and early 60s. I have fond memories of the lagoon behind the house that fed into the bay. Sailboats galore. We had a dock and boat. Cyprus trees and Spanish Moss (and a few alligators). My family settled there in the covered wagon days. My grandfather fed his family as a fisherman. My uncle worked for Mercury motors in the early days in product development. We lived on Siesta Key when it was very remote and undeveloped. It looked more like wilderness. 15 years ago I took the Admiral and kids back there to find the old homestead and couldn't because it was wall to wall 30 story condos. What a waste of what used to be a paradise. I guess beautiful places will always attract people.
Thanks for the photo, it brought back some great childhood memories. In my heart, I'll always be a Florida boy.
You just made me have severe pangs for my days growing up in Sarasota. The clear water and white beaches. Ahhh.... those were the days. I lived there in the 50's and early 60s. I have fond memories of the lagoon behind the house that fed into the bay. Sailboats galore. We had a dock and boat. Cyprus trees and Spanish Moss (and a few alligators). My family settled there in the covered wagon days. My grandfather fed his family as a fisherman. My uncle worked for Mercury motors in the early days in product development. We lived on Siesta Key when it was very remote and undeveloped. It looked more like wilderness. 15 years ago I took the Admiral and kids back there to find the old homestead and couldn't because it was wall to wall 30 story condos. What a waste of what used to be a paradise. I guess beautiful places will always attract people.
Thanks for the photo, it brought back some great childhood memories. In my heart, I'll always be a Florida boy.
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TampaMac
- Engineer
- Posts: 142
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 9:03 am
- Location: Port Richey FL 2002-26X Merc 60 4stroke
Those pictures were taken off Anclote Key. About 6 nm from the homestead.
These islands are uninhabited state parks about 2 to 3 nm off the coast west of the Tampa area. On weekdays they are mostly deserted except for the summer. On weekends the hordes arrive. But everyone is nice and it is a great place to hang out.
I have to agree about Florida. I grew up in Southern California. My Dad (that's 75 year old Dad in the one boat picture above) bought the family a used Venture 21 (Macgregor's old brand-name) which we on occasion sailed over to Catalina out of San Pedro. Later we had a Venture 25. I'm pretty familar with the whole west coast.
There is absolutely no contest. Florida rocks compared the West Coast. I'm a native California by birth but a 100% patriotic Floridan by choice.
I've lived in Pensacola (best beaches in the USA), Miami, Key West, and now NW of Tampa. The whole place is pretty nice. Getting crowded, but still not like California. I wish I could have seen the place back in the day when you were growing up - must have been a total paradise!
Still not bad when you can catch a snook off the backyard dock. Below is my lawn-guy who caught this one.
The M-rig seems to lean less than my X rig. It also points higher.
I was never able to get more than between 45 - 50 degrees into the wind before, now I swear it is less than 40 degrees by my eye anyway.
You have to realize that the M has extra built-in ballast to make up for the vee bottom, not to compensate for the mast. The X is a much more stable boat inherently.
These islands are uninhabited state parks about 2 to 3 nm off the coast west of the Tampa area. On weekdays they are mostly deserted except for the summer. On weekends the hordes arrive. But everyone is nice and it is a great place to hang out.
I have to agree about Florida. I grew up in Southern California. My Dad (that's 75 year old Dad in the one boat picture above) bought the family a used Venture 21 (Macgregor's old brand-name) which we on occasion sailed over to Catalina out of San Pedro. Later we had a Venture 25. I'm pretty familar with the whole west coast.
There is absolutely no contest. Florida rocks compared the West Coast. I'm a native California by birth but a 100% patriotic Floridan by choice.
I've lived in Pensacola (best beaches in the USA), Miami, Key West, and now NW of Tampa. The whole place is pretty nice. Getting crowded, but still not like California. I wish I could have seen the place back in the day when you were growing up - must have been a total paradise!
Still not bad when you can catch a snook off the backyard dock. Below is my lawn-guy who caught this one.
The M-rig seems to lean less than my X rig. It also points higher.
I was never able to get more than between 45 - 50 degrees into the wind before, now I swear it is less than 40 degrees by my eye anyway.
You have to realize that the M has extra built-in ballast to make up for the vee bottom, not to compensate for the mast. The X is a much more stable boat inherently.
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Joe 26M Time Warp
- Engineer
- Posts: 113
- Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 5:00 am
- Location: Detroit, Michigan
I've always enjoyed these what-if threads, lot's of good ideas including several that are still on my long list of eventual mods started in threads like this.
My entry would be simple as an owner mod or a factory install.
Lose the floatation in the v-berth for storage, and as much of it around the cockpit as possible for storage and ease of wiring, building in gages & etc.
Replace the M's fuzzy wall carpeting with the same sort of floatation (closed-cell, 1/2 - 3/4" thick) stuff like my Sport-Pal canoe has.
I don't think there is a non-inflatable boat that is as unsinkable as that canoe.
Rip it, gouge it, nothing, including a raging river flood, a low bridge and a February capsize on the Rouge River (all some 30 years ago). That stuff still looks fine and still won't sink.
Why air condition or heat, if you're not going to insulate?
My entry would be simple as an owner mod or a factory install.
Lose the floatation in the v-berth for storage, and as much of it around the cockpit as possible for storage and ease of wiring, building in gages & etc.
Replace the M's fuzzy wall carpeting with the same sort of floatation (closed-cell, 1/2 - 3/4" thick) stuff like my Sport-Pal canoe has.
I don't think there is a non-inflatable boat that is as unsinkable as that canoe.
Rip it, gouge it, nothing, including a raging river flood, a low bridge and a February capsize on the Rouge River (all some 30 years ago). That stuff still looks fine and still won't sink.
Why air condition or heat, if you're not going to insulate?
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Tom Root
- Captain
- Posts: 560
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 11:39 pm
- Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
- Location: Annville, PA. s/v-Great White, MacX4787A202,'09 Suzuki DF-50
Well,this mod was accomplished by Craig LaForce, and was posted in the Misc. section of the mods actually!midget wrote:I've always "wanted" a pilothouse.
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/cgi-bin ... record=111
It works well from what he has imparted to us, Craig any more feedback?
I like it, and may do it also!