Well, let's see. I asked about this gem from rec.boats faq
If you are considering a Mac26, you should also look at the Catalina 22.
Compare the solidity of the structures, the hardware, the rigging
That got quite a laugh. However, he didn't mind comparing the 26 with the Hunter 260 and Catalina 250.
He did go over the issue of planing with 50HP. He said that although a 26 will plane with 50HP when heavily loaded it will not reach 23mph. He did state though that contrary to what some have suggested the 26 does not exhibit a bow down pitch when reaching planing speed. He said the best way to tell that the 26 was planing was when the bow wave moved back to the mast. He confirmed that the 26 planes at 13mph.
In regard to using the 26 for bluewater the conversation was quite interesting. The official factory position is that the 26 is a coastal cruiser. However, the reason for this was not what I've heard on other forums.
Structural failure. He said there's never been a case of structural failure in a 26.
Rigging failure. He said that the factory has had 26's in 50 knot winds without rigging failure.
Apparently, the factory is a bit conservative. For example, in spite of the Macgregor 65's beefy construction they don't recommend taking it into storms.
Apparently, the factory is even more conservative about the 26 because they know that most of the 26 owners have little experience.
He could only come up with two reasons why you couldn't sail a 26 to Hawaii. The first reason was that the hatches might not seal well enough to keep water out, however, he didn't see any reason why you couldn't fix this. Likewise, although the 26 doesn't include a bilge pump their position is that the boat should have one.
This left the final issue: weight. Apparently, the 26 only works well if the weight is kept down. The concern is that a 26 loaded well enough for ocean travel would be too heavy. This would prevent good sailing and handling, make the boat more likely to swamp, and stress the rigging. Apparently, it could be done if the boat was not overloaded. That is, the boat should bob over the waves rather than going through them as the heavy cruisers do. Likewise, there was some concern about raising the CG which would reduce the righting moment of the boat.
There were a couple of other things. He did say that the genoa is not needed on the 26M as it is on the 26X. He also said that the factory has not produced a full spinnaker yet because the crusing spinnaker works well and they are concerned that novice boaters will overpower the boat with a full spinnaker. They assume that anyone racing a 26 will simply have their own full spinnaker made. Apparently, the full spinnaker is currently a low priority.
I'm not sure but it would appear that if weight is the only issue then the 26 could be outfitted for bluewater sailing. I think it should be possible to stay within the weight and CG requirements. It's something to think about.
better not even breath a word....
I go to Catalina every chance I get. Even from Oceanside, a 52 mile passage, but no, I will really never brave a Hawaiin passage!