MacGregorSailors.com

Greetings! – New sailor here fresh off maiden voyage in beautiful Punta Gorda, Florida (Charlotte Harbor).

This is my first post although I have been lurking here for over a year and have read over 1000 messages. So the first thing I want to do is thank everyone that has posted information and opinions as it has all been extremely helpful to me in the process of choosing a boat and equipping it correctly.

I found a 2006 M boat that had been sitting in a garage for a few years. The boat had been in the water a few times but never sailed. The boat came with all the essentials but I added a stereo, bottom coating, a Garmin model 421 chart plotter with depth sounder and a bungee type lazy jack from sailcare.com The Lazy jack works great and simply wraps around the mast when not in use making it easy to put the sail cover on without any modification. The boat was brokered by Super Sports Marine and John arranged for an experienced Mac sailor to give me an initial indoctrination session which is their policy on all boat sales. That was worth it’s weight in gold.

My initial impression of the boat was that it was a bit easier to handle and more responsive then I was lead to believe. Maybe that was because I have been driving a 23 foot pontoon boat around all summer My previous sailing experience was on day sailors, my last being a Catalina 16.5. I found the transition to the bigger boat so far not to be too challenging. The biggest issues for me is for single hand sailing is to remember to have everything in the cockpit that you plan on using ahead of time as leaving the helm to go below is not a good option. I have the CDI furling system which works great and sail slugs on the main but leaving the helm to climb up on the cabin top to lower the main is a little bit uncomfortable for me right now. Got to get the first mate down here soon.

The Honda 50 does just fine. It’s quiet and runs very smooth, while sipping only a small amount of fuel. I can achieve 13 knots (GPS) at full throttle and 10 at 2/3rds throttle which is all the performance I need. The motor has a 4 blade prop which seems to be the best match for this engine.

The only negative I have is the blue paint which scratches very easy. Some submerged barnacles on a piling did a number on the side of the boat before I discovered and removed them If I ever had another one I would choose the white haul.

Would love to hook up with any other Mac owners in the SW Florida area.

good sailing to all . . .

The slower blue hull is also why you are only getting 13 kts at WOT

Welcome and congratulations on your non-lurking promotion

Rick

Welcome!
I've had my Mac for exactly one year, live in Fort Lauderdale and get out a couple of times per month. +1.954.598.2380.
I go out of Miami, Homestead, Key Largo or Bahia Honda.

Been to Bimini ... and have quite a few adventures in the queue.

Fred

Fred,

You may wish to delete your phone number from your post, and send a Private Message. This is a site that anyone can access. This is the internet.

Ray

Welcome CF

Your the man! Welcome aboard!

Q1

Chief Yeoman wrote:
My initial impression of the boat was that it was a bit easier to handle and more responsive then I was lead to believe.
. .

Welcome aboard Chief You are not the first I have heard say something like that. Everyone who sails on a Mac M or X for the first time is surprised because it just aint like what all the internet experts and yacht club bar flies, have told them

I went into Mac ownership with all these preconceived notions floating about my head. Most of the research I had done suggested that the Mac was not going to be a good sailboat, but I was willing to live with it, because its sailing abilities were not the primary consideration. I knew it was going to point horribly, have more sideways slippage than forward motion; and be the single slowest sailboat ever invented However as said, sailing just wasnt the primary concern, and as long as I could hitch a ride with the wind when I was in the mood, and have some fun doing it, I would be happy.

I still remember when I first put it in the water at the ramp near my house. Several minutes after getting the sails up, and goose winged, I was amazed to find myself doing 7 knots, something I had never done on my previous (and very popular with mainstream trailer sailer types here) other boat! It did take a bit of getting used to the different feel of the boat, as in, sitting up so high in the cockpit etc, but what I have since realized is, it doesnt point that bad at all (with the standard jib that is...) and once you get the boat up to speed, I can't notice any more sideways slippage than the other TSs I have been on.

All up, the boat does sail a little slower than similar sized trailer sailers(except on a run when it can be pretty fast) but other than that, it actually sails quite well, certainly fine for family cruising, and not even remotely as bad as I was led to believe LOL I ended up being a lot more happy with the way it sails than I expected I would be. I still remember some of the stupid forum threads I read when I was researching. I remember one where some apparent sailing expert, who had written a book on the technical aspects of sails and sailing, was telling people that a Macgregor 26M could not be sailing with the main sail up at all, with more than 10 knots of wind blowing LOL LOL (so I guess we must reef at about 5 knots and take our sails down altogether at 10 )
There really are some morons out there hiding behind their keyboards

Yes, to the above: Mac bashing by owners of other boat types has always struck me as an interesting piece of human psychology. It would probably make a good Masters Thesis topic for some aspiring graduate student.
Kittiwake

Welcome. It's always fun to read other tales.

As for the barnacle scrape, it may come out with some elbow grease. Also, the answer is not to remove the barnacle from the piling but to keep the boat from hitting the piling. If there is no room to keep the boat tied away, then you must put something soft between your boat and the dock.

Glad to see another member sharing experiences.

PUNTA GORDA?? !!! GOD Willing I will be your neighbor someday.............soon??
What a GREAT Place to Sail a Mac.... I sailed mine down there for about 5 1/2 weeks and was joined by my wife for another week.. Awesome trip!!!

Divecoz wrote:PUNTA GORDA?? !!! GOD Willing I will be your neighbor someday.............soon??
What a GREAT Place to Sail a Mac.... I sailed mine down there for about 5 1/2 weeks and was joined by my wife for another week.. Awesome trip!!!

Come on down brother, there's always room for one more Mac

Hey, I think that I see a finger print!

Jim

Québec 1 wrote:Your the man! Welcome aboard!

Q1

and a little tiny dryer vent in the forard window hahahaha

jschrade wrote:Hey, I think that I see a finger print!

Jim

Québec 1 wrote:Your the man! Welcome aboard!

Q1

You must admit - 'that's a clean machine!'

(I wonder if the dryer is electric, or gas?)

?? 2 stroke or 4 ??

Crikey wrote:(I wonder if the dryer is electric, or gas?)