Bobsprit wrote:

30-35 -foot range from time to time, and (2) Getting one
of the Mac 26M's for afternoon sails with our grandkids, or for fishing,
etc. The initial costs are about the same as used boats in the 30-foot
range, not including maintenance, dock fees, etc., but the available
sailing areas in this area (Kemah-Galveston bay) we are limited unless
you are willing to motor down to the gulf, which takes around five hours.

Jim, I see the problem, but understand that the Mac is pretty dull sailor.
There are a few in my area and they don't seem to do anything well, least of
all sail. The Mac also won't go too fast under power with some chop against her
either. I actually knew a couple who got one as a gift. They knew little about
boats, but soon were rid of it for a used Pearson. It's also a horribly ugly
vessel, though I know the whole "beauty/beholder" bit. I guess if I was in your
shoes I'd buy a 30 foot powerboat and strap a couple of Lasers to it, them sail
them with the kids in various waters.
This is just my opinion, of course. I'm sure others will offer good
suggestions.

RB

Thanks for the suggestions. As noted previously, most of my sailing
experience has been on larger boats, in the 30-35 ft range, that we
chartered for family vacations. We would live aboard the boats for a
week, sailing (sometimes in in some pretty high winds), swimming,
cooking meals and sleeping at anchor. I've had training from several
sailing "schools," including an Annapolis Sailing School nav and heavy
boat handling course. So I'm well aware that such boats are "better"
than the MacGregor in a number of ways, particularly for blue water
sailing. The 40 foot Valiant, for example, had three reefing lines
lines for the main led to the cockpit, color coded, such that you could
adjust both the roller furling jib and the main to any desired reefing
point without leaving the cockpit.- It was stable and fast and great for
sailing in blue water with the staysail and jib up, making some 9 knots.
Also, owning one would certainly get me more respect from fellow sailors.

But for our area and the anticipated uses of the boat, I'm not sure that
these heavier boats would be the best choice or provide the greatest
satisfaction and enjoyment (since I can still charter a variety of
larger boats when desired.) In the Kehmah-Seabrook (Houston) area, we
have some huge marinas with thousands of beautiful sailboats. But most
of these boats seem to sit in the marinas for 99.9 percent of the time.
- I have had friends tell me that, after the initial purchase, they
had such difficulty in getting time to go out, and in getting crews to
go with them, that the boat sat there, with ongoing maintenance costs,
bottom treatments, marina fees, insurance, etc., so that they finally
sold the boat. In my particular situation, my former crew (my kids) is
not available, and my wife doesn't seem to be too keen on getting out in
anything but ideal weather. Maybe I could get some of my friends to go,
but probably not on the schedule or frequency I would prefer, and I'm
not sure I want to go out on a large boat by myself, even with roller
furling, etc. As mentioned, we have some grand kids who I think would
not enjoy the relatively extended motoring and cruising time entailed in
getting a heavy boat to good sailing areas and then back to the dock.
(I'll investigate other marina choices, however.)

Regarding the new Mac 26M model, several pretty substantial changes have
been made as compared with the 26X model. They include a new hull
design entailing a deeper, heavier, 15 degree bottom, rounded corners at
the sides, a partial lead ballast rather than a flatter hull, adjustable
dagger board rather than pivotable fin keel, rotatable mast, additional
fiberglass and roving, etc. These are substantive changes, so I don't
think it is reasonable to describe the handling and performance of the M
model based on observations re the older models. However, I don't know
how the new boat sails or handles under power or sail, which is why I
posted my questions.

Meanwhile, I'll be looking at some of the larger used boats for sale in
our area also. Apparently, I can get an older 30-32 Cal, Catalina, C&C,
etc., for about the same price as a fully equipped Mac 26. Conditions
and needed repairs and maintenance are another question, of course.
fully known. I understand that you have a C&C, so I will assume that
you would recommend them and I'll pay particular attention to any that
look like a good buy.

Jim