Donal wrote:

"Jim Cate" wrote in message
...


katysails wrote:

Jim...MacGregor's have a poor reputation. They have made some very bad
boats. Most of us here have experience sailing many different brands of
boats and have been around sailors and sailboats for years and years.

Your

analogy about intellectual honesty is bunkum. Fact of the matter is, if

a

product gets negative brand recognition because of lack of quality, it

will

take 75% more effort to convince the knowledgeable that that company

might

then, out of the blue, produce a good product. If you were in the

market

for a subcompact car, and you read the history of the Yugo, spoke with
people who had purchased Yugo's, and seen the statistics about their

rate of

repair and other problems, would you then include Yugo in the cars you

are

planning to test drive? I think not. Time is money, and wating time is
wasting money. Yes, there are flukes...once in a while a company with a

bad

reputation comes up with a single good item...Hunter comes to mind
here...but for the most part, Hunter's are crap, and that is based on
comparison of facts. macGregor's , for the most part, are crap. Now

quit

wasting everyone's time with your specious arguments and go learn how to
sail.


Katy, first regarding your comment that I need to go learn to sail, as
previously mentioned, I have sailed a 37-ft O'Day, 40-ft Valiant (weeks
charter), Cal 34, Cat 30 Endeavor 32, etc., etc. I'm seeking to extend
my sailing experience.


First, I'd like to point out that most of the replies have been genuine
attempts to be helpful.

Second, it doesn't really matter what boat you buy - at least for a few
years. You will probably get enjoyment from simply being "out there".





Regarding the reputation of the MacGregors, I realize that it isn't the
same type of boat as fixed keel boats such as the Valiant and the O'Day.
However, they entail certain obvious advantages for sailing in bay
areas and with respect to their ability to get to a desired sailing area
quickly, and to return quickly, and to getting through marginal channels


This is the heart of the matter.

You seem to want a sailing vessel. However, you also want to keep your
boat about 25 miles from your sailing area. If you really must keep your
boat so far from a sailing ground, then I think that you should tell us why.
Perhaps that will produce different responses from people.

Regards

Donal
_______________________________

You asked why I wanted to keep the boat 25 miles from the sailing area.
What I meant was that it is 25 miles from the blue water sailing areas
in the Gulf, that I prefer. In our region, 95% of the marinas and slips
are in the Kemah-Seabrook area, located between Houston and Galveston.
I think the reason most people leave their boats here is that it is
some distance inland and considered safer from hurricanes and other
weather issues. There is a large bay near here in which we can sail for
the afternoon. As mentioned below, I recently placed an order for one
of the Mac 26M's. When it's delivered, I'll be able to motor down to
Galveston and to the offshore blue water in about two hours. Or, I can
tow the boat down to various points on the coast and launch it there. -
I'll try several sailing areas and see how they compare and report back
to the group.

Jim