Wally wrote:

Jim Cate wrote:


You have it bass-ass backwards, Wally.


In all honesty, and with due respect, I think you have.



I came onto this newsgroups
hoping to get some substantive, factual information.


Would I be correct in assuming that you were looking for said information to
aid you in your purchasing decision?



Instead, I found
out that most of the Mac-bashers have never sailed the current Mac 26,
and don't know what the hell they are talking about, yet despite this,
don't hesitate to pontificate and sneer and try to intimidate anyone
who likes the boat. This reveals to me that the Mac-bashers are
either: (1) stupid (2) incapable of rational thought, or (3) liar.


Frankly, I think "intimidate" is a bit strong. This *is* a newsgroup, after
all. If you know anything about usenet, you'll know that conversation is
often robust to say the least.



In any event, it put my mind at ease with respect to what I thought
might be some problems with the Mac, other than its inherent
limitations that I already knew. Thus, my decision was simplified,
and I proceeded to place my order.


What probelms in partcular were you concerned about, and how could those
concerns be put at ease when all you've had is negative comments?



... Because they are substantially
sold out for the rest of the summer, I'll be one of the fortunate few
who will be able to take delivery of this spectacular and innovated
boat this season.


I was hoping to get some reports from contributors who had actually
sailed the 26M (not the previous models), or who had spoken with
experienced sailors who had sailed the boat. No one on this ng had
sailed the boat, and few had spoken with anyone who had. If someone on
the ng had actually sailed the boat, his or her report regarding how the
boat handled under varying conditions would have been helpful.

Regarding your question about what is spectacular and innovative about
the boat, I have previously discussed the advantages and improvements at
length. If I'm correct, the Mac 26 is the most popular cruising sailboat
on the market, by far. Incremental improvements have been made in the
last two models, and further improvements are incorporated in the new
26M. Advantages of the 26 water ballast sailboat in general include the
fact that the boat addresses the "time factor." As previously discussed
several times, if one owns a fine, 36-foot displacement boat that is
capable of blue water crossings, etc., but which one doesn't have TIME
to sail, then the advantages of the boat don't serve you very well. (Of
course, you can always boast that your boat COULD SAIL ANYWHERE YOU
WANTED TO (if you had time). In the case of the Mac, the ability to
motor out to a desired sailing or fishing or swimming area at 15 knots,
or, alternatively, the ability to motor the boat down to another sailing
are at 65 mph, can change the "COULD SAIL" to a "DID SAIL". In other
words, unless one is retired or has lots of leisure time, the ability to
get to where you want to go, using the power and/or trailoring
capabilities of the Mac 26, can permit you to actually sail in a desired
area, not just talk about it.

With respect to what changes have been incorporated in the 26M, these
have also been discussed several times in previous notes. They include
the addition of permanent ballast, for added safety when motoring or
sailing without the water ballast; the substantial changes to the hull,
which has a new deep V configuration for smoothing out the boat's
performance in heavy chop, the elimination of the pivotal keel, and the
200-gallon slot previously required to receive the pivotal keel (now
replaced by a more narrow, deep dagger board), additional fiber glass
and roving in the hull, etc.; substantially taller mast and rigging,
rotatable mast, etc., etc.

In essence, the 26M provides the advantages from the several previous
models of water ballast power sailboats, plus the advantages of "lessons
learned" over the past eight years of production.

Jim



What is spectacular and innovative about it?