JimC wrote:
And the Macs are by far the most popular of boats (trailerable or
untrailerable) of this size.

Says who? Why MacGregor of course.
And does popularity really prove anything with a product that is so
mendaciously advertised?


This issue has been discussed ad nauseum, and I don't want to get into
it again.

Why, because you know that I have actually seen the failures of the
boat I've described to you, and it's painful to acknowledge?


It's two or three times faster under power than most of the boats
discussed on this ng.

Most sailors aren't interested in bragging about how fast their boats
go under power. And the Mac's claims of of speed are grossly
exaggerated, they lose speed dramaticaly when carrying any weight
beyond the stripped-bare minimum. And there are actually quite a few
boats that can sail faster than the Mac26X~M can motor.


AND DON'T TELL ME THAT THERE AREN'T OTHER BOATS THAT HAVE THIS FEATURE,

Why, does it bother you?


What you haven't acknowledged, of course, is that although other boats
have some of the same features, the COMBINATION of capabilities and
features available on the Mac 26m is rather unique

Only if you haven't looked beyond the Mac advertising brochures


.... Obviously, some boats are more responsive than the Mac
and can plane under sail, but most of them don't have anywhere near the
accommodations, comfort, and cabin size available with a Mac 26M. Also,

But many of them do.


Please keep in mind that I have been sailing for over 40 years, with
experience on a number of large and smaller boats

And yet, you haven't noticed that the Mac26X~M actually has rather
poor sailing & handling characteristics, which is obvious to many
experienced sailors just by watching the thing.


.... I'm not
really interested in racing, more into cruising.

Well, good performance is good performance. If you want to experience
the "magic of sail" then it doesn't matter if you're interested in
racing.


Again, when the wind hit the sails, it's magic!


Not really. It's technology.


DSK