On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:33:33 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:19:25 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

If I ever get to live in Florida it'll be a Mac26 if I decide to do
overnighters or a Carolina Skiff if I decide to just day fish.
Talking about the Gulf coast.

I think the Mac26 is OK if operated within its limits - not
overloaded, always with water ballast in place, and always with a good
chance of being quickly rescued. The manufacturer needs to do more to
raise safety awareness and stop selling the boat to inexperienced
people who want to believe it can go anywhere. I would not want to be
caught on open water in a thunder squall with a Mac26 but that is also
true for a number of other sailboats in that size range.

"Good chance of being quickly rescued"?
hehe. Gimme a break.
From my reading if not under sail or overloaded topside an unballasted
Mac26 is as unlikely to capsize as a typical boat, but of course more
likely than a keeled sailboat.
Many of the owners don't ballast when motoring.
Of course they don't load up with 10 people either.
All boats have their own dangers.
I know if the sea got dicey I'd rather be in a ballasted Mac26 than a
24' Carolina Skiff.
But I'm not about to challenge the sea anyway, and intend to boat in
fair weather only.
Wouldn't worry about being unballasted in a Mac26 just puttering
around on a calm day in Charlotte harbor looking for fish.
But what I really want is an F-27 (-:
Doing any fishing off your dock?
Got the fishing bug at all?
My sister caught a real nice sheepshead and some redfish on the canal
in Punta Gorda a couple weeks ago, and hooked something really big
that broke her line.
Pic of sheepshead upon request.

--Vic