I did drag this whole thread, but I though I would write this back to
the top level.

First, I have now known of several Mac 26x owners that have actually
become sailors. For that I commend both the owners and the builder.
The fact that they are not as fast as my 13' Whaler and carry less sail
than my Rebel is not part of the issue here.

The advantages that people site are speed under power (often as a safety
item), the shoal draft and the trailerability. All are good thoughts.

If speed is a primary issue, then get an airplane. A boat is always the
worst choice to get somewhere fast.

There are lots of choices for shoal draft and most are better sailors
that 26* (my S2-7.9 is just one of many).

Trailer launch and recovery is aided by the water ballast, but towing a
5000# boat is not much more problem than towing 3000# boat.

If you enjoy the peace and quite of sailing, then you do. IF you enjoy
a boat that is responsive, then you have to choose what you want.

We have made long treks when I sailed the boat the entire way, but we
have also gone off for a days reach with the autohelm steering on wind
or waypoint and one or both of us watching and reading.

I am a naval architect and a marine enginer. The Mac 26* has not better
theoretical stability than most conventional monohulls. Did you know
that there is a MORC test that requires that a new or seriously modified
boat demonstrate static stability by tieing both head and main sails
(bagged to the top of the mast and then heaving the boat with all keels
and foils retracted down to until the mast is horizontal. The boat must
not flood. I do not like things that get less stable with incline (more
heel angle). Multihulls start loosing righting moment as soon as a hull
comes out of the water. They might be faster than most monohulls, but
they have some bad habits.

Matt Colie
Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Mariner and Perpetual Sailor



Parallax wrote:

Like many ppl who own "Real" sailboats, I have long considered the Mac
26 to be a toy sold to gullible first time buyers but may be changing
my mind. Currently I own a 28' S2 and all of my sailing is coastal
cruising. When I really analyse my sailing needs, the Mac 26 comes
close to filling them.

Consider:

1. I think that in Florida having extreme shoal draft capability is a
real safety issue because so much of the state is seriously shallow.
From Carabelle, Fl to Tarpon Springs, there are not many places where
one can get close (within a half mile)to shore with more than 5' of
water. When cruising, most of my dangerous incidents happened either
while anchored or trying to reach a safe anchorage. With extreme
shoal draft ability, the number of anchorages would easily quadruple.
When a 70 knot thunderstorm sweeps an anchorage, deep draft boats
anchored in deeper water tend to drag while a Mac 26 in shallow water
protected by shore or even beached would be safer.

2. Shoal draft ability greatly enhances ones ability to see
interesting places both in Florida and in the Bahamas. Most of the
places I want to see are in shallow water. The Mac 26 has less than
2' draft with board up.

3. Face it, sailboats are slugs, even under power. Because they
typically cannot outrun weather, they have to be overbuilt to "take
it". However, while the conventional sailboat is slugging his way
through unexpectedly rough weather, the Mac 26 owner has turned on his
motor and gone to port at 15 kts and is having coffee and watching
the lightning show.

4. Trailerability, do I need to say more? Not having to pay slip
fees, not having to rush to the coast just before a hurricane hits to
tie things down, not worrying about the cost of a bottom job, etc.
The ability to trailer to the Keys, to the Chesapeake, etc.

5. Safety at sea. Apparently they have a range of stability greater
than many more traditional boats. They are also intrinsically
righting unlike multihulls and some more traditional monohulls. They
have positive flotation unlike most monohulls.

6. Sailing ability. From what I hear, they sail better than some
more traditional boats, certainly better than a Morgan OI.

Perceived problems:

1. Quality. I suspect that the engineering of the Mac26 is better
than of a Pearson of 1970 considering advances in materials. Part of
this is due to lighter materials that causes the perceived low
quality. But you have to remember that the Mac 26 is made for
trailerability and it should not have to be caught out in really bad
weather.

2. Spartan interior. This is actually a plus for me. I am used to
tent camping so even a spartan interior seems luxurious and I hate
gadgets that break down and cause problems.

3. Any others?

So, would they be ok to sail across the stream to the Bahamas? Across
the Northern Gulf back and forth to N or S. Florida? Down island to
the Caribbean? What are the limits?

I'd like to hear from Mac 26 owners.