Not at all. I think the X version are trash. The M isn't as bad as
that and is capable of sailing on the bay (for example) without
compromising one's safety. It's a different boat.
"Bobsprit" wrote in message
...
Oh please. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.


What does this have to do with the subject at hand? Are you supporting the
Mac26X as a viable vessel?

RB

No. I can't. Perhaps if I was stupid like Jax....

Again, I'm talking about the M, which doesn't have the huge engine
as is a "sailboat" not a horrible compromise.

"Bobsprit" wrote in message
...
Better still, Jonathan...can you explain to us under what circumstances
YOU
would buy a Mac26X?
I can't think of ANY for myself. I'd rather have a sailboat or a
powerboat...never the Mac.

RB

However, they are relatively inexpensive for their accomodation, and make a
great boat-shaped camper trailer.

DSK

doug, they are $30k at boatshow special prices.

yeah, but thirty GRAND???


For once, I have to agree with Jonathan. Perhaps we all tend to approach
such questions from our own parochial view of what a "real" boat should be,
not realizing that a boat should fit the desires and needs of its owner, not
some pre-conceived notion of an ideal boat in the sky.

I'd say that if the Mac M does what you want it to do better than the
alternatives, and suits the way you intend to use it, go for it and have the
self-confidence to give the finger to those who presume to look down on you
for choosing what suits your needs.


Dave
S/V Good Fortune
CS27

However, they are relatively inexpensive for their accomodation, and make a
great boat-shaped camper trailer.


JAXAshby wrote:
doug, they are $30k at boatshow special prices.

You don't get out much, do you? That's not very expensive for either a new boat
or a new camper trailer in that size range. But maybe $30K is a horrendous lot
of money to you, Jax?

DSK

For half of $30k one can buy a lot of fine, fine, fine used 26 foot sailboats.

the word "horrendous" is normally used not in the context of absolute dollars,
but rather in the context of what one gets for the dollars.

What you get for your money is a brand new Mac 26.

Is Mac the only choice for those who wish a 26 foot boat bought brand new?


That's not very expensive for either a new boat
or a new camper trailer in that size range. But maybe $30K is a horrendous
lot
of money to you, Jax?

DSK

For once I have to agree with Jax... $30K is way too much. Even
if you want to stick with a Mac (not the X, not the X), then you
can get a model just before the M (I forget the model name), for
1/3 of that.

"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
yeah, but thirty GRAND???


For once, I have to agree with Jonathan. Perhaps we all tend to approach
such questions from our own parochial view of what a "real" boat should
be,
not realizing that a boat should fit the desires and needs of its owner,
not
some pre-conceived notion of an ideal boat in the sky.

I'd say that if the Mac M does what you want it to do better than the
alternatives, and suits the way you intend to use it, go for it and have
the
self-confidence to give the finger to those who presume to look down on
you
for choosing what suits your needs.


Dave
S/V Good Fortune
CS27

I'd say it's more like 75% the same. There are differences that appear to
make
it a better sailor.

"DSK" wrote in message
...
Jonathan Ganz wrote:

Not to trumpet the successful redesign of Mac's, but the M is nothing
like
the X. I have a friend who has one. I was not really all that
embarrassed to
climb aboard. :-)

It's not all that different. In fact the basic hull & deck molding appears
to be
99% identical. We have a couple of the new models at our marina. They
still
don't sail very well.

However, they are relatively inexpensive for their accomodation, and make
a
great boat-shaped camper trailer.

DSK

That's the first I've seen the 'M' model. Looks like they took a big step
backwards re the cabin, which looks exactly like the old (pre 'X') 26'. The
hull still has that ugly step in it, and the gross power-boat type
'windows'.
I've seen a few Xs sailing and talked to a few owners who really love them.
They're not bad boats for their purpose (shallow draft/power/sailboat) if
you can get past the look. Not for ocean sailing, though.
If you really want to talk to owners, Sailnet has a Mac mailing list, and
one just for X owners.

It sounds like you're worried what others will think. In that case, stay
away from the Mac.

S.Vernon

"Jim Cate" wrote in message
...


DSK wrote:

SAIL LOCO wrote:


Sounds like a 25 foot power boat with a small cabin might be the best
choice
for your intended use. After the kids grow up and you get tired of
fishing you
can sell the power boat without loosing your ass like you would on the
Mac and
you can buy a real sailboat. This was not a flame.


Sure it is... just one with a healthy dose of reality. The Mac26X (or
"M" if that's
what they are calling it now) PowR-SailR is a choice for people who
can't make up
their minds and don't know much about either motorboats or sailing.
First of all,
the advertising is very misleading. They will not go 24 mph under power,
unless you
either put a bigger motor than it's rated for (and crack the transom
open in 1
season) or strip the boat of all extraneous weight like passengers,
cooler, mast,
etc etc. You're more likely to see 15 ~ 18 mph... which is still a lot
faster than
most sailboats can go in most conditions. But much slower than a real
motorboat,
and the PowR-SailR sails poorly at best... not enjoyable sport IMHO.

If the issue is distance to cover, then either get a boat to keep at a
marina
closer to good sailing grounds and drive 65mph to there, thus saving
large amounts
of time... or get a trailerable boat that can be trailered (again at
65mph)... with
the benefit that you can take it other places as well.

If you're not sure if you like sailing enough to go to all that trouble,
you
probably won't. Get a motorboat (and this isn't intended as an insult,
because I
have a motorboat myself... along with three sailboats).

Fresh Breezes- Doug King


Thanks for the suggestions. As noted previously, most of my sailing
experience over the past 25 years has been on larger boats, in the 30-35
ft range, that we chartered for family vacations. We would live aboard
the boats for a week, sailing (sometimes in in some pretty high winds),
swimming, cooking meals and sleeping at anchor. I've had training from
several sailing "schools," including an Annapolis Sailing School nav and
heavy boat handling course. So, although I'm sure there are many more
experienced sailors on this ng, I'm well-aware that such heavier boats
are "better" than the MacGregor in a number of ways, particularly for
blue water sailing. The 40 foot Valiant, for example, had three
mainsail reefing lines led to the cockpit, color coded, such that you
could adjust the main to any desired reefing point without leaving the
cockpit, along with roller furling on the jib, plus a staysail.- It was
stable and fast and great for sailing in blue water, making some 9 knots
with the staysail and jib up. Also, of course, owning a larger,
traditional boat would certainly get me more respect from fellow
sailors, whereas sailing a Mac 26 will make me the subject of continued
ridicule and disdain (I should expect continued comments like: He
doesn't know enough about sailboats to realize what a mistake he
made...").

But for our area and conditions and the anticipated uses of the boat,
I'm not sure that these heavier boats would be the best choice or
provide the greatest enjoyment and satisfaction, which I suppose is the
ultimate criteria. (Remember that I can still charter a variety of
larger boats when desired.) In the Kehmah-Seabrook (Houston) area, we
have some huge marinas with thousands of beautiful sailboats of all
types and sizes. But most of these boats sit in their slips in the
marinas for 99.9 percent of the time. - I have had friends tell me
that, after the initial purchase, they had such difficulty in getting
time to go out and in getting crews to go with them, that the boat sat
there, with ongoing maintenance costs, bottom treatments, marina fees,
insurance, etc., so that they finally sold the boat. In my particular
situation, my former crew (my kids) is not available, and my wife
doesn't seem to be too keen on getting out in anything but ideal
weather. Maybe I could get some of my friends to go, but probably not on
the schedule or frequency I would prefer, and I'm not sure I want to go
out on a large boat by myself, even with roller furling, etc. As
mentioned, we have grandkids who I think would not enjoy the relatively
extended motoring and cruising time entailed in getting a heavy boat to
good sailing areas as is necessary in our area and then back to the
dock. For family outings, the Mac has the advantage that you can anchor
it in shallow water, or beach it on an island, etc. (I'll investigate
other marina choices, however.)

Regarding the new Mac model 26M, several pretty substantial changes have
been made as compared with the 26X model. They include a new hull
design entailing a deeper, heavier, 15 degree bottom, rounded corners at
the sides, a partial lead ballast rather than full water ballast, a
flatter hull, adjustable dagger board rather than pivotable fin keel,
rotatable mast, additional fiberglass and roving, etc. WHETHER OR NOT
these changes are going to be effective in improving the handling and
performance of the boat, they are significant, substantive changes, so I
don't think it is logical or reasonable to describe the handling and
performance of the new M model based on observations or (usually)
hearsay relating to the older models. The interior of the boat is open,
with lots of windows, and gives the impression that you are on a much
larger boat. (The Valiant 40 that we sailed in the gulf had a
traditional interior that was segregated into several cabins, and the
main salon was therefore not exceptionally roomy or bright and
"cheery.") (By the way, the Mac 26 can be powered with a much larger
motor if you want high speeds and water-skiing capability. - I don't
need or want to go over around 18-20mph, which is still three times
faster than most fixed keel boats.) On the other hand, I don't know how
the new boat sails or handles under power, which is why I posted my
questions. Their video of the M and S models saling side-by-side shows
the M model sailing by the older model as if it were standing still.
Again, I don't know if the "race" was rigged, etc. - You might want to
take a look at the video, that can be downloaded from the MacGregor
site.

Meanwhile, I'll also be looking at some of the larger used boats for
sale in our area. Apparently, I can get an older 30-32 Cal, Catalina,
C&C, etc., for about the same price as a fully equipped Mac 26.
Conditions and needed repairs and maintenance are another question, of
course.

Jim

Did you sail on it? Always thought that tiny wheel would be awkward.

Scotty

"Jonathan Ganz" wrote in message
...
Not to trumpet the successful redesign of Mac's, but the M is nothing like
the X. I have a friend who has one. I was not really all that embarrassed
to
climb aboard. :-)

"DSK" wrote in message
...
Sure it is... just one with a healthy dose of reality. The Mac26X (or
"M" if that's
what they are calling it now) PowR-SailR is a choice for people who
can't
make up
their minds and don't know much about either motorboats or sailing.
First
of all,
the advertising is very misleading. They will not go 24 mph under power,
unless you
either put a bigger motor than it's rated for (and crack the transom
open
in 1
season) or strip the boat of all extraneous weight like passengers,
cooler, mast,
etc etc. You're more likely to see 15 ~ 18 mph... which is still a lot
faster than
most sailboats can go in most conditions. But much slower than a real
motorboat,
and the PowR-SailR sails poorly at best... not enjoyable sport IMHO.

If the issue is distance to cover, then either get a boat to keep at a
marina
closer to good sailing grounds and drive 65mph to there, thus saving
large
amounts
of time... or get a trailerable boat that can be trailered (again at
65mph)... with
the benefit that you can take it other places as well.

If you're not sure if you like sailing enough to go to all that trouble,
you
probably won't. Get a motorboat (and this isn't intended as an insult,
because I
have a motorboat myself... along with three sailboats).

Fresh Breezes- Doug King