Yep. It says you have no idea what the differences are,
and you're an idiot.

"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
From: "Jonathan Ganz"
Date: 3/1/2004 12:09 PM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

I have a friend who has one. I was not really all that embarrassed to
climb aboard. :-)

says something, doesn't it.

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

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.

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

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

And how many times have you sailed on the 26M, DK? - Was it five times,
ten times, fifteen? I seem to have forgotten.

Jim

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

Jim Cate wrote:

And how many times have you sailed on the 26M, DK? - Was it five times,
ten times, fifteen? I seem to have forgotten.

Gosh, you're so right... it's gotta be better than the old one... it's NEW & IMPROVED!!

BTW it does not not have a new hull design. Exactly the same, only painted darker colors
which does not improve sailng characteristics as far as anybody has been able to
determine. And the ones I have seen certainly don't have rotating masts either.... anyway
that would be a waste of time on a boat with a PHRF rating of 216.

The two Mac26Ms at our marina I have seen out sailing a dozen times or so. They are not
even a match for the San Juan 21, of which there is a strong local class, which rates
252. The SJ21 literally sails rings around the M26M. Figure it out.

The point, Jim, is to enjoy your time on the water. If you happen to not care about
sailing other than to have some sails up and hear the wake gurgling, then go for it. If
you enjoy really *sailing* then you'll be disappointed. Doesn't matter to me one way or
the other.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Hey Doug,My Hobie had a rotating mast, I can't remember exactly how the
shrouds were mounted but I'm guessing they just 'twisted' a bit with the
mast. How would a mast with spreaders be able to rotate?

Scotty

"DSK" wrote in message
...
Jim Cate wrote:

And how many times have you sailed on the 26M, DK? - Was it five times,
ten times, fifteen? I seem to have forgotten.

Gosh, you're so right... it's gotta be better than the old one... it's NEW
& IMPROVED!!

BTW it does not not have a new hull design. Exactly the same, only painted
darker colors
which does not improve sailng characteristics as far as anybody has been
able to
determine. And the ones I have seen certainly don't have rotating masts
either.... anyway
that would be a waste of time on a boat with a PHRF rating of 216.

The two Mac26Ms at our marina I have seen out sailing a dozen times or so.
They are not
even a match for the San Juan 21, of which there is a strong local class,
which rates
252. The SJ21 literally sails rings around the M26M. Figure it out.

The point, Jim, is to enjoy your time on the water. If you happen to not
care about
sailing other than to have some sails up and hear the wake gurgling, then
go for it. If
you enjoy really *sailing* then you'll be disappointed. Doesn't matter to
me one way or
the other.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

DSK wrote:

Jim Cate wrote:


And how many times have you sailed on the 26M, DK? - Was it five times,
ten times, fifteen? I seem to have forgotten.


Gosh, you're so right... it's gotta be better than the old one... it's NEW & IMPROVED!!

BTW it does not not have a new hull design. Exactly the same, only painted darker colors
which does not improve sailng characteristics as far as anybody has been able to
determine.

It has "Exactly the same hull, except for the dark paint"??? DK, you are
either confused or hung over. The M model is definitely a "new hull
design." The M model includes a deep, 15-degree V-hull, as compared with
the X model's much flatter, 8-degree hull. Additionally, the boat has a
vertically retractable, relatively dagger board instead of the pivotable
fin keel of the older boat, which nested in an a rearwardly extending
groove in the hull. Whether or not these changes make the boat "better"
or "improved, there is no question that the hull is, in fact,
substantially different. In the interests of logic, intellectual
honesty, and plain old truthfullness, you shouln't post false assertions
concerning matters about which you really don't know what you are
talking about.


And the ones I have seen certainly don't have rotating masts
either.... anyway
that would be a waste of time on a boat with a PHRF rating of 216.


Again, the M model does has a rotating mast. If the one you are
describing doesn't, it's further evidence that you really don't know
which model it is. Again, in the interest of plain old logic and
intellectual honesty, you ought to do your homework and get your facts
straight.

The two Mac26Ms at our marina I have seen out sailing a dozen times or so. They are not
even a match for the San Juan 21, of which there is a strong local class, which rates
252. The SJ21 literally sails rings around the M26M. Figure it out.

The point, Jim, is to enjoy your time on the water. If you happen to not care about
sailing other than to have some sails up and hear the wake gurgling, then go for it. If
you enjoy really *sailing* then you'll be disappointed. Doesn't matter to me one way or
the other.


I may get one of the 26M's. However, I'm not sure I can afford one, and
my budget may dictate that I have to settle for a 34-foot O'Day, Cal, or
C&C.

Jim
Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Jim Cate wrote in message ...
I'm considering the new MacGregor 26M for use in the Galveston-Houston
area and would like to get comments from anyone who has seen or sailed
on the boat. Or, anyone else.

Ive seen em and would not have one, BTW I live on ClearLake.


For sailing and motoring in this area, the MacGregor seems to have some
advantages. - I'm aware of the largely negative comments on this ng
regarding the MacGregor line. However, for the intended use, e.g.,
sailing and motoring with small kids (grandchildren), fishing, and doing
some limited coastal cruising, the Mac 26M has the advantage that it
will motor to a desired destination at around 24 mph and can therefore
get to a desired sail or fishing area, and return, much more quickly
than a fixed keel boat.

There are lots of places to do good fishing without going into the
gulf. You can catch Flounder right off the junction at Seabrook
shipyard, Speckeled trout RedFish ect can be had at the taylor lake
cut, Lots of redfish in trinity bay, Chocolate bay, ect.. If your just
have to have red Snapper there are many rigs just 10 miles offshore.


This tends to minimize the "are we home yet"
issue with small kids and non-sail-type guests.

With a nice sailboat your can keep em busy learning how to set the
sails, you can trool for fish going in and out. Teach them how to
navigate, Bring a shotgun along and shoot skeet, very challenging on a
rocking boat. And if they keep whining are we home yet just toss them
overboard. No body likes a whiner.



Also, in view of the
hundreds of square miles of shallow bay waters in our area, the boat's
ability to anchor in 15 inches of water, or to beach at one of the
islands, would be an obvious advantage.

You can get into most areas here with a keel boat with a raisable
board. If you must fish the flats tow along a dink anchor out your
boat and row or walk onto the flats.



(The 40-foot Valiant, although
a great boat under sail offshore, was limited to around 8-10 knots under
motor or sail. So, it took us five hours to get from the Kemah marina to
the gulf, and we had to be careful to keep a sharp watch on the depth
finder.)

More like 3 and a half hours max, and its easy enogh to get to the
channel and then the channel is well marked and 50 foot deep in the
center.



OK, the comparison is admittedly somewhat ludicrous. For the uses
anticipated, however, the Mac may be a practical and fun choice. Also,
the new "M" model seems to include some substantive improvements. - It
now has both lead and the removable water ballast, has a fin keel (which
I'm assuming may help in pointing), and a structural keel housing
extending vertically from the deck to the ballast area. The boat
reportedly includes additional fiberglass layers and other structural
and ergonomic improvements derived from their experience over the years.
As to it's sailing abilities, there is a video on the Mac web site
comparing the 26M and the 26X under sail, and the new model is clearly
much faster. (Assuming they didn't stage the race or doctor the video.)
With a large genoa, it looks like it might be a fast sailing boat; it
can reportedly plane under sail.

Sounds like speed is your major concern. If so just get a stick pot.


A further consideration is that, if I bought the MacGregor, I would
still have the opportunity to charter a wide variety of heavier boats
kept under charter in our area.

Yeah and if your dying to go offshore and fish there are many fishing
boats out of Galveston and freeport. I would not be caught dead
offshore in the gulf in a MAC morphadyte.


Conversely, I couldn't purchase a
conventional fixed-keel boat and also charter a boat similar to the Mac.
(I'm not into motor boats, or staying out in the Texas sun for hours on
a powered fishing boat.)

Bimini, wheelhose ect.... = shade

A negative factor is that the new Mac is
fairly expensive when fully equiped, comparable in price to many used 30
- 32-foot boats.

Comments from anyone regarding the sailing and motoring characteristics
of the new 26M would be appreciated.

Jim

Never been on one but we love to laugh at the suckers that buy em.


Joe
MSV RedCloud