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#1
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
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. 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. This tends to minimize the "are we home yet" issue with small kids and non-sail-type guests. 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. (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.) 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. 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. 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.) 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 |
#2
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
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. S/V Express 30 "Ringmaster" "No shirt, no skirt, full service" |
#3
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
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 |
#4
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
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 |
#5
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
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 |
#6
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
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 |
#7
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
Never been on one but we love to laugh at the suckers that buy em.
I have been on one, at a boat show. Special price of $30k, all up and brand new. I would not buy it at $3k, unless I knew someone I could lay the thing off on for $4k. That is one flimsy boat, and those I have seen on the water (in under 8 knots of wind) never sailed well (maybe Mac owners could blame the sailor) nor motored well (maybe Mac owners could blame the engine as too small). Some people *do* buy them though and call them sailboats just as some people buy Wasa Brot and call it dessert. |
#8
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
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..."). Kinda goes along with something I read/heard a long time ago. "Never buy a boat that you wouldn't want to be seen arriving on" S/V Express 30 "Ringmaster" "No shirt, no skirt, full service" |
#9
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
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. |
#10
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MacGregor 26M - Valiant 40
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. |