katysails wrote:
Jax asked:
Are mac 26 sales in the toilet?

I would think not. They stick their money into the marketing campaigns at
boat shows and lure in all the newbie wannabe's, especially those with
familiarity with small motorcraft. This was the newbie to sailing doesn't
suffer "shock" when he loses all his power but still gets the ethereal joy
of "sailing". Quite frankly, if I wanted to motor and sail, I'd go the
pilothouse motorsailor anyday before buying a *******ized ski boat. The
price tag appeals to the young set with a couple of little kids. It's
affordable on a middle class income whereas a 30K used good sailboat is
going to need maintenance, time, and knowledge to keep it up. And you can't
tow the kids in a tube very fast, so the kids might get bored without all
the over=stimulation of a "fast" boat. What these people don't get is that
people like us (ng regulars) sail for entirely different reasons than
wanting to "get there", entertain the kids, or what they may think is
versatility. Jim Cate just does not "get it".

Actually, Jim DOES get it, and you don't. He has sailed on a number of
displacement boats in the 30-40 ft range, including the aforsaid
Valiant, O'Days, Cals, Endeavors, Catalinas, etc., and he knows the
advantages and the disadvantages of such boats. What he is saying is
that the "quality" of a boat can only be determined in relation to
criteria that are essential to the particular owner, in view of the
conditions and usage anticipated. Some on this ng simply can't get over
the fact that they have been unable to intimidate him, or drive him
away, and that despite all their sneering and Mac-bashing, Jim's still
here. - Obviously, this isn't what's supposed to happen. (Of course, if
they REALLY didn't care about Jim's opinions, and REALLY felt that that
the Mac discussions were irrelevant and a waste of time, they would
simply move on to another subject. - But they don't. The discussion is
obviously so disconcerting that they simply can't leave it alone!

Jim