I would definitely catagorize the MacrapM as the polar opposite of a
well-found sailboat!

I think it's perfect for you!

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Jim Cate" wrote in message
...
I tend to agree with Rob's opinions in several respects. - Sailing isn't a
"practical" endeavor, after all, and a "practical" boat sort of misses the
point. Although I appreciate the capabilities of heavier boats built for
safety and survivability, I personally enjoy a lighter, more responsive
boat. - To me, they're simply more fun to sail, which is why I go sailing
in the first place. (Obviously, "fun to sail" means different things to
different folks.) One analogy of "practical" vs "fun" is like the
difference between driving a Porshe 911 or a Ferrari (light, lightly built,
responsive cars in which the driver feels the road and has greater control
over the car's response, etc., as compared to something like a Lincoln Town
Car, in which the driver and passengers are comfortable despite varying
road conditions, etc., but which doesn't provide the driving experience of
a sports car. Of course, it's obviously a matter of personal preference,
and the Lincoln would be more practical for extended trips, etc. In the
same vein, I can understand why some sailors prefer heavily built sailboats
from builders with established reputations, adapted for long blue-water
crossings, and also, why others prefer the responsiveness of lighter, more
responsive boats (such as the Mac 26M). But selecting a boat because it's
"better built" or more "practical," or because it will get you more respect
from your fellow sailors, etc. when you actually aren't going to take it on
extended crossings that would utilize its capabilities, etc., doesn't make
sense. As Rob points out, the bottom line is: is it fun to sail?
Jim



Capt. Rob wrote:

For me, there is some thrill to sailing but not
that much.


Well there you have it.
And the toe railes are backed with SS plates as in the 32s5 and 38s5.
The discontinous rod rigging is fed through the deck and anhcored with
massive SS fittings set into glass. Chainplate failure on these boats
is virtually impossible. Her steering system is Whitlock geared R&P,
not a sloppy cable based setup, her fit and finish below was judged as
very fine by two surveys and most aspects of her design work better
than any other cruising boat I've sailed, including my nice C&C 32 and
the 37 I sailed...both very good boats. As I said these frist series
boats are not typical of Beneteau's construction used currently and
were priced very high when sold here. The interiors were shipped from
France, the hulls made in the USA. The boat won design awards and was
even featured in MOMA magazine. It's also a fast and winning race boat
for those who don't want to cruise. If you know an experienced
surveyor, ask him about the 35s5 as I did. The boat has some negatives,
totally missed by the folks here of course, but is far better built
than the current crop of Beneteau's. FYI, I used to "bash" Beneteau and
still think their current boats (though better sailing designs than
Catalina) are a bit cheap, especially below. A new 36.7 is a great
performance boat, but it's interior is pretty awful for fit and finish.

Here's the 36.7 nav station for example...poor seating room and a
rather small table.
http://newimages.yachtworld.com/1/4/2/0/1/1420148_6.jpg

Here's my 35s5 Nav station. Good room and a large table that slides
back when not in use. There's also about 50% more storage. It's
superior design and looks more nautical...for those of us who like to
have "fun."
http://hometown.aol.com/bobsprit/images/int01.jpg

And those curved doors close with near air-tight perfection...unlike
most of the Tartan, C&C, J-Boat and even a Bristol 35.5 we looked at.
In some cases quality in boats appears to be based more on reputation
than reality. Most of the Cape Dory's we looked at (we were toying with
the idea of a heavy slow boat for an insane few weeks) were in great
shape. The Cape Dory lives up to it's rep, even better than Island
Packet.

RB
35s5
NY