I may have missed a couple over time but that seems to me the first sensible
post I have read about the Mac 26.
So what if it is poor to windward?
People with families avoid going to windward by starting the engine because
the alternative is a lot of grief from ****edoff family members.
And because you can lighten it for trailering by dumping water you are
likely to see more sailing grounds than most people with 'deepwater' boats.
I had a S&S 34' which in a decent wind could leave most boats of that size
for dead going to windward. With double reefed main and no 2 genoa and 30
knots of apparent wind across the deck I had a wonderful beat of 20 miles to
windward on the French Biscay coast. but when we anchored my crew said 'what
an awful experience that was'.
But she still sails with me and now we have a 38' boat of the same type but
I am playing it more carefully and using the engine more as it is not much
fun single handing!
So I am not going to knock anyone who opts for a Mac as long as they do not
claim it can do things it is not designed for.

wrote in message
ups.com...

DSK wrote:
lid wrote:

Funny, I've been looking at the MacGregor for a while now as a
potential
purchase.

Does that mean that you've really bought one already and are
looking for validation?

It seems to me that sailors don't like it because it's not a "real"
sailboat.

I dunno about other sailors, I don't like them because IMHO
they are ugly (a matter of personal taste) and because they
have very poor performance under sail... a matter of well
documented fact, regardless of what the MacGregor
advertising says (they wouldn't LIE would they?!?).

The older Mac26 model (made in the 1980s and early 1990s)
will sail rings around them, as will many other trailerables.



.... I have heard some say it bobs like a cork under sail and that
the
hull is weak.


Supposedly the newer Mac 26-M is stronger built than the old
ones, but that would also make it heavier. A problem for
them under sail is that they are difficult to steer, and
they react badly to any wave action.... "bobs like a cork"
is a fair description but doesn't convey all the
implications.... wet, noisy, heavy yawing, slowed
dramatically by waves.

In my experience, they will only make ground to windward
under a certain range of conditions, if the wind is too
light they can't point and if the wind is too strong, they
have too much windage and get shoved backwards by waves.


..... I probably would never venture farther than
Catalina or the channel islands. I'd also like to sail some of the
lakes like havasu, Powell, etc. so the trailerability of the MacGregor
is appealing.

THere are a LOT of other trailerable boats out there. One
issue is that powerboats with any accomodation are heavy.
You will need a large tow vehicle to pull a powerboat with
accomodations anywhere approaching the Mac-26.

But trailer cruising is very rewarding and you can explore a
lot of places. Shallow draft is one of the benefits that
goes along with trailerability, often not appreciated until
you "move up" to a big keel boat and realize how many places
you can't go in it.

Family of 4 up to 1 week trips once or twice a year. I
wouldn't consider myself the fair weather type; as skills progress I'd
sail year around in as much weather as the ship and her captain are
capable of.


The ship is always more capable than the captain (and/or crew).

Opinions?


Get either a motorboat or a sailboat, trailerable is a very
good call, and get out there on the water. The Mac-26 is
neither, it's really a floatable camper trailer, with a very
vocal cult following. If you want to join the cult (or have
already joined), that's fine too. We will probably see at
least a few angry replies to this post as an example.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

I think the MAc26 is done reasonably well for such a compromise. Like
any compromise, it doesnt favor either motor or sail very well but
people buy it knowing it is a compromise. Consider "motor sailers",
they sure do not sail well but few people criticize them. Consider the
Morgan OI series, not only do they look like hell but sail poorly too
but people buy them for their roominess. Buying the Mac26 for its
compromise is a legit decision. I'd be willing to bet that mac26
owners boat in more places than 99% of other sail boats. As far as
safety is concerned, I'd say that its ability to get out of the way of
bad weather with speed and its ability to anchor in very shallow
protected places actually make it safer than a deep keel conventional
sailboat.
Many of us with "real" sailboats also own "real" powerboats and know
the pains of owning two boats. Owning just one would be nice.
This argument about the Mac26 reminds me of an argument over whether a
friend should buy a pontoon boat for his family. Many people toild him
"No" cuz a pontoon boat was not a "real" powerboat and it wasn't
seaworthy. He bought the pontoon boat and does more boating with it
than the rest of us but he restricts himself to appropriate places and
weather.
I say, "Buy the Mac26 and enjoy it.You'll do more sailing in unusual
places than those of us with heavier non-trailerable sailboats. You
will keep peace in your family which is a serious consideration".