(Parallax) wrote in message om...
"Scott Vernon" wrote in message . ..
"Matt Colie" wrote

Trailer launch and recovery is aided by the water ballast, but towing a
5000# boat is not much more problem than towing 3000# boat.

Unless the car you own is rated for 3500# towing.

SV

I have no intention of buying a vehicle capable of towing a 5000 lb
boat as this would be a waste of money. Instead, a more practical
vehicle that can tow a 3500 lb boat without wasting gas all the time
seems reasonable.
Yes, I am cheap, and proud of the fact.

Checking out the Practical Sailor rewview of the Mac 26:

They state a PHRF of 240-250. Would have to refigure the PHRF of
other boats to make them consistent with this figure.

PS says the Mac 26 is built with a hull deck joint on an outward
turning flange with SS bolts every 4", this is pretty good. Look at
some older boats, even "name brands" and you find riveted joints,
sometimes "pop" rivets to hold them together while the glue in the
joint dries.

PS implies the Mac26 has too light rigging. Macgregor says it has
never been a problem. Any remarks about this anyone?

Mac specs show Lewmar winches and Doyle sails, could be ok.

Other than the remark about the light rigging, PS has little bad to
say about the Mac26.

"Parallax" wrote in message
Checking out the Practical Sailor rewview of the Mac 26:

They state a PHRF of 240-250. Would have to refigure the PHRF of
other boats to make them consistent with this figure.


Perhaps - but that still make them very slow. Slower that virtually every other
rated boat, including numerous smaller boats.

PS says the Mac 26 is built with a hull deck joint on an outward
turning flange with SS bolts every 4", this is pretty good. Look at
some older boats, even "name brands" and you find riveted joints,
sometimes "pop" rivets to hold them together while the glue in the
joint dries.

PS implies the Mac26 has too light rigging. Macgregor says it has
never been a problem. Any remarks about this anyone?

Mac specs show Lewmar winches and Doyle sails, could be ok.

It could be, but it really doesn't mean anything. Lewmar makes many sizes and
styles, And, given the quantities involved, Doyle would accomodate any budget.



Other than the remark about the light rigging, PS has little bad to
say about the Mac26.

They also had very little good to say. They never sailed the boat. Actually,
they said very little other than echoing Roger's comments, and those of a
dealer. The most important comment is a direct quote from Roger: "The 26 was
designed for typical small cruising boat use-inland waters and limited coastal
sailing." I interpret "limited coastal sailing" as significantly more limited
than what is appropriate for a "coastal cruiser."

http://www.boatus.com/reviews/sail/review2.asp

On 18 May 2004 09:52:35 -0700, (Parallax)
wrote:

They state a PHRF of 240-250. Would have to refigure the PHRF of
other boats to make them consistent with this figure.

I guess this rating is without an 50 BHP outboard?


Cheers!


Remco

In article ,
(Parallax) wrote:

They state a PHRF of 240-250. Would have to refigure the PHRF of
other boats to make them consistent with this figure.

As far as I can tell, your S2 runs 180 or better. That's significantly
faster. Considering how fast the Mac seems off the wind, it's pretty bad
working to windward.

And as others have said, loaded for cruising, you won't get the
advertized performance. Yes, you can get momentary bursts of speed,
perhaps an hour at a time, but you'll have to be very alert and active
to keep it going. For cruising, expect to sail somewhat slower than the
S2 -- and to motor more.

PS says the Mac 26 is built with a hull deck joint on an outward
turning flange with SS bolts every 4", this is pretty good. Look at
some older boats, even "name brands" and you find riveted joints,
sometimes "pop" rivets to hold them together while the glue in the
joint dries.

The other factor is how beefy the flange is that they're bolted through.
Our 21's flange and the deck at three stanchions disintegrated when
sideswiped on a mooring.

PS implies the Mac26 has too light rigging. Macgregor says it has
never been a problem. Any remarks about this anyone?

We had trouble with the 21's rigging (which is essentially the same). As
I said in an earlier message, expect to replace it fairly regularly
(about 5 years, I found); immediately inspect it thoroughly if it's been
shock loaded; buy and learn to use Nicropress fittings.

And other things will break. I had to replace our mainsheet
fairlead-cleat after about 10 years. (it broke at the swivel). Various
other items broke about that same year. It's been a while, so I can't
give you a full list, but they mounted up. The equivalent gear on our
Xan is now 30 years old and still going strong; we sail her much more
(and harder) than we could have sailed the Mac.

Other than the remark about the light rigging, PS has little bad to
say about the Mac26.

PS doesn't pan many boats. They instead concentrate on how well each
works *for the intended purpose*. Macs are inexpensive entry-level
trailed boats, built strong enough for protected waters for a few years
and light to tow.

-----

It seems you're trying to justify getting one, no matter what others
say. Try to borrow or rent one for a while and see how it actually works
for your purposes. I suspect you'll find life on a Mac isn't as rosy as
you're imagining it.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

Macs are inexpensive entry-level
trailed boats,

$30,000, plus sales tax, doesn't seem all that "inexpensive" for mickey mouse
26 foot boat.

(JAXAshby) wrote in message ...
Macs are inexpensive entry-level
trailed boats,

$30,000, plus sales tax, doesn't seem all that "inexpensive" for mickey mouse
26 foot boat.

No, I prob will not get a Mac26 because I have spent so much recently
on my S2 I would never recoup the investment. Instead, I intend to do
a trip to the Bahamas before deciding what direction to go.

The 8.5M S2 is supposed to be a fast boat but not being a racer I am
unappreciative of this. Being a cruiser who is impatient, if I have
to tack all over the chart to get where I want to go, the engine gets
turned on.

I like the Mac26 concept but wish she were better made.

I am leaning toward a trailerable tri of some kind but a planing
monohull (if it really worked) would be so much easier. As planing
monohulls do exist (Mike Plants boat was such), I expect some bright
person to develop such a thing for cruising eventually, not sure how.

On 20 May 2004 06:29:40 -0700, (Parallax)
wrote:


The 8.5M S2 is supposed to be a fast boat but not being a racer I am
unappreciative of this. Being a cruiser who is impatient, if I have
to tack all over the chart to get where I want to go, the engine gets
turned on.

OK, not uncommon, but the S2 *is* pretty fast, but pretty fast for
that size is six knots unless you plane or surf in big air. I race one
in our club and it does better than the quarter tonners and runs even
with the Viking 28 and usually burns the Catalina 30.

I like the Mac26 concept but wish she were better made.

One word: Custom!

I am leaning toward a trailerable tri of some kind but a planing
monohull (if it really worked) would be so much easier.

F28, if you can stand the narrow hull. Everything's a compromise,
recall, but they can sustain more speed than a Macgregor.

As planing
monohulls do exist (Mike Plants boat was such), I expect some bright
person to develop such a thing for cruising eventually, not sure how.

Many cruisers will plane given the right conditions, but they tend to
be racer cruisers with the flatter bottoms condusive to planing.
J-Boats come to mind, and yes, many people cruise them "racing style",
although their basic Spartan layout bugs some people (me, I like the
idea of cleaning the entire cabin with half a bottle of Windex G).

You have to figure that Open 50s and 60s, etc. plane nicely, but make
****-poor cruisers for obvious reasons. They are also touchy and
difficult to sail. So rather than make a Shetland pony into a Triple
Crown winner, I would suggest you get a small powerboat and/or get the
most out of your S2, a perfectly good under 30 foot cruiser racer that
allow some scope for tweaking for performance. After all, if it's
speed you're after, take a plane G

R.

As planing
monohulls do exist (Mike Plants boat was such), I expect some bright
person to develop such a thing for cruising eventually, not sure how.

Many cruisers will plane given the right conditions, but they tend to
be racer cruisers with the flatter bottoms condusive to planing.
J-Boats come to mind, and yes, many people cruise them "racing style",
although their basic Spartan layout bugs some people (me, I like the
idea of cleaning the entire cabin with half a bottle of Windex G). BRBR


Any suggestions for the best "racer/cruiser"
under 30' with retractable keel or centerboard??
thanks

_Quest

As planing
monohulls do exist (Mike Plants boat was such), I expect some bright
person to develop such a thing for cruising eventually, not sure how.

By making it light & powerful.


Quest0029 wrote:
Many cruisers will plane given the right conditions, but they tend to
be racer cruisers with the flatter bottoms condusive to planing.
J-Boats come to mind, and yes, many people cruise them "racing style",
although their basic Spartan layout bugs some people (me, I like the
idea of cleaning the entire cabin with half a bottle of Windex G). BRBR


Any suggestions for the best "racer/cruiser"
under 30' with retractable keel or centerboard??

"Best" in what way? It doesn't seem like you're asking for the fastest.
Anyway, it *is* possible to get a boat that will have relatively slight
compromise in performance and still have shallow draft. You just have to
look harder.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

List from database (in no particular order)
C&C Mega 30
Santana 25 1/4 Ton
Beneteau First 28
Bristol 29.9
Morgan 30
Morgan 28
Antrim 27
Jeanneau Espace 800
Etap 26
Tripp 26
Alerion
Ericson 25 1/4T
Morgan 25
Captiva 27
Jeanneau Espace 800
Beneteau First 24
Bremer 25
Freedom 28
Kent Ranger 26
Etap 23 (7.36m)
S2 7.9
Elliott 770
Kirie Elite 30cb (IIRC they also made a 27 or 28')
Farr 740 Sport
Evelyn 26
Seidelmann 245
Balboa 26
Great Harbor 26
DiDi 26
Windrose 24
MacGregor 25
Venture 25
Dehler 25
Bull 7000
SR 25
MacGregor 26 (1986-19994 models)