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#1
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Mac26X fit for all waters
* Ed Gordon wrote, On 6/10/2007 11:49 AM:
I did find this though... http://www.ne-ts.com/ar/ar-407capsize.html You can't blame the boat for that terrible tragedy. It said the guy was drunk and it said this too: "The boat that capsized on the Fourth of July and killed two children was overloaded and was being used incorrectly, according to the boat's manufacturer." "The 26-foot MacGregor, which is a cross between a sailboat and a power boat, is designed to hold up to six people, according to Roger MacGregor, the boat company's owner. The boat carried 11 people the night of July 4." "The boat's hybrid design uses a water tank on the bottom to provide stability. The tank should be filled when there are more than four people on board, MacGregor said. The tank on the boat driven July 4 by George Dean Martin was empty, according to the prosecutor in the case." The guy was dumb and drunk. Don't blame the Mac!!! Sure we can blame the Mac. Half the boaters out there were probably drunk and yet only one capsized. And he didn't just capsize it, it rolled within seconds of leaving the anchorage because he goosed the throttle by mistake. While there were 11 people on board, 3 were small children and down below, so the boat was not grossly overloaded by the standards of ordinary boats. My issue with this situation is that the boat is marketed to novices, yet requires extra attention to issues that are found on very few other boats. |
#2
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Mac26X fit for all waters
Jeff wrote in
: * Ed Gordon wrote, On 6/10/2007 11:49 AM: I did find this though... http://www.ne-ts.com/ar/ar-407capsize.html You can't blame the boat for that terrible tragedy. It said the guy was drunk and it said this too: "The boat that capsized on the Fourth of July and killed two children was overloaded and was being used incorrectly, according to the boat's manufacturer." "The 26-foot MacGregor, which is a cross between a sailboat and a power boat, is designed to hold up to six people, according to Roger MacGregor, the boat company's owner. The boat carried 11 people the night of July 4." "The boat's hybrid design uses a water tank on the bottom to provide stability. The tank should be filled when there are more than four people on board, MacGregor said. The tank on the boat driven July 4 by George Dean Martin was empty, according to the prosecutor in the case." The guy was dumb and drunk. Don't blame the Mac!!! Sure we can blame the Mac. Half the boaters out there were probably drunk and yet only one capsized. And he didn't just capsize it, it rolled within seconds of leaving the anchorage because he goosed the throttle by mistake. While there were 11 people on board, 3 were small children and down below, so the boat was not grossly overloaded by the standards of ordinary boats. My issue with this situation is that the boat is marketed to novices, yet requires extra attention to issues that are found on very few other boats. Well, then maybe they should sit down and read the owner's manual. What do you expect? a warning sticker plastered on every part of the boat? No matter how hard you try to think of how people can screw up people can always screw up worse than you think they can. If you had a warning that said don't get drunk and operate this boat, don't put more than six people in it, and so forth you'd just get ignored. If you don't count the little kids you end up with eight adults. That's still two too many. Would you blame an airplane that crashed because it said it was for four passengers and they crammed eight people in it? Nope. That would be pilot error. So don't blame the Mac. If you built a boat that was idiot proof it'd be a square room with rubber walls firmly stuck to the ground. -- Cheerio, Ed Gordon http://www.freewebs.com/egordon873/index.htm |
#3
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Mac26X fit for all waters
* Ed Gordon wrote, On 6/10/2007 7:06 PM:
Jeff wrote in .... My issue with this situation is that the boat is marketed to novices, yet requires extra attention to issues that are found on very few other boats. Well, then maybe they should sit down and read the owner's manual. What do you expect? a warning sticker plastered on every part of the boat? No matter how hard you try to think of how people can screw up people can always screw up worse than you think they can. If you had a warning that said don't get drunk and operate this boat, don't put more than six people in it, and so forth you'd just get ignored. If you don't count the little kids you end up with eight adults. That's still two too many. You miss the important issue here. There are very few other boats that would have capsized in this situation. If this had been a keel boat, or if the ballast tank were filled, or if it didn't have a 50hp engine, there would not have been a problem. Would you blame an airplane that crashed because it said it was for four passengers and they crammed eight people in it? The people were not "crammed" onto the Mac. I'm sure that they felt there was plenty of room. A Rhodes 19 would be "crammed," but not a 16 footer. Nope. That would be pilot error. So don't blame the Mac. If you built a boat that was idiot proof it'd be a square room with rubber walls firmly stuck to the ground. Sorry. I prefer boats that do not suddenly roll over when there is no wind or waves. |
#5
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Mac26X fit for all waters
* Duncan McC (NZ) wrote, On 6/10/2007 10:02 PM:
My issue with this situation is that the boat is marketed to novices, yet requires extra attention to issues that are found on very few other boats. Absolutely - so really the instructions should be *always* operate the boat with the ballast in place (when on the water). Here is the decal from the 26M. I don't know if the 26X had the same warning, but IIRC the boat that rolled didn't have a decal. http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/sa...l_apr_2006.pdf The M version was redesigned to include several hundred pounds of ballast plus foam in the mast which means that it should be self-righting in most situations. In the X version, they say that if the boat heels 50 degrees without water ballast it will quite possibly capsize and not self-right. Here is the full list of safety recommendations/warnings on the site: http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/safety.htm Some of the warnings would apply to any boat, but many are unique for a 26 foot sailboat sold as a "cruiser." In particular, without the water ballast crew size is limited to 4 people/640 pounds. Having sailed many years in daysailers 15-19 feet, the concept of a 26 foot cruising boat with a cabin that is unsafe with 5 people on board is quite unexpected. |
#6
posted to alt.sailing.asa,rec.boats.cruising,uk.rec.sailing
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Mac26X fit for all waters
"Jeff" wrote in message ... * Duncan McC (NZ) wrote, On 6/10/2007 10:02 PM: My issue with this situation is that the boat is marketed to novices, yet requires extra attention to issues that are found on very few other boats. Absolutely - so really the instructions should be *always* operate the boat with the ballast in place (when on the water). Here is the decal from the 26M. I don't know if the 26X had the same warning, but IIRC the boat that rolled didn't have a decal. http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/sa...l_apr_2006.pdf The M version was redesigned to include several hundred pounds of ballast plus foam in the mast which means that it should be self-righting in most situations. In the X version, they say that if the boat heels 50 degrees without water ballast it will quite possibly capsize and not self-right. Here is the full list of safety recommendations/warnings on the site: http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/safety.htm Some of the warnings would apply to any boat, but many are unique for a 26 foot sailboat sold as a "cruiser." In particular, without the water ballast crew size is limited to 4 people/640 pounds. Having sailed many years in daysailers 15-19 feet, the concept of a 26 foot cruising boat with a cabin that is unsafe with 5 people on board is quite unexpected. That is a bit of an eye-opener! It is hard to believe that a boat designed with these use restrictions is offered to its target market, even for use in calm coastal waters. I wonder how many dealers ensure that buyers know exactly what they are getting? ChrisR |
#7
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Mac26X fit for all waters
"chrisR" wrote in message
... "Jeff" wrote in message ... * Duncan McC (NZ) wrote, On 6/10/2007 10:02 PM: My issue with this situation is that the boat is marketed to novices, yet requires extra attention to issues that are found on very few other boats. Absolutely - so really the instructions should be *always* operate the boat with the ballast in place (when on the water). Here is the decal from the 26M. I don't know if the 26X had the same warning, but IIRC the boat that rolled didn't have a decal. http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/sa...l_apr_2006.pdf The M version was redesigned to include several hundred pounds of ballast plus foam in the mast which means that it should be self-righting in most situations. In the X version, they say that if the boat heels 50 degrees without water ballast it will quite possibly capsize and not self-right. Here is the full list of safety recommendations/warnings on the site: http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/safety.htm Some of the warnings would apply to any boat, but many are unique for a 26 foot sailboat sold as a "cruiser." In particular, without the water ballast crew size is limited to 4 people/640 pounds. Having sailed many years in daysailers 15-19 feet, the concept of a 26 foot cruising boat with a cabin that is unsafe with 5 people on board is quite unexpected. That is a bit of an eye-opener! It is hard to believe that a boat designed with these use restrictions is offered to its target market, even for use in calm coastal waters. I wonder how many dealers ensure that buyers know exactly what they are getting? ChrisR I used to know the owner of one of the largest dealers of them in Northern California. He told me two things. They sell like crazy, and they're crap boats. No, they don't fully inform the prospective owners certainly.... they want to make the sale. -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com |
#8
posted to alt.sailing.asa,rec.boats.cruising,uk.rec.sailing
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Mac26X fit for all waters
"chrisR" wrote in :
"Jeff" wrote in message ... * Duncan McC (NZ) wrote, On 6/10/2007 10:02 PM: My issue with this situation is that the boat is marketed to novices, yet requires extra attention to issues that are found on very few other boats. Absolutely - so really the instructions should be *always* operate the boat with the ballast in place (when on the water). Here is the decal from the 26M. I don't know if the 26X had the same warning, but IIRC the boat that rolled didn't have a decal. http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/sa...l_apr_2006.pdf The M version was redesigned to include several hundred pounds of ballast plus foam in the mast which means that it should be self-righting in most situations. In the X version, they say that if the boat heels 50 degrees without water ballast it will quite possibly capsize and not self-right. Here is the full list of safety recommendations/warnings on the site: http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/safety.htm Some of the warnings would apply to any boat, but many are unique for a 26 foot sailboat sold as a "cruiser." In particular, without the water ballast crew size is limited to 4 people/640 pounds. Having sailed many years in daysailers 15-19 feet, the concept of a 26 foot cruising boat with a cabin that is unsafe with 5 people on board is quite unexpected. That is a bit of an eye-opener! It is hard to believe that a boat designed with these use restrictions is offered to its target market, even for use in calm coastal waters. I wonder how many dealers ensure that buyers know exactly what they are getting? ChrisR Is that a dealer's job? I don't think so. The dealers job is to deliver a ready-to-go boat with all the paperwork. It's up to the buyer to educate himself. Sure the dealer should answer all questions honestly but how many people ask intelligent questions these days? If I were a dealer I'd just caution the buyer to be sure to familiarize himself with the owner's manual and pay attention to the warnings in it and on stickers on the boat. How many car dealers give lessons and warnings when selling a high performance Mustang? That would probably be insulting to most customers. -- Cheerio, Ed Gordon http://www.freewebs.com/egordon873/index.htm |
#9
posted to alt.sailing.asa,rec.boats.cruising,uk.rec.sailing
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Mac26X fit for all waters
Jeff wrote in
: * Duncan McC (NZ) wrote, On 6/10/2007 10:02 PM: My issue with this situation is that the boat is marketed to novices, yet requires extra attention to issues that are found on very few other boats. Absolutely - so really the instructions should be *always* operate the boat with the ballast in place (when on the water). Here is the decal from the 26M. I don't know if the 26X had the same warning, but IIRC the boat that rolled didn't have a decal. http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/sa...l_apr_2006.pdf The M version was redesigned to include several hundred pounds of ballast plus foam in the mast which means that it should be self-righting in most situations. In the X version, they say that if the boat heels 50 degrees without water ballast it will quite possibly capsize and not self-right. Here is the full list of safety recommendations/warnings on the site: http://www.macgregor26.com/safety/safety.htm Some of the warnings would apply to any boat, but many are unique for a 26 foot sailboat sold as a "cruiser." In particular, without the water ballast crew size is limited to 4 people/640 pounds. Having sailed many years in daysailers 15-19 feet, the concept of a 26 foot cruising boat with a cabin that is unsafe with 5 people on board is quite unexpected. You've got to get back to basics. The Mac26X or M are trailerable boats. The ballast is water so it can be drained for trailering. That's all you have to remember. Fill the ballast tank right after you launch and drain it right after you pull. That's not so hard is it? Once you got the basics down you just have to remember that even with the ballast tank full it's still a trailer boat that can't be treated like a heavy ballast keel boat. It's a compromise and a damned good one but you gotta keep it in mind all the time. Get drunk and forget and you might pay for your stupidity. I like to look at it this way. Macs are for the more intelligent and careful sailors. Heavy keel boats perform poorer but are harder to capsize so you can get drunk and sloppy and get away with it more often. A Mac is like riding a thorobred. Hang on and enjoy the greater speed and versatility but don't get complacent. -- Cheerio, Ed Gordon http://www.freewebs.com/egordon873/index.htm |
#10
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Mac26X fit for all waters
On Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:41:33 +0200 (CEST), Ed Gordon
wrote: A Mac is like riding a thorobred. Right. |
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