O.T. MacGregor26

[JMetzner]

This is off track for boat building, but what the hey it's been slow on the list.

An acquiantence pointed out the MacGregor26 production boat to me the

other day and gave me this web site:

http://www.macgregor26.com

Seems like a lot of bang for the buck at ~$19k US. Anybody had experience

with this critter?

Thanks,

John M.

Fairbanks, Alaska

[Charlie Jones]

Yep- I share a building with a sailboat shop who is a dealer for them.

It's a pretty good starter boat or a boat for a family. It will require another 6 grand for a 50 hp motor though. The usual price as delivered and ready to sail is around 26,000- 27,000 after extras are added such as the jib, which isn't part of the base cost.

The new "M" model is a dagger board boat, and has a bit more ballast then the older "X" had. It also has a rotating mast. There is no other sailboat around that will allow you to ski behind it although it WILL do quite well with a 25 hp- gets around 10- 12 mph running a 25, somewhere around 20 mph with a 50, depending on how much junk you put aboard.

Mac's are a love 'em or hate 'em boat you'll find. Lots of satisfied owners on TSBB by the way.

[Frank Hagan]

I have a divided opinion of the Mac26. You do get a lot of bang for the buck, and like Charlie says, putting that 50hp outboard adds from $6500 to $8000 to the cost. When we looked at them, about $28,000 was the least we could get out the door with. But its a big boat inside, and really can sleep six. Loaded with four adults and gear, a buddy of mine really does get 15mph with that 50hp (with water ballast in). You get up to the 20mph by stripping the boat and having only the captain on board.

Used, they seem to hold their value pretty well. We looked at several 4 to 6 year old boats, and they are in the $18,000 range with a 50hp. And the families use them a lot, so you often see a 5 year old boat that is just used as can be.

Roger MacGregor is an old school mate of my mother, and his daughter went to school with my little sister. Other than that "same neighborhood" type of relationship, we don't know the MacGregors. But, he impresses me as the same kind of guy as the Stevensons, brilliant designers without benefit of a NA behind their names.

I won't be getting a MacGregor because it won't fit on the side of the house ... too long on the trailer. I'm looking at the Potter 19, which is made out here on the west coast also. I want to see a Catalina 22 as well, but its hard to see small boats here (plenty of the big ones for sale!)

[MikeStevenson]

We've always been very fond of the MacGregor line of boats. We almost got one of their 36' cats to modify for our solar-cat project (I wish we had now; it would have been much easier than building the Valkyrie from scratch and probably would have sailed better.)

They've had some great boats over the years. I don't much like the looks of the new one, as it looks a little Baylilner-y to me (too much speedboat influence.)

Catalinas have piqued our curiosity for years also. I remember crwling all over some in the mid-1970's when Peter was getting the itch for a bigger boat. The only caveat about the Catalinas is that they're SoCal-type boats (like our designs!) and more for coastal and harbor cruising. I think for a trailer boat that's probably the better approach. Why beat up a coast when you can drive?

What ever happened to the big Hobie monohull?

Mike

[Paul J]

Yeah Mike we always called Bayliners "Tupperware" boats and when Macgregor came out with this duel purpose boat half sailboat half power boat it was pretty much considered a joke, a poor one at that. They are not good sailboats by any means and they are not good power boats either. But there are people who like them alot, goes to show you how much people really understand sailing and what it's about. Winnebago's on the water.

Now a couple of nice sailboats that where offered as kit boats where by the Binghams out of Pismo Beach not far from your neck of the woods so to speak. The Allegra 24 was a real nice boat, well designed and could be trailer sailed with the right tow vehicle, a nice pickup would do nicely. They also had plans for the Dana 24 and for the Flicka. Now these where serious sailboats that could and have sailed blue water for many, many a mile safely.

The old MacGregors the kit boats where not all that bad for the time they where being sold as they where for the most part one of the first kit or finished trailerable sailboats you could really spend a weekend on. And they where very well priced for the time. Down right cheap by todays standards.

Some other really fine sail boats made in and around the Santa Cruz area where of course the Santa Cruz 27. They can be had for pennies on the dollar nowadays. And of course the Olsen line of boats the 30 and the 25. And nots forget good old Bill Lee who took Santa Cruz sailboats to the highest level with boats like the Santa Cruz 50 and the 70. Bills motto was fast was fun and boy where his boats fast.

As to the big Hobie monohull are you talking about the 33. If so most of them are in the bone yard. Fast boats but super flimsey and short lived boats. They kinda sorta liked to twist out of shape after a while. But that happens to ultralight raceboats.

But hey Mike remember the Ultimate 30's. Last I saw of them or what was left of them they where for the most part up in the Seattle area growing moss. But cool boats while they lasted.

Paul J

[Charlie Jones]

Paul- don't you think it a tiny bit unfair to compare the Macs to blue water boats like the Allegra 24? Might we also compare the Weekender to that boat? About the same deal don't ya think.

Actually, the old Mac 26 X wasn't all THAT bad as a sail boat. Not a "go to weather" like a 12 meter boat, but then neither is the Allegra and I'm sure Fred would agree. Different ideas behind the boats. The Mac power sailers are designed for protected water, although I have friends who have taken them to the Bahamas with NO difficulties. I also have a friend who cruises a 26 X powered by a 25 hp. He routinely gets 10- 12 knots out of that engine when he's powering. But he sails a lot.

The new 26 M is suppose to be a better sailing boat than the X was. Basically it's a redeaux of the old 26 D which was one of the better sailng Mac's ever built. There is a D sitting on the lot at my shop and along side is a new M- Hulls look a LOT alike, The interior is also pretty close. The head room on the M is slightly lower than the X was, but still 6 foot. The boat also is towable by a standard 6 cylinder pick up. Can't be all wrong. The guy who owns the sailboat shop has towed with a Honda 4 banger- not fun but doable.

I should add here that personally I don't like the looks of the X or the M, and wouldn't want one for myself (because of the looks) but that's why there are many boats out there. But it IS undeniably a lotta bang for the buck for a family wanting something to get out on the lake in.

Personally I think my Rhodes designed Meridian 25 is gorgeous- others may disagree. But I'm happy.

[Frank Hagan]

Everyone's right on this one. The Mac26 X and M is all those things. It is intended for coastal cruising, it is cheap (or inexpensive, if you like the boat) and it is, indeed, used by people who don't know what sailing is really about.

Silly people think its about getting your family together and trailer sailing for a day. Sometimes they use the thing as a camper in the campground, then launch it and sail around! Imagine. Most of them motor upwind and sail downwind. Barbarians, I say!

The thing that bugs me the most is they have those big silly grins you see on people that love their boats! Laughing and smiling like that ... don't they know you're supposed to be cursing at the crew, yelling like a mad man because that other boat got ahead of you on that last turn.

I've actually sailed a Mac26x, and its a fun boat. Really fun. Sails a lot like a giant dinghy ... like the Weekender does ... with that high freeboard it tends to drift sideways more than a keelboat does when coming into a dock. It points better than a gaffer, although most of the time the owners are motorsailing upwind. The wheel is nice, and the boat does not heel as quickly as a round bottomed boat. That makes it wife friendly.

I don't like it as a sailboat, though. If it was the only way I could get Jan out on the water, I would buy one. But it won't fit on the side of the house, so I've joined the "don't like" category. Its hard to find a trailer sailor easier to launch than a MacGregor; the Potter seems about the next best. Much smaller, but more like a "real" sailboat (whatever the heck that is!) The others all seem to need a tongue extension to get the boat deep enough to launch.

I'd feel better about my decision of joining the "don't likes" if it wasn't for those big stupid grins of the MacGregor skippers. Don't they know they aren't supposed to enjoy their boat that much?

[MikeStevenson]

Paul: Thanks for the note on the Hobie 33's. They looked a bit flimsy when they first came out. An interesting idea though: A very minimal daysailer-type boat but BIG. Kind of hard to justify. I remember thinking at the time that the guys in the Etchells fleet seemed to have a lot of fun with a boat 2/3's the size (the SDYC had a bunch of guys who drop their E-22's (I think that's how long they were) in the water and race around, then pull 'em out and they stay all nice and clean in the parking lot there.)

I never saw the Santa Cruz 27. We all were panting for the SC70's which would slither past. Great machines. Too bad about the balsa decks, but that could be fixed without too much trouble if the price were right and one were so inclined. I remember some guy had a boat on a trailer in the Santa Cruz harbor in the mid1980's with outrageous wing keels and rudders (maybe fore and aft?) It was a way-out-there boat. I wondered if it was somebody from the SC70 shop?

I forgot about the MacGregor kit boats. That's why we got interested in them in the first place and I totally spaced that whole idea.

What was the story on the old Thunderbirds I used to see around every harbor. They seemd nice, and I always liked the looks. Unashamedly plywood and homebuildable. They looked fairly light and trailerable.

Mike

[Frank Hagan]

The Thunderbird is a great boat. I had a Thunderbird owner come here and look at Aslan (don't know if he ever ordered plans ... wanted a smaller boat to day sail).

There is still an active association, http://www.thunderbirdsailing.org, and they still sell the plans.

I think the designer was Ben Seaborn (or "Seaborne") out of the Pacific northwest, who did the design for the American Plywood Assn. Sound familiar?

Anyway, Ben hit a homerun with the Thunderbird, and there are quite a few of them here in Southern California. There are even plans for fiberglass Thunderbirds on the site, as well as the original plywood plans. Wooden Boat Magazine did a write up of them a few years ago.

[capt jake]

Wow! A blast from the past!! Paul J returns!!!! :)

[MikeStevenson]

Thanks Frank