Is the macgregor 26 on Sea really so bad as they say

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

@thomm

All really good points. And a Ferrari can outrun a motorhome!

Which one would be best for taking the family for a weeks holiday?

Well it depends. You can get a place near the beach and use your Hobie cat , laser, sunfish, or dinghy and do other things or be stuck on a slow boat poking around.

It all depends on what the family likes and the ages of the kids

My son was a little bored at 10 sailing with me but at 13 -16 on the boat (Hobie 16) with just his friends he enjoyed it. He never was into racing that much but enjoyed just sailing

He and his friends would sail across Pensacola Bay when he was 15 (no driver's license yet) and meet girls or get tacos and walk over to the Gulf side and see the crowd

Once they sailed on the outside and didn't get home til dark which was quite scary for the parent (me) that saw them go out the pass earlier in the day

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Whatever..

But Full Keeled slugs that can darn near sail themselves can be fun and relaxing also.

It just depends on the age and mood of the Skipper (and crew)

Old video. 2012 or so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy8UAU-Qw0Q

[boatman61]

Yup.. Having to do it with dad is a lot different to having fun with ones mates..
The ability to chill makes all the difference..

[nedmiller]

One thing not mentioned is using the Macgregor 26 as a “trawler” or cruiser.
There are a lot of beautiful lakes and rivers in most countries where sailing is not that great. In our part of the world, Southern Missouri/Northern Arkansas has some: TableRock, Beaver Lake, Norfolk, etc. You can sail on them but they are surrounded by Ozark Mountains and the winds can be nutty or in summer no winds at all. Sometimes, we pull the mast rigging and sails off and eave them in the barn. It takes about 45 mins...and we just take our 26X and use it as a “MacTrawler” which we can launch as fast as a bass boat and then usually just do lazy cruising a bit below hull speed, not putting in the water ballast unless the weather requires an extra level of stability & safety.
We go in the spring to see the Dogwood or fall to see the leaves turn. This fall we hope to explore the Cumberland River between Knoxville and Kentucky Lake or perhaps down to Lake Powell!

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Yup.. Having to do it with dad is a lot different to having fun with ones mates..
The ability to chill makes all the difference..

Chill is the word it just took me years to understand.

My son's the artist type. He sailed by feel no matter how many times I told him his tell tale wasn't right, but when you start learning sailing at age 9 or 10 years old you pickup things that sometimes when learning as an adult you miss..

He even called a couple tacks on big headers on the last race leg twice in one regatta that allowed us to pass a boat that had caught us on the downwind. We won that regatta. We tacked on the header and tacked back after it passed which is usually something the monohull racers do but usually not beach cat racers since our boats waste lots of time and speed tacking. This header happened just after the mark rounding though so I went with his suggestion..... was a loud TACK!

It took me years to start to learn to sail by feel. I'm the engineer type and like tell tales and now gps for speed etc. Like now I know my boat gets better VMG going upwind with the lower tell tale pointing up a bit or me sailing a bit closer to the wind than I should according to that tell tale and it's placement but usually it doesn't matter that much and I'll switch to autopilot go forward, stand by the mast, and enjoy the view

That regatta was 1997 and my son at 15 has the 90's hair, big pants, and braces to prove it. We came back up to Mississippi from the Gulf Coast for their biannual regatta after learning (getting killed in races) from the coastal sailors for almost 2 years which helped

[Jhhastie]

I have been following this for a while. I liked Capt. Vince’s comments. I am curious why we jumped right into a 26 X and M. I have a 26 s model and it is a real sailboat. Tiller, swing keel, outboard kicker, etc. it handles well in weather.
I have it well equipped and it is great weekender for the Great Lakes.

[DanielCZ]

I'm sorry to go off topic, here but the Great Lakes how comparable can they be to small seas, like Adria, usually I would not even ask about comparing lakes and seas, but I'm told the Great Lakes can be quite challenging as well, so does this question make any sense, is there a possible comparison?

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by DanielCZ

I'm sorry to go off topic, here but the Great Lakes how comparable can they be to small seas, like Adria, usually I would not even ask about comparing lakes and seas, but I'm told the Great Lakes can be quite challenging as well, so does this question make any sense, is there a possible comparison?

Well, there is this....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vST6hVRj2A

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by DanielCZ

I'm sorry to go off topic, here but the Great Lakes how comparable can they be to small seas, like Adria, usually I would not even ask about comparing lakes and seas, but I'm told the Great Lakes can be quite challenging as well, so does this question make any sense, is there a possible comparison?

I sailed there for several years in a 34 ft Catalina - and it can be like a sloshing bathtub at times. What is essentially 12 foot chop with slightly rounded contours and 45 degree faces is not unheard of, and I seem to have ran into it at times several years straight.

I was only on Lake Michigan, but that area at least, can basically have the wave height of the Atlantic, but also have very short wave periods. In certain areas of west Lake Michigan, any sort of harbor or protected water is almost non-existent for miles and miles, as the shoreline is completely straight.

I'll also add, that the water temperatures are very cold about 9 months out of the year, and hypothermia is almost a given if you're floating for more than a few hours. You have to give the area some respect, or bad things could happen realistically.

[ghochgraf]

The biggest problem with this thread is referring to the MAC 26. Realize there is (was) the 26C, D, S, M and X. The first three are sailboats. The second two are powerboat/sailboat hybrids.
They all are light weight for trailering, easy to launch/retrieve and to rig. That's their strong point, and to get there compromises were made. Mostly in hull thickness.

I own and sail and enjoy a Mac 26S. It's a sailboat with a Swing keel, designed for a 7hp outboard. We've made some modifications (mostly interior comforts) for cruising. In 2018 we sailed Portsmouth NH to Boston and back, one week. In '19 to Ottawa ON and back, three and a half months. This year to Long Island and back, one and a half months. We can motor (at hull speed) up a river to a lake, get under the last bridge, rig the mast and be sailing in 20 minutes.

We've taken her out into the ocean (off New Hampshire mostly) and she does quite nicely. She heels further than most bigger full-keel boats, but otherwise behaves quite well in rough seas.

Show me a boat that has no compromises and I'll give up on my Mac26S. If you want a large enough boat for cruising; shallow draft for gunk holing, rivers and canals; easy launch and rig, and relatively inexpensive, the Mac 26S is a great boat.

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by ghochgraf

The biggest problem with this thread is referring to the MAC 26. Realize there is (was) the 26C, D, S, M and X. The first three are sailboats. The second two are powerboat/sailboat hybrids.
They all are light weight for trailering, easy to launch/retrieve and to rig. That's their strong point, and to get there compromises were made. Mostly in hull thickness.

I own and sail and enjoy a Mac 26S. It's a sailboat with a Swing keel, designed for a 7hp outboard. We've made some modifications (mostly interior comforts) for cruising. In 2018 we sailed Portsmouth NH to Boston and back, one week. In '19 to Ottawa ON and back, three and a half months. This year to Long Island and back, one and a half months. We can motor (at hull speed) up a river to a lake, get under the last bridge, rig the mast and be sailing in 20 minutes.

We've taken her out into the ocean (off New Hampshire mostly) and she does quite nicely. She heels further than most bigger full-keel boats, but otherwise behaves quite well in rough seas.

Show me a boat that has no compromises and I'll give up on my Mac26S. If you want a large enough boat for cruising; shallow draft for gunk holing, rivers and canals; easy launch and rig, and relatively inexpensive, the Mac 26S is a great boat.

Here's a review from someone who has owned one for years, and cruised extensively on it, all around the East coast. Doesn't get any more credible than that. Like a lot of boats, the owners mostly love them. And they actually have proven reasons why they love them.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by ghochgraf

The biggest problem with this thread is referring to the MAC 26. Realize there is (was) the 26C, D, S, M and X. The first three are sailboats. The second two are powerboat/sailboat hybrids.

In the sailing world, I haven't heard much controversy over the Mac C/D/S sailboats, certainly not to the extent that the M and X get debated. So, although the OP didn't specify, I have been assuming that they are referring only to the M or X powersailor.

Reading the OP's post again, there's also this:

...does anyone has actual experience with the boat, was someone sailing, motosailing it in the Medditeran Sea? I understand its not a pure sailboat,...

...which reinforces my assumption. So owners of the C,D,S types can breathe easy.

[ghochgraf]

Originally Posted by Hardhead

Here's a review from someone who has owned one for years, and cruised extensively on it, all around the East coast. Doesn't get any more credible than that. Like a lot of boats, the owners mostly love them. And they actually have proven reasons why they love them.

No link came through.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by guyrj33

I'm suspicious of the video, 5mph winds and no whitecaps or spray?
18' waves, i don't think so.

Me too. 50 mph winds would be blowing the tops off the waves. It isn't. Some ugly left over seas there, maybe it blew 50 the night before! But the boat is sailing well regardless.
It's a light boat, just what it is. Doesn't mean that's bad, depends on how you use it.

[JC Reefer]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

There was a blog by someone who sailed one to South America. His trick in a storm was to raise the keel, batten the hatches, and bob around like a cork.

It couldn't get knocked down with the keel up.

Huh?!? How does lifting the keel help during a storm? Is all the ballast in the boat and none in the keel?