MacGregor Alternative

[zamber]

I am looking for a boat that has the benefits of a MacGregor in being trailerable, robust, and simple, but is built for sailing. What would be a good alternative to a MacGregor?

What I like about the MacGregor is the centerboard can go up for shallow water and the fact it has no throughhull that I know of, except for the centerboard.

[tradrockrat]

I have an old Mac Venture 25.

It's a fun lake boat and I use it for sailing with friends and dropping an anchor for lunch at sandbars and swimming around the lake in the summer.

As with all trailer boats, it's squirrely and unbalanced because I've got a 500 pound hunk of steel for a keel - so "built for sailing" is a very...arguable... term.

I've never been on a trailer sailor with a drop down keel that wasn't a compromise firmly on the side of "trailer" rather than "sailor", but they are wonderful for what they are designed for. So I'm not sure you'll find what you're looking for. I think the Venture is a great example fo the breed - far better than the 26 MacGregor that's even less of a sailor and more of a motor sailor than anything else.

And, yes, my boat has two through hulls - one for the bilge and scuppers out the back, and one for the sink - both above the waterline (I think - memory is fuzzy on the galley sink).

Good luck and I hope somebody chimes in with another option for you.

[Linesledaft]

Catalina 22. Pretty classic boat for exactly what you mentioned.

[txoko]

If you are thinking of a water ballast MacGregor 26, an excellent (and more comfortable) alternative is the water ballast Hunter 26. A very nice boat in that category, although a good deal more expensive than an older classic (daggerboard) MacGregor. The Hunter has the advantage of a kick-up rudder. Among many other things................