Review of the Macgregor 65

[donmaloy]

Hello,

I am looking for at the Macgregor 65. Could someone please share their personal experience with this boat? Only seeking information from forum members who have owned one or operated one for an extended period of time.

Thanks!

[GordMay]

Reviews by:

Owner Lawrence Trimingham ➥ Review Of The MacGregor 65 Sailboat

Broker Richard Jordan ➥ MacGregor 65 Review: Fast Racing Sled - Waves « Jordan Yacht Brokerage

[c3po]

Great links, this is certainly on my short list of dream boats.

[TacomaSailor]

We almost bought this one in 1994 but I could not quite pull the trigger. I still think they are wonderful boats.

LIONHEART A MacGregor 70ft Mono hull production cruising Yacht Captain Delivery skipper New Zealand crewseeker crew finder search seeker oceania marine directory find finder yachts Island cruising ass fiji tahiti hawaii South, Pacific survival noumea

I communicated for while back then with several couples in the middle of circumnavigations on McG 65s. They were both very happy with their boats.

[c3po]

The 70 is quite rare and beautiful boat.

Did you just find something else?

The 65s are lower on price compared to other 55+footers too.

[jbpatents]

I visited the factory about a year ago, right after Roger closed it. I met Roger and went sailing on a 26M with Mike Inmon. We took the 26M from Roger's house, where a 65 or 70 was also docked. When we returned to the factory Mike showed me a mold of a 65 or 70 (not sure) and said that Roger and him are building a new one.

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[TacomaSailor]

Originally Posted by c3po

The 70 is quite rare and beautiful boat.

Did you just find something else?

The 65s are lower on price compared to other 55+footers too.

Yes - we purchased a new Caliber 40 cutter. I really wanted Lionheart but just couldn't convince myself that just my wife and I could handle her on a extended cruise.

I spent an entire day on the boat and was very impressed.

[PAR]

I own an early 65 and its fast. It suffers from some of the issues that you might hear about, but all have been addressed, such as the original 12 VDC system, the ports and plastic fittings, plus the deck to hull joint. The early version is 10,000 pounds lighter than the pilothouse model ('87 and up), so it's a much quicker boat. Unlike some comments about them being flimsy and poorly built, this simply isn't the case. The early versions did have some low quality hardware, most of which will likely be replaced by now, but they're not flimsy. If you go over the construction details, you'll find a well thought out build, stout construction and advantageous abilities, if sailed within her comfort zone.

Mine is the deep fin version with the tall rig, so understandably needs to be reefed earlier then most, but nothing unreasonable. Some say they're tender up wind, but they do okay, they're just wet, because of low freeboard and penetrating bow sections. The cockpit is 60' away, so not uncomfortable. Pricing on the early race versions are quite low, mostly because of the spartan accommodations, but mine was built with an ABS inspection, so those that think these puppies aren't well done, simply haven't run the numbers, looked at their construction details or bothered to sail one. I'm just below Daytona in Florida with a standing invitation and healthy bet to anyone with a 30 year old mono that can beat me.