Macgregor 26

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Adrenalin Rush
Adrenalin Rush
QLD
876 posts
QLD, 876 posts
12 May 2009 11:28am
Hi guys,

Looking to purchase my first sail boat and have been interested in the Macgregor 26x for a while. Has anyone had any experience with these boats at all. Your opinions are appreciated.

I would ideally like to use the boat for weekend trips around Mackay and Whitsundays with my wife and 2 kids. Is this boat suitable??


Thanks
Joe
cisco
cisco
QLD
12365 posts
QLD, 12365 posts
12 May 2009 10:33pm
There are plenty of them for sale on www.boatpoint .com.au . Maybe there is a message there Joe. They are pretty damn expensive things also. If that is the kind of budget you have, you might consider a Noelex 25.

Another thing to consider is whether you really want a trailerable yacht or not. They are convenient to store when you are not using them. If you choose a yacht that you can rig and launch on your own or set one up that way, you will likely go sailing a bit more often.

If not you will probably store it 99.9% of the time and sail it .1% of the time.

I had a Windrush Wildfire 23 ft trailer yacht that I set up for single handed rigging and launching and still did not go sailing as much as I should have. The ratio was similar to above.

Finding a sailing companion who is as committed as you are I suggest is the most important first step.

If your mind is set on a trailerable yacht, the Farrier design trimarans are well worth considering for the Whitsundays. The entry level is the fibreglass "Haines Tramp" and for $15,000 you should get a really good one. This one, although what you would call a day sailer/overnight camper boat, is a fast sail boat and can be pushed along quite well with a 4-10 hp outboard.

For similar money you could pick up a good ply wood Farrier Trailer-Tri 680 or 720 and have the comfort of a cabin!!!!

Google F Boats or Farrier Trimarans for lots of info. These are well proven yachts and being centre boarders are beach boats, so you do not need a dinghy.

Happy shopping. Cheers Cisco

P.S. I think the Macgregors are for power boat people who find the power boat thing is becoming expensive, so they would like to try sailing but do not want to let go of their perceived security of having a thumping great outboard motor on the back of the boat.
dralyagmas
dralyagmas
SA
380 posts
SA, 380 posts
13 May 2009 9:54am
My brother in law owned one and I have sailed on it a number of times.

The boats are not good sail boats nor are they good power boats. They are a compromise. They are a good caravan on water. He used to sleep himself and wife plus 3 kids (7-12) and they used to have a ball.

I personally used to hate the thing. It has very high sides and is very square and because of this it has a high centre of gravity and on a anywhere from a beam reach to DDW it used to get quite severe death rolls. I didnt sail it enough to see if you could fix this with adding a spinnaker or another sail settings but it was not a boat i had confidence in. It didnt even go well upwind. However having said that there are many happy Mac26 owners out there who would have a different opinion.

For the same money you would buy a much better sail boat a noelex 25 as cisco says a Farr B30, Spider 28, Duncanson 26, farr 7500 etc.
derick
derick
QLD
28 posts
QLD, 28 posts
19 May 2009 1:24am
McG26 is a fantastic compromise - remember that's what it is. don't expect to go upwind like a keelboat nor downwind like a skiff but what you will enjoy is the space, ease of handling and versatility.
providing the price is right go for it! safe sailing!
Adrenalin Rush
Adrenalin Rush
QLD
876 posts
QLD, 876 posts
19 May 2009 6:59pm
Thanks for the info guys, It will be a little while comming i expect, but gives me a chance to check out a number of options. Thanks
Halcyon
Halcyon
1 posts
1 posts
23 May 2009 4:51pm
Hi,

I have been a powerboat person for over 30 years but sampled wind power a few years ago and have wanted a sailboat ever since. Four years ago I bought a Macgregor 26 and have learnt to sail on it. I love the boat. OK, it's not as fast as some other sail boats, but I don't plan to race, just cruise around and it's perfect for that. Higher sides mean more room inside. The big thumping outboard on the back means I'm first back to shore if the weather turns bad. It's also easier to service / replace than an inboard motor.

The flat bottom means you can beach it, like a power boat. Put it on a trailer, empty the water ballast and it tows like a power boat. Look at the company website. Can't be sunk due to inbuild flotation. Self-righting within 1.5 seconds from 90 degrees. Am I happy with mine - you bet !

Check out Macgregorsailors.com and go to the power sailers forum. I did and all those happy owners convinced me. There are a couple of shots of a blue Mac. on the photo pages in this website.

Did I say I was happy with mine?

brian
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