26M review
26M review
The current issue of pacific yachting does a good review of the 2004 M, If your'e interested in a unbiased opinion of the boat.
I finally found a copy in Seattle at Armchair Sailor. The article is three pages long and is a test of an M with a 50hp Honda. Test was in Vancouver, BC. First part of the article just repeats the stuff on the MacGregor home page regarding the differences between the X and M. eg. the hull deadrise angle, cabin size, etc. In "Design and Construction" the boat comes in for some praise for its sturdy construction pointing out the tooling was done using computer controlled machines. "........despite the dark colour (which tends to show surface irregularities), the topsides looked very fair." The interior (a 2004) was praised, noting the better headroom, vinyl apolstery, high-grade melamine panelling for the table and galley, cast synthetic marble for the galley sink and countertop, and the thicker cushions.
"Under power with the foils retracted and water ballast tank empty, the 26M ran at 7.1 kts with the engine turning 3500 rpm, 12.1 kts at 5000 rpm, and 13.9 kts at 5500 rpm. Thanks largely to the quiet Honda engine, onboard noise levels were laudably low, ranging from 73 dBA up to 80 dBA at the higher speeds. Full throttle delivered 6000 rpm and 16 kts with 86 dBA measured in the main saloon."
"Testing in a variable breeze that peaked at about 12 kts, I found the taller rotating rig, cleaner daggerboard arrangement and more V-shaped hull sections added up to a much improved sailing experience." Boated pointed OK but relative tenderness makes it hard to "put the nose down" and build speed." No problem on a beam reach hitting 6kts.
In closing boat was characterized as "...a major improvement over the already extremely popular 26X........."
"Under power with the foils retracted and water ballast tank empty, the 26M ran at 7.1 kts with the engine turning 3500 rpm, 12.1 kts at 5000 rpm, and 13.9 kts at 5500 rpm. Thanks largely to the quiet Honda engine, onboard noise levels were laudably low, ranging from 73 dBA up to 80 dBA at the higher speeds. Full throttle delivered 6000 rpm and 16 kts with 86 dBA measured in the main saloon."
"Testing in a variable breeze that peaked at about 12 kts, I found the taller rotating rig, cleaner daggerboard arrangement and more V-shaped hull sections added up to a much improved sailing experience." Boated pointed OK but relative tenderness makes it hard to "put the nose down" and build speed." No problem on a beam reach hitting 6kts.
In closing boat was characterized as "...a major improvement over the already extremely popular 26X........."