New To Me -- Probably Old Hat to You

[phil0044]

If you are looking for a demo ride contact Inmon Yachts in MDR or visit their web http://www.macgregorsailboats.com/. I was happy in my dealings with Mike Inmon.

[Newbie]

I must say that I REALLY appreciate all the excellent input everybody has provided. In all sincerity I have learned more since posting my question yesterday than in several weeks of poking around in other sites. Again, THANKS everyone!

Excellent advise about taking ASA classes. I already signed up and will be starting on December 7th in Marina Del Rey. And yes you're correct you don't start flying in a Cessna 310. I got lucky and have a friend that will be going to Fiji for 5 months so he is going to allow me to use his 26' Islander Bahama while he is gone -- simply for paying the slip fees. I will be roping in any experienced folks I can find to crew -- okay, to be the Captain! That should also be starting in December.

Checking out various boats is something I had been doing -- and enjoying. I liked the little West Wight Potters, Flicka's and other trailer sailers, but the Mac won't leave me alone. I see them everywhere and keep thinking what a great concept they are. My wife and I checked them out at Marina Del Rey and took a tour inside. Very spiffy!

The fact that it could be considered a "starter kit" is another plus for me and then add the benefit of using it as caravan -- what a hoot!! I will be taking all the fine advise from checking them out, arranging for a short cruise in one etc.. etc.. Incidentally, this is the wife's (I notice they are called Admiral's on this site but I usually just refer to her as boss) is very enthused about the Mac. She knows if she gets bored she can insist on heading back to port under power. (Come to think of it, if she yaks enough we can sail.) Oh well, I guess she just got promoted from boss to Vice Admiral!

Thanks again everyone and greetings to the Mac owner in Portugal. Man, this really is an international passion.

[Boblee]

Don't forget OZ

Thanks again everyone and greetings to the Mac owner in Portugal. Man, this really is an international passion

[Newbie]

My goof. Hello to the fine folks down under! I really enjoyed my trip to Australia several years ago. What a great place! Nice people, nice climate, lots of dead kanagroos on the side of the road. "G'day!"

[ralphk]

I bought my "X" used in 2003 and have enough hours on her, to echo previous comments with respect to speed, towability, engine and general useage.

Earlier posters asked rational questions, such as what do you intend to do with boat? what destinations? etc.
I think that the real Newbies like myself (in 2003) don't initially know the answers to these questions.

That's why the Mac is the ideal entry level sail boat.
Safe, easy to operate, affordable, no slip or club equity commitment up front, and most of all - FLEXIBLE.
In fact, I'd suggest that in the cases where an individual only owned a Mac for a season and quickly sells - is kind of a manageable try before you buy success story.


In closing; the boat suits our family needs, and although I admit occasionally covetting those shiny 35 - 40 footers at the boat show,
there is no real rationalization to move up now. I'm content with it's capabilities.
How many real sailors (or powerboaters)can say that?

Ralph k
Hakuna Matata

[Boblee]

G'day Newbie
Well if you have been down here you would have a better idea than most of where we have taken our Mac and the scenery we have been able to explore both on land and water and also the distances involved, don't know whether you drove on our Northern roads but they are fairly skinny and plenty of potholes and hazards including large road trains that just don't slow or deviate.
You really appreciate a Mac in our conditions

[dreamer]

Newbie, I got my in late April of this year after researching it for about a year. I haven't posted for a while but I can tell you that I had an interesting time on the boat. I used it as a trailer sailor. A collegue's husband who used to race internationally helped me rig the boat. The first time I took the boat sailing, I invited him to come along so he could show me a few things. I had read the negatives from the race sailing crowd and told him not to expect much in sailing performance from the Mac. He told me that he had heard all about it. After our day on Lake Ontario he said that it sailed alot better than he expected. So I guess it's true, many that are negative have probably never sailed a Mac. Also, I can't believe the number of people who come by and ask me about the boat when I am setting it up, stopped at a traffic light, parked at a mall or anchored. We sailed alot around Beausoleil Island in Georgian Bay in the summer, wife and 2 kids and just anchor with bow and stern anchors in a foot of water. I remember once hearing a boy from a keelboat shouting " Hey Dad, how come we can't go close to the beach like that blue sailboat?" With kids this capability alone makes things alot easier. All in all its a fun boat...and that's the point isn't it?

[Québec 1]

1. Having a Mac is sailing in to the marina very slowly at ultra low tide at midnight in the rain and realizing I should have raised the dagger board when the gps-sounder all at once marks 2.7 feet of water....with the boat subsequently coming to a halt as the daggerboard got stuck in the sand.... wrapping the daggerboard line to the winch ...winching the board in and motoring into my slip to tie up and then toast the engineering marvel of this fine vessel with an appropriate VSOP.

2. I have had people ask permission to photograph my boat on a regular basis. On guy had a look inside and went........ Wow 2 sinks...the mirror effect eh!

3. People at the marina I was at have been overheard saying...oh that guy..yeah he goes out really often. Some time I would go out for an hour or so 3 times a day! Owning a Mac is the biggest hoot I have had in years.

4. Having a slip for the Mac has been paradise ... Started with a slip for a week and ended up slipped for the season. Ends up I found a great slip 24 minutes away from home for 1,083.00$ a season.

The Mac is a great boat for me!

Q1

[Boblee]

Dreamer

I remember once hearing a boy from a keelboat shouting " Hey Dad, how come we can't go close to the beach like that blue sailboat?" With kids this capability alone makes things alot easier. All in all its a fun boat...and that's the point isn't it?

It's even better when you go in over a reef at mid tide and anchor until beached, have a barbie, play on the beach and camp or go out on high tide while the real saiboats are anchored in deep water.
Real sailboat.


But turn to the right it's mac-------


---party time

[Newbie]

Arggggh! Enough!! Now I can't wait to go out shopping for a McGegor! I yam a newbie swab (use Popeye voice here) and this sounds like the best way to get initiated into boating! However, I still have the deal with the bud who is jetting to Fiji and leaving his Islander in my inexperienced hands, so I won't be in the market for a McGregor till he comes back. I suspect by that time I will REALLY want one!

PS. I particularly like the picture of the McGregors "beached" and having a great time! That is a great shot! That photo and the kid yelling to his dad asking why he can't get closer to the beach should be used in the sales brochures

PSS -- The "trains" in Australia --- I would hate to drive one of those -- 3, 4, 5 trailers being towed by one truck?

[Boblee]

Heres another photo of the same beach with all the Macs that were there.


This is another of Hill inlet this is directly behind Whitehaven beach in the Whitsundays which is 150m to the right of the photo though the scrub, we access in front of the hills in the background and most of the sand is actually under water at high tide, Whitehaven is reputed to have the whitest sand in the world? During the day there could be hundreds of real sailboats (and stinkboats) along Whitehaven but we wouldn't even know they were there, the only interuption is when a chopper brings someone in for a picnic along the main beach ($1000+) all the other boats have to leave to anchor at night but we stayed for three days and explored the estuary,crabbed and fished or went out sailing some even went for a walk along Whithaven (5k long).
We had a Catarmaran nearby but he still couldn't beach and stayed out in the creek.

[Indulgence]

Not hijacking this thread, Newbie but ...Those pictures from Whitsundays gotta convince
anyone a Mac is the way to go if that 'Waterbego' style family cruising is what you want.

Those are the coolest sailing pictures I've ever seen!
That's priceless- all those Macs lined up resting comfortably on their haunches
like so many beached whales while the Captain and Crews enjoy themselves
and wait for the tide to come rolling in.

We anchor in a foot or two of water all the time. It's a game with
me and the kids to see how close we can get to shore. The winning
anchorage is when we can step ashore without getting our feet wet.
We manage to pull that off sometimes, but never as smart as in these
pictures. I do envy those cruising grounds!

You know, those darn Aussie's got the best
babes- Elle, beer- Fosters, and beaches


From an overworked tired cold North American , enough already. Please. Come and show us The Way.
LH

[C Striker]

Hi newbie - I'm a newbie too.
Bought an M this summer and I have no regrets. The Admiral! (too funny) is delegated to running interference at the ramp, due to the questions from everyone around. She takes care of the furler and hands it to me so she can go hop up and clear the thingie-ma-do of the mast roller.
A must have for newebies like us is a good gps/sounder. Our first time out we forgot to instal it and were beached in a foot of water within minutes. Once I gathered my composure and got the GPS on, we simply raised the motor and unfurled the genny and floated right off.

As for the ocean, it all comes down to comfort level. The punkin loves riding the waves, she compares it to a rollercoaster. We truely have a blast. As in all things, enjoy the best and be prepared for the worst. The worst to us means our stuff getting tossed about in the cabin. I'm looking into mods... which is awesome since its in my back yard.

We have a 70 pound boxer (Sgt pepper) she isn't lonely when we go sailing. Its pretty easy to offload her. Toss the anchor on the beach, tie it off, step on anchor, toss Sarge on my shoulder.
Learning the basics of sailing is a no brainer. Just keep the motor down. Sailing trouble turns into motoring (yawn) in a keyturn.

For me, the toughest part of the experience is actually this site. There's so much info I keep getting sidetracked.
I have been in your shoes not too long ago. The stress about making the right decision has turned into the stress of learning about modifications. As you know, these folks here are the tops. If I can't find what I'm looking for, seems all I need is to ask here. I just need to decide how I want to set her up, She's a blank canvass waiting for me to get 'a paintin on!

Erik of the Sea Striker

[Russ]

Everyone is a newbie once. I'll come to you when I want to learn to fly and ask questions.

You are right, the Mac doesn't sail well and doesn't motor that fast. I've owned a Hunter34 and a 20' runabout, the Mac doesn't do either well.
Those ass-hats at sailinganarchy love to bash the Mac, it's sport for them. Most who bash the Mac are boatless racing fanatics or rich Newport snobs, people I have no desire to associate with anyway, they are not nice people. I have never encountered anyone being snobby about my Mac, in fact we were followed into a quiet cove by a powerboat. We were thinking, "Of all the many places here, why are they following us into this private cove." They guy came over and said, "I saw you out there and wanted to see it up close and ask you some questions. I want to buy a Mac." We've had other "real" sailboats pass us on the water and say "Nice looking boat." When we first launched it, people in the marina said, "Nice boat, how many staterooms does it have?" When you look at how many Macs are out there, there must be more people who like them than trash them.

The first time I saw a mac was in our runabout. We were heading back to the marina and were passing this sailboat under power. It took a long time to overtake them and I thought, "What do they have on the back of that thing?" Later in the marina I saw it was a Honda 50. Wow! This is a fast boat.

Upside:
Inexpensive. You get a lot for your money.
Light weight. Easy to tow without a massive tow vehicle. This makes it easy to get in/out and bring to other locations.
Power. I couldn't take my Hunter through the canal until the current was slack. This made planning the day a chore and stressful. When conditions are bad, we can get back quickly in the Mac. The kids also enjoy being towed in toys. It's so nice to have extra power to fight winds and we have actually towed a power boat that was stranded. It's really nice to get out of something quickly.
Shallow draft. We can go anywhere and right up to the shore and hop off and have a picnic. Exploring landings is as much fun as new waterways.
Easy to sail. Sailing is not rocket science and this boat is pretty easy. Get the lines to the cockpit. This is true for any sailboat.
Trailerability. We are inland and sail on lakes. Being able to bring the boat home is so nice. We leave it in a slip, but we are not held hostage by expensive marina owners for storage. I can bring the boat home and work on it at my house with all my resources. I had to bring all my tools etc. to the marina with the Hunter34. My son also loves to use it as a playhouse with the neighbor kids.
Space. For a 26 foot boat, it has a lot of room. Although the head (bathroom) is small, it's only a 26' boat.
Family fun. There are few boats that a family can have as much fun on. The versatility is what makes this boat great. There is nothing as enjoyable as being at anchor, some flesh grilling on the BBQ, a glass of wine and your Admiral with you as you watch the sunset on the water. Food tastes so much better on the water. Later, watching the stars and the shoreline reflect off the shimmering water. Makes it all worth it. It's not the Hilton, but it's not camping in a tent either.

Downside:
Light weight. This is not an ocean going boat. But few 26 footers are. It gets tossed about easily. High freeboard (waterline to top of the deck) makes it get blown easily. Lack of a keel and high freeboard with light weight makes it hard to dock and get on the trailer in a wind.
Simply crafted. Yes, it's a Clorox bottle. Roger kept costs down by keeping details down. My boat is so beige and it takes some decorating to give it some color. I miss all the fine teak work, but then again, that costs money and many owners have added that themselves.
It's very tender. This freaks the Admiral out when it heals. It stiffens up, but some people can't get used to a boat that leans so easily. I'm also used to a much bigger/heavier boat. It's only a 26' boat.

I researched for a year before buying a new M this year. This forum is a fantastic resource both before and after your purchase. The Mods section is invaluable. I miss my larger boat simply because it's larger, more room etc. However, the Mac is what it is and does it well. If you buy one, make sure to get it in the blue hull which is a lot faster. (wink)


Some more reasons to own a Mac. (Click on the images to enlarge)
Try this in a keel boat. Picnic on the beach.


Back in and hop off for some shady lunch under a tree.


A little bon fire to roast some marshmallows.

[Love MACs]

Nicely said Russ And wondering if that cute little tike was your son Great Pic.

Allan