Mac 26M or Beneteau Oceanis 40cc or Bavaria 40 mod 97

[tangentair]

Your boat choices are unrealistic comparisons, boats are not rented in the Med, and charter companies don't have Mac's in their fleets, and if your buying they can not be the same price range unless they are all scrapped, you would have sounded more reasonable if you had shorten the distances, compared the Mac to some small European 28 - 30 footers, and no one terminates a cruise and leaves the boat in Lebanon.
your route is mathamatically impossible to do in 90 - 120 days - at even 5 hours a day times 6 knots that is only 2700 to 3600 miles and weather will not let you sail that consistantly - get a map
you do not have the experience to charter/lease a boat for that long from a repreitable company

You just do not pass the reasonableness test for me and this thread has lost its archival value - I suggest you switch to the backroom if you want to discuss it further.

[Captain Phoenix]

Your boat choices are unrealistic comparisons, boats are not rented in the Med, and charter companies don't have Mac's in their fleets, and if your buying they can not be the same price range unless they are all scrapped, you would have sounded more reasonable if you had shorten the distances, compared the Mac to some small European 28 - 30 footers, and no one terminates a cruise and leaves the boat in Lebanon.
your route is mathamatically impossible to do in 90 - 120 days - at even 5 hours a day times 6 knots that is only 2700 to 3600 miles and weather will not let you sail that consistantly - get a map
you do not have the experience to charter/lease a boat for that long from a repreitable company

You just do not pass the reasonableness test for me and this thread has lost its archival value - I suggest you switch to the backroom if you want to discuss it further.

The price is the same for me as I am not paying for the charter, my friends own these boats and I was checking which one is the most appropriate for me to rent as i don't have the experience. Regarding the Map, I just gave the idea where we might go for 3 month cruising without checking if i can be done in time yes or no.

The point that i was trying to see is the difference between the Mac and other sailboat in terms of cruising as I thought that the MaC would be easily for us as it is a small sailboat.

[Currie]

I'm willing to help the guy out regardless of "archival" value.

The Mac's too small (IMO).

~Bob

[March]

The problem is not the boat. The problem is the Captain. For such a project, you need a Colonel, at the very least

[irayone]

If you are not trailering to exotic locations...Buy a full keel boat...safer but slower...The mac can get out of trouble faster than it can get into trouble. The Mac is a fair weather pocket cruiser. If the weather is bad 5 days from now I don't go out. You trailer it to your desired location, play for a week, then park it at home with no expese. I have an associate in Ventura Harbor California who pays 700.00 per month to dock his 38 footer. I pay zero !!! therefore I can afford to sail usually one week per month to the Mediteraian of the Pacific, the Channel Islands. Bottom line is you get what you pay for. You got big bucks.....take the big boat... I have had a Pearson 385, Catilina 42, and a Rawson 32. All I did was pocket cruise the west coast. THe cost was astro !@#*, ouch... I sail more now that I don't have too work to pay the dock fees. My summer plans include a few trips to Catalina, Santa Cruz Island, Mission Bay San Diego, The Sacramento Delta, Lake powel, and of course sailing my home town in Morro Bay, Ca. and anchoring out at the many secret coves that are around this coast line.

[waternwaves]

this one stretches credibility.... but ... here goes....


I have experience (still own both ) a mac 26 and a hunter 40

the mac is not suitable for 3 adults for a trip of that duration.

as far as the Bene or the bavaria.....

Having sailed benes starting in 84, I might have a valid opinion. I do not have a lot of time on the bavaria...... but I have been away from the dock in them......

If you have the 3 cabin version of each well, if you are like the feeling and handling of the larger boat........take the bene.


As far as the other items....enjoy. btw...... if you are only 5 miles from the coast, you will waste half of the trip and miss the best of greece.

The

[Captain Kimo]

Ahoy Captain Phoenix,
I have crewed on First 30 (Med I) and 36 (Med II) out of a marina close to Marseilles France for a week at a time. The boat was skippered by an experienced British cruising captain who spoke French fluently, which became important in being able to translate the marine weather forecasts. We had some four other British citizens on board, two young men and man and wife. None of them had any sailing experience. The married gentleman wanting to find out if he like sailing and if his wife like it as well . The skipper tried to provide instructions, but you had to push him into doing same, as he saw that most people that came to him were on holiday and not interested in going to school. He was a former Major in the Royal Paratrooper Corp, nicknamed the "Terriers", and a fine instructor when put to it. Military style by the numbers till we got it right, like assignments and drills for reefing in port in daylight. As we all know, Murphy's Law always applies, and he pointed out the actual reefing would be done at night under nasty conditions if a storm came up suddenly and unpredictably. The boat did not have a jiffy reefing system, and when the storm did hit, I went out stepping along the lee rail holding the boom to reef the main. One of the young man who was in front of me and supposedly to help, froze hanging on tightly to the boom (I later found he had almost drowned as a young boy). I had to get around him to complete the reef, knowing the skipper could see what was happening and would hold the boat as steady as possible for this precarious move.

To make a long story shorter (I am Irish-American so it hard to do ), with the reef in, we continued to hit rough weather and only the skipper and I able to stand watches. He wisely headed for the nearest port. All others were down below or at the rails, calling for "O'Rourke". The Med can and does get bad weather with high winds coming out of the Pyrenees mountains called "Mistrals". The 36 foot First handled very well, and for that reason I would recommend the Beneteau Oceanis 44cc (same manufacturer of the First I believe). Based on this experience the British wife, definitely did not feel her husband was capable being the skipper of a sailboat and that plan was ended at weeks end .

Lessons learned:
1. Having an experience skipper is a must, but without some crew members with sailing knowledge, I think you are at risk.
2. I would never consider sailing a MacGregor 26X in the Mediterranean Sea without an experienced crew on board, period, and the boat is marginal for such a trip. IMHO the MacGregor 26X or 26M was never designed for such a trip. Even Mad Mike Dunn did extensive modifications to his Mac26X boat when attempting the "Waterways of America" cruise from the McKenzie River in the Yukon to South America.
3. If the crew members have never been sea sick, your lucky. Because a sea sick crew member is useless, or ever worst causes others to become sick living in close quarters to them.

[Kelly Hanson East]

Whether Bene, Mac, or Oceanus....
We exist here but to assist yus..
However, Methinks a troll amidst us....

[delevi]

What Stephen said. This thread is ridiculous. Boat choice is irrelevant, considering the crew who never sailed before and "skipper" with 3 years experience. If such a decision was to be made, it should be made by the one person with sailing experience, not the inexperienced crew. And if the skipper had any real experience, such a question would never be posed in the first place. I can go on, but needn't waste more time.

[Scott]

Assuming this post is a real post and not bait..............

How do you even put a 26 foot boat up against the decision to sail on and sleep on a 40 footer.?

Seems as though the decision needs to be between the 2 40 footers.

[Andy26M]

Without commenting on the merits of the thread in general ...

A Center Cockpit design is often considered more "secure" especially for less-experienced folks - the sides/backrests tend to be higher, they go all the way around, and there is less chance of going overboard. Also, often, the helmsman has a little better visibility because the cockpit is higher off the water and further forward.

Just 2c worth.

Andy