New potential owner - many questions

[Gary N]

Hi everyone,

I am very attracted to buying a MAC 26X or 26M to sail in the Bristol Channel and South and West Wales Coast.

What really attracts me is the ability to negotiate shallow water and beach the boat at the many idyllic beaches we have hear. Also I like the capability of having the 50hp engine to get you home quicker or get you you out of a tricky situation. E.g. we are "blessed" here with the second highest tides in the world which as I am sure you imagine creates all kinds of issues. So being able to drop the sails and speed back to port is a big plus.

1. However, the one thing that I am not sure about is the actual sailing ability of the 26X and 26M. I have searched many of the UK sailing forums and there seems to be such a vitriolic dislike from non MAC owners (no doubt unable to tap into the MAC magic) that it is difficult to get valid opinions.
So how does the MAC sail? What is it like into the wind?

E.g. I have read that it cannot sail into wind! This cannot be true.

2. How does the galley water supply and waste function? Where does the water come from and where does it go?

3. Does the centre board or dagger board rattle about when you are at rest?

I am sure I will have many more questions.

Thanks in advance,

Gary

[Paul S]

1. However, the one thing that I am not sure about is the actual sailing ability of the 26X and 26M. I have searched many of the UK sailing forums and there seems to be such a vitriolic dislike from non MAC owners (no doubt unable to tap into the MAC magic) that it is difficult to get valid opinions.
So how does the MAC sail? What is it like into the wind?

E.g. I have read that it cannot sail into wind! This cannot be true.
2. How does the galley water supply and waste function? Where does the water come from and where does it go?
3. Does the centre board or dagger board rattle about when you are at rest?
I am sure I will have many more questions.
Thanks in advance,

Gary

No boat can sail INTO the wind, you have to sail to one side of it and tack.
Most of these boats have a flexible water tank somewhere (some have a ridgid tank). THe sink drains overboard.
THe head is generally a self contained portapotty
Sometimes there is a rattle of the daggerboard on an M. Pull it all the way up into the trunk will make it quiet.

The boat is a lot better than many other sailors give it credit for.

[Québec 1]

Welcome aboard,
We have a 6 meter tidal range and currents of 3 to 5 knots are normal here on the St Lawrence,so a big motor is a necessity if you want to take advantage of the good times. As far as sailing goes.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSV1NpFn8Uc

I was recuperating from a hernia operation at the time.
Q1

[Russ]

If I lived in those tides, the Mac would be attractive to me as well.

E.g. I have read that it cannot sail into wind! This cannot be true.

Okay, remember the Mac is a compromise boat. Not very good at sailing and not very good at powering. It's a compromise.
With that said, it doesn't sail as well as a keel boat. If you only want to sail, don't buy this boat. But if you want to be able to get back to port in those currents, a 50+ outboard will get the job done while those keelboats are stuck in the currents.
Fact is, it doesn't point as well. I don't care. It's still fun to sail regardless of its performance. If I wanted a fast boat, I'd buy a J boat or some such thing. This is a pocket cruiser/psuedo power boat. It won't sail really fast but it's fun to let the wind take you along.

2. How does the galley water supply and waste function? Where does the water come from and where does it go?

Stock boat, the water comes from a 5 gal container. Many have added real water tanks. (My next addition). It drains over the side outside the boat.

3. Does the centre board or dagger board rattle about when you are at rest?

Sometimes. I find it rattles most when down at anchor. So I lift it up. Many have wedged things in the trunk to stop this sound.

I am sure I will have many more questions.

Ask away. This forum was a great resource before I bought my Mac sight unseen from the input from folks here.


--Russ

[John McDonough]

How much are you willing to spend..??

Other Boats of equal size to the Mac Power Sailors are usually more Expensive, unless they are older and need updated.

[nedmiller]

Russ is right, the Mac is a compromise boat. I have an RL24 sailboat that has an iron swing keel, low profile, and is much thinner and it points much better. The Mac has so much more room in it and is so much more fun, that we almost never take the better sailing boat out. We sure don't take it out if we are going to cook on the water and spend the night! Only buy a compromise boat if it fits the way you want to use it. We want to be able to take our boat to lots of different places so we compromise and have a lighter boat you can trailer. While the keel boats go back and forth on the same lake, we take off and head for lakes in other states! We want to be able to motor at a decent speed and have a lot of interior room so we compromise and have a boat that doesn't sail as well. We want to travel long distances on little gas so we compromise and have a boat that doesn't handle as well as a motor boat. We don't have a lot of money to invest in a yacht so we have a boat that came 'bare bones' and I have great fun adding mods to make our life on the water more comfortable. I do lose patience sometimes when the wind is coming from exactly the direction I want to go and I know that this boat will have to tack more times to get there...and then I remember that we have compromised and the trade offs are certainly worth it to us.

Silk

[c130king]

Gary,

I would say you can point to 45 degrees into/off the wind. Even better probably with a few mods which you can read about on this site.

As stated the sink on an comes with a collapasible 5-gal "tank" that fits under the sink out of site and the sink has a hand pump to get the water to flow. Many have modified this to bigger fixed tanks and electric faucets for better sink performance. Once again you can find out about how to do that on this site. The sink drains through a flexible drain hose (because the galley on an slides back and forth depending on where you want it) out the transom...the "through hull" is above the water line.

No through hulls below the water line on a stock Mac or .

Love having the capability to speed up and get out of harms way if necessary...or as you stated...to beat the tide back in.

And one of the best reasons to own a Mac is this website...bunch of great folks that truly enjoy helping each other out...a great forum for ideas on how to improve your Mac and get the best use out of it.

There are several UK mac owners on this site...I live in London but am an American.

Don't worry about the Mac bashers...most of them have never been on a Mac. There are many hundred happy Mac owners on this site (probably more than a thousand).

Good Luck,
Jim

[Gary N]

Wow. Thank all for the welcome and the taking the time to answer my questions. And what a change to hear such positive things.

I do of course understand that the MAC is a compromise as is all design. The funny thing is that I will have the use of a 32' Beneteau next year yet I am far more excited about buying a MAC. For me it isn't really about the sailing, it is all about the places that you can get to and how long you can stay there before heading home.

Jim's answer that the boat will sail at 45 degrees into the wind is just what I want to hear.

Q1 - Great video, and I hope you have recovered fully. Our tides are 15m at maximum (Barry Dock)!

[kadet]

Into the wind she is better than any other sail boat I have been on.

Keel boat 5-6 knots 25-50 HP Diesel

16.5 knots 60HP ETEC (I was talked out of a 90HP and wish I now had it, you can always throttle back but WOT is WOT)

Sails well enough on a run or a beam reach. Not so good on a beat. But if you need to beat a long way that is what the iron genny is for

As everyone has said it is a compromise. If I could afford it I would have a 36ft keel boat and a 20ft fishing boat but I can't so I have a

It does what I want and what I need.

[Currie]

I tack thru 90º true with my M (45º left/right of wind). I have the working jib which is sheeted in more closely than the genoa, allowing the boat's pointing to be more-than-decent. Not as nice as a true sailboat, as others have pointed out, but respectable. BTW - the Mac's aren't great light-wind performers. The transom is "chopped-off" below the waterline to allow shearing when the boat begins to plane - making the Mac double as a powerboat. In a moderate-to-brisk breeze, the stern isn't much of a liability - but in light winds I really notice the drag. I sailed a J/24 recently that just slipped through the water like butter (if that's a good analogy ) in the lightest of breezes - it was amazing. Once the wind picked up, I was surprised how much it handled like my Mac.

On motoring: the boat is a semi-planer and it certainly does (partially) shoot-the-hole and come up out of the water. My M rocks side-to-side quite a bit at slow speeds without water-ballast, so I always leave it in for comfort. The X's are a bit stiffer without water ballast. The M handles decently at a good speed (like 10+ MPH), but at slow speeds it is finicky. It wants to go either left or right, but not straight - (keeping the rudders down below 7 MPH helps a lot). You get used to having to consciously steer it at slow speeds - to the point where you don't even think about it anymore. But get into a real power boat (with a narrow hull entry and chines) and you see the difference. On straight courses those boats tend to almost steer themsleves.

Like we've said, you get used to the compromise design and just have a lot of fun.

BTW - I also love the roomy cabin (for a 26 footer).

Good luck with your decision!

Cheers,
~Bob

[Gerry the fish]

I second all above.

I learnt to sail on 25 - 32 ft keelboats and had heard the criticisms of the Mac - never thought I would end up in one.

This is my 2nd year and LOVE LOVE the Mac. Sails well - dont be fooled by the compromise comments - it sails well, its fun to tweak the sails to boost performance (or lose it) just dont try to race anyone.

3 highlights
- We love sailing the San Juan Islands north of Seattle, can have 4 knots of current, the Mac is the best. We trailor the boat up the from Portland, put her in the water and motor out to where we usually stay on Orcas Island. Its 18 miles over water and I can do it in less than 2 hours against current if necessary.
- We can plan a day sail and guarantee we will be where we want to be for dinner/nightfall no matter what happens, current, wind, weather. We sail as much as we can.
- Roche harbour is full of big million dollar yachts - cracks me up to sit there in my Mac watching the same sunset, I drink my beer from a can not a glass.
Gerry

[mikelinmon]

Welcome to the world of sailboats
All boats are compromises of one sort or another. Lets compare the J-24 or even the new J-80 to the Mac 26M. The J cannot be ramp launched, mast cannot be raised with ease or at all, cannot pee in private, cannot stand up inside, cannot look out windows, sleep is tough without cushions or a place to put them, cannot negotiate shallow water, will sink if you turn over, will sink if you hit somthing hard enough to open it up, sink if through hulls fail, J-24 is very uncomfortable for the crew, you want to take a race boat similar size as the M26 out in gale force winds (welcome to upside down city); this list is only about half as long as reality. Remember, we just compared our 26M to one of the best race boats and so far have not even mentioned powering! M26 won't go upwind as fast as a raceboat like the J-24 or reach as fast as the new J-80 (they power at about 5 mph). Score; one to fifty. Oh! You wanted to compare us to a cruising boat about same size. Tough, they quit making them, try to find a new Catalina or Hunter about 22 to 26 feet, or any other brand. There is no dealer in southern California stocking a similar size boat to the Macgregor 26. They sell smaller boats and bigger boats. Wonder why they quit competing with Macgregor? I bet it has something to do with sailing or motoring or towing or value or safety or just plain looks! So go ahead and buy the Mac, you will be in happy company of most buyers of boats our size.
Mike Inmon

[TAW02]

Wow. it is all about the places that you can get to and how long you can stay there before heading home.(Barry Dock)!

What you say above Gary, is all about why I bought my

It wasn't about speed.
It wasn't about pointing to the wind
It wasn't about pulling a bunch of kids on an inner-tube
it wasn't about et' cetra

It was about ease of trailering
It was about the lowest maintenance of any sailboat
It was about having zero thr-hulls
It was about being able to beach land the boat

Best of all ... the ability of being able to explore places no other sailboat can go.

For me it's about my wife who enjoys shelling and exploring right along with me on secluded islands. And where I live there are at least 10,000 of them.

I live in the better part of the Spanish Main where many many a Spanish Fleet ship has sunk centuries ago. Not unusual for a beachgoer to find a gold piece wash up after a storm!

My wife and I provision our Mac for at least a 10 day trip and I pack my metal detector. It is the True Florida Scratch - Off Ticket! Sweep the grounds along beaches and Islands and scratch about. You never know what you will find.

I ain't telling.

Good Luck Gary

seeya around

Big T

[c130king]

Gary,

I presume you have seen the 55 minute video put out by Macgregor? If not you can see it here:

Macgregor 26 55-minute Video

Remember that this is put out by the dealer but it gives a pretty good description of the boat and its capabilities. And there is an additional video of a Mac sailing in big winds and big waves:

Mac in Big winds/waves

Cheers,
Jim

[Gary N]

Thank you all. This is all very encouraging.