26m 2004 or 2000 26x Your thoughts

[BNG]

Need help. Looking at two used boats. Leaning towards the 26m 2004 and 26x The table inside the 2004 26m boat seems it would be hard to get around. Other than thAt I like both boats. All things being equal. Your thoughts.

[Sumner]

Need help. Looking at two used boats. Leaning towards the 26m 2004 and 26x The table inside the 2004 26m boat seems it would be hard to get around. Other than thAt I like both boats. All things being equal. Your thoughts.

Did you read these....

http://www.macgregor26x.com/forum/viewt ... =9&t=15117

http://www.macgregor26x.com/forum/viewt ... =9&t=15121

Good luck,

Sum

Our Trips to...

Our Mac Pages

Mac Links

[Love MACs]

Went thru your same dilemma, X or M. I chose the X (specifically the 2002) as I think it has more room, both cockpit and cabin, just a better overall layout and slightly cheaper price wise, IMHO. Now if I can just close a deal on that 2002 But it is simply a matter of taste, all things being equal. Both will do the same thing, bring hours, days, weeks, month, years of enjoyment. Best of luck on your decision and welcome to the board! Much more here than meets the eye, lots of great people and information. Read...read...read...


Allan

[Trouts Dream]

Biggest practical difference for our choosing the X was the extra step up to go down into the cabin in an M design. You'd be surprised how many trips that adds up to especially if using it as a sleep aboard for several nights.
We also prefer climbing up onto the front berth rather than crawling down into the rear berth. Think camper bed versus crawling in to a tent.

Maybe its just my age showing.

[Highlander]

Actualy the cabin is longer than the because the helsmans seat was moved back to sit over the rear of the transom there fore allowing for the hole cockpit to be moved further aft thus making more room for a longer cabin interior plus more higher standing room at the dinnette & galley area , the extra step up for cabin entry is due to the cockpit seat on the M is horse shoe shaped as it goes all the way around the cockpit just like the this was considered a safety factor incase the boat got swamped from the aft but the same can be acomplished by just adding a small 15" board across the entry hatch opening , some say the M cockpit is smaller because of its design U shaped seat configuration where the traveler goes across , me I think this just gives you more seating area either facing forward or rearward especaily in bad weather nice dry place out of the wind . the X cabin only looks bigger because of its open concept design I've been on both an & an and can say that the is by far the faster sail boat because of hull & stern design also the semi -V hull design 15% dead rise of the M makes it a faster & safer power boat in bad weather than the flat bottom hull design of the
Myself I think if Roger was to build the with the interior design of the he would have a bigger hit now you would have even more room with that open concept with the M longer cabin making room for a rear head plus a shower !!
But to each his own decide what boat you like best & what it will be most used for good luck in you seach

J

[Ivan Awfulitch]

We went through this a few years ago, and ended up purchasing a 2002X because we found one in excellent condition priced right. Spend some time inside of each and see which layout fits your needs and ideals. We decided that for us and our dogs we preferred the X with the lower step down, and the more open design. As for sailing, both boats are a lot of fun and we had the ability of having someone with an M docked next to us for 2 years and we were able to sail both. The M may be faster, but I couldn't tell as we carried more sail on our X. We did notice that in similar wind conditions (5-10 knots) that the M seems to heel a bit more (5-7 degrees) than the X.

Find a boat with the equipment that you want, in a condition you want, and a price that you can live with. Which ever boat you chose, you can't go wrong and I'm sure that you will get lots of enjoyment from it.

[Sumner]

If you are looking here is a good place to look and it is how we found our Mac(AZ), the Suburban to pull it (AZ), the Zodiac (FL) to pull behind it and the outboard to put on the Zodiac (CA). We live in nowhere, Utah, so have to run thing down all over the place.

http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/mash.cgi?c ... mit=++++go++++

You can regionalize it and use the filter if you want to cut the list down some. I would easily travel a thousand miles for the right boat at the right price. We found ours 400 miles away, but we were also looking at boats in Calif. over 700 miles away and Texas over 1000 miles away. Most people aren't as remote as we are, but regardless of where I lived I would travel for the right boat. Finding one with what you want could save you far more than the travel time and the travel expenses vs. having to add to a boat time or equipment wise.

Good luck of finding the perfect boat for you,

Sum

Our Trips to..

Our Mac Pages

Mac Links

[ALX357]

The most significant and important difference is in the Centerboard vs. the daggerboard.

This may or may not be an issue in some cases, but it is HUGE if your are in shoal areas, or smaller lakes, or areas that are shallow, and if you are exploring areas of unknown depth and hazards. Many lakes created by dams have submerged shallows that extend for hundreds of feet from shores, and hazards that are unseen below the surface. Shoal areas on the coasts, and tide-water areas, and Caribbean islands with clear shallow water are great areas to sail in if you don't have to worry about catastrophic damage from occasional grounding of your swing-up centerboard. Sailing the M on the lakes around here would make me a nervous wreck.

Interior details are important to consider if they present a large problem to your particular needs, but both boats have lots of room and there is mainly a personal preference issue there. Personnally, I found that would have liked the early M interior best, since I mainly entertain guests, and do not cook much, and I like the living room feel of the two long couches faceing each other. But entry thru the transom is much easier on the X, and the cockpit is larger, where you spend the most time underway, and the step down into the cabin is easier, and the cabin ladder (on 1999 and later boats) is removable or hinged for folding upwards, and etc. etc. etc.

But I advise considering the centerboard vs. daggerboard issue as the most important.

[NiceAft]

BNG,

By now you should be getting the idea that there really isn't any decision other than personal like or dislike Whichever you choose, you will adapt to whatever you belive you gave UP in order up to get the other

I for one greatly disliked the set-up on the 2004, but Quebec 1 absolutely loves it. We each made a choice quite correct for our individuality's.


As long as the choice is between two boats, there is always the time tested coin flip You can always name her "HEADS" or "TAILS"


Ray

[Solitario]

If you are looking here is a good place to look and it is how we found our Mac(AZ), the Suburban to pull it (AZ), the Zodiac (FL) to pull behind it and the outboard to put on the Zodiac (CA). We live in nowhere, Utah, so have to run thing down all over the place.

http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/mash.cgi?c ... mit=++++go++++

You can regionalize it and use the filter if you want to cut the list down some. I would easily travel a thousand miles for the right boat at the right price. We found ours 400 miles away, but we were also looking at boats in Calif. over 700 miles away and Texas over 1000 miles away. Most people aren't as remote as we are, but regardless of where I lived I would travel for the right boat. Finding one with what you want could save you far more than the travel time and the travel expenses vs. having to add to a boat time or equipment wise.

Good luck of finding the perfect boat for you,

Sum

Our Trips to..

Our Mac Pages

Mac Links

Summer, compliments I looked carefully all the work done by you ... I think that you could also build the boat without buying
Roberto.

[BNG]

You guys are great. Thanks for your feedback. I currently sail a 19 Flying Scot and I think this will be a great step up for my family. I will let you know when I get my Macgregor.

[Doug W]

BNG, I was in the exact same or conundrum as you!

My wife preferred the interior layout, the deeper companionway and wider transom opening of the . I like them too.

Admittedly, for some reason, I like the daggerboard when it comes to sailing but it terrifies me when I think of the bad juju should I drag across something. Once, on my old powerboat, I was hauling britches across the middle of a local lake at a wide area and saw my dept gauge go from 40 feet to 4 feet and there I was cranked up to 45 mph. yikes! That said, I'll be diligent when learning bottom topology of any new adventure.

I like the look of the exterior and the concept of the rotating mast. I absolutely love my but would have felt the same for an . For 5 years, the Admiral had said I should get a new mac when we finally could buy since I always have used vehicles. I always thought it'd be nice to know everywhere my boat has ventured and every whoopsie or wacky adventure she's been involved in.

As the economy dropped, I was leaning heavily towards a 2000 or newer with some basic mods already in place, or a 2004-2006 . I was offered such an incredible fall deal by Super Sport Marina on a 2010 that I could not pass it up.

Good Luck, I trolled the web nightly for about 6 months and even got as close as scheduling vacation time and loan prep a couple times on 2 different X's and 2 defferent M's. On the day the trip to see/buy the last M had fallen through because the owner finally said that he did not have titles for the trailer, motor or boat, I got the deal offered on Galactica.

It comes down to personal preference. For me, I was evenly split and $$$ made the decision for me. We figured if we were meant to have a particular boat, it would happen.

I'm not sure yet if Galactica will be any faster than a white hulled or an -- she has a white bottom below the water line so that may slow her down...

Cheers!
Doug
Galactica, la Diosa azul

[Kelly Hanson East]

On the day the trip to see/buy the last M had fallen through because the owner finally said that he did not have titles for the trailer, motor or boat,

Sure there was a good story behind that one. It is amazing how much energy you can put into buying used. Once you have boated for a few years, you are unlikely to buy new again, unless the new boat model offers you something special that you want, but I cant imagine a newbie buying used unless you are retired...Im glad I bought new since it got me into the water right away and I didnt have anyone else's issues to resolve, just my own...

It helped that Art was a top notch type dealer from initial contact to delivery.

[restless]

We picked up a(n) 96 very suddenly. And we are delighted with it.
Personaly I'm not to keen on the double black stripe at all... I love the security of a centerboard, and would find it difficult to be persuaded to relax in a stiff breeze with no backstay. I didn't like the off center one on our X, but that was very swiftly and easily converted to a split adjustable.
Swings and roundabouts. If I had to go through the process again, I'd get the same.
Good luck! can't see you going wrong either way really!

[Doug W]

chuckle, I had the loan for a couple days and was preparring to leave that night. Something didn't feel right and I kept asking about the title and he said that he did not have them. Cost me $17 interest on a boat I didn't even see. Everything works out in the end.

I'm pleased with my new boat and had a great experience with John and Gary, at the dealer!