Actual cost of a new MacGregor M: $42,000

[mastreb]

To help those considering the purchase of a new MacGregor, I thought I'd document all the costs we've incurred in getting the boat ready for our regular use.

I bought my new Mac in February, and we've now been sailing enough that I feel like we've got all the minor modifications and equipment setup the way we'll have it permanently. I'm about to add a NMEA wind sensor but I'm leaving that out since I haven't yet purchased it and its the sort of thing many people would not buy.

Because we started a West Marine account when we bought the boat and they track all your purchases, and because all of our West Marine purchases have been directly for the boat, it's been simple to keep track of those costs. Mostly the West Marine purchases have been for things like replacement shackles, rope, better anchor, rode, a dinghy, electrical upgrades, VHF radio, etc. but also includes things like boat shoes for the entire family, weather jackets that are left on the boat, life jackets, waterproof charts, and other such boating related necessities. All of our West Marine purchases are directly related to the boat, and we haven't really bought anything boat related anywhere else excepting some big ticket online purchases.

West Marine purchases (from account): $3300

From various online vendors:
1) NMEA EMM cable for engine ($50)
2) Boomkicker ($200)
3) Stern rail seats ($500)
4) Pedestal cover ($160)
Total non-WM: $960

We bought the boat with the following factory options:

Roller furling Genoa ($500)
Vang ($80)
Mast raising system ($155)
Marine Head ($100)
Swim Ladder ($170)
2x12 Gallon gas tanks ($250)
Evinrude E-Tec 60 ($7500)
Garmin 421s Chartplotter (installed) $1000
Alcohol stove ($300)
Spare tire($220)
Coast Guard kit + docklines ($300)
Mainsail cover ($250)
Table bunk cushion ($50)
Pressure water and stern shower ($1000)
Anchor + Chain ($250)
Dealer prep and rigging ($550)

Total base + options + prep: $37,638.75

So the grand total is: $41,898

If you intend to purchase a Mac as inexpensively as possible, I'd recommend the following:

1) avoid replacing hardware. Marine grade hardware is really expensive and what the Mac comes with is sufficient, if not entirely convenient. I changed a lot of hardware unnecessarily because my previous sailboat came with higher end stuff, but what comes with the Mac works and I've wound up going back to a lot of it.

2) Take it slowly. I dropped my mast and ground my first prop thinking I knew what I was doing with this boat.

2) If you can't afford an outboard of at least 50hp, just get an 8hp Mercury outboard. It will get you up to hull speed of about 6 knots, and you need at least 50hp to get up on a plane and go faster than that anyway. I wouldn't try to operate the boat inside a crowded marina without a motor as it has high wind-age and lacks a keel to make its tracking stable enough to go in and out of a slip under sail. If you want to use the boat as a power boat, you should strongly consider the 90hp E-Tec or Suzuki motors people on this board discuss. The 50/60hp class motors that these boats are typically delivered with will only do about 15 knots under typical loading conditions. That's more than enough for me, but if you care about power, it will leave you underwhelmed.

3) Get the dual battery option with a dealer installed switch, and strongly consider the shore power option if you spend time in slips. We didn't do this and I wound up adding it anyway. You will use more power than you think, and there's at least one parasitic load on my boat that drains the battery without a master switch.

4) If you will be doing any offshore sailing at all, get a Chartplotter even if you think you can't afford it. A Garmin 441s (with sounder) gives you GPS, U.S. Coastal charts, a fathometer for depth, speed over ground, heading, and basically all the instrumentation you need for $600. It's a lot of functionality for the money. If you need to save money, self install it.

Finally, my idea of the actual minimum boat would be:
Basic white boat: $22,900
Roller furling Genoa: $500
Vang: $80
Mast raising kit: $155
Marine Head: $98
Boarding and swim ladder: $168
Table bunk cushion: $48
Fortress anchor + 200' Rode: $400
Mercury 8hp long shaft outboard: $1915
Coast Guard essentials: $235
Total: $26,500

Good luck!

[c130king]

Mastreb,

I am going to assume you would not have posted this without expecting others of us to chime in with our $0.02 worth.

I would say your boat sounds like it is very well set up. But I think somebody new to the wonderful world of Mac could get into this game for less...if they want to.

Save $50 -- NMEA EMM cable...nice but definitely not necessary (my guess is very few actually have this...but $50 sounds good)
Save $200 -- Boomkicker...boom vang and topping lift work great and are MUCH cheaper
Save $500 -- Stern rail seats...probably depends on your normal boat use and passenger load...nice to have but not necessary
Save $110 -- Pedastal cover...great idea. I have one. It is a 50 HP motor cover from Bass Pro Shops. Works great. Cost $50 and matches my canvas.
Save $400 -- As you said. Chartplotter is almost a "must" (at least in my book). But they are pretty simple to install yourself. Good chartplotters for less than $600
Save $100 -- Spare tire for $200??? My brand new wheel and tire was $100. I think the mount was less than $20 but I don't remember.
Save $1000 -- Pressure water and stern shower. Luxury for sure but not really necessary in my mind
Save $100 -- Best guess at anchor savings. But this is very dependent on where you sail and how you will anchor out. I have been very happy with my two Danforths which I seem to recall being $75 with chain and rode.

Just some thoughts for anyone that is trying to get a handle for costs of getting into a new Mac. This is just my opinion...and everyone knows what they say about opinions...

I totally agree with Mastreb's notes/recommendations on taking it slowly at first and on engines and batteries.

Cheers,
Jim
Sailing on König
Sailing on König YouTube Channel

[mastreb]

Hi Jim,

Yep, posting on a forum is inviting comments! I actually agree with most everything you said--I've spent more on the boat than I expected or needed to.

The stern rail seats are definitely worth it in my opinion They open up two more spots that are "out of the way", and they're easier on the stomach for those who get seasick.

The water pressure system is little used thus far. We bought it for swimming off the transom, so we'll see how that works out when the water warms up. It has a very plastic taste to the water and needs to be flushed out, so we don't drink it. In any case, you can save a lot by doing this yourself after you decide you need it.

Boomkicker--this is going to be personal preference. I don't want a topping lift because I trailer and I don't want an extra cable to manage. The way I pack the boom makes the vang and boomkicker easy to handle. But yes--don't spend money on it unless you know you don't want to use a topping lift.

EMM cable--Great for managing fuel and definitely worth the $50 if you've got a chartplotter in my opinion. It gives you a fuel gauge from calculated use, your gallons/hr. usage, and your nautical miles per gallon. Fantastic for finding the efficient speeds for your boat and for making sure you actually get there.

Matt

[Boblee]

Crikey hope the missus doesn't see that list, I did a quick calculation when we did ours over five years ago and it came to over $100,000 and when I was getting an add together to sell it worked out to do it today it would be well over $120,000 AUS with all the extra work and bits etc.
Don't think the base price is any cheaper now even with our high dollar but looking at the price of the Evinrude it's almost half the price we would pay here, mind you using Raymarine navigation (grey import) adds $8,000.
Certainly an opening now to bring a fully fitted out S/H boat out here even though you would lose any warranties and possibly have to send some items (radio, navigation etc) back for repair.

[Ixneigh]

Concure with the engine. I was doing 14.5 most of the afternoon at 5000 rpm and an abysmal 3 mpg.
At 6 k, i was getting over 10 mpg. Shoal Adventure is loaded for real world cruising right now, with 2 batteries, tools, water and added interior storage units.
My total cost with etec 60 and add ons was about 35,000 with tax etc. No electonics.
Did get two anchors, helm cover sail cover vang toppinglift extra ladder led inside lights barrier coat by dealer. Spent about two hundred on wood.

Ixneigh

[NiceAft]

Ixneigh said:

Did get two anchors, helm cover sail cover vang toppinglift extra ladder led inside lights barrier coat by dealer.

Just wondering Extra ladder

Ray

[Divecoz]

Mastreb: " Boomkicker--this is going to be personal preference. I don't want a topping lift because I trailer and I don't want an extra cable to manage. The way I pack the boom makes the vang and boomkicker easy to handle. But yes--don't spend money on it unless you know you don't want to use a topping lift."

Mastreb.. the topping lift on my boat , which was set up for sailing by a sailor ( Bill Beers @ Boats 4 sail : ) is a black woven cord that serves as topping lift and shrouds,cables , lines anything thing,dangling on the mast... cinch strap..for when I trailer..: )
But as you said its ALL Personal Choice Stuff.. I do think your doing a disservice to any newcomer who sees that title though....
I agree with others , as I did sail my boat, Pretty Bare Bones for a year and then, I caught the disease too...MODIFICATIONS ...
The Cost To Have Installed...
OK theres a huge Maybe / Why bother? $$$ There is little to nothing on these boats thats not been done at least a dozen times before, by members on this board and all are here to help and walk you through it.. EVEN... computer stuff .....which is my own personal nemesis..
I copied, cut ,pasted, to an email what was posted here for Lap Top GPS etc etc interconnect and sent it to my two sons and both came back with.... Dad as described , its as simple as a plug and play! When your ready we / I .. am there for you... They both said an excellent job of instruction had been done..That's some pretty high ratings for members on this board , as both those boys have computer degrees from #1. Bradley The other #2. North Western..
DIY is also a sense of pride..even if it doesnt look machine made.. I will tell you I have repaired a lot of stuff for people who had "things" done at a Marina and paid IMHO Big Bucks for labor and it was done wrong or shoddy...
Anchor and rode $400 ? I did it for less than half that .. and I have 30 feet of chain and attachment pieces...
In the end I feel I am missing / needing two items..
Roller Furler and Auto pilot and I wont be at $40K
THEN........ we go to the wants list..That's still huge.. but all do-able for maybe under a $1000 Wood floors Cabin and Cockpit, New Galley Cabinets etc. and this list is never ending.

[Russ]

Yup. Base price is very BASE. $40K what I would call base.

[Divecoz]

RussMT.. I just have to ask you?? Where are you sailing around Bozeman???
Ive been through there and wasn't aware of any large lakes close by...

[technicalman]

God! I wish I could blow money like that! Sounds fun! The more gadgets you buy, the more you have to maintain. The boat is a hole in the water in which fill with money.
B.O.A.T. BREAK OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND. HAVE FUN!

[Paul S]

I see way too many initial items that could wait. Cost of some of the items is way way high. IMO

We kept it simple at purchase time and added things as we used it. - boat, motor, linkage, roller, genny, ladder, cushions. (back in 2004) 26,400 delivered to our driveway. Not sure what kind of deals there are now

Added the rest in time. I liked researching each option, trying to find the best way to do it, shop around for prices. MANY things we thought we needed..we never did and don't miss

You will ONLY need one tank. I removed the second tank after the first year. Use the other side for storage.

Of course everyone does things differently. Not saying our way is the best.. its just what we did and it worked for us.

The proclamtion of a M beinng 42k is a bit high.. Its about 30 with a motor + options. We spent about a grand on options and maybe 3k at west the first year.

[NiceAft]

Paul,

You are correct when you stated "everyone does things differently". I wanted everything on my wish list to be there when the boat was delivered. I could not get the complete list, but it's close.

As to "You will ONLY need one tank.", we are about an hour trip (motoring) north of Philly. That second tank comes in handy when we make that trip a couple of times. Not everyone does a lot of motoring, but for those who do, or plan to in the future, it's nice to have that second tank.


Rau

[mastreb]

I see way too many initial items that could wait. Cost of some of the items is way way high. IMO

Paul, you're 100% correct, although with the E-Tec 60 I could not get the cost below $33K when looking at the boat. There are a number of things I wouldn't not bother with the 2nd time around. Our biggest mistake was thinking we were going to take delivery of the boat and immediately go on a week-long sailing vacation, so I optioned it up to "ready to live on". Pointless. Definitely get the boat, engine, head, mast raising system, and roller furling genny, and then buy what else you need as you need it. It'll save you something like $10K. Also break out your own tools and install things yourself, since you're going to have to know how to fix them anyway.

Matt

[Watto]

What is really annoying is for the same set up down here in aus, for a brand new M, your looking at over $70,000AUD. with the doller so strong at the moment, its daylight robbery. Even the bare basic boat is $52,000AUD. second hand Ms are no cheaper thatn $40,000AUD, and thats for early 04s. The only viable option to me is to import, with states-side second hand Ms starting at $22,000USD (about $20-21,000AUD at the moment) lets hope our doller remains strong for another 1 year, 10 months 2 weeks 3 Days (thats how long the admiral said we have to wait, something to do with a silly thing called debt)

[Divecoz]

My understanding is its even more costly for those in Europe and the shipping distance is what 1/2 ? Maybe 1/3 ??
Do you see the same issues for imported cars and other products? I have always wondered about that? Are wages higher in Aus. Job for Job than here?
Is the price difference reflected in additional requirements for the boat and the trailer and for shipping..Just wondering and maybe you can explain it for me.. BTW I now see your in Aus...

What is really annoying is for the same set up down here in aus, for a brand new M, your looking at over $70,000AUD. with the doller so strong at the moment, its daylight robbery. Even the bare basic boat is $52,000AUD. second hand Ms are no cheaper thatn $40,000AUD, and thats for early 04s. The only viable option to me is to import, with states-side second hand Ms starting at $22,000USD (about $20-21,000AUD at the moment) lets hope our doller remains strong for another 1 year, 10 months 2 weeks 3 Days (thats how long the admiral said we have to wait, something to do with a silly thing called debt)