26 Questions

[GaryMayo]

I do a lot of learning curve short cuts on you tube. In learning about my just purchased Mac 25, I see a real shortage of videos on the 25 compared to the 26.

Watching the 26 videos has me thinking of possibly looking at that as a next sailboat purchase down the road.

What are the differences between the several models of Mac 26's?

I would be interested in steering rather than tiller, 50 hp rather than 15 hp and the knowledge of a newer boat not having the Maintance issues older things face. My wife likes the idea of a power boat, just get in and go, and I prefer the wind in the sails and the boat leaning with the wind. While I expect to be pretty happy with our recent purchase, I want to know about the newer models that I will encounter on the water and what I should look for as we ponder boating seasons in the future.

[Ixneigh]

The new and newer 26 macs all have water ballast. Lighter to trailer less inherent stsbility. The 26 x and m are the ones with the larger motors. Nice accomodations but less sailing ability or maybe less speed under sail compared to your boat and the 26 s or d witch are the 26 macs with the smaller kicker style outboards.
All compromises. I spend a lot of time on my boat even if its just moored so headroom and inside space was implrtant enough to give up some speed.
My M will easily go 4.5 -5 knots in most conditions. Some here have had faster speeds. The older purely sail models will easily go 5.5-6 with faster speeds for those really into sail. Those are the main differences i can think of.
As far as appearsnce issues. Unless you keep the boat inside and never use it or are really into polishing macs seem to age quickly cosmetically. Lower quality grlcoats combined with these boats often getting used alot contribute to that. Dont think that just because a boat is newer thst youll auyomatically get a nicer looking one. A mid eighties mac thats been painted with awlgrip paint will probably look as nice as my new one if the paint job was a goodone.

Ixneigh

[Divecoz]

I think... I agree with everything Ixneigh said in his post.. I will add .. $$$$ Money.... If you want the 24/7 standing head room and the Big HP Motor it will cost you.. A Lot More Money.. " Relative to the cost of the earlier 25's and 26 S and D ".. Sailing an X or an M ? Those / his , numbers are pretty good... to go.. I have sailed my .. through.... TOTAL Lack of Ability and Ignorance..... and by chance.. in or around 8 MPH.. Its fun but for me? Its scary. It is , as said, for me, lot of fun but, I am all the while hopeing and maybe even Praying...I dont do something wrong and roll it over or brake it $$.
( OK .. Roll over? They really dont.. the seem to self correct.. Round Up)
IMHO.. a Nice X will run you in or about $15K... The Newer and the nicer, the higher the cost.. for an M.. Not much under $20+ K is going to find you anything you really want ,unless what you want is... a very stripped down boat..
Right now on this board we are discussing at length, the value of a 60 HP ETEC versus a 50 HP 4 stroke.. We haven't for whatever reason compared 60 HP Mercury's to 60 HP ETECS.. That said and maybe some will disagree with this as well.. BUT.. on a lot of Older X's your bound to find , those little 50 HP 12" prop, 2 cylinder 2 stroke motors.. Tohatsu and Nissan's.. You'll lose a few MPH ( does it really matter day to day?) But you will see a sizable difference when navigating a harbor.. or going against current and waves ( under POwer) and when its both of those the difference is, IMHO HUGE! However if that little 50 was swapped out to a newer 4 stroke or an ETEC.. that boat will no doubt cost you more money as well..
Want to see and read a LOT about the 26 S & D's? Look for Sumner's posts.. he's done a lot, to and with his 26..

[Tomfoolery]

My wife likes the idea of a power boat, just get in and go, and I prefer the wind in the sails and the boat leaning with the wind.

That, along with some others, was the main reason for moving from a 34 ft keelboat to the . The admiral would only go out on the boat maybe twice a year (to socialize with guests), and my kids for the most part weren't interested. With the , I've been on the Erie Canal (involved and time and money consuming on a non-trailerable sailboat) twice, and will take it to the Finger Lakes and Thousand Islands, though probably not this year. It's a 2-day trip to the Thousand Islands with the wind (longer to come back), but I can trailer the Mac in a matter of hours. I can launch and retrieve it without help, though a few trailer improvements will make it easier (Sumner is a well spring for such improvements).

Oh, and my youngest learned to wake board this summer behind it. It's not a ski boat, but it's fast enough even with the Honda BF50 to have fun. That was the goal - everybody enjoys it. It doesn't sail too badly, either, once you learn some of it's quirks.

[Catigale]

...you have probably heard this already, but the Erie Canal system is staying open until Dec this year to let some of the boats trapped by Irene and Lee out of the waterways...might be good time for fall trip if its warm..

[Tomfoolery]

I hadn't heard that, but if history is any indication, I will have lost my zeal for boating by late November.

I do have a full cockpit enclosure, though. Hmmmm.

[Benmcgov]

Gary,

I think you would be happy in either boat, the or the . I think that maintenance will still be an issue with any boat. The way I look at it, you either spend the time maintaining or you spend the time fixing....either way brand new or used you will always have something to do on your boat. Its the nature of the beast! My wife enjoys the ability to get in and go as well. We Love our boat and it fits our style perfectly!

Cheers,
Ben

[GaryMayo]

At 6'7" tall, am I correct in thinking the M has more head room over the X?

[bscott]

I'm 6'1" and the only place I can have "full standing headroom" is under the sliding hatch--and forget about the "fully enclosed head" on either boat. But my wife at 5'8" fits just fine. I also raised the port bunk height to match the V birth height so I can sleep in relative comfort. This will be a must do for you. Can't speak for the M. Oh--the X cockpit is longer than the M which fits me OK but at 6'7", you're too tall to sleep under the stars.

Bob

[dlandersson]

The X has a much bigger cockpit with more leg/foot room. I'm guessing you are not a shoe size 9?

At 6'7" tall, am I correct in thinking the M has more head room over the X?

[Tomfoolery]

At 6'7" tall, am I correct in thinking the M has more head room over the X?

The brochure says it has 5'-11" headroom. The brochure says 6'-0". Better, but not really significant, especially once you're taller than what's available.

But it's still way better than the crouching-only posture required of trailer boats I've had in the past, where the only place you can be upright (or even near it) is with your head sticking out of the pop top, or sitting down.

[GaryMayo]

My wife and I enjoy time in the cockpit more than we do down below. I think she would prefer a completely open sailboat with no lower deck. This seems to give an advantage to the X over the M as I scout about looking for possibilities. Spotted an M on a trailer yesterday at the marina. It was too dark to get a good look at it, but the Stern of the boat is nothing like the Mac 25. You would be hard pressed to tell they came from the same factory.

Is the cockpit of the X anything size wise similar to the Mac 25? That was a good size on our madden voyage. The spot next to the cabin made a great place to sit with my feet up on the seat and my back supported. Felt like a lazy boy on water.

[Benmcgov]

Not sure how it compares to the 25, but the has a much larger cockpit than the . I think if you are looking for cockpit size as a main requirement then the is the way to go. However I have sailed with s and they are a little faster under sail. The aft berth on the is also a little larger than a king size bed....its just a little trickier getting back there The head on the is also much bigger. I am 6'1" and use it....its tight but it works. I have also successfully changed my clothes in there when my boat had guests

Ben

[GaryMayo]

Not sure how it compares to the 25, but the has a much larger cockpit than the . I think if you are looking for cockpit size as a main requirement then the is the way to go. However I have sailed with s and they are a little faster under sail. The aft berth on the is also a little larger than a king size bed....its just a little trickier getting back there The head on the is also much bigger. I am 6'1" and use it....its tight but it works. I have also successfully changed my clothes in there when my boat had guests

Ben

I will be using the whole cabin to change my clothes, and maybe one foot sticking out the front hatch. lol

[dlandersson]

Thfffffpppppppp!!!!

However I have sailed with s and they are a little faster under sail.