MacGregor performance in Perth ?

[Andrew2012]

Hi
I am considering getting myself a Macgregor.
I have read quite a lot of posts from different forums inc in the USA and I have a reasonable idea of what the Mac can or can not do. My concern is that most of the posts come from areas where the winds are 10 to 15 Kn max. and the seas are probably not as choppy as we get her in the West.
I would be doing quite a lot of sailing on the Swan but I do intend going to Rotto as well.
Could someone be able to share their experience with the Mac once the Fremantle Dr kicks in and we get our choppy sea and swell. Is it safe enough, can it handle with a reduced sail, can it be powered home ok?
Apparently, according to some of the posts, some of the claims on the MacGregor site have somewhat exagerated (at least as far as sailing and powering speed) so I do think that the best information has to come from the users, expecially the one that have or are using it under the same conditions I would be using it.
Many thanks for any answer and help you can give me.
Andrew

[Crikey]

Hi
I am considering getting myself a Macgregor.
I have read quite a lot of posts from different forums inc in the USA and I have a reasonable idea of what the Mac can or can not do. My concern is that most of the posts come from areas where the winds are 10 to 15 Kn max. and the seas are probably not as choppy as we get her in the West.
I would be doing quite a lot of sailing on the Swan but I do intend going to Rotto as well.
Could someone be able to share their experience with the Mac once the Fremantle Dr kicks in and we get our choppy sea and swell. Is it safe enough, can it handle with a reduced sail, can it be powered home ok?
Apparently, according to some of the posts, some of the claims on the MacGregor site have somewhat exagerated (at least as far as sailing and powering speed) so I do think that the best information has to come from the users, expecially the one that have or are using it under the same conditions I would be using it.
Many thanks for any answer and help you can give me.
Andrew

Andrew, having originally grown up on the Swan, and later in Freo and Rotto - I can say the conditions you ask about can be taken in stride by a MacGregor with the appropriate cautions being applied. We sail mostly on Lake Ontario, in Canada and I would have to be a fool not to ignore its potential to kill me if I chose to stop paying attention to the weather. Our 'little' fresh water lake can see enormous extremes of wave height and winds, which are often contrary because of sustained reflections from the opposing shoreline resulting sometimes in short, high chop. From memory, ocean waves are spread much further apart than these conditions, and the Mac has always come through unscathed when we've been caught short. We're wet, but we know we'll be back again.
Ross

[TheDart]

Andrew,

I currently sail my Mac out of Dampier, but have done a lot of sailing in other types of boats in both the swan and in open water. If sailing a Mac to Rotto, you should probably leave on the morning easterly and return in the afternoon as it would take a long time to get there into the wind averaging say 3.5 knots upwind. Locally the swell is quite small but we get some similar conditions, especially when the tide is opposite to the waves (which causes them to stand up)

The boat starts to get overpowered in about 12 knots under full sail, however it sails quite smoothly (for a Mac) on a reach or work with just the main reefed (no genoa) and bobs up and down in a swell with little effort in about 18 to 20 knts (sailing at about 4knts). I find down wind in a heavy sea (>15knts) the most intersting! The small wheel means that it can be difficult to correct the boat early when sailing down waves, which makes things a little hairy. The mail also starts to hit the spreaders, which limits your ability to depower quickly once this occurs. You could always sail just under a partially furled genoa in such conditions (withouth the main). Disconnecting the motor from the rudders will help the steering as well.

Sailing is by far easier and about the same spead as motoring downwind in such condititions. If you try to power sail downwind in 18knts, I find the the prop gets out of the water occationally and scares the kids. The boat also rolls more than under sail alone. If you try and motor in such a sea without sail, the boat wants to round up lots given its length and I haven't managed to get the boat moving much faster than the swell.

My 60hp 4 stroke motor is very good when wanting to go straight into the wind.

Saying all this I find the Mac a great boat, especially around here where the are lots of islands. You can beach the boat like a small power boat which is great! You just need to pick the conditions and have a plan for bad weather.

[Andrew2012]

Thank you Crikey and TheDart for your reply.
It sounds like the Mac should be OK, but obviously I have to take precautions. Reduce the sail early and have the right combination for the conditions.
I will probably spend months sailing around the Swan before adventuring outside Fremantle and will keep a keen eye on the forecast.
I have not seen many Macs in Perth so I was really wondering if it was due to a general unsuitability for the conditions or because of "purist" sailors who don't consider the Mac a real sailboat.
For me it would be ideal as I would want to put it on the trailer and take it around the country with my 4WD, I am sure there are some fantastic spots to sail both inland and on the coast.
Thanks again for your reply and any input from any other Mac owner would be keenly read and appreciated
All the best
Andrew

[Mac26Mpaul]

Hi Andrew
Havn't been there since I was 5 so wont comment on how the Mac will handle your conditions other than saying, that the Mac can certainly handle what all those other trailer sailers can, and has built in safety features which most others do not. If its a trailerable cruising boat you want, I still havn't found a better, or better value, boat in Oz (If I do, I'll probably sell the Mac and buy one ) If we didn't have Macs here, I reckon I'd go an old RL28, only they are very heavy on the trailer and of course, there would be no quick and easy powerboat days leaving the mast at home, like I do with the Mac...

Oh yeah, don't assume you know what the mac can and cant do from reading forums Thats what I thought for ages, and I was completely wrong
If you have a dealer over there, go for a test sail, and try and find some other owners willing to take you out (There are deffinately quite a few Mac owners over there and some are on this forum). You will likely be pleasently surprised once you sail a Mac. For a trailer sailer, its actually a pretty decent sailboat a little slower than similar sized boats, particularly to windward, but nevertheless, nicely balanced and fun to sail, an allround comfortable family cruiser. It has been said that 95 percent of a sailboats time is spent either under power, or at anchor. The M and X are of course infinately better than the other trailer sailers here Anyway try and get out on one, and try and get out on any other boat you are interested in. My advice is, whatever boat you buy, if you have a family, and you want to enjoy the boating life for many years with them, buy whichever boat seems to suit their wants, needs and desires best...

For mine, this is the one


Mind you, if they are all at work and school/childcare, then this is still my choice

[Andrew2012]

Hi Mac26Mpaul
thank you for your reply, I will definitely try one before buying it, the distributor is in Qld but it seems there is someone in Perth who enjoyed the Mac so much that he set up some sort of distribution http://www.ecoyachts.com.au/
I think it may just be a one man company but if he is a reasonable operator then he may be ok.
Thank you for the beautiful pictures
All the best
Andrew