Bad Mouthing the MacGregor

[Phil M]

I have only heard positive comments about my Mac too. Of course, my hearing ain't what it used to be either.
Phil

[Divecoz]

Ive have a LOT more compliments than Negative remarks.. One Lady(?) must have been doing a Roseanne Barr Impersonation : Short Fat Ugly VRY Loud and Obnoxious..

[Sea Wind]

I have heard plenty of +s and some –s. Most of the -s are that “it is not a real sailboat” or “you cannot take it to the ocean”, but most of them have been said by sailors in the Chesapeake Bay that never take their big sailboats to the ocean either.
When I get the question in the sarcastic tone of voice: How fast does it go? I usually respond with another question: do you mean sailing, powering or trailering?

When we started looking at sailboats the Cat22 was a big contender, I learned in a flying scot 19 so thinking something a little bigger with a cabin sounded great. We went to see one and after my wife realized that the porta-potty stays a few inches above your face in the V-birth we concentrated on Macs. Don’t get me wrong, I still think that the Cat 22 is a terrific boat, at the 2011 Pirate Fest there was one passing a few :macx:s like we were standing even thought we were sailing at over 6 knots. With two toddlers I don’t see myself trailering any other sailboat with the level of comfort that we have. Performance is important but comes second after spending a good time with the family.

For the record, I love broccoli but hate cauliflower. A real vegetable cannot be white

Sea Wind

[FinallySailing]

Nobody has ever mentioned anything bad about the Macs up in Troon at the West Coast of Scotland where Rockhopper has spent 2011. Indeed I've heard very positive comments from quite a few people with much bigger yachts and a huge number of sea miles under their belts.
Why do we actually have to have this discussion ? I love my "S" and wouldn't swap her for any boat in the world (well at least till I'm getting closer towards my Yachtmaster ) but I would never in the world criticise any specific make of boat. The sea is a big equalizer. We are all here to have fun and nobody forces anybody to sail/motor in any specific boat. People who are bad mouthing any type of boat have to grow up out of their "fan boy" age.

[dlandersson]

Potato?

For the record, I love broccoli but hate cauliflower. A real vegetable cannot be white

Sea Wind

[kitcat]

To tell the truth, I am really wondering what this thread is all about? We are all beating ourselves up and making excuses for what wonderful boats we have, when, frankly there is no need to, we own and sail what we do because we, as owners, all feel it is the right boat for us and does what it says on the tin, so why does this thread exist, on this forum of all forums?

I would also venture to say that most of the people who criticise Macs are purely keyboard sailors, when, with a little alcohol and in the home environment, it is easy to pour scorn and criticism on anything they don't like, but, as most on here have already said, on a face to face basis, most people are really nice and friendly and interested, with nothing but good things to say about our boats.

Come on, lets be more positive and ignore the gainsayers - we know we are right, we don't have to make excuses or defend ourselves.........

Paul

[dlandersson]

I am sure the same BS goes in with owners of RV's, camping tents, running shoes, performance cars, etc.

To tell the truth, I am really wondering what this thread is all about? We are all beating ourselves up and making excuses for what wonderful boats we have, when, frankly there is no need to, we own and sail what we do because we, as owners, all feel it is the right boat for us and does what it says on the tin, so why does this thread exist, on this forum of all forums?

I would also venture to say that most of the people who criticise Macs are purely keyboard sailors, when, with a little alcohol and in the home environment, it is easy to pour scorn and criticism on anything they don't like, but, as most on here have already said, on a face to face basis, most people are really nice and friendly and interested, with nothing but good things to say about our boats.

Come on, lets be more positive and ignore the gainsayers - we know we are right, we don't have to make excuses or defend ourselves.........

Paul

[zoneboy]

I like to mention that my best speed under sail is 10.9 knots and under motor 18 mph. That I wanted a sailboat that my kids could water ski on..... that price was no option.........and that every boat is a compromise.
And when they ask me at what marina I keep my boat ...I explain this

The neighbours seem to like my mast up storage and when I have to give instructions to people I just give them my street name and tell them to look for a sailboat
Q1

Out of all of the pics I have seen of the , this has to be my favorite. I know it is probably just the lighting, but the darker looking hull really makes a difference. Macgregor should offer darker shades for their hulls (if they don't already).

[dlandersson]

From The Anchorage web site:

"MacGregor: The 26M Powersailer sales are strong and boats are once again hard to get. Our next available boat will be the end of June. New color for 2012: Black!!!! It is gorgeous!"

Somebody likes the Mac 26's

[kitcat]

"I am sure the same BS goes in with owners of RV's, camping tents, running shoes, performance cars, etc."

I really hate to disagree with you, but I disagree, point me in the direction of another thread like this, we are paranoid about name calling - why?

Paul

[Kittiwake]

"I am sure the same BS goes in with owners of RV's, camping tents, running shoes, performance cars, etc."
I really hate to disagree with you, but I disagree, point me in the direction of another thread like this, we are paranoid about name calling - why?
Paul

I think you make a good point Paul: we do tend to go on and on about people bad-mouthing Macs.
On the other hand, as someone who has looked at boats for many years before buying one, I do have the impression that they have in past been to some extent 'a boat that owners of other boats love to criticize'. I don't think this has ever bothered me; but it has always seemed an interesting phenomenon. I also have the impression that the criticism by others is waning.
Kittiwake

[NiceAft]

Don't misunderstand me! I make no apologies to anyone for my owning a Mac. If they don't like it, well that falls under the 3 S W Rule.

Some Will
Some Won't
So What


Ray

[vizwhiz]

To tell the truth, I am really wondering what this thread is all about?

Barnacle Jim is building evidence to show the Admiral-to-be how great a MacGregor sailboat will be to own and play with!

This ain't rocket science... Go Jim!

[Gazmn]

Just for the record, no one has Ever said anything negative to me regarding my boat. Only +, well wishers.

One enthusiast actually flagged me down while driving up from Florida to ask me some questions about my galvanized trailer & Mac I responded kindly because I'm a big believer in passing on good Mac karma. But that did try me. I thought he was flagging me down because I had a flat or lost something [Don't worry, I wouldn't have kicked him in the balls ]

Most people give you the "envious look of admiration" - you know that "Take me with you" look.

It makes me appreciate how lucky we are - and how well we've chosen


But seriously, abuse my boat or family & have the audacity to proceed past my "Have a Nice Day" reply. And you have just won a First Class Kick In The Balls

[Octaman]

The Mac is a great boat!

Here are the comments I get:

If viewed from astern they say, ‘What an ugly boat’ because of the out board hanging off the transom and the squared look, although with my recent oversized 100 Suzuki filling up the space of the engine well, I think she is a lot more harmonious now.

If viewed from the bow, head on, the comment is, ‘That is a very narrow boat; it’s tiny’

And if viewed from the side, ‘Wow! What a sleek boat, beautiful lines’.
Admittedly the profile is hard to beat especially with the appealing three color scheme, Blue-White-Black.

Then if a friend steps on board, at first he is surprised and skeptical as he tries to keep his balance, realizing how tender the boats is and then when he goes below decks, he is amazed with the volume [if it’s a ‘she’, she goes crazy over the size of the double (triple) aft bed ].

If you take them for a ride and open up the throttle, they immediately become Fans for Life and go back and tell EVERYONE about their experience with the super Mac.

When I am at the ramp, I always get an audience. It takes me a few minutes to launch or haul out the boat - alone. Whilst next to me there may be two, or sometimes three, guys struggling to get their rib boat onto its trailer. I drive off and they are still at it. That’s where I get bewildered looks and comments.

Everyone in my sailing yacht club talks about my boat, the MacM. And even though many would not pluck the courage to buy one, because they are more traditional and afraid to exploit the unknown, they all wish they had my speed in the lulls.

Even those on semi planning power boats that I zoom by, scratch their heads and wonder what the heck is going on.
The faster power boats that eventually overtake me, always look back with a disturbed, threatened look on their faces.

When my sails go up, many laugh but when they see me getting into pace with the outboard tilted up and the prop out of the water (so there is no doubt I am not motor sailing), they raise an eyebrow and trim their sails because if they don’t, I catch up with them and even (sometimes) go past them.

I remember once motoring against the current in a force 7 with the waves almost head on. I was in displacement mode, ballast in, no sails up, and needed to round a tip to get into the safety of a harbor about five miles away. There was a motor-sailor less than half a mile to starboard that was following the same course, doing the same thing; one of those big heavy boats that look tough. I passed him, rounded the point and went into the harbor and he arrived an hour behind me.
When he arrived, the first thing the guy did was to come by our boat to comment and admire!

He had berthed near to us and the next thing they did was to take everything out of the boat - including mattresses - and lay their stuff in the sun to dry out. He had a wet boat inside, our Mac was completely dry ! They were working, we were drinking coffee in the sun.
This I find is a huge advantage of our Macs have that we seldom mention. They stay dry inside in high seas AND in the rain!

And with a powerful engine they are much more efficient and faster going against the current, thus shortening passage times.

I could go on and on, with endless stories, but I think I have said enough to contribute to this important thread.

We love our Mac!!!

Happy power sailing to you all,

Octaman