Any Macs in the Raleigh, NC area?

[vkmaynard]

We are considering buying a barely used (4 times) fully loaded 2001 26X this weekend. We would like to see a 2004/2005 version and talk with the owner to get their opinion of the Mac. Our first choice of sail boat is a Gemini 34 catamaran that we chartered, but too much $$ for now.

Thanks,
Victor Maynard
Apex, NC

[Frank & Meg]

Hey Victor - Try the fellas on this local board http://www.ncsail.org/ceilidh/ceilidh.html. Mark Alexander is a local X owner that might be able help you out. The closest dealer I know of is Scott's in Wilmington. It's there you'll find the 2004/2005 model you seek, though it will be an M not an X. X production stopped a couple seasons ago.

Hope that helps...

[Jeff S]

I sail in the Neuse River down by New Bern and in the coastal waters near Beaufort. Don't really know of any Mac dealers close by here though. My dream sailboat is also a Gemini 105Mc. A Gemini 34 was my neighbor in the slip I used to have here and I have a friend who owned a Gemini 105- great cat. Moving as much as I do with the military makes it difficult- the Mac fits my requirements/desires better than any boat (considering cost as well).

Jeff S

[msshene]

We trailer sail mostly on Kerr Lake with my 02 26X. Make few trips to Washington, might go this weekend if weather will clean up. Been to Edenton one 4th of July. Have been to Jordan Lake a couple of times. Got a friend with a 2000 26x that has slipped it at Satterwhite, it is here (my house) next to mine for the off season. He has done a little work on it and is about ready to relaunch now. Both came from Otho Campell at New Millenium in Virginia and have Honda BF50's on them.

[vkmaynard]

We have an intercoastal lot in Beaufort with a dock and lift near the 101 intercostal bridge (see www.stantonlanding.com). We may keep the boat there some. We also live 4 mi from Jordan Lake on HWY 64 W (never been in the lake, only flying RC over the lake). I talked with Will Scott. He does not have any 2005s.

I would like to meet some of you personally. Is the 26X a decent boat?

Victor

[Moe]

vkmaynard, click here and you can view (or download) the MacGregor 26X video, courtesy of Erik Hardtle. If you have cable modem, DSL, or other high-speed connection, the 300k version is the one to choose. If you want to store it on your local hard drive to view again later, right-click the mouse on the 300k button and select, "Save Target As".

You think you want a Mac now? Wait 'til you view the video.
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Moe

[Billy]

Victor, I used to sail my 2001 X every other weekend on Jordan. I am currently getting it ready to go offshore again. I'm about 30 miles S of you in Dunn. I also have a place on the ICW on Topsail Island and sometimes sail out of there. As far as the X goes, I've been in some serious conditions inwhich I had some concerns and the X has never let me down. It's a good boat especially for NC waters since it has a shallow draft. If you have any particular questions, PM me (exchange #s) and I'll get to you. BTW, I keep the boat in Dunn.

In answer to your question, the X is a very decent boat, especially for the money. Good Luck on you purchase!

[jmdefino]

We now live in Oriental N.C. and have our 26X in a slip there. On my site (http://sail.defino.com) you can see some additional sailing videos including the trip to the Dry Tortugas last year with the Conch Cruisers (http://conchcruisers.net). They were all Macs on that trip. Like Moe said, if you think you wanted a Mac before...

[vkmaynard]

Great! We just agreed to buy the 26X yesterday and will haul it to Apex next weekend. Overall, it is in great shape. The only real maintenance required is cleaning the bottom. I am going to order a Boom Kicker, Boom Vang, Lazy Jacks, Garmin 276c, and a replacement wind transducer next week. That is about all the options that we are going to add for a while (yeah right). Maybe I can put in Jordan Lake the weekend after next.

Where is the lowest cost place to buy the Vang and Lazy Jacks (West Marine)? Which Vang do I need? Where can I buy the wind transducer that was originally equipped with the boat (Navman?)? How about new faceplates and covers?

Does anyone have pictures of how they reran the cables in the rear berth? They hang down under the helm, into the rear berth, very messy and in the way. I am going to clean up the exposed wiring in the boat.

The porta-potty is yellowed. Where can I get replacement parts?

In addition to all the other options, we also found out that the trailer has surge brakes and the boat has the factory installed wind, depth. Knot meters. Very clean 2001 26X overall and a good deal at $19K with all the options (every option except the Spinnaker and alcohol stove). The owner did include emergency equipment, life jackets, throwing ring, anchor with line and chain, a portable butane stove and a tube to pull the kids.

Victor

[Moe]

If you're going to buy a boomkicker, I'd encourage you to buy it here on the site and support Heath. For now, we're using a topping lift, which is just a line from the end of the chickenhead where the backstay attaches, down to the boom end.

The best prices for MacGregor parts, as well as reasonably priced simple and innovation accessories, come from Bill@Boats4Sail. Bill is a frequent contributor here. The MacGregor vang is just a MacGregor mainsheet setup, and you can buy it from Bill at a discount. We could've gone that route, but I wanted snap shackles on the bottom of the mainsheet and vang, rather than have to mess with a clevis pin and ring-ding every time we mounted the boom. When you add the cost of those, it isn't much more expensive to get Bill's mainsheet upgrade/vang kit, which includes the snap shackles. Bill's kit includes what you need to use your existing mainsheet as the vang and replaces it with a set of SWEET set of Garhauer blocks. Bill also sells a reasonably priced topping lift kit, but we already had one. I also had him install slugs and reefing lines on our mainsail.

I may change my mind, but Lazy Jacks look too complicated to me, and are yet another thing to be slapping on the spars at night. For now, we're just going to do the roll-up and tie the excess thing. My philosophy is to do as few mods as possible the first season, and you may find that what you thought were good ideas either weren't or were superceded by better ideas.

West Marine is rarely the lowest-price on anything, but they will price-match, and sometimes their convenience is worth the extra cost. Boater's World often has good pricing, but also often doesn't have things in stock. They're good for getting prices for West Marine to match. I've bought a lot of stuff from www.shipstore.com, especially electrical supplies. They sometimes have the best price, and sometimes are the only place I've found an item.

Here are the SaniPottie Parts for the non-MSD models.
Here are the SaniPottie Parts for the MSD models.
Here are the new SaniPotties.
The prices for the major parts are high enough that it may just be better to replace the whole thing. Although it will require replacing the hold-down brackets with taller ones, I think I'd upgrade to the 5 gallon model, and not only for the additional capacity, but so you aren't sitting so low with your knees at chin height. You might also consider an MSD (deck pump-out) version, but that will probably require moving the pottie (and brackets) aft for the hose and its fittings to clear. The color that goes best in the X is the platinum, but the parchment color is easier to find in retail stores.

Here's NavMan's Support Contact Info. The MacGregor factory doesn't install options, their dealers do.

Hope this helps,
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Moe

[Moe]

I started a new thread on the aft berth cabling.

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Moe