What beats it?

[Neo]

Recently I've been looking at selling a few things (including my Mac) and buying a bigger yacht (the Admiral says it's not big enough!). I keep my Mac on the driveway next to the house and see it through the window every day. It reminds me I need to get off my butt and go sailing (soon) and when I have the time (or I have a new idea) I just need to walk a few meters to work/play on the Mac. My garage, full of tools is also just a few meters away.
With any toy I've owned I like to think, fix, improve, design and build so I ask myself "Unless I buy another trailer-sailer why would buy a Gross Inconvenience" on the water 20mins to an hour away?.... Also, why would buy a boat that's 10 times more expensive to maintain than my Mac?
So until someone invents a telescopically expandable 36ft Trailer Sailer I guess I'm stuck with the Mac .... good thing too

[sailboatmike]

My Mac lives 25 minutes away on the hard stand, I find a few drawbacks with this, mostly that no matter how many lists I make I NEVER have ALL the tools and equipment I need when working on the boat, I always miss something or leave something in the other car.

As such I have just about 2 of every tool, one for the boat and one for home, the other drawback is that the boat is normally way over weight carrying around all those extra tools and bits and bobs.

On the plus side it gets me out of the house and down to the club and out of the partners way, so Im not annoying her as much

I fear that should said boat be in my driveway I would never get ANYTHING done as I would always be stopping and admiring her beautiful strong yet streamlined lines.

Between you and me I almost fell off the pier the other week as I was inhaling her beauty and not looking were I was going

[Neo]

Awesome Mike....You made me laugh and made me count my lucky blessings too
I would be the same (if not worse) with the tools!

[Baha]

This has also been on what is left of my mind. The Admiral also would like a bigger, flatter sailing boat with more sunbathing space (catamaran). My Mac is 5 minutes away from my house in a very secure storage area, and is very easy to get to. Additionally, being on an Island, I have good cruising grounds mostly within a 2 hour drive from me. This is the clincher....If I get a "normal" yacht, I move from place to place a lot slower, and that really limits where I can cruise. Maybe when I retire I will get a bigger boat (probably Texas gulf coast) so I can do some blue-water sailing without the family freaking out.

[Seapup]

So until someone invents a telescopically expandable 36ft Trailer Sailer I guess I'm stuck with the Mac .... good thing too

Sounds too complicated, I would still stick with a 26

There is really nothing else that offers so much without having huge drawbacks in other areas. Comfortable, trailerable, easy set up, ultra shallow draft, cheap & low maintenance.

This has also been on what is left of my mind. The Admiral also would like a bigger, flatter sailing boat with more sunbathing space (catamaran). I have good cruising grounds mostly within a 2 hour drive from me.

Some small cruising cats (not most) are probably more similar to a mac than many monos. We find we usually cover 2-3x the distance on the same duration trips with our cat compared to our mac, so our home area has actually expanded. We gave up trailerable and high speed motoring (dealbreaker for most) for some other benefits that fit us. I am happy with the tradeoffs, but could see returning to a mac someday as life changes.

[Mac Ziggy]

There is a Mac 36 and it came with a trailer. BWY had one. http://www.bwyachts.com/catproject.html

[Highlander]

Don,t forget once u move up too a 32ft 10ft beam or bigger ur slipping fee,s almost double , rigging & sailing equipment is 3 times or more bigger & 5 times more expensive , maintenance goes up 6 times the cost , lift fee,s when u need the boat outa the water plus u have to wait on there time schedule not your,s , shallow anchorage,s away from the crowd or when they r ur only option r no longer an option , when u pull into a marina & they say the only slips we have left r 25ft & 3ft draft u,ll no longer b able to say that,s fine I,ll take too their
when ur bigger boat is being stored on the hard it has to b at the marina & cost about just as much as slip fee,s , most older sailor,s I,ve met have told me they had all the time in the world to sail now they r retired but the bigger boat they found was getting to much to sail on their own & could not find a crew to go with them when they wanted to go sailin so they eventually down sized ! or some of them would take turns & just all go out in one boat all together
For me I found the best idea for getting a bigger boat "best bang for ur buck" was installing a full enclosure which basically doubles ur living space "but retaining ur same boat & maint. cost "

just another option to consider
not everyone,s cup of tea but good enough for me
or u can do like Sumner done get both
Just sayin That,s All
well gotta go work on the boat mods & up-dates now
J

[Neo]

most older sailor,s I,ve met have told me they had all the time in the world to sail now they r retired but the bigger boat they found was getting to much to sail on their own ....

I've not sailed a bigger yacht yet so what is it exactly that gets too much?

not everyone,s cup of tea but good enough for me

I love this saying

[Sumner]

...... but the bigger boat they found was getting to much to sail on their own........

I always thought I'd have the Mac longer than the big boat but not so sure about that after taking it out last summer. If it was in a slip it would be one thing but loading up, trailering and setting up is for sure getting harder. With the big boat they will put it in the water and we just have to sail it. It is a sloop setup just like the Mac and not complicated to use. Standing up and moving around has a lot to be said for it.

There are a lot of people from the states and Canada in the boatyard in their late 70's and 80's still using their big boats and taking long trips on them.

...... or u can do like Sumner done get both ....

Not sure I would recommend this either ,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

[sailboatmike]

Im stored mast up on my trailer, best of all worlds (except fore mentioned forgetting tools)

No trailing or setting up just to go for a sail, use the club tractor to launch, lower maintenance because she isnt in the water full time, lower insurance as she is in a secured yard not in a driveway.

its like having the convenience of a keel boat stored on the water with the added bonus of lower costs and maintenance and the portability of a trailer boat

[grady]

The first 7 years I had my boat I kept it inside a hanger. I realy liked it was great for doing the bottom and some other major modifications. Also great for the appearance of the boat. Always clean and shinny. Now for the past 3 years it is in a slip on a lift. Not as shiny anymore. Harder to do major upgrades. However I do use the boat more and am willing to take the trade off. I am able to go racing on Wednesday evenings without taking till midnight to get the boat put up.

[sailboatmike]

Hows the racing going Grady, when my new suit of sails arrives I hope to do some racing to improve my skills and just to show them that these things do actually sail pretty well given the right point of sail.

What boats are you racing against?

[Neo]

just to show them that these things do actually sail pretty well given the right point of sail.

Don't forget to post up your performance tips

[sailboatmike]

I have a lovely old bloke used to be a pretty hot racer, back in the day won many club championships that after sailing my X recons she has a ton of performance potential if she is tuned and sailed right, I hope to get him to give me some tips, mind you sailing with him is a bit annoying he constantly wants to adjust things and that just makes my coffee go cold stopping to ease a sheet or bring it on a bit more.

I told him that he had the helm, he needs to learn to sail too the way the sails are set while I have my coffee

[Ixneigh]

Old people's boat.
Beamy, low freeboard, ketchrigged, big reliable engine with good access. Must sail well with conservative sails.
way oversized ground tackle with equipment to handle it. Moderate or shoal draft. Skeg or Keel hung rudder.
My 33 yawl was a great boat for that purpose.
The M boat is marginal. Its great to spend time on. I would not have something so large If I had to launch it every time, or I'd only trailer it once a year like i do now.
Except for potential engine issues the M is a cheap boat to own. Important for many in thier older years. It handles well under power with practice. It sails less well in tight areas. It has a passible comfort at anchor and enough space below. Imho stand up rooms a must un less its a micro cruiser where you are essentially water camping. (Also very appealing)

Ix