Advice on buying 26M/X

[NiceAft]

Firemanbill,

You'll notice from all of these posts that not one owner dislikes their Mac, whatever the letter. There are idiosyncratic reasons for choosing one over the other, but we are all happy with our choices.

You now have insight from several different owners, so, what you need to do next, is get out on each, or at least get aboard one of each while it is sitting on its trailer. Oh, keep reading the posts, and send photos after you have made your choice.

I’m northwest if Philly. If there is no closer to you, take a ride down. I’ll be happy to let you climb aboard mine. It’s on a trailer.

Ray

[Tomfoolery]

The supposedly sails better than the , with it's deeper stern shape and larger rig and main sail, and the supposedly motors better than the , with its shallower stern shape. BUT, an with new, higher quality sails than the OEM bed sheets will probably outsail an with worn out sails, which only takes a season or two for the originals, and the boats usually have a larger engine, and will therefore outmotor the with the typical 50 hp Honda BF50.

So there's really no hard and fast rule about performance, at least not without qualification. And neither are race boats, so if you think of them as what they are, easily trailerable boats with a huge cabin and giant (for a sailboat) engines that can pull a wakeboard or tube, they excel in spades.

My youngest learned to wakeboard behind my with original BF50. So there's that, too.

Pick the one you like, and go sailing.

[BOAT]

I do not know how to search the members by location but I would want to know if there are a lot of mac boat owners in your area. It's sort of a big deal what the area boating community thinks if your new to sailboats. If your in Connecticut? That is a very old and established yachting community and really I do not know what their opinions are on the MAC. I had a hard time with the San Diego community when I switched to a MAC hybrid boat - they treated me like some sort of traitor - so I would just want to know who your sailing with and if your planning to be in any clubs or be around other sailors. This might have a lot to do with your choices. For some people the company they keep and their status is more important than the actual activity of sailing a boat on your own terms. The Firemen over here that I know are Captains in the department and make way more money than me are usually members of the yacht club and can afford to slip big sailboats so I just want to make sure your not going to have any buyers regret due to "status" issues. If your not into that sort of thing then I would ask why you want a hybrid. If you know exactly WHY you want a hybrid then I can pretty much guarantee you will love it because the MAC hybrids are by FAR the best ones ever made.

For me, I said to he|| with all who could not accept me moving to the hybrid. I had so many regatta trophy's and such a long history in the sailing and surfing community down here (my dad was friends with Jack O'Neill and my brother shaped with Hobie Alter) and I was always first pick on crew as a youngster yet later in life when I decided to go hybrid because I really liked the idea since the first time I heard of it people accused me of making my dad turn in his grave. I assure you - people who say that do not know my dad.

Anyways - if you really are set on a hybrid - (and I recommend them hands down if your not crossing any oceans) then either boat will work.

The interior of the M boat is more traditional like other boats with a cramped head near the bow. The main thing about the X boat interior is that it is the main thing - it's a really innovative interior - you will not find any other boat with an interior set up like the X boat. No other boat is like it.

The M boat is stiffer in build and little heavier than the X - so the X boat gets on plane faster under power.

If your going to be in shallow water a lot or in lakes or bays the X boat will work well and it will also rock less at anchor.
If your going to do a lot of ocean sailing the M boat is a better choice.

I sail exclusively in the ocean and I often travel more than a days sail away from land and I must admit I am very glad I am in the M boat when i loose sight of land in any direction. The more traditional sailing performance is comforting to me - it just feels good under my feet.

If you have never sailed before that really should not be an issue for you - either boat works.

[DaveC426913]

The only thing you need to know: white hulls are faster than blue hulls.

[NiceAft]

BOAT brings up a topic (no offense BOAT) that I feel is not important to a decision about which Mac.

In 2003, when I was looking to purchase a brand new Mac, I did an extensive search on-line. I came across many negative comments about our boats. I started to believe I had made a mistake about being interested in a MacGregor. It suddenly hit me that all of those negative comments were made by those who had never been on a MacGregor. All of the highly positive comments were from owners. They were the most important comments. They still are.

Some folks will like your Mac
Some folks will disparage your Mac.
Some folks just don’t care.
So what! You’ll like it.

I ended up buying my 2005 in the fall of 2004.

Ray

[sailboatmike]

All the "Real Sailboat"owners I have had on my boat have loved it, they love the space, large cockpit and comfort, lets get real, a sailboat spends about 20% of its on water life actually sailing, the rest we spend motoring in and out of channels, motoring into that nasty wind, motoring because there isnt enough wind or tied up / at anchor.

So for 80% of the time the Mac outperforms a "Real Sailboat", gee give me anything that is better 80% of the time and I will take it with spades

[BOAT]

Yes Mike, I find it easy to convince people once i get them on the boat. Oh, and I totally agree with Ray - the issue I mentioned has nothing to do with the choice between an X or M. The issue I raised was about deciding to buy a hybrid at all. People were shocked when I changed from a 'traditional' sailboat to a hybrid -

You see, a lot of sailors think of sailing as a purist activity of timeless ancient tradition where only man and wind are allowed to participate and anything else is sacrilege. I grew up with a LOT of those types - I drank the Kool-Aid and I sneered at every motor sailor in the marina as some kind of ballast scraping land lubbing goat herder.

After years on the water I realized I am not into this for just the sheer activity of sailing a boat - for me the boat is also a means of transportation - a way to go to other places and see things my RV can't go.



Some folks on the shore look out at the endless horizon of the sea and imagine the peace and solitude of the vast ocean where a man can get away from everything.




And others stand on the shore and look out at the endless horizon of the sea and imagine exotic places and peoples and destinations "out there" on the other side of the sea.



I am a hybrid - just like my boat - when I stand on the shore I see both - I long for the isolation from familiar people in a familiar place yet, I also long for the connection to meet new people in a new place.

I am a hybrid - just like my boat.

I was just trying to close the deal for the guy - (more pizza for us).

[dlandersson]

True

The only thing you need to know: white hulls are faster than blue hulls.

[BOAT]

True

The only thing you need to know: white hulls are faster than blue hulls.

Actually the black hulls are the fastest.

[DaveC426913]

black hulls

What sorcery is this??

[BOAT]

Actually the black hulls are the fastest.

What sorcery is this??

The fireman did not respond much so I am trying a little trolling to coax out some sort of response - my suspicion is that we have all been fished. I thought some long philosophical post might illicit a response with some clue about his sailing history but it did not seem to work -

[Bilgemaster]

All things being equal, the bottom line is that you'd likely be happy with either model. Both have their relative virtues, as have been frequently hashed and rehashed and then hashed over some more on these forums* and elsewhere. Some good photos and other details (such as price, motor type and overall condition) of the actual prospective boats and their trailers might elicit useful comment here from those who know WAY more about all this than me. As for me, I went with a nice later-style 2001 X both because of its price (the X's tend to run about half that of the M's), but also because of its FAR more forgiving swing instead of dagger keel--depth, or lack thereof, being a real issue down here in the shallowy mudpuddles and shoally reaches of the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay. That might not be such an issue in your intended sailing venues. Turns out I like the layout and bigger cockpit of the X too. Still, truth be told: I'd have probably been just as happy with an M.

Unless you've already had extensive experience with big outboards, if you're really new to all this, then you might do very well indeed to at least have that motor really looked over by a proper marine mechanic before signing on any dotted line. I'm not saying you necessarily need a full-blown "boat survey" done (Though that's not the worst idea, and often enough pays for itself by giving one indisputable "haggling room" while also helpfully yanking any rose-tinted glasses right off your noggin), but a proper new motor to replace some worn out gurken might end up costing you just about what I paid for my whole boat.

So yeah: let's see some photos and more detail on Batchelorettes 1 & 2, OK?


* P.S. You could be forgiven for not realizing this huge amount of previous discussion here on the matter, since a short while back these forums experienced a little database glitch, and I expect the archives search functionality still may not be quite back up to full speed yet.

[Tomfoolery]

The only survey I paid for on my boat was the Honda, and there was a Honda marine shop nearby. Worth it, for the most part, and I had them replace the pump impeller once I closed on the boat.

The shop did mangle the work, though. Charged me extra to repair a stripped or stuck bolt (don't remember now) holding the lower unit on, but what they did in reality was to stick it back in there with some caulk. Which I found when I dismantled it myself for another impeller change.

And easy fix, though, but running an inch series tap in that metric hole, because the thread pitch was almost exactly the same, but the diameter of the inch series was slightly larger, and boring the clearance hole in the lower unit slightly larger. Easy peasy. Now why couldn't they have done that?

The rest of the boat is about as simple as a boat can get, and if you know anything about sail boats, you can check the mast, rigging, hull (it's not even cored), steering, etc. yourself for free. And surveyors don't usually even look at the sails, so no benefit there. Same with the trailer; it's a trailer. Naked from, wheels and tires (check tire date codes), bearings you can't tell anything about unless you jack it and spin each wheel (listening for anything - no sound is best), or better, open them up. But I'd do that anyway with an unfamiliar trailer.

For the dollars per foot a surveyor would cost, you could buy a new main sail and get max utility from that money.

[Highlander]

I agree with Tom
If u know anything about boats u should b able too check a mac out urself or if u know someone who doe,s & owns a Mac pizza & beer should cover it

The only time I,ll pay to have my boat surveyed is when my Insurance Comp. requires it . which will happen eventually as the boat gets older if I live as long as my Ancestors !

J

[Highlander]

True

The only thing you need to know: white hulls are faster than blue hulls.

Actually the black hulls are the fastest.

Oh I see so my Hull is White is faster than a Blue Hull & if a Black Hull is even Faster ?
Then I guess I,ve got the best of BOTH worlds White Hull & Black ablative below the water line
Mmm That must classify My Boat into the Racer Zone !!

Who would have known !

J