What I like about the 26X

[Dguy]

I have been contemplating getting a bigger sailboat as I keep my 26X in a marina. But beside low operational costs , the 26X gives me the peace of mind being unsinkable . The only company I know of that produce larger 32 to 36ft sail yachts that are unsinkable are Etap. Very few of them in North America.
Being located close to a river with a 4 kt current , it helps having a 30 to 50 hp outboard at the transom.
This means the only temptation of moving up would be more living space as I am getting older.
Trade-offs, trade-offs. For now I’ll stick with my 26X.

[C Buchs]

Dguy:
What river are you on? I'm on the Columbia River. The guy in the slip next to me sold his boat. He said he wished he has something like my . If we didn't have the big outboard, we wouldn't go very far or would never get back. If we sail really hard upriver for a couple of hours, we can still see the marina. It's like sailing on a treadmill!

Jeff

[Dguy]

St.Clair river at the mouth of Lake Huron.

[Brian]

You might consider purchasing a cockpit enclosure if you don't have one already. That would give you additional space for much less money than a larger boat would cost you. I have seen pictures of some of the 26X's with enclosures, and they look very spacious. Especially the custom enclosure that Ris has.

[DaveC426913]

St.Clair river at the mouth of Lake Huron.

Did a drift dive (Monarch) in the St. Clair under the Blue water Bridge. (More like a drift scrape...)
Nothin' quite so terrifying as the rumble of a tanker over your head and the sun being blocked out.

[Herschel]

I have been contemplating getting a bigger sailboat as I keep my 26X in a marina. But beside low operational costs , the 26X gives me the peace of mind being unsinkable . The only company I know of that produce larger 32 to 36ft sail yachts that are unsinkable are Etap. Very few of them in North America.
Being located close to a river with a 4 kt current , it helps having a 30 to 50 hp outboard at the transom.
This means the only temptation of moving up would be more living space as I am getting older.
Trade-offs, trade-offs. For now I’ll stick with my 26X.

At 76 I can appreciate. You may have noticed I got rid of my table and stow it under the cockpit so that opens up the salon for more and easier seating for day sails. As for cruising, I am considering an extended cruise down the St. Johns River and around Florida via ICW next year, and my wife and I are thinking in terms of getting memory foam single mattresses for the "main" bunk using the table (Admiral gets that) and the quarter berth under the cockpit (Captains quarters). The V-berth is an option, too, but for just one of us. I have studied some extensions to the V-berth, but haven't really decided to go that route. We do have a full cockpit enclosure and that is nice. When cruising, we typically stay at marina slips at night so there is plenty of opportunity to "stretch your legs". I am staying with the "X" because it is familiar to me, has the fast engine for river/current work, and can generally be "man handled" as needed at the dock, if things don't go exactly as planned coming in. Oh, and its paid for.

[Russ]

The Mac has many features that make it stand out. The unsinkable feature isn't one that gets much of my attention. I put more stock in PFDs and VHF radio. I suppose clinging to a swamped boat beats floating free in the open water.

The fact that I can pull my boat out anytime, has more headroom than any other boat in its class, and I have 70 horses surpasses any other boat manufacturer.

[Tomfoolery]

The unsinkable feature isn't one that gets much of my attention. I put more stock in PFDs and VHF radio. I suppose clinging to a swamped boat beats floating free in the open water.

But that big white deck would make you easier to spot from the air, should it come to that. Being 'unsinkable' wasn't a selling feature for me, but I don't mind having it either.

[Inquisitor]

The Mac has many features that make it stand out. The unsinkable feature isn't one that gets much of my attention. I put more stock in PFDs and VHF radio. I suppose clinging to a swamped boat beats floating free in the open water.

The fact that I can pull my boat out anytime, has more headroom than any other boat in its class, and I have 70 horses surpasses any other boat manufacturer.

I totally agree with Russ about the headroom (except in 's head), big motors and trailering! Unsinkable is a plus...

Are you also wanting to keep trailer-able???
If not, I think most Catamarans are unsinkable... at least on the small end...

• Gemini Catamarans
• Maine Cat
• Here's one that dlandersson found that looks interesting: https://macgregorsailors.com/forum/view ... =7&t=28064