How well do MacGregors sail compared to other 22-27 ft keelboats?

[NiceAft]

Eloquently put. Well said. The next time anyone questions my Mac, I’m going to say, talk to Ix.

[March]

I agree! Very well put!

[Starscream]

HAHAHA Ix...

My 26X sails better than any keelboat ever built! *



*in 24" of water or less

[dlandersson]

Yup

MacGregor's marketing materials claimed the M was newer/faster/better and shows comparisons in the video, but that's marketing and there are people on this forum who would never trade an X for an M.

[Starscream]

I absolutely destroyed a Tanzer 24 in an unofficial race today (overtook him from a quarter mile behind). He wasn't the best sail handler tho, it was obviously a rookie. Must be embarrassing to be passed by a coastal trailersailor that everyone says can't sail.

Wind started out at 10 knots on the downwind outbound leg, but rapidly increased to 19 knots with frequent whitecaps. Hitting 20 to 25 heel, with a couple of roundups in the gusts, and steady speeds in the 5's despite getting pounded a bit in the waves.

Tacking was easy today with plenty of boatspeed to complete maneuvers. I noticed from my AIS track that I was tacking through about 110 degrees and I wasn't even trying to get fully close hauled. Decent...

Under sail the whole way...we changed our minds on the destination and turned around at the second jibe point after the first two long downwind legs. Wind from NE



It's fun to watch the AIS track after, but also feels a bit invasive that anyone can see where my boat is and what it's been doing. May have to ghost mode more often.

[leefrankpierce]

I have never sailed a keelboat, so can not compare.
I can say the difference in sail quality really affects the boat.
Have been out twice with my new canvas and the boat now points within 45 degrees and now has gentle responses to wind changes and puffs.
I suspect because the boats are affordable that many of us are saving the money and go with blown out sails like I have been doing for 10 years.
This is probably giving the boats a worse reputation than they deserve.
The boat is light with much freeboard.
Just means you have to compensate a bit while in tight spots, but also means we can use much lighter air than a big heavy boat.
Even with my old sails in light winds, I have made laps around big heavy keel boats that just did not want to move.
I have also heard my swingboard hit ground a few times were I just took note, but it was not a problem because it folds back.
Have had the swingboard ground when trying to back up, again no problem, just pull it up and go about my business.
My point being, simular to others, it matches and surpasses a lot of boats when in shallow or small areas.
Given the correct fresh sails, it it comes closer but not quite matching a keel boat in tenderness and speed.
Just do not expect it to be a deep water boat where it is asked to deal with big deep waves.

[TrailerTrash]

Interested in a MacGregor due to easy trailering, large capacity for sleeping on boat and ability to motor fast if necessary; however, I mostly like to sail. I would use on mid and large lakes in MN and Lake Superior.

Curious how well you feel they sail, handle wind/storms, etc. compared to other keelboats in the 22-27 ft range? There are a lot of haters on how they sail but most of the people don't sound like they've actually been on one.

Curious if any of the different models (X, M, etc.) sail better under certain conditions?

THank you, Doug

I think the term is vague so you will get all kinds of answers about what qualifies as "good" sailing qualities. All boats are a compromise; when you pick one attribute, you give up in other areas.

Also, people frequently lump all the Mac26s together and are drastically different between the S/D and X/M boats. Often, comments are shared about all MacGregors because people throw them all into the same category out of ignorance or due to stigma about the maker's reputation.

But I view the S/D as more comparable to standard keelboat sailboats. It is probably more useful to look at displacement along with waterline length when comparing them to other sailboats and you would have to specify which sailing quality/conditions you are comparing. For me, the 26 S/D are more like sailing large dinghies. They have less initial stability due to the water ballast and they will feel tender compared to a true keelboat when you are walking on the deck or just shifting weight in the boat. The low displacement means it is going to bounce like a cork in the water and waves/wind will have their way with the boat. There is no way around it. You won't get offshore stability out of a boat with such minimal displacement for this waterline length. If that is part of your definition, of what makes a "good" sailboat, you won't think much of a Mac. People also look at how lightly rigged they are compared to other 26' boats and they freak out. Once again, waterline length isn't what is going to determine rigging need as much as displacement. If you compared the rigging to other similar displacement sailboats that would be a more meaningful frame of reference.

But I'd make the following generalizations about Mac S/D sailing qualities:

Good Attributes

* Good lightwind performance - Due to low displacement and relatively good sail area.
* Reasonably good pointing performance - This varies based on how they are set up. There are tons of variables in the setups, conditions of sails, rudder mods, rigging setup etc..etc... The D in particular can be set up to point reasonably well.
* Reef Early relative to standard keelboat designs: The Macs are more at home in light/moderate winds and the higher the winds, the more their weaknesses show.
* Properly set-up, they sail well on all points of sail. To me that means they hold a course and can be balanced by reasonable sailers to maintain good speed relative to their hull speed. I think a 5.5-6.45 knot window can be attained in moderate winds without resorting to special circumstances or wishful thinking.
* Exceptionally easy to tow compared to a keelboat. Most keelboats would require launching from cranes rather than a ramp.
* Easy to vary draft by raising or lowering the daggerboard or swing keel. Great attributes for shallow waters and allow for beaching (better watch tides).

Weakness:

*Poor heavy weather performance - They are not offshore designs.
*Construction Quality for higher winds - Not made like an offshore boat.
Ballast is high: You are trading off where a traditional sailboat carries ballast to make the boat trailerable. They have low initial stability.


If you do the same exercise with the X/M you give up more sailing performance in that you have more windage, worse pointing ability, and even worse sailing characteristics due to the hull and freeboard compromises made for large cabin volume, and the planning hull. You just have to know what is important to YOU, and buy the boat that fits your needs.

[Be Free]

^^^ Excellent response!

[Jimmyt]

Yes, well said. I would add, the X and M boats generally have a massive outboard on the transom that further reduces their sailing prowess. This can be made worse by leaving the foot of said outboard in the water while sailing.

[TrailerTrash]

^^^ Excellent response!

Why thank you. I'm no expert so YMMV.