MacGregorSailors.com

.....and we're glad to have ya, Moe!

As for the wheel vs tiller thing, though, my smaller boat has a tiller and as much as I do appreciate the feel of a tiller on a small boat, I don't think I'd want one on a Mac-sized craft... besides, they eat a lot of room in the cockpit. Different strokes for different folks!

What Moe posted is well said. Even for those of us with the 50's, several of us talked about downsizing, but the cost to down size now, just didint make $$$$
I am told that just to Dock in the Wind, I could do as well with a smaller lighter Big Footed motor. I was thinking that my New Merc 50BF would have looked and performed Real Nice on a Whaler or such.
Without knowing your budget etc. I think with what I know now, and if I , was possibly you? I might very well consider an older 26 D or S . There are BTW pictures available of every type of boat Roger has ever sold on this board, and even a group that discusses those boats right here as well.

I wasn't disagreeing with you Kevin, I disagree with whoever Sly talked to and got advice to only look at the late model boats.

Do check the aluminum rudder brackets on early X's, but don't decide not to buy a boat because it has aluminum rudder brackets. My '96 has them, we've put over 1600 Nautical miles on them (and who knows how much more by the PO) in salt water and often rough conditions. They are still in perfect shape doing their job. A big part of breaking things is how you use them in the first place.

I've seen early boats with the step switched to a flip up ladder, and the valve and vent covered with a flush board. You can get the same aft berth access in a early boat if you need it. For us, the aft berth is where the kids sleep (either 2 or 3 depending on the weather) and they have no problems getting in there. A number of times we have considered moving back there but even with better access it is still much more confined than the expanded Vee berth where my wife and I sleep now. (In an M we would probably flip flop and put the kids up front as the M vee berth is very small and can't expand aft like the X one can.)

Personally I think the sliding galley is a gimic and if I had an M I would always keep it in the forward position. In fact I would probably remove it and build a whole new larger galley. In the effort to make it slide they were forced to make it way too small. We couldn't live with the lack of internal storage. (Just as a note I don't think my family could live at all with an early M. In my opinion that design is flawed. It brings too many activities all into the same place. I understand completely why MacGregor dumped it after 2 years and went to the current layout which is as close as you can get to an X like layout with the darn dagger board trunk in the way.)

While I completely agree with looking for a EFI 4 stroke, I wouldn't not buy the perfect boat just because it had a carbed 2 stroke as mine does. They're loud and suck gas, but these old motors a virtually maintenance free, have great redundancy in their design, and will likely run for ever. Add to that it's actually just a plain old motor that at least I can understand and work on if needed without a computer and an electronics degree. You will probably find the good old Tohatsu on the back of my boat for a long time to come. I expect to put many more thousands of miles on it without blinking and eye.

I'm reminded of Chinooks presentation at last years BWY rendezvous about his trip up to Alaska and back. He covered so many miles (and hours) that if he had been running a 4 stroke he would have needed an oil change along the way. Probably even would have been true on my little 500 mile juant up to Princess Louisa Inlet.

An finally, I wouldn't say my boys are not into sailing, they are just more into boating. We're not hung up on the method of propulsion we use to get somewhere. We just enjoy being out on the water plain and simple. That's one of the great joys of the Mac. My boats versitility means it will be a part of our family for a long time. As needed, depending on the wims and preferences we have at the moment, it can adapt and be the perfect boat for my family. Perhaps the mast will spend a few years on blocks, and then the winds will change and in no time at all it can be back on board doing it's thing. As we go through these phases I don't have to spend a penny to have the boat required for the occasion.

Duane Dunn, Allegro wrote:I wasn't disagreeing with you Kevin, I disagree with whoever Sly talked to and got advice to only look at the late model boats.

NEVERMIND!



(sorry!)

One of many adventurous souls around.
http://www.a1sailboats.com/bahama_2007.htm
Blue Hull sure looks good in those waters doesn't it?
Sly also check out Conch Cruisers and numerous other site for info.

Indeed! This one looks like it's out of the brochure!



Boat looks particularly l-o-n-g from that angle... not sure why... maybe the black stripes?

Moe wrote:What Richard (divecoz) says is true. TRY to make sure you're getting the right boat for your needs. We're not go-fast people. We bought the X, DESPITE the big 50HP outboard, for its excellent RV layout and huge amount of storage for longer trips, such as 2 or more weeks in the North Channel, or a trip to Bimini or the Dry Tortugas.

We chose the X for its standing headroom over MacGregor's pure, better sailing sailboats, the 26S and 26D, even though we knew we'd seldom if ever use the expensive 50HP. And in doing so, we probably spent double or more what a well-equipped one of those older 26 Classics would've cost, and they'd also have filled the long-trip requirement. In the end, we found we spent most of our time in the cockpit, even under a boom tent in the rain, and the standing headroom of the powersailor was much less important to us than we thought it would be.

But our reality is that my job really doesn't accomodate weeks of vacation, especially in the summer. All we need is a weekender. So like Mark Prouty, we sold the powersailor. After writing off some to a great summer with it, we had about 2/3 of what we had invested in it left over after buying and equipping a smaller pure sailboat. I don't regret buying the X. It gave us some priceless memories and the steering wheel with linked outboard made it easier for Barb to learn to pilot. But I missed a tiller. The slip and maintenance costs for the smaller boat are also much lower.

Moe

Words of wisdom. I started out fully expecting to buy a 26X or possibly a 26M a couple years ago. I researched the topic exhaustively and after I learned about the boats went to BWY for a ride in a new M. I then went for a couple rides on local keel boats. What has tripped my trigger is making a boat go under sail. Having been on several big power boats it really does nothing for me to crank up the motor and fly. When I'm out on the water I'm not really interested in getting somewhere. I'm interested in relaxing and having a hobby that can tickle my mind while I relax. Sailing is something that requires attention but not so much that you cannot relax. Its about perfect, giving you enough to do to keep your mind and body occupied but not so much so that you cannot chill.

I have kids and a wife too so the larger cabin of an X would be a nice feature. The problem is that there are trade-offs with everything and I had to decide what was most important for me. The advantage of the older 26Cs are that they are cheaper, lighter and sail better. I'm going to have $7K in my boat when it is FULLY updated (new motor, electronics, hardware & rudder). You can spend that much in an X or M just on the outboard. Like Moe I don't have time for long vacations. Most of my use is going to be long weekend and day sailing so the large cabin is relatively less important.

Think about how your going to use the boat. That will be the most critical factor in what to look for an choose.

Here's an idea
Use the PM function on this board and really discuss with Kevperro what he has found with his boat.
Could be, he could save $10K . . . Biggest difference is the Pop-up versus standing head room.
Sure there are a TON of differences but again Ga-bu-gots. .
I don't think anyone will argue the classics sail better and faster because of those differences ...Its ll in what you want need desire.
I thought by now I would be off sailing the Gulf and the Dry Tortuga's and maybe the Sea of Cortez and the Bahamas. So far its not coming together. No Big Deal, instead. . . ..
Its a waterbago Up to the Harbor Friday night . Socialize sleep on the boat. Up Sat. Morning for a few hours or all day sailing lunch out on the water. Back to the slip and Dinner on the boat or at the Marina or down town and back to quite time or socializing sleep on the boat, Sunday breakfast in the morning then some more sailing and the drive home late evening after the rush.
You too will find your nitch