X & M Owners: How Did You Choose Which One?

[mastreb]

BTW I am still waiting for those who claim they Use the engine well for their means of regular boarding????

Dude, you just posted this I regularly board my boat via the transom because I routinely trailer. Anyone who trailers will I think. I'm not sure how else you'd do it from the hard, other than perhaps climb over the trailer ladder to the bow, or park in a place where you can leave a ladder (I don't). In any case, 75% of the time I'm entering via the transom. We go to and from the dinghy via the transom as well.

I have an ETEC-60 which I believe is the physically smallest effective engine for the boat, so that helps.

I'm not going to say it isn't a hassle, because it is. Also, I'm 42, and I don't have any physical limitations other than I'm big and lazy. I'm working up some mods to pull the captain's chair up and cleat it from behind the aft on the hard and some better handholds in the well so I'm not doing acrobatics to pull myself in with the mast carrier. I also push the engine to the port to get it out of the way, which won't be possible after I upgrade to a hydraulic baystar steering system, so I need to work out a system for that as well.

Anway, I'm not going to carry an extra ladder aboard because we don't have the room. Everything on a small boat has to do double or triple duty, so the ladder we have is the ladder we will make work.

[Doug W]

Both the and the have some great features. I looked at both and had even sailed on an X on a lake near Kearney. My wife likes the open cabin of the X and we both really like the wider transom opening of the X . I was actively looking for either an X or an affordable M and know that I would have been happy with either. I like the feel of the M under sail along with the feel of the helm --even though the transom opening is narrow.

I must admit, I do like the look of the M on the outside; so, was happy when John at SuperSport kept making a deal on a new M sweeter and sweeter --until I couldn't pass up the new one. Surprisingly, my wife wanted me to get a new one since I have notoriously bad luck with used vehicles.

By the way, we use the transom to enter/exit the boat all the time -- unless we are docked or rafted along side of other boats. Then we gladly scramble over her side.

My first sail on an X and also on my brand spanking new was in a small lake about 20 miles west of Super Sport Marina in Kearney, NE. I highly recommend hitching a ride on each type of boat before you buy. You may find that one boat suits you better.

Here is my first sail on her near Kearney: http://starsloop.blogspot.com/2010/02/2 ... raska.html

Good Luck! They are both great boats!

...Doug
http://starsloop.blogspot.com

[Divecoz]

I board on the hard from the bow..Yep up and over that bow rail..3 quick steps.. Everything I will need to rig the boat? Its all for me.. in the bed of the truck.. I'm now 60.. give or take, a little here and there... 6' & 200 lbs but..still Pretty fit... many still call me a gym rat.. anyway.. I just don't find that transom ladder a good fit for anything.. not for now anyway..( I do have plans for it..) IMHO that SS transom ladder was awaste of my money.. My Ladder is a rope ladder with 2" PVC rungs and small legs and "for me" it stows easy.. For me my SS BarBQ stows easy as well .. I enter and leave via my side mounted ladder to my dink.. I tie the dink to the side of my boat when I am out for days or weeks.. at night anyway..
It's .. the dink.. right there..tied and secured and steady and stable, easy to fill and unload..IMHO stable as it can be, as its tied fore and aft tight to the side of my boat...Not trailing off a painter.. Whats a more stable platform than being lashed to the side ?? I really like it there for starting the motor on that dink as well.. But in the end .. its often what works best for you that counts the most.. I took and still take exception with that former members post's and his very silly comparison chart.. after all that took place and the smoke cleared he sold that " Worlds Best Boat" for a major loss $$ and bought a Much smaller day sailer and Now ITs.... the best boat.. hahahaha..
In The End YOU.. Need to be happy with what YOU Bought.. Heres the test.. Car Boat Motorcycle Plane..whatever toy it is .. EVERYTIME....when you walk away? Do you look back and think.. Thats Mine and smile... If you dont? You made a bad choice.... I even do that with my guitar.. I own a Hofner Very Thin Limited.. I looked a lot before I plunked down that kind of money.. For Me.. for a Guitar... and I am Very Happy with her as well. I cannot make you happy with your toys.... you make you happy, and in the end I and my opinions dont count..

[GaryMayo]

I owned a Hummer H2. Had it four months. In that time, I put lots in it. Lots. Nothing I did made me like that truck.

Hated it.

The last month I had it, I would get almost a panic attack, thinking about the truck I had, wishing I had it back..

Needless to say, Imagine the beating I took trading that Hummer back in for the same model truck I traded in four months earlier?

I do not want another long summer filled with panic attacks because I purchased the wrong boat to fit me and my needs.

I walked through the transom of an M with a E-60 HP two stroke. Not a lot of room, but I was able to do it.

Thanks everyone for sharing what works for you all.

I feel like I am among friends here.

Tony owns an X, he is my local mentor and instructor of sorts. I have yet to see his boat. Maybe we can get his boat out on the water sometime.

[Boblee]

I liked the that we looked at and liked the swing keel and the rear entry and the head position and the flatter stern etc but there was no way the wife was going to sleep in the rear berth or the vee berth, it was a dead end so guess the was a compromise to get the long term goal.
Am I sorry to have the absolutely no way, it would certainly have been cheaper with a but IMHO now the is far superior especially the white ones.

[GaryMayo]

I liked the that we looked at and liked the swing keel and the rear entry and the head position and the flatter stern etc but there was no way the wife was going to sleep in the rear berth or the vee berth, it was a dead end so guess the was a compromise to get the long term goal.
Am I sorry to have the absolutely no way, it would certainly have been cheaper with a but IMHO now the is far superior especially the white ones.

My wife all all about not spending money. Dickens was making that famous story about her. She flipped at the two grand I put in the Mac 25. Looking in the cabin, and seeing the filth, mold, smell, spiders, ( about a million of them) she said, that is OK, I will never use it, need it anyway. All she was willing to even partially accept was the cockpit at first.

I have her coming around, and I think I have her seeing it as another floatable motorhome. (she wishes we had that money in the bank as well)

[dlandersson]

From an ROI standpoint, and X does about as much and costs far less.

Cockpit on an X (feet room) is MUCH bigger. A serious consideration if you are 6' or bigger.

Swing keel is more "fault tolerant" - bumps up rather than braks off.

We preffered the X cabin layout.

I am looking at picking an or an as our sailboat we make our water home away from home.

However, as yet, cannot make up my mind which I like better. Leaning towards an because I like the cockpit and the helm. The higher seating height is a big plus for someone six foot seven inches tall.

As I look to make a decision on what sailboat to look for in the marketplace, what features helped make up your mind?

I am a serious buyer, but before I fork out the cash, I need to figure out what I will make us the happiest in our old refound leisure. One concideration would be room. Bigger is better for someone my size. The cabin in the looks to be a lot bigger, the bed under the cockpit looks usable for someone even my size.

The cockpit looks a little larger on the but leg room looks a little smaller around the wheel.

Please chime in on what it is you like about your boats to help me make up my mind. May purchase this fall if the right deal can be found.

[ronacarme]

The M cabin plan is like that of our old D tho with more headroom. We find the X cabin plan much more comfortable and useable.
Also, our X trails with a 3500# tow pack vehicle (our 2000 Windstar with tow pack)and the heavier M requires a larger (lower mpg) tow vehicle, less appealing as gas prices gradually jog upward and wages do not.
Ron

[DaveC426913]

I took and still take exception with that former members post's and his very silly comparison chart.. after all that took place and the smoke cleared he sold that " Worlds Best Boat" for a major loss $$ and bought a Much smaller day sailer and Now ITs.... the best boat.. hahahaha..
In The End YOU.. Need to be happy with what YOU Bought.. Heres the test.. Car Boat Motorcycle Plane..whatever toy it is .. EVERYTIME....when you walk away? Do you look back and think.. Thats Mine and smile... If you dont? You made a bad choice.... I even do that with my guitar.. I own a Hofner Very Thin Limited.. I looked a lot before I plunked down that kind of money.. For Me.. for a Guitar... and I am Very Happy with her as well. I cannot make you happy with your toys.... you make you happy, and in the end I and my opinions dont count..

It's all well and good to say "you need to be happy with what you bought" - but that is completely useless advice to a potential owner who has not yet bought.

That's why he's coming here - to solicit opinions from people who HAVE bought. It's up to him to assess whether a given feature or deficiency is important to him. And yes, that includes "the former poster's very silly comparison chart".

[Divecoz]

Dave .. how many post's have we had about broken DB's due to shallow water? IIRC most groundings.. dont take place straight on.. and side pressure on either board .. the board is designed to.... give it up..
Then count how many post about rusted bolts failed bolts snapped cables frayed cables.. with swing keels..? We have a few guys sailing with the motor down... on both models.. Trade Offs.. Humm Money on the table would you race Leon or Highlander ? I dont know about Leon but IIRC Highlander "races" often, with less than 2 feet of board down.. Can you do that..? Trade Offs..
Lots of Flawsssssssssss in "his" chart.. I made fun of one ridiculous statement.. Major Heat Gain due to the additional Black stripe.. Now with and open mind and knowledge about both boats.. go back and critique that chart..
That member made a lot of dubious claims about his boat versus the M's.. and for as much as he denigrated the New Model... as I said he sold his boat for a much smaller day sailor.. Look at the messenger and how he followed up with his claims.. He sold it .. He sold?? A Nova SS 396 and bought a Used Vega..
With all we heard from him, about how great his X was how inferior both M's were... Why did he sell it and step so far down? That's all I am asking you or anyone to take into consideration.. The Messenger..and his claims...
I have said it here a 100 times.. OR More...IMHO... It Really Comes Down to Aesthetics..and Price... Neither boat kicks the others butt... at anything...
Humm... I and several others said we can sleep on the dinette its 7'6" long 4' wide an X owner said Yea if you don't mind sleeping in the fetal position...Huh???

[captronr]

We did the transom shuffle on our X for awhile. What a pain!

I found that on the hard, a six foot aluminum folding ladder would lean against the side to allow an unhampered entry with the life line disconnected. I can load/unload most items easily over the side. Our cooler is the only heavy/bulky thing, and it's mostly doable. It was also a lot faster for us to entry/leave via the ladder than do the transom shuffle. Probably less risk of us falling as well.

We toss the ladder in the truck bed once rigged. We do have a 3 step folding ladder in the boat as the Admiral has issues getting in/out from low slips. Haven't really had to use it yet, but we also carry a cheap plastic step.

Ron

[Brian]

I don't believe anyone mentioned the comparison page from Roger's website yet:
http://macgregor26.com/comparison_with_ ... nd_26m.htm

Both are good as long as you are able to get out on the water...

When I was looking during the summer of 2005 I first looked at used 's. At that time used 's were going for top dollar, and I wanted a 90 hp outboard, so I ended up purchasing a new .

I even wrote about my experience back in 2005 http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... f=9&t=4194

One of the best things about both boats is that they are a blank slate for mods. You can become obsessed with mods...

[K9Kampers]

ROLL CALL......... who among you enters your boat REGULARLY from the transom?? I built for $10 a 2 foot wide 6 foot long storeable ladder ...

In the driveway, always thru the transom via steps. On the road stopping for food or gas, or at ramp, climb up over the side. Use a 5' step ladder at transom only if setting up on land. On the water, always thru the transom for swimming or dinghy boarding. Rarely do I use the trailer's ladder at the bow. At anchor I can swim up to the bow, reach up & board via pirate style...

[Catigale]

transom on anchor from dinghy

transom on road via stern ladder

transom in driveway via stern ladder

[Catigale]

Thread redirect...

The advice I have to new buyers is..

1 Are you willing to go see 3-5 boats (and associated time travel) - probably see one or two that are misrepresented or unrealistically priced, and take 60-180 days to get on the water, to save the 15-20k?

Buy used or

2 If not, then buy a new from one of the dealers recommended on this Board.