What is so bad about these boats???

[Rick Westlake]

Most any of the other boats are "one trick ponys". Look like you are rich. Go fast. Cruise way off shore. Sail/operate in thin water, Go lots of places. in general you can "pick one" and get a perfect boat. Most boats will only do one trick plus spend lot of money. Looks like another list of why we sail a Mac is forming up.

Mike, Louis, Ray, John, Mike, Jamie, Curtiss - "Manny, Moe & Jack" too -

I'll join the "Why We Sail A Mac" bandwagon with pride and pleasure!

Do I want to "look rich"? Nah, just makes me a target. Don't need no stinkin' "designer jeans," or "designer boats" either (unless the designer was W.I.B. Crealock - some day, maybe, some day!)

"Go fast?" Yeah, sometimes. But not enough to replace my elderly Honda 50 with an E-Tec ... not yet.

"Cruise way off shore?" Some day ... see "W.I.B. Crealock," above. But I can learn how to handle the cruising life - all but the spending weeks out of sight of land, and sleeping fitfully through the nights while a windvane keeps me pointed toward my destination - aboard Bossa Nova, right in the Chesapeake Bay. (And the Bahamas aren't out of reach, either!)

"Sail & operate in thin water?" I got that T-shirt, several of 'em, and Bossa Nova has the burgee.

"Go lots of places?" Try bringing your "Corinthian 50" to Smith Mountain Lake for the weekend. Travel the USA? Anywhere there's a decent road and a decent ramp. I can fly my SSCA colors in places they don't belong (the Salton Sea?)

Varnish brightwork? You gotta be kidding! I just spent $350 to have a set of three 3/4" tinted-acrylic dropboards made up, to replace the varnish-blemished plywood boards I made for myself last year.

Fix it up the way I like it? Look at the mods I've posted. And then there are the ones I've copied.

Impress the dock-neighbors? No thanks. I'm too busy sailing, and having fun.

Do I like to "impress" the folks out on the Interstate? I've also got a T-shirt and burgee to match yours in that respect, Curtiss. Many of us have them - it's "Commodore Corinthian" who doesn't see the great advantages and virtues in our boats, and look down upon us as "trailer-yacht trash." (We know they don't know what they're missing, while they're so busy varnishing all of that brightwork!)

I have only two serious goals I can't meet in a Mac - moving aboard (and making it my "only home"), and sailing it around the world. But, by gaw, I can train myself up to reach for those goals in Bossa Nova, and I am doing so!

MacGregors rule!

Cheers,
Rick

[restless]

Yeah...
When I turned up at a friends mooring I had the calls on the radio 'is that you in the James Bond boat?'
and when holed in by bad weather, the rafted gentry often nod and smile at the simplicity of functional design and even more to the point that we're out there in the same place as they in their retirement plan.
These boats are built to a price then with desire they can be fitted out to a really nice standard. Brilliant!

[c130king]

Probably the biggest issue for me...and it has been mentioned a few times...is the windage of the boat. Especially when getting in/out of tight marinas/slips. I have "bumped" a few boats, bumped several piers, and one "hard" bump against a piling. It is hard to handle tight quarters in strong or gusty winds. Especially the bow swinging around. I do the backing trick as much as possible and always leave my rudders/centerboard down as much as I can.

But all the pluses of this boat far outweight this issue.

Cheers,
Jim

[NiceAft]

Rick,

You forgot Moe, Larry, and Curly Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk

Ray

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

A couple of years ago during WINTER, we removed the hardware and masts, and used our "X" as a cabin cruizer. It did just fine. Much fun. Now, since the Mac is slipped 100% of the time, it's too much trouble to remove the mast, hardware, and storing...but, here's the deal, it's no problem having a cabin cruizer with a tall "pole" sticking upwards from the roof...no problem at all. Sometimes during Winter...the weather permits unfirling the jib, and even sliding up the mainsail. Hey...it works just fine.

What a boat ! Guys, we got it made, and it didnt "break the bank"...


(Above may be quoted by any Dealer to a prospective customer -- customers deserve to know)

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

After reading my last post above, and having certain other opinions about the MacGregor, I'm convinced, a MacGregor Powersailor Boat ought to outsell all similar sized boating competitors combined.
But, watch out...any one noticing that even competitors are seeing the advantages of trailerable power sailing "family" boats ??
IF Roger can continue to manage pricing as reasonable...there's no competition. (I hope he's listening, since eventually, I may want a new "M" -- white color)

[baldbaby2000]

My wife and I really enjoy our Mac 26M. It's easily trailerable, big inside, and a big motor is nice; however, I do have to say it's not the best sailing boat and certainly not the fastest. (I've raced it many times with not a lot of success.) It's a bit squirrely in gusty winds and takes a bit to know how to anticipate the gusts with the rudders because of the weather helm. It seems to sail best in about 15 knots of wind. 18-20 knots we throw in a reef so it's more controllable but we loose a lot of speed.

We have no immediate plans to change boats because every boat is a compromise and this is the one that fits our needs now.

[Jamie79]

Still want to see one in person but as far as i can see these are great boats, i dont see a single thing wrong with them. seems to be a classic it is what it is scenario. it is a good boat it powers fast sails decent and is trailerable, i see why people hate the macs. a mac owner gets too have their cake and eat it . cant wait to see one in person.

[Terry]

My wife and I really enjoy our Mac 26M. It's easily trailerable, big inside, and a big motor is nice; however, I do have to say it's not the best sailing boat and certainly not the fastest. (I've raced it many times with not a lot of success.) It's a bit squirrely in gusty winds and takes a bit to know how to anticipate the gusts with the rudders because of the weather helm. It seems to sail best in about 15 knots of wind. 18-20 knots we throw in a reef so it's more controllable but we loose a lot of speed.

We have no immediate plans to change boats because every boat is a compromise and this is the one that fits our needs now.

The excess weather helm may be a bit more exagerated than it should be from having too much aft rake in your mast. I have mine almost perpendicular to the deck with maybe only 3" of aft rake. I have little or no weather helm. I set the rigging in my driveway. I first leveled the boat with the boot stripe level to the ground then leveled it abeam, then I clipped a 5# dumbbell weight to the main halyard and set the mast with foretsay to about 3" of rake then tightend the shrouds using a Loos Guage to set everything else. Works fine and I have very little weather helm.