Tattoo Yachts

[Mac26Mpaul]

I agree with IX on the storage idea.

I believe there is certainly scope for some money to be made by either Tatoo, or perhaps some talented individual, designing some nice flatpack stuff, for owners to retrofit to T26s, M26s and X26s.

I guess I'm just too young to see the issue that some bring up on the thickness of the hull of these boats. As I just pointed out on another sailing forum where this was brought up, In the old days, trailer sailers were often built in a "more to be sure" kind of way... These boats are built in an era of computer aided design, testing to the point of silliness, and in a country where litigation takes place for farting....

If there were issues with the hull, I think there should have been at least one case by now... Blue water - on an open sea, I'm sure the hull would survive some quite horrible conditions (it would be extremely uncomfortable for anyone in it though). On the other hand, smashing into a lee shore that included a few rocks, I reckon she might suffer some more damage than those "more to be sure" old boats, but hey, this is a trailer boat. It doesn't matter what anyone does to it, this hull shape is never going to be the boat you'd choose, to cross oceans in, and it was certainly not designed for that. I'm pretty sure it was designed for the kind of stuff I do with my M and | have no issues with the hull, mind you, I wish there was a bit more gelcoat on it sometimes

All that aside, if you did add more glass, or much else, you would also need a different trailer, at least outside the US, because it is already virtually impossible to keep it under the 1920kgs the trailer is rated to here....

Improvements that I would have liked, would have a been a better steerage system with less slop, and probably a total redesign of the stern to make it a) more aesthetically pleasing and b) easier access past the motor... You will have to make some more substantial design changes at some stage, so you can get all us old M owners to upgrade

[yukonbob]

I tend to disagree with the thicker hulls are better. There tends to be a fine balance with things regarding strength and mass, and more is not usually better i.e. ferro cement hulls. I watched a video this morning of a Spanish cargo ship getting ripped in two on a jetty. I'm completely content with the hull thickness on the Mac or tattoo for what they are, and one day we will upgrade to something we can live aboard comfortably, and if we're lucky maybe Laura and her crew will have taken a bite out of that market as well?

[Ixneigh]

I designed my storage mod which has a shelf on top, a paper chart drawer, a space for Tupperware containers for cloths and under that, a sizable bin. It's made of plywood and sits just forward of the galley unit when that is slid to its extreme forward position. The storage unit is all made from SS L clips, and 3/8 wood. There's some teak trim also.
There is no joiner work, as it all screws together with the metal clips. It is secured with two small screws so removal of the unit does not leave the boat full of holes. It can be disassembled very easily. I had wanted to make it out of the same teak Formica junk used on the oem wood stuff, but in the end, didn't do that. I would have paid hundreds extra for something like it all ready to go. Same way with the shelving and catch all bins I have. Bonus if you don't have to drill a bunch of holes to mount it.
In terms of the glass, I was more meaning just for better feel. I've had macs before, and I don't think the boats are weak per say, else I wouldn't have bought it. I can also do glasswork to fix whatever bothers me, like the top of the cabin, that got some more glass for a more solid feel under foot.
Ix

[fouz]

how did you get access to put more glass on the roof?

[Ixneigh]

I ground off all the gel coat in those areas, and put down a couple layers of light biax glass. Then I faired it and redid all the gel coat nonskid with blue durabak. I think it looks very nice. The two tone deck make the boat stand out. The color also matched the hull paint I used. The areas I glassed are invisible.
Ix

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Just in case Laura is still following this thread, let me add my name to the list of people who would definitely buy an even larger version of a trailerable MacGregor powersailor. Even 28 feet would add a lot of interior size and 30 or more would be nirvana. I understand the concerns about the beam size and trailering restrictions, but maybe with a bit of wizardry, these challenges could be solved.

Anyway, I also do appreciate the new generation of MacGregor builders participating on this forum.... As a testamonial, I've owned dozens of boats including some larger than my 26X and I've never kept them more than a few years typically. I'm now on my 11th year of 26X ownership and unless Laura is successful in building a larger one, I probably will never sell it.

Thanks, Dimitri

[Mac26Mpaul]

I would have thought you'd want some more beam, but I'v heard from a few people that the 28 foot version of the X that was being built here sailed well (and was heaps more roomy inside)

[bartmac]

As soon as you exceed 2.5metres in Oz anyway you end up with wide load issues....a pain in the you know what....and having checked an US site on vehicle width...some US states are 8ft some 8ft6 and some 9ft....so I imagine any manufacturer would not build to a size which excludes sales to a significant number of states!
Looked at RL34 (not marketed in the US??) with 9ft11in beam but decided against it due to the width and the rules re towing....nice boat though and of course the Imexus 28 at 2.5m beam with a 140hp Turbo Volvo Duo prop.....nice but not affordable....well not that and the wife!!!
I guess also that BIG is good but certainly a handful on the road....I find our Mac26X big enough....everyone needs to overtake

[Boblee]

The boat on the left here was an Aussie Macman 28, which was a copy of the but larger with a 90hp motor standard, they didn't take off for various reasons but a lovely boat.

I bet the moulds are still available though.

[Ixneigh]

Seems like a main complaint is the small bathroom size. Wouldn't it be easier to do a partial redesign of the standard boat interior?

Did macgregor not have the lawyers to go after copycats, or did he just not care?

The larger boat may be more roomy but it is not as good looking as the one beside it. Looks count for something, in my case, they mean a lot. I would have bought something else if I didn't like the lines of the macs.
Ix

[Tomfoolery]

....and having checked an US site on vehicle width...some US states are 8ft some 8ft6 and some 9ft....so I imagine any manufacturer would not build to a size which excludes sales to a significant number of states!

Perhaps a minor point, but just so you know, 8'-6" is legal in all States on the Interstate Highway System, and for some distance from the interstate (since access has to be allowed somehow). RVers talk about this a lot of their forums, as many are now built at 102" width. It's a problem, for sure, when state DOT or police decide to pull out the tape measure if you're in a 96" State and not on the Interstate. I don't know what the answer is, but it would be nice if States would adopt the 102" width uniformly. There are some parts of the Interstate system that ban 102" vehicles, too, but those are mostly in highly congested urban areas, like some bridges and tunnels into/out of NYC.

But at least you can pass through more restrictive States without worrying about getting fined.

Oh, and if I could get my hands on a lightweight water ballasted sailboat like my , but with another couple of feet of length and 6" of beam, I'd probably stop there. An outboard would be better than an inboard, as the space needed by the inboard would eat up any advantage of another 2 ft of length. Swing keel and kickup rudder(s) for skinny water, and minimal teak (I've had boats with lots of teak - no more).

Where can I order one of those?

Glad to see Laura popping in now and again, too. Puts a face on the company.

[Boblee]

Seems like a main complaint is the small bathroom size. Wouldn't it be easier to do a partial redesign of the standard boat interior?

Did macgregor not have the lawyers to go after copycats, or did he just not care?

The larger boat may be more roomy but it is not as good looking as the one beside it. Looks count for something, in my case, they mean a lot. I would have bought something else if I didn't like the lines of the macs.
Ix

The small bathroom was addressed in this boat and to go from an or an was a shock as the interior was just so much better (bigger), the only disadvantage was price (for me) and weight but not sure what the difference was although it did have a tandem much higher rated trailer standard, it sailed better and motored better than the real Macs you could comfortably sleep rear or forward unlike my problem with the real .
As for the look it did look a bit boxier than the real but in reality up close it was still a very good looking boat IMHO, maybe Laura would look at making a larger or ?.
There was no problem with design AFAIK as the Aust dealer was involved in manufacturing them and in fact he (Phillip)was piloting that boat at the time in the Whitsundays I think any problems arose in the manufacturing here in Oz but hard to understand why it couldn't be made elsewhere.
The Mackman was legal towing in Aust which is 2.44m? or 96".
Would love to do another GAN trip, they used to annual but unfortunately I only made it to one as we always had somewhere else to go at that time of year, was especially good for newbies like we were then.

[Boblee]

Another showing the difference between Macs and real sailboats, we had crossed the sand and rocks in the foreground at halftide to be high and dry while the boat outside had to swing in the elements all night and come in on his dinghy to explore the island and then time his retreat with the tide to get his dinghy so he could return to his boat.
Really makes you appreciate the versatility of the or now the

[Mac26Mpaul]

Well taste is a subjective thing of course, but I'd disagree with the Mackman 28 not looking good. I confess that powersailers with their huge freeboard/ boxy shape, in my eyes are not exactly what I'd call pretty to start with, but the Mackman 28 was no less pretty than any of the others... If you like the look of the X, I think you might be impressed if you saw the Mach 28 in the flesh.

http://www.ensignbrokers.com.au/ensign/ ... cht/119392

http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for ... -28/145539

[bartmac]

Certainly didn't spend any money on draftsmen to alter the Mac design!!!