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Okay, wifey and I keep discussing the room inside a 26S versus the X and M...I know, the X and M are bigger.
At this point I don't care - I can't even look at the X/M scale boats right now due to $$, vehicles, etc.
But I can truly look at the S as an option to get on the water (and I am!).

Wifey expresses concern over being able to..."function"...in the restricted headroom, pop-top or not.
(I'm kinda fond of the pop-top idea - somebody was pretty smart! Maybe it's the inventor in me.)

So tell me...what's the real story? Our plan is mostly one-nighters on the weekend, maybe a few two-nighters (when we skip church on Sunday!)
Gonna have to sit down inside to be able to do everything?
Bump my head every time I try to move around?
Is it so short in there that it's hard to prepare meals? (Wifey says she doesn't want to have to walk around on her knees...)
Uncomfortable to change clothes?
Am I gonna regret it?
Does the pop-top really help with "roominess" at all?

***Those that had a D or S but have moved up, please feel free to chime in to reminisce and tell me how you did it on the S!***

Stories like "This is what we have to do to make a meal inside..." or "This is what we do to change clothes inside..." would help. I'm trying to get some real ideas to feed to the wifey so she'll know what to expect.

EDIT: Also a factor - we live in Florida, and will spend most of our time sailing/sail-camping down here...no frigid weather and ice storms to worry about...just hot summer days to hide from.

Thanks in advance for all the great feedback!

I guess all of your questions revolve around specific individuals and what they find important and what if any physical limitations they might have for whatever reason. Forgive the cut and paste below, but this is what I recently posted on a different board in regard to a similar question but the questioner was wondering about the differences between and S or D and the prior 25 Mac/Venture.............

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Just a note, Ruth and I don't mind the smaller cabin of the S, but then again there are just the two of us. At home I show the cabin to someone and it seems so small. On the water it seems to get bigger the longer we are out. It would seem like it would be the other way around.

We don't even mind it that much with the pop-top down. Below we are sitting anyway and not walking around. If it is cold the smaller space definitely has advantages. We have our routines and seem to get along fine with the S and don't regret buying it.. I can see where some people would like a larger cabin though,

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If you are 6'1" (I'm the same) you might find the V-berth on the 26 too short also. I did and that was the main reason for moving the head and moving the V-berth forward. It wasn't just the length, but the "V" and how it really crowds you in. After extending the V-berth we don't use the foot or so at the bow end except for storage, but now where my feet are there is some width. There is more width overall since we are now in a wider part of the boat.

Also now when using the john I can pull my pants up .

If you sleep aft, like most people do I don't think there is much comparison on the size of the aft berth between the 25 and 26.

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With the pop-top up yes I can stand. With it down, no, but like I've mentioned before there isn't much reason to be walking around down below anyway. I can sit upright and my head clears the cabin top just fine.

The other day it was cold here and I worked on new wiring all day outside with the top down and it wasn't bad at all and often on the water we will have the top down at night if it is cold and will eat supper and breakfast and fix them with it down.

One thing to remember is that I'm 6'-1", but a fairly skinny yet 165 lbs, actually right now under 160 working on the boat so much, and I use to do a lot of caving when younger, so small tighter situations don't bother me so much. Ruth is 5'-2", but still can't stand with the top down either.

In the evening when we are reading or writing we prefer it down. Seems much cozier to us. Also there are just the two of us and if we had a couple of kids or another couple it would be a whole other story. We have our routines. I sit on the port side and....



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... de-13.html

...run the stove to my left and Ruth sits on the opposite side and uses....



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... de-19.html

...our handy little table to fix the meals and then we move it to eat on. She has all of the ....



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... de-17.html

....dishes, pots/pans, and silverware handy to her and I have the food handy to me....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... de-13.html
...in the storage compartment.

I usually wash dishes and that is the one thing I do on my knees in front of the sink and the only thing that is somewhat inconvenient.

Enlarging the V-Berth and moving the head looks like a big project, but it didn't take that long and we love both aspects of it. A lot of these projects can be done pretty quickly and you can always go back later and make them nicer.

We are lucky that neither of us is very modest and living together in a small space actually appeals to us.

Good luck,

Sum

Our Trips to....

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Ok I read your post to Ruth and here are her thoughts. One it isn't a house it is a boat with a galley area not a kitchen. She reminded me that if you are only out 1-3 days prepare your food at home or mount a ....



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... ide-9.html

...BBQ off the side of the cockpit and cook out there some. With the pop-top up there is plenty of room to stand and change cloths, maybe one at at time, but hey you have the time.

One of Ruth's favorite mods (and mine) is the head in the .....



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... ide-1.html

...cabin area and using the Double Doodie bags, but she reminded me that these boats are very small and if either of you likes your privacy you aren't going to have much most of the time. She also says that with that in mind it is a great way to develope a true intimacy with each other.

She recommends that if you only have 1-3 days on the water to keep it simple and make it a relaxing time.

She says the best of luck to the both of you and have her maybe read a little of our trips or others trips out on the water,

Sum reporting for Ruth

Awesome Sum...thanks...still waiting for you to get down here and take advantage of the nice weather! Today was another perfect day for sailing - was crossing over the north end of Tampa Bay and saw several sailboats with full sails in Upper Tampa Bay area...winds were light, genoa's were flying, but wifey and I were still a bit envious of them!

Wifey and I are particularly intimate and happy being close and in each other's space...that presents no problem to us! (Gags everyone else we're around all the time, but hey, it's our marriage, and I can be co-dependent if I want to!) Cozy works...that's half the reason for getting on a boat and leaving the crowd!!

I'm not 165# anymore (225 now?) but still fairly thin, so it sounds like we'll be fine. Wifey is 5'-2" and petite, so will probably find that it's plenty of room. It's definitely going to be bigger than our tent, maybe not as big as the camp-site with a picnic table and fire-ring, but then again, it's on the water on all four sides!!
I like Ruth's perspective - it isn't a kitchen, it's a galley - it isn't a house, it's a boat - good deal.

We usually do make up our meals ahead-of-time for overnight camping trips - just have to grill the meat and heat up the veggies (or whatever), and I have a little Coleman stove and all the other camping gear for that...so if that works the same way on a boat, we'll be good. Now breakfast - that's fresh eggs and "stuff" cooked right there when we're camping, but to do that, I like the looks of the stove/grill clamped to the railing...that's a nice mod!

My wife is very happy with the roominess of our 26S. She loves to cook and claims preparing meals on board is great because she can cook sitting down and everything is within an arm's reach. She swings the table in front to use as a counter, the cooler is on the berth to her left, the pot is simmering on the right, and utensils are organized in the cabinet below. Storage space on a MacGregor is minimal, but this is to keep production costs low and allows people to customize the interiors to their needs. Most people do add additional storage compartments, and some are very creative.

Yes, you will have to move around in the seated position. I am 6'1" and have no problems getting dressed when sitting on the bench seats. My wife is 5' 2" and she has no trouble moving about.

Yes, things can become quite cluttered if you are a person who needs to bring a lot of 'stuff'. My wife and I come from the world of sea kayaking so we are used to minimal gear- a sleeping bag, a foam pad, a tent just big enough for us to roll over if we take turns. But after spending ten hours in the cockpit of a kayak, such a camp on the beach is a luxury. But now we have mattresses, pillows, pajamas, laptop, fresh food, slippers, electric lights, heat, music, wine glasses- OMG!- but the space is finite. Whether a person is sailing, camping, even motorhoming, I think people make the mistake in thinking that it is necessary to bring all the possessions they are accustomed to in their homes. But, IMHO, part of the enjoyment of being in the wilderness, whether on a sailboat, kayaking, backpacking, etc, is shedding the material goods and enjoying a simpler existence for a few days. Even with four people on board, things are tight but still enjoyable. It is just a matter of understanding that life on a boat is different than life in one's home.

I've managed to do crew of 7 (13-15) plus skipper for a week on my

Having an enclosed head was necessary since they weren't all my kids so we also needed a couple of changing area for beach and dinghy sailing.

With a group like that, one of the important things is to keep the kid gear to one clothes bag and one personal bag. Each morning they dress, then pack their stuff on the back berth for living space.

For packing it in, though,Duane has to get the prize in my book.

vizwhiz wrote:..still waiting for you to get down here and take advantage of the nice weather! ............

...............Wifey and I are particularly intimate and happy being close and in each other's space....

You guys will be fine and will love the Mac, go for it.

Believe it or not we are still coming. I got the boat up in the air off the trailer and used the wax/grease remover on it last night and started sanding. Should finish sanding today and will start with the barrier coats and bottom coats today or tomorrow. Ruth is about done with the netting, wait until you see what she has done . Hopefully we will be packing and leaving next week. We still plan on leaving the boat down there and returning in the spring, which is the reason we are trying to get our mods all done.

c ya,

Sum

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Catigale wrote:...Having an enclosed head was necessary since they weren't all my kids so we also needed a couple of changing area for beach and dinghy sailing..........

This probably wouldn't work for you, but maybe someone??







Ruth made the privacy screen above for what you are describing. It goes up quick and still allows light and air into the cabin where our head is. Of course you have to get the rest of the crew out into the cockpit and if there are 7-8 of you that is a lot out there. We used it when we were out with one other couple for 3 days......

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... r-Mia.html

We keep it on board with just the two of us as it also allows us to cook and get some fresh air into the stove, but still keep some of the warmth in if it is cold out.

More about it here....

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... vas-3.html

c ya,

Sum

Our Trips to...

Our Mac Pages

Mac-Venture Links

You can see the concept of my change area here



The curtain comes down and slides across that very expensive piece of line and makes the Vberth area (just forward of the table starboard) private for changing.

This is great stuff...thanks! I'll chat with wifey about it tonight and see what she throws at me. I mean, see what she thinks!!