Macgregor 65/70 Discussion

[Catigale]

By request, default thread for discussion on the Big Kahunas. In my next Finance meeting, I'll try to link and post threads here.

[mikelinmon]

I hope that means we will have a spot for the M65 now M70 on this forum. I will offer contributions from time to time, progress as it were. Epoxy and knit FG with carbon reinforcements in some high load areas such as keel foundation. The masts, 2, are carbon fiber, 265hp Yanmar to drive the boat and pump the water ballast from side to side, varnished great looking wood trim and counter tops, windows in the hull, fixed bowsprit, fin keel with bulb. I will post photos soon. Don't know cost yet or just when they will be ready to sell. Roger MacGregor works on this design nonstop. I hope we will be racing her this spring.
Mike Inmon

[DaveC426913]

Then we're going to need pictures!

Here's a 65 resting comfortably in Port Dalhousie on Lake Ontario.

[SENCMac26x]

We should run a contest, the winner gets an invitation to go sailing on that 70

[kevinnem]

Cat-- are you buying one?

[BOAT]

Man, that MAC 65 says "Cross Any Ocean" all over it! I hope the 65 and 70 owners will post here often.

[Russ]

I imagine the 65 will be a fast boat and win many races. Lots of high tech advancements on a proven fast hull. Totally different kind of use than we X/M owners.
Will be fun to watch how it performs.

For me, I'm not a racer. Got no interest in that game.

[BOAT]

Really, it's not all about racing - it's about getting across large oceans in real comfort and security.
SPEED IS SAFETY out in the ocean - the faster you can make that crossing the fewer days you are exposed to storm and danger, so speed is important even as a safety feature.
But the main thing is cutting through in high seas: That long needle like shape is so proven by 200 years of Schooner crossings in the worst conditions. I would feel very safe far out at sea on a boat like that.

[Russ]

265hp Yanmar to drive the boat and pump the water ballast from side to side

Make no mistake, this is a racer. It will be smoking fast.

There are plenty of ocean going cruisers out there with less complicated systems that folks circle the globe in with MUCH more interior comfort.

Roger will once again be setting records.

[BOAT]

Interior comfort? What the heck does that mean? Softer bunks? Bigger flat screen TV? Bigger refrigerator? Ge whiz, the MAC 65 is designed to be driven from it's own elevated captain cockpit inside with big wrap around windows right next to the galley!! You can drive the boat and eat breakfast at the same time! What could be more interior comfort than that? Not sure I understand that one.

[Russ]

Interior comfort? What the heck does that mean? Softer bunks? Bigger flat screen TV? Bigger refrigerator? Ge whiz, the MAC 65 is designed to be driven from it's own elevated captain cockpit inside with big wrap around windows right next to the galley!! You can drive the boat and eat breakfast at the same time! What could be more interior comfort than that? Not sure I understand that one.

This thread is for the Mac 65. I'd rather not compare it to other boats here.

[BOAT]

Oh, okay. It seemed pretty comfortable to me. I really really like the way they positioned and inside helm station overlooking the galley - that's a great feature. I also like how the main sleeping cabins are on opposite ends of the boat giving maximum privacy and quiet to the occupants. But my favorite part is the narrow hull - that makes it way more comfortable to ride in when the waves are real big and makes it so much easier to get from the starboard side to the port side without climbing a big hill and breaking your neck when close hauled. I bet the pitch angles in heavy seas are a fraction of what they are on the wider boats I see all the time now. I never did like the current trend to go wider on large sailboats - I think it detracts from safety and comfort in heavy sea.

[Ixneigh]

I thought the big beamy sleds that top out in the low twenties, or that big multi that can get cited for speeding on most major highways are the future of boat racing. The Mac 70 won't be anywhere that fast. A fast cruiser to be sure, and safer and more comfort.
Ix

[tek]

I'd actually been kicking around a larger boat, and of course owning a already, its big brother makes the short list. The only real negative I see is the keel requiring 6'+ even for the shoal version.. My has spoiled me to being able to get close to shore, would it be some sort of sacrilege to modify the keel on a 65?

[BOAT]

I thought the big beamy sleds that top out in the low twenties, or that big multi that can get cited for speeding on most major highways are the future of boat racing. The Mac 70 won't be anywhere that fast. A fast cruiser to be sure, and safer and more comfort.
Ix

Your right, the MAC 70 will not be anywhere NEAR as fast as the new boats - and in fact for top speed runs the MAC has been slower than almost all the boats it's been beating for YEARS.
It's not about top speed, that's great in a regatta sailing around buoys and a committee boat, but for long ocean passages the MAC still has the best sustained overall mean average speed, which is what counts on a long passage. The MAC 65 still holds a record for holding a constant speed above twenty knots for the longest period of time. The thing crosses oceans like a Royal Caribbean Cruse Ship! It never slows down!

And when the water is rough the MAC is WAY better and WAY more comfortable than getting pounded and thrown around on the surface like those new wide boats. The MAC is a submarine - it just slices right under the stuff. I still think long and narrow and low is still the best for extended cruising if your trying to put away the nautical miles in the least amount of time - I like to travel.

If i were sitting at the dock most the time I probably would consider the wider boats more, but I like to TRAVEL. That's what I think a boat is for, to travel. Everyone is different.