Hunter 23.5 over 26C - talk me out of it?

[hierochloe]

After over a year of grab-a$$ing around looking at trailerable SVs, going from 'defo not water ballast' to 'water ballast or bust', I think I've narrowed down my ideal boats to two:
- MacGregor 26C
- Hunter 23.5

The parameters eventually leading here:
- easily trailered behind a 4.0 V6 (5000lb rating) or less
- shallow draft for maximum access
- easy mast/rigging setup (30 min max, ideally half of that once acclimated)
- WAF maximization: wife will be far more into drinking wine and soaking rays than pulling lines and planing waves
- anti-social minimization: having a guest couple or more comfortable in the cockpit with us
- overnight comfort that falls somewhere above backpacking, but RV quality is completely unnecessary, 2 people plus maybe a dog
- water life: easy to get to a beach (shallow draft), go swimming, and fishing
- sailing ability: it has to have sails and a reasonable ability to get places under wind power without feeling like a joke or making my head explode or breaking apart in 2ft seas - this is totally subjective - it doesn't have to win any races but it also can't suck. Use would be lakes for now, coastal within one or two seasons.

I'm here to be talked out of the Hunter 23.5. I'm leaning towards it over a 26C because:
-fits a lot better in my driveway although it's a bit heavier
-comfort/water life factors seem to rate higher (esp transom, cockpit) along with tubbiness while the sailing ability isn't so bad I would hate it(?)
-any slip or similar fees incurred on a trip (rare) might be lower due to length(?).

But having no first hand experience with either boat, I really don't know anything about it. All of my sailing experience is with small boats like lasers and hobie cats, so this would technically be a first big-boy boat as well. I'm very interested to know if there's something significant between these two boats that I'm missing, especially if it applies to factors under consideration. I know I can look for owners locally and ask them, I'm planning to do that this season if I don't pull the trigger on one before then.

So what do the MacGregor sailors have to say about it?

[NiceAft]

I don't know if this helps, but it's the only comparison I could find.

https://forums.sailboatowners.com/threa ... 6s.117207/

If you have not yet been on either, I strongly suggest that you hold off on a decision until you have actually been on both.

In 1979 I went to the NYC Boat Show to buy a Sunfish. While there I saw the lesser known Phantom. For the next couple of hours I went back and forth between the two displays. I eventually bought the Phantom. I would have bet nickles to Navy beans that the Sunfish was my future. So, get out on both before you buy. Over forty years later, I still have the Phantom.

On the other hand, you will be so happy with whichever of them you get, you won't think twice about the other.

[Starscream]

When I first began shopping for a sailboat I was looking at Hunter 23's and Hunter 26's. I bought a Siren 17 first, for a few years, to learn the ropes so to speak. Then I bought a 26X, mostly because of the enclosed head and cockpit making things much easier for the family to enjoy extended outings. Never once had the slightest regret.

It seems rare for boat owners to wish their boat was 3 ft smaller.

The 26 will offer more adventures, options and opportunities. A 26ft boat is only 13% longer than a 23ft boat, but weekend on the 26 is more than 13% better. I'll go out on a limb and say that for trailer sailers, the available options go up with the square of the length.

Plus the 26S sails better, by all accounts. You'll find plenty of stories about 26S boats going to the Bahamas, but not so much with the Hunter 23.

But go ahead and buy the Hunter 23. It only means that we will be coaching you on which 26S to buy in a couple of years from now.

[Jimmyt]

The subject says 26s, but your post says 26c. So, are you looking at 26d and 26s boats?

https://www.practical-sailor.com/sailbo ... unter-23-5

PHRF avg: 243

Mac 26s PHRF: 215 (ranges from 198 to 222)

Mac 26s likely sails a tad better. The 26s and 26d are supposed to be good sailing boats, and their handicaps back that up. 30 seconds per mile isn't going to mean you can't enjoy the Hunter, though.

I'm with Ray. You need to get aboard both if you can. You are also buying used, so condition and price will also play into the decision of what you find.

The "stalls going to windward in heavy air" mentioned in the practical sailor review is a tad unsettling regarding the Hunter 23.5. However, the Macgregor review in PS is almost unintelligible, so maybe the Hunter review is no good either.

Finding someone who has owned both and can give you a truly unbiased comparison is unlikely.

My opinion is, go boat shopping for both. See what you can find, and pick the best example of either that you find within your budget. You may get lucky during shopping and get to sail on both.

Whatever you get, you'll be sailing. That's a win in my book.

[svscott]

I've never set foot on a Hunter 23 but I've owned my 1987 26D since 2005 and have sailed it thousands of miles on Lake Erie (but never further than 50 miles from home at any time). I'm confidant and comfortable sailing it hard in winds up to about 25-30 mph. Winds from 5 to 15 mph and waves under 3' are what I'm happiest with and I'll use whichever head sail makes sense for the day.

I love my 26D but my wife does not share my affinity for the boat due to its cramped headroom and the need to crawl into the aft bed... that, and she gets sketched out with anything more than 15 degrees of heel. The D just starts settling into it's happy spot at 15 degrees of heel. I recently found an unbeatable deal and purchased a 1998 26X that boasts much more interior comfort for her, plus the big motor grants the ability to use it in different ways than we would the D.

In the end, whichever boat you choose, keep in mind that you're buying an "affordable" used boat that should have already depreciated, and so long as you don't break it, you can sell it and buy the next boat to try out with virtually no financial loss. In fact, you may potentially even make money on the deal if you get lucky, find a great deal, and maybe put in some sweat equity and smart upgrades.

Please post back and let us know what you end up with!

[Seapup]

I had a 26x and my nextdoor neighbor a hunter 23.5. I towed his 23.5 for him and helped set up take down a few seasons and we kept the at the marina together during the summer. It trailered well. He later towed it with his honda CRV. I have some pics of us rafted together, but woudl have to dig for them. You are pretty accurate with your assessment. Not a mac classsic, but compared to my X his boat was more of a day sailer and the x a cruiser. The 23.5 did not look noticibly shorter when rafted with mine. It was lower, but had a taller mast than my x and slightly wider hull. Setup was about the same on both our boats. We raised and lowered the mast by hand. It had a larger main and smaller jib than the X. Very simple sheeting arrangement. Possiby something to upgrade. For normal daysailing the cockpit of the 23.5 was open and the low cabin top to sit on made it fun for playing around in nice weather. It sailed a little better than the x in light winds IMO. Felt even more like a dinghy than the X. It leaned right over and got going in no wind. The cabin was simple small and clean, but more just a spot to crash out and sleep in. One time launching it we forgot to cleat the centerboard. While backing off the trailer the board levered itself full into the bottom and took 3 grown men way too much head scratching to figure out why it wouldn't come off the trailer.

[hierochloe]

Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback. It feels like the 23.5 is still the slight favorite for us although I think we would be plenty content with a 26C and it would have a lot more potential too grow into. Either way I strongly suspect local availability and condition/price will ultimately be the deciding factor between the two anyway. I'm glad to hear any further opinions on it and will post back what the future brings us.

[NiceAft]

Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback. It feels like the 23.5 is still the slight favorite for us although I think we would be plenty content with a 26C and it would have a lot more potential too grow into. Either way I strongly suspect local availability and condition/price will ultimately be the deciding factor between the two anyway. I'm glad to hear any further opinions on it and will post back what the future brings us.

hierochloe,

From one of the many friendly moderators,

There is one other advantage to the Mac, and that is us. It should be obvious that you won't find a friendlier, more informative, non judgmental forum than this one.

[dlandersson]

And humble ... don't forget humble ...

Thanks for all the thoughtful feedback. It feels like the 23.5 is still the slight favorite for us although I think we would be plenty content with a 26C and it would have a lot more potential too grow into. Either way I strongly suspect local availability and condition/price will ultimately be the deciding factor between the two anyway. I'm glad to hear any further opinions on it and will post back what the future brings us.

hierochloe,

From one of the many friendly moderators,

There is one other advantage to the Mac, and that is us. It should be obvious that you won't find a friendlier, more informative, non judgmental forum than this one.

[Jimmyt]

And humble ... don't forget humble ...