Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 22 by Jeff Hadley

Year built	1984
Location of boat	Lake Hefner, Oklahoma City, OK
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	5-6
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1989
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes - We bought this boat about a year after our first child was born. Previously sailing catamarans but those are the best for introducing a new family member to sailing.
Gear that's been added	No - pretty much running a stock boat.
Structural or complex improvements	Preparing to reinforce the cleat mounting locations due to spider cracking.
The boat's best features	This is a very stable boat and well suited for beginning sailing families. We have often retracted the keel and beached the boat for an afternoon swim or picnic. The pop-top gives ample headroom for those of us less than about 6'0"It is also stable enough we can feel comfortable taking our kids' friends out to enjoy the sailing experience with us.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The main sheet configuration is in the way any time you are motoring and the main sheet cleating method sucks. This will be our next change to the boat.
Sailing characterisitcs	This boat handles well in 5 - 15 kt winds. As the wind increases so does the weather helm - would certainly benefit from a balanced rudder configuration. We normally sail with the main and genoa and this gives the best handling. Beware of lack of visibility when rigged with the genoa.
Motoring characterisitcs	We motor with a Merc 115 that's older than the boat. The rudder is ineffective for major course changes while motoring, such as negotiating in to the slip or through the harbor. For these events steering is accomplished with the motor and just let the rudder follow the boat.
Liveability	A weekend for two is fine. If the whole family is going for the weekend we pack a tent and beach it.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	They were very helpful when we requested spec's on the boat.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	No - individual purchase
Other comments	We now have four sailing kids who have grown up on this boat. Our ten year old skipper's while motoring in and out of the slip and harbor to open water. Our seven year old takes over as skipper once under sail. The 12 and 15 year olds handle all sail changes, deck and mooring duties. It's great! My wife and I just sit back, relax, snuggle and enjoy the breeze!

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