Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 22 by Missy LaBarge

Year built	1982
Location of boat	MN
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1986
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	I would definately buy this boat again!
Gear that's been added	VHF radio, one Arco 6 winch & porta-potty have been replaced.
Structural or complex improvements	The only structural improvement that had to be made was to replace the Arco 6 winch in the cockpit. The winch broke off when we launched the boat one fine summers day last year. As my husband drove the truck & trailer off the launch, I heard this horrible crack sound! It turns out he wrapped a trailer strap around the winch to get it out of the way. And the strap was still attached to the trailer! We had to replace the winch. A testament to the strength of the fiberglass, which caused the spindle to break, NOT the boat.
The boat's best features	I love the pop-up cabin! It makes for great headroom when spending weekends or longer on the boat. The snap on windows & screens are easy to put on and a bonus that they keep bugs & rain out.Best of all is the retractable keel and ease of trailering. This allows us to explore many of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes & rivers!
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	I have not had any problems with breakage. As for design, I was thinking it would be great to have more headroom where the porta-potty is kept.
Sailing characterisitcs	Although I prefer a perfect 10 mph wind, I have "washed windows" while sailing in white caps. She handles beautifully.
Motoring characterisitcs	I had a 5 horse Mariner, which a thief in the night cut the bolts and lock on & stole. The Mariner had a bad habit of busting shear pins. I hope the thief got stranded when he motored away... He forgot to take the extra shear pins with him! I replaced it with an older 4 horse Johnson. Not as pretty as the Mariner, but hopefully lack of beauty will prevent someone from stealing it. And I don't have a shear pin problem with the Johnson.The motoring & steering ability with both are excellent as long as you had some keel down for weight in the water.
Liveability	The boat is fine for people to live aboard for short periods of time. I have actually spent extended weekends with 4 adults and it was comfortable.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	I have never dealt directly with MacGregor.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I purchased the boat from the original owner.
Other comments	I have put the "Nautigal" through a lot and she still shines brightly. I plan on upgrading to a larger boat someday. One that will not be trailerable. But I will still keep her. I love this boat!

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