Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 23 by S. Kelley

Year built	1979
Location of boat	Mt. Vernon, WA
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1996
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	While I really like this boat, given my druthers I think I would buy one with a fixed shoal keel. In the waters of Puget Sound, you really take a beating on a boat this light. It's too big to be considered sporty, and too light to really take on the swells. One really needs a boat just a little bit heavier to feel comfortable in some of our quirky squalls.
Gear that's been added	Digital depth sounder, all new electrical wiring, lead all lines aft, added line clamps and downhauls. Also added hanks to the mainsail to make single-handling easier.
Structural or complex improvements	I'm a big guy, so I added a lot of structural stiffening under the cockpit.
The boat's best features	The style is fantastic. The Venture of Newport look always draws compliments when I am docking overnight at guest docks. The wood bowsprit and wood rails along the aft sides give it a real "shippy" look. Of course, along with that comes the sanding and varnishing...
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	I'm 6'4" and well over 200 pounds. Getting around inside is a real pain. I probably should have a bigger boat. Using the porta-potty is an exercise in gymnastics. Being in an inland waterway, you don't dare use the alternative, so you make do. Raising and lowering the mast is truly terrifying. I finally added nylon straps to both sides of the mast to stabilize it while I am raising it using a gin pole. The gunwales are very thin and I have had to repair each side. I think the previous owner may have strapped it down too tight and cracked it. They didn't show until a bout with some nasty swells. The original pulleys are kind of cheap, and I am slowly replacing them all at $30 a pop.
Sailing characterisitcs	Sailing this boat is fun. With the mast raked back it seems well balanced with the main and jib deployed. Putting up the flying jib can overpower the bow and cause you to head up if you're not careful. Also, the flying jib has to be pulled around when you tack. The self-tending jib takes care of itself. I have actually found this boat to be fairly fast in light winds. More than once I have passed similar sized boats and watched their crew look around to see where I was getting the wind. In heavier winds it heels over fast. You have to stay on your toes and keep your hand on the mainsheet. Also I have noticed the bow kind of corkscrews, so you have to watch your course carefully. This is not a 'set and forget' boat.
Motoring characterisitcs	I use an 8 HP Yamaha, and can easily push the boat past hull speed.
Liveability	This is definitely a weekender boat. It just isn't set up, nor is it big enough, for anything more.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	I requested materials from MacGregor, and they were very cooperative and sent what they had right away. That's been my only contact with them.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I bought my boat from a family that was going to a bigger boat so they could take longer trips.
Other comments

Contact
About
Terms of Use