Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 23 by Bob Bringle

Year built	1983
Location of boat	Lake Monroe, Indiana
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	1996
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Definitely. We love the boat. It fits our needs for a sailboat that we can easily day sail, weekend on, and trail to bigger waters (e.g., Lake Huron)for 2 week cruises. The Newport is a real looker, gets regular compliments, has a roomy cockpit, can float in 18 inches, is not so heavy as to require a new tow vehicle, and provides sufficient space below for two persons.
Gear that's been added	Bulwagga anchor for Georgian Bay and North Channel trips, VHS, fire extinguisher, GPS, bilge pump, and topping lift. Next season we will add cockpit cushions.
Structural or complex improvements	We had the advantage of finding a model that had been lightly used and was in pristine shape. I laminated a new tiller (original one was cracked), epoxied/varnished all of the bright work, added two sets of reef points to the main (I didn't like reefing by rolling the main around the boom), and extended the V-berth to the mast support and put the portapotti under the extension.
The boat's best features	We love the versatility of the cutter rig, the large cockpit, and the pop top. The swing keel allows us to get into back bays of our home reservoir where they left stumps for fish cover, to enjoy isolated achorages on Lake Huron, and to create "rock docks" on Lake Huron that avoid the bobbing and dancing at anchor. The boat is very simple in all ways, which fits our camping approach to boating. The two of us can raise the mast without the need for a gin pole or other forms of help.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The factory trailer we have requires that we shift weight (e.g., gas tank, anchors, tool box, anything heavy) forward to the V berth to prevent fishtailing. The boat's construction and equipment is on the light and cheap side, but is holding up to moderate use.Launching is easy, especially if we extend the tongue of the trailer (which we now routinely do). Retrieving is more difficult because the back of the boat must be centered in order for the swing keel to be in the proper location. Trailer guides would help this problem.
Sailing characterisitcs	The sail combinations can be tailored to a variety of conditions. The Newport does not point very close to the wind (i.e., > 45 degrees) and is not a particularly fast sailboat on any point of sail. The self-tending jib is very nice, although you must keep an eye on it if you are on the foredeck when a wind shift causes an unexpected tack. After a tack, the boat often heads way off the wind even when the jib(s) are eased and the tiller is corrected. The boom of the self-tending jib also will "fly high" as you let out the sheet on a run. When running, the main can blanket the foresails. Sometimes we have run under main only, other times using only the two jibs wing and wing. Occasionally, we can sail wing-and-wing-and-wing.
Motoring characterisitcs	We have an 8 HP motor handles all conditions very well. Electric start is worth it because it makes starts easy and the alternator keeps the battery charged.
Liveability	We have done one 10-day cruise on the Georgian Bay and two 2-week cruises on the North Channel and we are still married. For the first 5 years, we slept on the dinnette, which was cramped. Extending the V berth gave us much more room for sleeping. Storage of stuff is a challenge for long trips, but we're getting better at that. The galley (a box with a useless sink) is used for storage. We usually cook in the cockpit; when it is raining we cook on the dinnette table. We don't drink soft drinks or beer, so we forgo the need for ice and mix water with 100% juice each morning for the day's drinks.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	N/A
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	The Indiana dealer/broker has become a great friend and helper.
Other comments	We love the boat. Our only reservation, like probably most owners, is that we wish that it were 2 feet longer. But, it fits all other needs (e.g., finanical investment, weight, style, convenience, simplicity, fun to sail and a delight to look at) so well that we haven't seen another boat that can replace it.

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