Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 23 by Dan McGuire/Marshall Arkansas

Year built	1976
Location of boat	Bull Shoals Arkansas
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
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	2001
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes. It is a nice size and has a very classy look.
Gear that's been added	Updated electrical system. Added solar panel and depthfinder/speed indicator. Replaced and rewired all of the running lights. Added connector so that a trolling motor can be used as a backup for my eldery OB.Replaced all of the wood including grab handles, hatch slides and bow sprit.
Structural or complex improvements	No. I did reroute the cockpit drain so that the outlet comes out in the stern above the waterline.
The boat's best features	The boat heels easily, but stops at about 30 degrees and does not want to heel any further. Feel very comfortable with its performance.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The combination Ratheon L362 fish finder and speed indicator does not provide an accurate speed. According to Ratheon, the L362 fishfinder is not suitable for sailboats. The problem is that there is no good way to mount it to give a good speed indication.
Sailing characterisitcs	The boat has a lot of lee helm at low speeds, but balances out at higher speeds. I frequently have to ease the outer jib when completing the tack until the rudder becomes more effective.Tacking in strong winds is difficult. The problem is that the forward speed is limited to about six knots regardless of the wind, but the ability to coast through the tack is held back by the windage and the bow is pushed to leeward. Tacking in winds above 15 knots is virtually impossible.
Motoring characterisitcs	A 4.5 HP Mercury pushes it through the water very nicely and I frequently use the motor to turn the boat at low speeds. Reverse is ineffective. It takes forever to get it moving in reverse and using reverse as a brake is useless.
Liveability	Cramped. We sleep outside on an air mattress on a platform over the cockpit well. We move inside only when we have to.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	They have been helpful. They still have people around who helped build and design the Newport 23.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
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