Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 25 by Doug Rodrigues

Year built	1983
Location of boat	Lake Tahoe, Ca
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2002
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes. I like the interior space available and the price was cheap compared to other brands of boats.
Gear that's been added	VHF radio, new rigging and associated hardware, deep cycle battery and solar charger. New 6 hp four stroke outboard. New port-a-potti. Had the sails cleaned, re-resined, and the MacGregor logos applied to the main sail to give it that factory new look.
Structural or complex improvements	No, but the swing keel needs to be refinished. Haven't quite figured out how get that necessary job accomplished yet. Also, the swing keel has an excessive amount of free-play at the pivot bolt. I have no choice but to eventually remove the swing keel for repairs.
The boat's best features	Interior space, ease of sailing, good construction, and a price most anyone could afford.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Numerous stress cracks around hardware points on deck. Also rust stains at hardware attachment points on the fiberglass that require frequent cleaning. Strange considering that it's all stainless steel hardware.
Sailing characterisitcs	Can only compare the sailing characteristics to my past Venture 2-22 and one ride in a Rhodes 19:The Mac 25 has a tendency to heel more easily than those other two boats. It's not as stable as the Venture 2-22 in a steep heel and one has to be ready to quickly sheet-out in gusty winds. I suspect that I'll eventually get blown-over one of these days....something that never concerned me in my old Venture 2-22. Although my home port is listed as Lake Tahoe, I've done more sailing in San Francisco Bay. The boat handles the rough waters of San Francisco Bay very well. My only complaint is that the jib sail blocks forward view. There is a huge blind space when sailing in a steep heel. I'm considering raising the jib attachment at the bow via a short cable and moving the mast jib attachment point upward. I'll still have to think about that one.....
Motoring characterisitcs	It was over-powered with my 8 hp Johnson Sail Master outboard. The swing-up motor mount seemed overstressed with that 8 hp motor. The 6 hp Nissan four stroke seems to be the ideal horse power for this size boat.
Liveability	Too small to live on, but perfect for a weekend of "water camping."
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	N/A
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	N/A
Other comments	I wanted a boat that wouldn't empty my savings account, that was fun to sail, had more room than my old Venture 2-22, DIDN'T have water ballast, and was built solid. What better boat than the Mac 25?

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