Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 25 by Jay Saunders

Year built	1986
Location of boat	Pamlico River, NC
The boat is sailed on	Rivers
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	2003
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely
Gear that's been added	Poly swim platform with three step telescoping ladder, masthead anchor light. Already had a compass, depthfinder and radio. Barometer/clock/thermometer in cabin, magnetic door latch on head, portable sunshower. Storm jib, and reef points in mainsail.
Structural or complex improvements	None
The boat's best features	Easy trailerability, low maintenance, shallow draft (with the board up), low cost and operating expense.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The fiddles around the dinette table make for an uncomfortable berth when collapsed. Extra folded blankets are needed to smooth out the berth. Not enough mechanical advantage on the blocks on the rudder. It is hard to pull up for some people. The hum of the centerboard cable can be annoying.
Sailing characterisitcs	Very fast on a reach. Not so good upwind in a breeze, but my sails are old. A vang would go a long way toward helping the pointing ability, but who cares? I don't go sailing to SAVE time. What it lacks in sail controls, it makes up for in simplicity.
Motoring characterisitcs	Great! 8HP pushes at 7mph, and pushed through 5-6 foot seas in Cape Fear Inlet straight into a 15-17 kt breeze with no problem.
Liveability	Comfortable for overnights or weekends relative to others in size range. Take out the Galley, it is a useless waste of space. Run tubular foam pipe insulation over the electrical wires in the mast to keep them quiet. With the front hatch open (and screen in place), mosquito net over the companionway, and the oscillating fan on, you can get some good quality sleep. I wish I had the canvas for the pop-up feature. I think that would greatly improve the liveability.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments	Perfect Boat for a young couple in coastal North Carolina waters (where it can shoal without warning) who don't want a huge investment.

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