Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 25 by Colin T

Year built	1985
Location of boat	Oologah, Ok
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2006
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely. This is a re-post as I've had more time w/ the boat and done significant modifications.
Gear that's been added	Idasailor tiller and rudder, cabin-top winches, halyards aft w/ turning blocks and line stoppers, cam cleats for jib sheets, topping lift, new 6oz. Tasker mainsail w/ 2 reefs 4 battens, new storm jib, Humminbird chart/depth combo, Raymarine ST-40 electronic anemometer (wind meter), mainsheet traveler, complete re-wire including three bi-power dome lights, LED reading light in starboard dinnette berth, replaced factory electrical panel w/ three pos. panel w/ recepticle and volt meter, second four switch panel, lighted bulkhead compass, life-line cushions, hanging headsail bag, new 4:1 purchase engine up-haul line system, single-line reefing. Previous owner had added shorepower, grill, VHF omni-directional antenna.Future mods will be interior re-fit w/ permanent galley and hanging locker, new interior cushions, mast raising system.I know it's a lot of stuff for a boat bought on the cheap, but I'm a tinkerer.
Structural or complex improvements	Will be re-fitting the cabin next winter and adding hydraulic rams for the pop top and a few trailer mods to make it easier to launch and retrieve. I keep it slipped so trailer mods are down on the list.
The boat's best features	Easy to sail, great first or second boat, not highly technical. I consider this a better buy than a Catalina 22 for a first boat due to extra storage and the stability and being under-valued on the market.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Factory rudder is a terrible design. The best mod for the money is an Idasailor rudder. Don't leave home without one! Original mainsheet position at transom is balky and you have to pay out a lot of sheet on a reach, pretty dangerous for jibing.
Sailing characterisitcs	Excellent sailing manners, sails well on all points of sail, though they are tender close-hauled, especially when sailing single-handed or with a light crew. They are easy to single-hand, though much safer to do so by running the halyards aft and adding a topping lift. I've been able to point up to 35-40 degrees w/o a traveler.I've been able to "teach" it to self-steer using shock cord (bungee) and the lazy jib sheet.
Motoring characterisitcs	Motors nice. Recommend a long shaft motor if you have waves more than 3 ft.
Liveability	We weekend on it every now and then. It's comfortable for a night or two, but it gets cramped and I don't care much for limited space in the head. We sleep in the dinnette berth and added an air mattress which improved comfort quite a bit.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	No dealings with them
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	N/A
Other comments	Don't turn your nose up at a Mac 25. They are a fantastic sailing design which sail like a traditional boat should. Keep in mind interior height is limited and being a trailer-sailor with a cast iron keel, they will heel pretty easy

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