Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 25 by The Kirkster 4 yrs later!

Year built	1981
Location of boat	The Great Lakes
The boat is sailed on	The Great Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	less than 10 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2004
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes. After seeing what other sailors have to contend with in these years of low water on the Great lakes, I still love the MacGregor. Sometimes I would like a bigger heavier cruiser, but the trailerability and shallow draft make this the ideal boat for me. The MacGregor is easy to modify and being an older boat you don't feel the need to worr if a mistake is made.
Gear that's been added	Lettering, redid all wiring and lights, and fuse/switch pannel, inverter, solar cell, new deep cycle battery bank, new mattress, ripped out old galley, replaced with new one that improved storage, cockpit drink holders, hand held gps and vhf, CO detector, better fenders-8", rebuilt aging parts back to factory specs. New am/fm/cd to replace am/fm radio. Also new speakers.
Structural or complex improvements	Rebuilt outboard bracket, rebuilt rudder (should have got the ida sailor one), rebuilt masthead and boom. Still has original sails-need to be replaced soon. Did major buff/polish of hull.
The boat's best features	same as last review but found it is also an excellent motor sailor.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Rudder, Galley, Cabin companionway hatch and sliding hatch on top. Wood Trim. Same as last review-everything could be built a bit heavier.
Sailing characterisitcs	Same as last review. When pushed really hard or raced, rigging and lines are not up to the task. You think something might break (although nothing ever has).
Motoring characterisitcs	Same as last review + excellent motor sailor. Can keep average speed up with minimal fuel consumption when winds are low or not quite from the right direction. Can point higher with motor on. Have amazed other boaters (power and sail) with the "turn using the motor and tiller" combo. Will turn on a dime. Also backs up very well when there is little or no wind by locking tiller in centre position and turning with outboard. Have to be carefull that outboard does not engage rudder (a chewed up rudder and bent prop will result).
Liveability	Have lived aboard for 3 moths solo and 1 week at a time with 2. Boat is very prone to condensation. No standing room with poptop down. Hard to get dressed and cleaned up. Seems to be water tight in bad downpours. The new mattress is 3 1/2" much-better than the old one. Should have gone to 4 or 5 inches and used one piece of foam instead of the 2 peices in the v-berth. This boat is great for 2 people. 2 strangers have 2 separate beds (v-berth and dinette folded down). Couples have chioce of v-berth (a bit crowded but saves having to take down the table every night). Dinette berth is a bit roomier than v-berth. Have tried with 3 people using the settee as a berth, but it is very narrow (but very long)
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	See previous review Great boat to learn on-very simple-but large enough to cruise for weekends on.

Contact
About
Terms of Use