Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26S by Tim Maude

Year built	1990
Location of boat	Oakville, Canada
The boat is sailed on	The Great Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	16-22 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2004
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, at the price I paid.
Gear that's been added	A home-made mast raising system. I believed the manual and the sales hype about raisng it by hand; then I tried it. It was a bit windy and I wasn't able to control the situation. Never again.My mast raiser works great. Cost was C$49.00
Structural or complex improvements	Just a battery holder as close to the centreline as possible under the sink.
The boat's best features	I love the pop-top. It lets people stand and still be part of the cockpit conversation.The boat sails well; even in seas that she shouldn't be in. I like the simplicity. I like the simplicity of a windsurfer too. I like the deep storage locker aft of the cockpit. Nobody ever mentioned it. It is humongous. We joked about putting a marine head in there and venting it with the gas fumes(from the gas tank.)
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The retractable centreboard has stuck in the up position twice and I'm looking for a way to prevent this from happening again.The rigging is adequate but I would like to add a forestay. At present, the mast's upright nature depends upon the furler's turnbuckle (a very lightweight fitting). If that gives way, the mast would land on the cockpit's inhabitants. I'm surprised that I haven't read about that.A topping lift would also be desireable.
Sailing characterisitcs	In waves measuring 3 to 6 feet, the centreboard must be down or the pitching is downright dangerous. Never go on the deck without the centreboard down. The pitching will make it impossible to stay on the boat. I know.I have a small working jib that gets lost behind the main when sailing downwind. Ideally, I'd have the main out one side and the jib out the other side. A whisker pole might work to facilitate that sail configuration.
Motoring characterisitcs	With a 9.9 hp at full throttle, and the rudder held down steering with the rudder becomes almost impossible. It pulls extremely hard to starboard. I haven't experimented with this yet but I suspect that angling the rudder up during motoring operations; may solve this problem.
Liveability	Comfortable berths but both the galley and head are a tight fit and I'm 5'.9". The pictures of the inside of boats must use trick photography. They look big. They are not.I'm an enthusiastic backpacker so I can make the small quarters work, but most people would be claustrophobic with six aboard.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Have not dealt with MacGregor
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I bought the boat in Huntington (Long Island ) N.Y. from Knutsen's Yacht Haven Marine Inc.The owner Dan Knutsen was one of the nicest people to deal with that I ever met.
Other comments	I trailered it 509 miles from Long Island to Toronto behind a Saab 900 SE (2 litre, 5 spd). I got lots of weird looks but the rig worked great.A small SUV may not have done it so well.

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