Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 19 by Scott Faurschou

Year built	1985
Location of boat	Ontario Canada
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	2012
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes
Gear that's been added	Spinnaker, Boom Vang, mast raising system ordered from Blue Water Yachts. The mast raising system was pretty much a disaster. The pole was drilled wrong, the side stays are the wrong length, it is heavy, and there is nowhere to store it on the boat. I used it once.
Structural or complex improvements	If I want to make improvements I will likely buy a different boat. Tracks for the jib sheets, better attachment for the main sheet, engine linked to the tiller, better halyard cleats... would all improve the boat, but would probably not be worth the effort. I may try to add rudder raise/lower to avoid future ramp induced rudder issues.
The boat's best features	I chose the 19 so I could easily pull it with the family van. I have used it on Lake Ontario, local lakes, Ottawa river, and St Lawrence river. The engine has allowed us to extend our sailing time while still getting to harbour before dark. We have overnighted while in harbour.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The boat was purchased 18 years old and never been used, so it was in excellent condition. So far the only issue has been cracking the rudders on a very poor boat ramp.
Sailing characterisitcs	The sailing characteristics are poor. Backing the jib is almost mandatory while tacking. We have had lots of fun dragging behind the boat under sail on 25ft lines, however tacking is strictly engine assisted while dragging. With full sail (main and jib) the boat is well balanced, but any reduction in sail leads to very poor handling. It is fairly tender, but seems to always come back pointy side up even in heavy gusts. It was a bit disconcerting at first even to experienced sailors. The boom vang should not have been an option. the jib seems made to twist. I would not recommend it as a boat to learn to sail on.
Motoring characterisitcs	The motoring characteristics also are not great. Handling is sluggish. Having a linkage between the tiller and engine would help. That said it goes fairly fast, and this has allowed us to extend our sailing time. It has just enough to pull an inner tube behind the boat and to get around on windless, or overly windy days. Docking with the board up in any wind becomes difficult. Put the board down a bit and it docks reasonably well.
Liveability	The cabin is roomy for a 19' boat. It is comfortable to go down to read a book or have a nap. It sleeps three adults reasonably comfortably as a fiberglass tent. Some ventilation is needed with more than one person. We have spent 7 hour days with 6 people on board with some bathroom breaks. It does get congested quickly with coolers, water bottles, towels etc. The sink is a nice bin to put stuff in, but othwerwise just gets in the way of the sleeping room for a 4th person. The head is a nice closet, but would only really be used in extreme emergency.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	bought used
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any
Other comments	This is a very easy boat to trailer that is big enough to take a family of 6 out for a day of sailing/exploring. I had no expectations of racing or water skiing. It has met my expectations fairly well.

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