Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 21 by Howard Greenlaw

Year built	1981
Location of boat	New Hampshire
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	less than 10 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?	If I could turn back the clock, I would have gotten this boat 10 years ago.
Gear that's been added	Other than minor replacements to stock, no.
Structural or complex improvements	Encapuslated the keel in fiberglass with stainless hull bushings for keel bolt.
The boat's best features	The size of this boat is, as far as I'm concerned, ideal for a learning boat. Big enought to stay afloat and upright, small enough to trailer and handle. Rigging is easy to figure out and use, no winches or expensive parts to replace.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The "roll up" reefing is an ungodly pain, and the lack of a topping lift puts the boom on your head when reefed. The "A-Frame" main sheet is awkward, and often in the way of the tiller and motor.
Sailing characterisitcs	The boat is so easy to sail it's amazing. As my first sailboat, I expected nothing but grief learning to sail it. It goes where you point it, moves in the least breath of air, forgives you when you screw up and has enough room for 4 adults, food and drinks in the cockpit. I did add some about 75 pounds of weight to the bow to help it tack, before I did that it tended to stall. Every time I took it out, something else impressed me.
Motoring characterisitcs	Using a 9.9 outboat motor, the boat runs at hull speed with little effort. Steering with the rudder down is difficult in close quarters unless motor and rudder are used together. The boat is light enough, that you seldom have problems starting, stopping or turning. Motoring with sails rigged presents some visability issues and, you need to be very aware of wind direction, it WILL overcome the rudder
Liveability	As has been described elsewhere, below decks is a confining experiance. Two good friends with little gear or an adult with a couple of SMALL children is about it. There actually is a lot of cubic space down there, it's just low and narrow. I use the cabin mainly to keep stuff out of the cockpit, and as a bathroom.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	no experaince
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	private sale
Other comments	I think someone looking for a lake or inshore coastal sailor, won't go far wrong with a MacGregor 21. The standard roll up reefing and 75% jib leave something to be desired performance wise, but work pretty well for a easy sail. The overall package is darn good for a beginner and intermediate skill levels. A soft spot is the keel bolt system which I think is shakey, and should be inspected yearly and before sailing a new purchase. The chainplates, cleats and rope clutches should also be looked at and probably reinforced with bigger wood backers under the deck.

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