Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26M by russell long

Year built	2005
Location of boat	whistler bc
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	16-22 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2005
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	yes, but will buying something else for the ocean in a couple years
Gear that's been added	shore power, dual battery and switch, charging system, and inverter, alcohol stove, prop bbq, vhf, lorance sounder/gps, topping lift, boom vang, tach, compass, cd player,
Structural or complex improvements	nil, but I'd like to beef up the rudder mounts and maybe the mast step. I have had no problems but often sail out or home in 20 -30 knots and always wonder what they can take.
The boat's best features	can keep it at home, easier to clean after a couple weeks on the ocean and pack for trips in the driveway. versitality.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	everything working ok, I will put another set of reef points in main, need to put extra blocks in different position for jib and genny for better sail shape,
Sailing characterisitcs	It's not fast, but tracks well once powered up. Sails better with a forsail for sure. Needs that pull... Seems to handles everything well so far, I sail with my 13 yr old daughter mostly and we've had 25 knot downwinders with reefed main and full genny rippin along betwee 6 and 8 and never felt out of control. lots of work on the little wheel but ok. It is still a light boat and tends to heel a lot, but reacts instantly to mainsheet, I would like another set of reef point in the main. Pulling my dinghy and loaded for cruising it is hard to get 6 knots out of it, so far anyway. The motor can pull the wheel one way or other when it is out of the water under sail. Have to keep an eye over the stern sometimes at the rudder angles. A little tricky keeping it tracking straight at slow spead for raising and lowering sails.
Motoring characterisitcs	doesn't do anywhere near what they say. have 50 honda fourstroke and top speed has been only around 15 mph. if i push it over 4300 rpm, it starts to overheat. Maybe too much turbulence off the transom and it can't get enough water through it?? I have had it up to its listed 5800 rpm to get to that 15 but would not recomend it. I cruise mostly between 3200 and 3800 rpm which. this is abetween 7 and 9.5 mph, depending on the seas. It doesn't track very well at slow speed so I'm getting much faster raising and lowering sails and the same as others use rudders and daggerboard in harbour.Have motored comfortably into constant waves over the bow and with no discomfort.(a lot of work on the little wheel again)
Liveability	I take my two kids and sometimes another adult out for anywhere from 3 days to two weeks. I need refridgeration!!! Otherwise for a small boat it's not bad at all. I have a good rib to use to run about and tow the kids and stuff, that helps.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	n/a
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I bought from Gerry Berg in Vancouver bc.. It was a couple months late getting to me and a little bs flyin' (sailors tongue lol) but over all he's been great. I would have mounted some electronics differently ie the compass on the port side ofthe cockpit is only inches from the vhf inside the cabin over the sink. I still have to do a declination chart to know what's going on there. Gerry has been helpful with any questions and given me extra hardware so I have backups for small parts.
Other comments	Well I got 40 days in in the first 2 months and now the poor girl has to sit and wait for the few days a month I can get out. Overall It's been a lot of fun. No serious issues, ripped spinnaker and a few other sailor mistakes but that's boating. No one got hurt (too badly lol), and both my kids, 13 and 6 had a blast. My dealer talked me out of roller furling as it is more difficult to transport and raise. It hasn't been a real problem using all the sails but when I'm out by myself I wish I had it. And I still might run the halyards aft. This is my first boat and though I've been on a few sailboats, I am still learning and getting better. ( I have 20 yrs of high wind windsurfing so I like lots of wind) Where I sail from gets 18-30 knot thermals everyday of the summer and as I get out of the sound the winds usually lighten. Motoring,I keep the ballast in more often than I did at the beginning after nearly getting swamped by a tugboat coming into harbour in the wee hours of the morning once. I couldn't turn into the bow wave and took it broadside from the stern. I'm sure the spreaders must have touched! So it's been a great boat and I'm still stoked on it and will keep it untill bigger oceans bekon.

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