Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26M by Mikey D

Year built	2006
Location of boat	Gulf South
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	less than 10 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2006
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	So far the answer would be yes. I like it because it is very easy to rig and trailer. I don�t have to rent a slip and most places I go I can tie up for the night at a protected dock side. It is also very comfortable sailing alone or with friends. Plenty of room down below for staying the night. All that and the price, it was a logical choice.
Gear that's been added	I had a motor on an old ski boat that I installed. The center console was a little tough installing the controls but I was able to get it in. Barely. I installed my old fish/depth finder. Install a VHF radio with 5ft whip antenna. Installed the old boats battery for the motor operations. Had to create a battery holder. The Mac comes with a single battery holder. Built a front hatch door screen that pops in and a main door screen for those warm nights at the dock to keep the bugs out. I installed a bimimi top. Installed a secondary latch on the trailer to secure the boat incase of wench failure. For the sails installed the roller furling and some sail slugs for the main. Just the basics.
Structural or complex improvements	I didn�t like having to drop my main and try to fold it up for storage. Too much trouble. So I installed some common hardware that made my main boom pole where it can spin. Now when I am rigging up or finished sailing I can just spin the main up on the boom as I lower it and store in together below. Also bought some stainless steel clips to replace the cheap clips that come with the boat to assist in rigging. I replaced that 5inch 3/8 bolt with a hardened pin and clips so I did not have to use tool to rig. I can rig in less that 30 minutes
The boat's best features	It really is a nice looking boat. It will turn some heads. The interior seating is very comfortable. It trailers easy and pulls easy. I just have to drop the trailer in the water just over the wheel fenders and it will float. I have a standard F150 truck and I have no problems pulling it even up bridges. Don�t misunderstand. My truck knows that it�s pulling a big load but it does pull it.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	I really wish that it had sides that you could walk around on like most sailboats. The top safety wire could be a bigger gauge. It could have at least been the same size as the mast cables. Both winches turn the same way. That makes it hard on the starboard side to lock the line. The door doesn�t seal very good. Large gap on top for bugs to get in. If the front hand rails were a foot higher the mast spreader bars would not lay on the safety cables when rigging. Rain will get into the boat through the motor steering tubing. You will have to seal it. I found out too late. Access to the boat past the motor is a problem that I will soon remedy. I have about 6 inches to get by. The mast pivoting system should have been bearing. Not just some washers. If the cables are a little tight the mast won�t rotate with the main boom. Small items that could have been corrected in design at a small cost.
Sailing characterisitcs	Sails great. Not as fast as I thought. I can easily handle it alone. If it gets rough you will find that you get water spray. Its because the sides are soo thin. But that�s not too often. I had it in some high winds. I guess about 15+ mph, I don�t have a wind speed indicator, and it got a little scary. But that is due to my inexperience. She will lean over if you don�t loosen the lines. But even then it is a blast.
Motoring characterisitcs	Out in open waters it handles good. I couldn't get it much over 18 mph going with the wind. And that was with my 70hp two stroke. I will have to check into that. Might be my prop. But in the harbor at slow speeds she handles poorly. Especially if you have any wind at your side. You will need to have the dagger board down at least a foot to get control. I have found that small short spurts of power will allow you to turn. Reverse is a must in tight turns and it will get you out of a jam. Be very careful your first time out.
Liveability	Good storage spaces for supplies. I have spent 3 nights easy. But with two or more it gets a little cramped. You can sleep 4. More if it is children.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Never have dealt with Macgregor directly.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I got the boat from The Sailboat Centre out of Little Rock. Jim Allred was easy to deal with and was very helpful.
Other comments	Get the big bumpers when docking at a peer. I find that the sides of the boat are a little week and you can see them bend in slightly if there is any wave action and the boat starts bumping against the pylons. The bigger bumpers will protect you better and you will be thankful.

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