Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26M by MW

Year built	2005
Location of boat	sold
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	2005
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	No.
Gear that's been added	Furling system, 50HP Etec, Extra Battery
Structural or complex improvements	None
The boat's best features	Nice looking boat, size of interior is nice for the $$. I got a lot of complements about the look of the boat. Boat was easy to pull behind our 4-Runner.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The sliding hatch never closed smoothly, always rough, gel coat was thin in places with bubbles in the cockpit/seat back area. Small surface cracks in the gel-coat appeared within the first week of sailing on both sides adjacent to the shrouds. The twisting lock on the front hatch broke within the first 2 weeks of use. Skippers seat never fit properly when lowered. Always had to knock it into place. The rotating mast always stuck in place and someone (me) was always crawling onto the deck to manually rotate it. Rigging and un-rigging the boat was a chore. The spreaders are thin tubing and I bent one the first time un-rigging it when I let it rest on the life line.
Sailing characterisitcs	Below average. If you want a sail boat, buy a traditional sail boat. I expected the boat to sail better. Boat is tender. We installed a 50hp E-tec motor with the idea of doing a lot of motoring and sailing. We only used the 50HP motor to get us out to the wind and back to the marina. We decided the 50hp was over-kill and a waste of money for our needs. If you can't decide if your a sailor or a power-boater - than this boat should be on your short list. We decided we prefer sailing over power-boating and sold the Mac.
Motoring characterisitcs	The 50hp E-TEC is a fantastic motor. The boat never would get up on plane with the ballast full. I never felt comfortable motoring without the ballast full with the family on board. The boat does not turn like a traditional power boat and you feel like you always had to be extra-cautious when making turns. Top speed was around 16-18 mph with 4 people and the ballast full.
Liveability	One night would be max.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	did not deal with them
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Dealer was fine.
Other comments	If you absolutely must have a boat the you can sail and power around in, then buy this boat. If you are a 100% sailor, I would recommend a traditional sail boat.

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