Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26M by Ernie Scarborough

Year built	2006
Location of boat	Bates City Mo
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2006
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutly. For the money there is no other boat that will compare. A lot more money will buy a better sailer, or a better power boat, but not both in the same boat. Even if I had the money to buy the best of everything, wouldn't I look silly with two or three boats strung out behind my half ton.
Gear that's been added	Chart plotter, bimini, shelving, Boats 4 Sails's 26M pack, 2 orbital batteries. Battery selector switch, 12 volt outlets at the helm and below.
Structural or complex improvements	no.
The boat's best features	Just what you read in the ads. Shallow draft, standing head room (really important when you are over 60 and don't bend like you used to), stability, and a 50 hp engine that turns with the rudders. Parking a shallow draft, light weight, high free board boat in a stiff breeze is no fun, but with practice and a 50 that turns with the rudders, its almost like having bow thrusters. Thanks to Boats 4 Sail's 26M pack it is a pleasure to single hand.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The boat is cheap, and you get what you pay for. You will quickly find yourself upgrading fittings, but I believe the boat is strong enough to sail in any conditions I have nerve enough to put it into. But I am a very conservative sailor. It may not work for someone who continually tests his limits.
Sailing characterisitcs	It is a dog close hauled, but let it fall off a few degrees and it improves from dog to OK. The hunter 240 I owned was faster an all points of sail above a broad reach, but was so tender it frightened me. The Mac really dosn't feel water ballasted. The Mac is more stable unballasted than the Hunter fully ballasted. Really. My wife and I came off Lake Superior in 20-25 kts with the waves beginning to kick up. 10 minutes later a Hunter 260 came in. The owners wife said they were scared to death and didn't know if they were going to make it back. My wife and I looked at each other in disbelief. It was a little rough out there, but we never felt that the boat was overpowered or experienced any loss of control.
Motoring characterisitcs	I don't know what you would have to do to reach the advertised speeds. I got 17.5 mph unballasted with 5 onboard. I get about 14 mph ballasted and loaded for two for the weekend. But I got 7.5 mpg at 6.5 mph. Two six gallon tanks will bring me back from any where I want to go. At slow speeds you need to have a foot or so of dagger board and the rudders down to maintain control.
Liveability	Who's liveability? For my wife and I it is just fine for up to a week, but different people have different requirements. It's not a tent, but it certainly is not a motorhome.
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 drove 1200 miles round trip to pick up the boat because Bill a Boats 4 Sail made me an offer I couldn't refuse. When I got there he questioned me about how I intended to use the boat, then sold me everything I needed and nothing I didn't. He is a poor salesman. I came expecting to spend a lot more than I did. Then we worked together to rig the boat so that when we were finished I knew where every pin and shackle went and why. When I got home I found a blemish in the gelcoat, called Bill, who told me to have it fixed and send him the bill. I did, he payed. When 2 of the 3 tires that came with the trailer self destructed Bill sent me enough to replace all 3 with top of the line tires.
Other comments	No, but I have a little more to say about Boats 4 Sail. Working with Bill is like working with an old friend. I still don't know how he makes any money. He answers his phone and e-mails. He stands behind his boats. His prices are more than reasonable. And if you just need to know where to find the best sailing in Wisconsin, he will find time to tell you. With service like that 1200 miles is a short trip.

Contact
About
Terms of Use