Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26M by Tom Walters

Year built	2007
Location of boat	Saint Cloud City Marina
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Weekends and longer
Normal wind strength	23-30 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	July
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Naturally. But of course. And if I was a wealthy man I would buy copious numbers of them to give as gifts. Seriously, I am quite proud of my newly purchased M. And I was absolutely certain that I wanted one long before I actually shelled out the dough to buy one. I own a 1980 MAC25 and am familiar with the MAC legacy of sailboats. A seriously functionable sailboat at a reasonable price. So yes ... definately, I would purchase this boat all over again.
Gear that's been added	I haven't added anything yet. I have only had my M for going on a week now. But as KayakJack said, " A MAC M is like a Boat Kit ... it is a wonderful palette from which the imagination can excersize its creativity". And yes, that it is.I purchased just the adornments I felt were needed right off the bat, like the ETECH Evinrude 50 Horse engine. A freshwater tank with pressure tap and aft shower water systems, dual battery and 4 way switch system, VHF/Weather radio, Marine FM/AM CD player, Sail Covers and Furler system, sail control sheets led aft, xtra size head, cockpit cushions, bimini et cetra. About 13+ grand in extra stuff. But stuff I'd rather not fiddle with.
Structural or complex improvements	None yet. But plan on adding an air conditioner. Just as soon as I settle on where to mount it.
The boat's best features	Best features may be split between the new Aluminum Trailer with the disc braking system. And the boat itself. The ability to handle well using water balast and a simplified keel system such as the daggerboard arrangement. My previous MAC25 was a cable/keel breakage waiting to happen. I didn't want to be part of that disapointment, so I felt this was one of the contributing factors that compelled me to purchase the 26M.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Actually nothing that I have discovered yet. All seems to be up to par. Still unpacking and studying some of the hardware. Tomorrow I hope to raise the mast, put up the boom and the bimini and check out the installation of the sails in the furler.
Sailing characterisitcs	I will rewrite this review in about 6 months with more details of my evaluation on this and much more.
Motoring characterisitcs	I know the 50 HP Evinrude ETECH is a fine running machine. Although I only ran it with water muffs in the yard and it's a smooth responsive and quiet engine. Doesn't smoke like my old 2 stroke Evinrude 9.9HP. I am looking forward to having fun with this baby.
Liveability	I did okay with my old MAC25. It was cramped and lacked headroom but I love to overnite it. Love to camp, so I put up with a lot of inconveniences. The MAC26M is a PALACE compared to the MAC25. I am nearly 6 foot tall if I stand up straight, and I can actually walk around the galley without hitting my haid. The head is small but compared to the MAC25 it is much taller. I can actually move around inside with the head door close. I find if I kneel down first, lower my drawers and grab the bi-fold doors as I rise to take a seat on the throne ... it all comes together like poetry! On my MAC25, I had to knock out the rear wall to make the space in the head functional. My wife was mad at me for using the head after the boat was delivered to the house. But then it is I that takes care of the head and I defined that with her, so she's good with that. I used it 4 more times just to make sure I would get along with it out there in the wild.I had the stove installed. It is an Alcahol type by ORigo (presume that is correctly spelled). Haven't used it yet. The one in my MAC25 was pressurized alcahol and my first evaluation of it nearly started the cabin ceiling on fire!
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Never dealt directly with the factory if this is what this question refers to. Don't feel that is necessary. The dealer seemed as if they had it together quite well enough.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	I tried to deal with the dealers in my area/state. However that proved difficult as most of them I tried to contact didn't seem motivated well enough to give me the impression that they would fill my order. Most are either retired or out partying I suspect. I was impressed with Jeffery's review (from Saint Cloud) and actually had the pleasure of meeting him. Jeffery is very satisfied with his purchase and had me sold on Boats4Sail in Wisconsin (where he bought his), however shipping the boat meant and extra cost. For Jeffery, it was easy. He enjoyed the trip to WI. For me that would be impossible on my schedule.So I checked the World Wide Web and found;http://www.macgregorsailboats.com/This is Captain Mike Inmon's site. The gateway to his dealership in Marina Del Rey California. Mike is a serious sailor and sailboat merchant. His knowledge extends from the beginnings of the Macgregor Legacy and beyond. Mike knows well what goes into the making of the Macgregor and has participated in many Macgregor field trials right along with Roger Macgregor the innovator and creator of the Macgregor sailboat. Captian Mike has in the past supplied CBS with Macgregor Sailboats to cameo as prizes on the 'PRICE IS RIGHT' game show. I am honored to have done business with Captain Mike. He is personable, cordial and easy to deal with. His experience in selling these boats shows as he steps you through the process with the flexiblity options available through his dealership. The one most important to me was how was he (a California Dealer) was going to ship me this boat and do it FREE. Yes FREE!I think Mike is one of those guys who believes that if you are going to make it in business, you are going to have to 'bleed' a little here and there along the way. After all the many options I got, Mike went above and beyond getting the boat ready and shipped to my doorstep in 2 weeks! I know what I paid was a bargain and then I saw the shipping bill. Mike picked up the tab like he promised.Check out his site and give him a call or email him. He's terrific.
Other comments	If you want a great getaway boat that serves your expectations. That will get you where a sailboat will get you and get you back at the speed of a powerboat if need be, then the MAC26M may be what you are looking for.If you are looking at waterfront timeshares to spend a weeks vacation at and it's costing you upwards of 30k ... dump that idea. Get on the Macgregor time share plan. Buy a MAC26M. That way if you tire of the same old waterfront view, you can just pull up anchor and move somewhere else!Stay tuned for my more indepth review in 6 months.

Contact
About
Terms of Use