Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26M by Ken

Year built	2007
Location of boat	fort benning, ga
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	less than 10 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2007
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	I would, but I'd upgrade to the power sink pump and replace all the bolts and hardware.
Gear that's been added	the usual basic safety gear. Upgraded to the jib furler(it's well worth the money)
Structural or complex improvements
The boat's best features	When the wind isn't blowing you can still motor around with the motor( I have a 60HP) it'll get you going about 8 to 10 MPH. Handles very well.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	I've had it for about 5 months and the winch strap disintegrated while I was pulled the boat out of the water. I've had two bolts snap on the tips that bold the boom bang and the mainsheet traveler. The bolt that secures the sink in place shattered in two places. Replace all the bolts with hardened steel as soon as you can. Don't want them to fail when sailing.
Sailing characterisitcs	This boat has a lot of great characteristics and features to it. I like the rotating mast and the location of the winches and lines make this easy to handle with just one person.
Motoring characterisitcs	Motors great. I have a yamaha motor. No issues
Liveability	Not designed for liveability. Great for a daysailer. I got a fishing rod mounted grill where I planned on cooking on pots.The life lines get in the way of the operation of the BBQ and with the grill being so high the BBQ rocks too much. Could be a safety hazard. Down below there's not much movement and it's easier to cook. Also a pain bringing food down the stairs to the table. It's not designed for that. Get yourself a good camp stove that fits on the sink mount and it'll do great things for you. Unless you just BBQ then you can get one. Love the bench seat table. Very nice and converts to a nice bed. More comfortable than the one under the cockpit.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	The dealer crossed the lower side stays and when I raised the mast the metal bracket that secures the lines to the mast got bent. Check to see that it's properly set up before you completely raise the mast to make sure you don't break your boat
Other comments	This is a basic starter boat. If you can afford a Beneteau then go for it. It's a much better boat. But you will pay the price for that quality. If you are a beginner then I still think the MacGregor is the boat for you. If you get into trouble with the sails you can start the motor in under a second and get out of it easily. If you start to flounder with the sails you can always just motor around. Nothing worse than taking the kids out on the boat and there's no wind. You're day is over. You can tow an innertube around with up to a 70 HP motor and continue with your day. The two 12 gallon tanks will let you go for the whole day. Don't waste your money on a new boat. Get one that is a few years old and get yourself a new motor. Save the money and it'll do just the same things. The upgrades are worth the money to make your sailing easier make it handle better. The boom vang and the topping lift are must haves. I highly recommend the jib furler and get yourself a lazy jack. When you lower the mainsail it falls everywhere.

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