Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26M by Laurie Rude

Year built	2010
Location of boat	Neenah, Wisconsin
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	2010
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely!!
Gear that's been added	second battery, GPS,VHS marine radio, stern rail seats, bimini, dodger, main sail cover, jib bag, motor cover,GPS cover, spare daggerboard, spare rudder,extra cushions, spinnaker, storm jib, no-see-um netting for cockpit, front hatchway cushion, extra anchor, Bill Beers heavy duty rigging package, 50hp Evinrude Etec & throttle/tilt package
Structural or complex improvements	Yes, we modified a Shore Station Boat lift to accomodate a 26M
The boat's best features	shoal draft to give us access to our boat lift. Easy launching & trailering. The inside room is incredible! VERY COMFORTABLE, ROOMY & OPEN CONCEPT! With our 50 hp, we can get off Lake Winnebago in a hurry if a storm kicks up.Excellent to explore rivers & bays, not worrying about cruising shallow water with a 10" draft. VERY responsive in light winds. In 20 mph winds, she holds course well.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	Could improve accessibility to rear ballast valve. A friction brake on the sliding hatchway door is needed. It would be nice to have an electronic valve for the front ballast vent.
Sailing characterisitcs	Comparing the MacGregor 26M to our Catalina 22, both respond quickly. The ride is considerably smoother in the 26M. The Catalina sails flatter & with less hull-sail area, docks better on a windy day. There is NO COMPARISON to the room in a 26M!
Motoring characterisitcs
Liveability
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	excellent - I was connected with the right person & got an immediate answer. They were very friendly.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	We purchased our 2010 M26 from Bill Beers in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (Boats4Sail.) From the start, Bill has been an outstanding representative for MacGregor. These are some of the things Bill has done for us; he spent several hours of his time showing us a M26, giving us information on the MacGregor. We researched water ballast & shoal draft boats (different makes & models) for 2 years. When we finally purchased the M26 from Bill, he helped us rig the boat, explaining how everything worked.Bill is a very honest person & we consider him a friend. We're more than pleased with Bill & our boat!
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