Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 25 by Thom Francola

Year built	1984
Location of boat	Monroe, Mich.
The boat is sailed on	The Great 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	1999
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Possibly. This was our first sailboat purchase (matter of fact, it was our first boat purchase).We wanted to join a local boat club and we had always talked about buying a sailboat (my wife and I had some previous sailing experience).I was laid off from my job at the time and feeling low . I decided to lift my spirts by going down to the local marina to look at some sailboats and just wouldn't you know it, I found one for sale. Rushing home , I told my wife, "Honey, I found our boat!" to which she replied "Honey, I didn't know that we lost one." What a great time to buy a sailboat, when your not working. The rest is history.
Gear that's been added	The boat we purchased was pretty basic. We started by adding a VHF radio (with masthead antenna) and replacing the original 8 hp Suzuki with a new 2000 Nissan 5 hp 4-stroke outboard (great motor). A depth finder with a thru-hull transducer was installed. The companion way hatch was replaced with a new smoked plexiglas one to let in more light. The exterior teak was replaced and new exterior grab handles were added. All lines now led aft including the added topping lift. Below decks, we added new carpet tiles and my wife replaced and recovered all the cushions in Pacific Blue canvas-like material. She also made new matching curtins (ah, a womens touch). The old useless slide-out galley was discarded and replaced with a new custom designed and built permament unit (we did it ourself) containing a sink with hand pump, stove, micro-wave and storage areas. The space behind the companion way bulkhead houses the 6 gal. water tank with a permanent deck fill and the gray water is discharged via a thru-hull fitting. The space under the cockpit seat is now a quarterberth so we can still sleep 5. The result of all of this gives the interior a very fresh look with the all blue, white and varnished teak color scheme. We also up-graded the 12v electrical system (new circuit panels, anchor light, bulkhead panel and additional interior lights) and added shore power, new AM/FM/CD player, battery charger and a 110v circuit with GFI outlets for safety.
Structural or complex improvements	The afore memtioned galley was about the most complex improvement we made.
The boat's best features	The swing keel makes this boat very versatile, especially in the shallow waters of Western Lake Erie. Pretty good interior layout for a 25 ft. boat. Quality of materials and construction fairly good considering the boats price range.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	As mentioned by Alan Larkin in his review, the winch handle location is not the best. I may try his solution to the problem (See his review from 11/12/00). Also, it is difficult to locate the hole in the keel to slide in the retaining bolt when it is in the lowered position. The old original galley was totally useless. Headroom without the pop-top raised is at a preminum.
Sailing characterisitcs	Not a heavy weather boat. Somewhat tender to handle if the water get choppy. Seems to like lighter air conditions. Excellent manuverabilty under sail.
Motoring characterisitcs	The 5 hp outboard seems to have enough power for most situations and can move her along at hull speed in calm water. A little difficult to steer when using only the outboard because of low water conditions and you have the rudder raised.
Liveability	Our boat is fairly comfortable for our family (2 adults and 2 childern). The "liveability" was greatly improved by the addition of the permanent galley, water and electrical up-grades that we made. The area that the old galley was stored in is now a very useful quarterberth and accessable storage area. There is no comparison in the "liveability" when compared to the original layout. The pop-top is a nice feature.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Our only experience with MacGregor was a phone call to obtain a copy of the "owners manual". We received the information in the mail in just a couple of days.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Our boat was purchased from a private owner.
Other comments	The MacGregor 25 is a very versatile, trailerable sailboat and makes an excellent starter boat. Even with the additions that my wife and I have made to our boat "Luckfully", we still don't have 10K invested. Where else could you have this much fun, year after year, for that kind of money. Having owned her for the last 2 1/2 years, however, we are already starting to get "foot fever", just like everyone said we would. Maybe there's a larger sailboat in our future. Who knows. I just know that this boat will always have a special place in our hearts and we'll be a little sad to see her go some day.

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