Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 25 by Tom Carroll

Year built	1985
Location of boat	Chicago (Lake Michigan)
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	1990
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely ... the longer I owned her the more I loved her; I take care of her, she takes care of me.
Gear that's been added	Just a few things: a marine radio, a solar panel which really keeps the battery topped off; an automatic bilge-pump which sniffs for water about a second every 5 minutes or so. (The solar panel offsets the minimal discharge caused by the ever-vigilant bilge-pump; a jib downhaul, essential when single handling which I do alot, and it lets me douse and snug the jib without leaving the cockpit; closed-cor foam cockpit cushions; 150% overlapping genoa; all the CG required safety equipment; extra lighting for the v-berth; compass; GPS
Structural or complex improvements	None required ... none done. Just some cosmetic stuff, like maintaining the minimal teak trim to a beautiful finish.
The boat's best features	Her seakindliness: she compensates for my sometimes stupid seamanship; she tells me when I'm overpowered; her trailerability; her positive flotation, her ease of uprigging, downrigging, launching and recovering; her ease of maintenance; she's a confidence builder ... definitely an outstanding starter cruiser, however, I never wanted anything larger or heavier -- like a perfect child, we can take her anywhere!
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The keel "thunking" at anchor or underway can be bothersome ... there is no solution so we live with it. The rudder could be a little tighter on her pintles and gudgeons ... it's a little noisy for sleeping aboard. I think, for very few extra dollars, the manufacturer could have used heavier grade shrouds and stays, which I have since upgraded. Another nice enhancement would be the addition of a traveler for better mainsail control -- nice, but not necessary unless you're really fussy about sailtrim.
Sailing characterisitcs	She has a little initial tenderness, but stiffens up at 10-15� heel. Singlehanding, always reef at 10+ knots ... two or more aboard (rail meat), reef at 15Kn ... at 20, head for sheltered waters ... I'm sure there have been numerous crossings over open water in nasty weather, but it's doubtful that the boat was intended for offshore cruising.
Motoring characterisitcs	I have a 5hp Mariner to get in and out of marinas; probably a 9.9hp would be better for motoring against the wind and current with swells.
Liveability	It's liveable, and we've done it, but it's a struggle, being tall etc. The poptop and dodger make it all work ... plenty of headroom. We like the privacy of the head. We took out the little galley to make room for more storage space (sails, PFDs, etc.) We don't cook aboard but could.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	The staff at MacGregor Yacht Corp. have always been courteous and helpful (wish they had a website) ... I've gotten many tips from Mr. Bill Schoder (sp?)
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Purchased from a private party -- no dealer nearby
Other comments	I'm thinking about upgrading to the new 26X, the water-ballasted cruiser/sailboat combination.

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