Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26C by Robin

Year built	1995
Location of boat	Santa Cruz Ca
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
How the boat is used	Multi-week coastal cruising
Normal wind strength	10-15 knots
Average size of crew	2-4
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1995
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes I would, I like our boat alot, it is our "magic carpet" We sail it regularly on Monterey Bay, California Lakes, SF Bay, and the SanJuan's/Gulf islands of Washington and British Columbia. This is an easy forgiving "starter boat", it is also the best of the C line with many upgraded rigging features such as a hinged tabernacle, and internal rudderpost. Our boat (private sale) came with a full stern pulpit, that I find very useful for the barbie/horseshoe/speakers etc...
Gear that's been added	The boat came with a roller furler and 135 Genny, I would have added that if it wasn't there. By far the coolest thing we have added is a Simrad TP10 auto pilot, We sail long hauls at times, and as I sail with 2 small kids this gizmo is a real asset. I have also replaced all the boats setup/breakdown rigging pins with pushpins/carrabeeners ,to speed the transition from land to water. All lines are led aft including a single line reefing system...these improvements allow me to sail confidently single handed.
Structural or complex improvements	Oh yeah!! One major improvement is to add 2 1/2" of leading edge to the rudder, there are many ways to do this. including buying an after market unit..my advice DO IT, my rudder was modified by me by shaping a leading edge of hardware cloth, and attaching it by means of several layers of glass..works excelent. the stock rudder will let you down at the worst time and scare you. The rudder hold down system sucks, mine is modified using a heavy duty solid rubber bungee..works super..no more busted cables. the rudder simply kicks up (kelp etc..) then springs back.
The boat's best features	Water ballast is a very cool thing, the boat is light on the trailer and a breeze to tow, I tow with an F150 and it is an effort to keep from going too fast. In the water the ballast is very apparent, some say this boat is tender, I disagree, The overall ease of prepping and launching this model is envied by a number of ite competitor owners.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	As mentioned the rudder hold down system didn't work well, but is easily modified, also hauling up the rudder can be greatly eased by adding blocks. The centerboard bangs around in its well at anchor. The boat is a bear to park, very affected by light wind etc,, you get used to it, or buy insurance!! The head is near useless for a plus six footer..one must disrobe and crawl backwards to use it..not pretty..
Sailing characterisitcs	FUN FAST AND FURIOUS this boat moves on a breath and humms along nicely in a 10 kt breeze. Hull speed for us seems to be around 6.8 but it will top 7 in ideal conditions. When the wind really blows we reef down the main but still use a lot of headsail, she likes this plan. She points very well if properly trimmed all around a very good performer
Motoring characterisitcs	Clips along at 6.8 handles the chop well, best if weighty items are stowed as far forward as possible. In port manouvering: DROP THE CENTER BOARD! It cuts down on drift and gives something to pivot around
Liveability	Huge aft berth We have been on the boat 2 month's 2 adults 2 kids and a small dog, Not exactly comfortable..but "doable" I built our own table, the stupid swing out stock table sucked and was constantly in the way. Minor cabin improvements really improve this boat's liveability
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	private sale
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	private sale
Other comments	This is a very affordable option to enter the sailing world. The boats are tough (mine was hit on the freeway by a semi and suffered light damage to the stern rail ,the Semi sustained 6000 dollars in front end damage) My friend in a "D" Mac hit a deadhead log at hullspeed with no apparent damage. The rigging is simple and stoutm the water ballast works well..A very enjoyable boat

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