Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26M by Nabil Dubraque

Year built	2004
Location of boat	Middle Potomac
The boat is sailed on	Bays, sounds, or protected salt water
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	2004
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes. This is a 2005 MacGregor purchased middle of 2004. Most definitely would purchase again. Vessel purchased with roller furling on 150 jenny; lazy jacks; main halyard led aft; bimini; other less consequential amenities.
Gear that's been added	Uniden VHF with WHAM; Depth sounder; Garmin 276C GPS; shore power; LCD TV; mini microwave/convection oven.
Structural or complex improvements	Added shore power.
The boat's best features	Easy to sail and forgiving, excellent handling under power. Mast raising system is as advertised and a pleasure. While rigging is neither arduous or difficult, it is time consuming, but not an issue for me since I keep the vessel in a slip. The vessel is comfortable for our use, which tends to two adults and (occasionally) a grandson.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	No problems experienced yet.
Sailing characterisitcs	Fun sailor, very forgiving, and well motivated in light breezes. Roller furling is a delight. While initially tender, this gives way to high final stability at increased angles of heel.
Motoring characterisitcs	The 50 hp Honda 4 stroke is quiet and has been trouble free so far. I find about a foot of daggerboard improved tracking and handling at low speeds and in close quarters. The vessel motors competently and easily.
Liveability	Comfortable overnighting or longer for two adults and a child or two with the addition of shorepower. We opted for a mini (.5 cu) combination microwave/convection oven over the more common propane/butane stove arrangement, feeling that since we slipped the boat and would have shorepower, this arrangement would work better for us. We sleep on the V berth while leaving the below cockpit berth for storage or for our visiting grandson and his toys. Entertainment is via a 13" LCD TV and a mini dvd player mounter under the dinette. Wife occasionally misses airconditioner on previous vessel. May have to carry more ice.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	N/A
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Purchase from New Millenium Boats of Fredercksburg, Virginia (I believe they also sell out of Delaware) was a good experience, with minor glitches (delivery of some items, not quality problems) expeditiously resolved by owner Otho Campbell.
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