Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26S by BMcCord

Year built	1965
Location of boat	Miami
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	5-6
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	1996
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Yes, This has been the nicest overnighter that I have ever been on. You can take her anywhere and I have - from Biscayne bay to Lake Erie to the Chesapeake Bay. She is faster than any other trailerable monohull and if you have enough experience sailing her she handles just like a big dinghy, fast and quick. We never need a tender because we have perfected the art of beaching the boat stern first, using an anchor in front and back. We then just step onto shore with the swim ladder.
Gear that's been added	We have put plastic boxes in the bilges to hold tools and food. The other thing we have done is got rid of that silly carpet on the floor. It only gets moldy when wet. We also have the stern pulpet and swim ladder.
Structural or complex improvements	To the forestay we have added a lever device to make it easy to tension the rig once it is up. This device makes it so easy, that I can singlehandedly raise the mast and clip it in place in under 2 minutes. The other thing we have done is to add a small pully on the main sheet and jib to make it easier to tension them properly. We also have installed rigging for a spinnaker and put in a tiller tamer to make it easier to singlehand.
The boat's best features	The best features are its speed and pointing ability, its lively response to the tiller, and its ability to permit you to visit shore without having to carry a dinghy. No other boat can do all these things. The other nice thing is the light weight of the boat means the rig is small and easy to handle with just one person. The boat is light enough to tow with a six cylinder ford taurus and I have pulled it over the mountains of west virginia several times. It is faster than most other boats it size with the exception of high performance boats like the J-24, however it is much more comfortable than these racers inside, and the rig is much more easy to handle.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	The boat is very tippy initally when at anchor and should not be rafted with other boats if waves are present as it rocks more. Once heeled however it becomes stable. This is a minor problem, and we find if waves are bad we just anchor behind sand bars close in to shore. Because of our shallow draft we can anchor safely close to shore or even onto shore where other sailboats cant follow. This has been extremely useful when caught in thunderstorms. Another thing we would like to see is better access to storage and someday I will install cabinet doors to the storage compartments under the seat.
Sailing characterisitcs	When the wind is right the boat just blows by every other similar sized sailboat, especially upwind. You need to reef early, but once reefed the boat handles lots of wind nicely.
Motoring characterisitcs	We use a five hp tohatsu and have never had a problem, though I suppose an 8HP might be better in a strong blow.
Liveability	Good for 3-4 days after which you may need to get away for a while to stretch out the kinks in your back from getting in and out of bunks. No different than any other 26 footer. On hot days it has great ventilation and we have added bug nets for sleeping at night.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	no need
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	My dealer- A-1 sailboats in MD was great and very helpful when I bought the boat. I have had no problems.
Other comments	Take the boat to a deserted beach and tie her up to shore with an extra anchor out in the water. Then explore, and spend the night. No other sailboat can do this.

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