Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 26D by Curt Wiebe

Year built	1989
Location of boat	Wabamun, Alberta
The boat is sailed on	Lakes
How the boat is used	Day sailing
Normal wind strength	less than 10 knots
Average size of crew	solo
Liveaboard?	No
Owner bought the boat in	2003
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	ABSOLUTELY! I spent a lot of time researching, and the combination of water ballast, size, and sailability, coupled with the fact that she is an older boat and therefore a little less expensive, made her an excellent choice.
Gear that's been added	Added stereo speakers in the cabin and a way to connect my Palm Pilot for mp3's or a small portable radio for music. Replaced mast & rigging (she came down when she wasn't supposed to), made a new, improved HDPE rudder based on Ida, and crafted a new mahogany & alder laminated tiller. Now the lifelines and a new stanchion are in the works. Next year - marine radio, new compass, depth meter, MAYBE GPS.
Structural or complex improvements	Not really. New rudder was the most complex, and stiffening the rudder castle.
The boat's best features	Trailerability - boat sits low on the trailer, easy to get into & out of the water, light to pull with the ballast spilled out.
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	She's old, and needs more love and attention (the boat, not my wife). There's NOTHING that doesn't work, she just needs to be given a few more improvements. She has a fair bit of freeboard, so in a tight marina space and a heavy breeze, she tends to blow around a bit too much.
Sailing characterisitcs	She is quick to heel due to water ballast, and with the original rudder she was exceptionally hard to handle in a decent gust. The new rudder has fixed that quite a bit.
Motoring characterisitcs	She motors well, but as is typical with most fixed-outboard sailboat situations, she needs to have decent way to turn sharp. getting here into or out of her slip at the marina is sometimes a little touchy...
Liveability	She's 26 feet of plastic. She has a place for a stove, and another for a porta-potty. She is NOT live-aboard material. But for a couple or three people, MAYBE two couples, there's enough room to sleep, and if you can stand being cozy, she can be fun for a week or so on the water.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	Talked to them about getting a new mast and daggerboard. They directed me to a dealer, but not the one that was closest to my location.
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	Bought Serendipity Too from Ghost Lake Marine near Cochrane, Alberta. Mike is a good guy, very willing to help, but it's a four hour drive from Edmonton, where I live.
Other comments	She's a nice boat. I like the fact that she's a "classic" MacGregor, but I would consider downsizing to a 19 if one showed up at a decent price. Maybe. I don't expect to get rid of Serendipity Too until I can't physically handle her any more, and I'm pretty sure that that to happen for a few years.

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