Macgregor Owner Reviews

Serving sailors online since 1997

Review of the Macgregor 17 by Gus

Year built	1970
Location of boat	Marquette, MI
The boat is sailed on	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	2015
If the clock could be turned back, would owner buy again?	Absolutely. Redoing the cabin has been a blast and Im learning a lot. While a bigger boat has its advantages, this 17 is a great starter boat.
Gear that's been added	The starboard 1/4 berth was rotted so I installed a galley that slides out of the way. Added cockpit, cabin, running and mast lighting with a marine switch panel that also controls the fish finder/depth sounder and the 30# thrust trolling motor hooked to 2 12V D/C batteries
Structural or complex improvements	In the process of rebuilding the slightly rusty and butt-ugly trailer. Amazing what a little white paint can do! Other than that, Im working on the mast step as the fiberglass was a little cracked there.
The boat's best features	Perfect size for day sailing. Fits in the garage and is easy to trailer, launch and retrieve. Sails quite well for a smaller boat
Problem areas in terms of design, materials, maintenance, etc.	I had to use a little inner tube material as a gasket on the two port holes up front. Theyre a Godsend for ventilation but they leaked (Not any more!). The self bailing cockpit could use another drain hole further aft.
Sailing characterisitcs	Shell heel to about 30 degrees and is still responsive. Not sure if shes up to the winds Lake Superior dishes out but, hey, on a nice day, shes very stable.
Motoring characterisitcs	A 30# thrust trolling motor on 2 batteries gives adequate speed and over 2 hours on full power
Liveability	I can see doing a weekend aboard but not much more. The boom tent I put on her helps for keeping dry while moored.
The owner's experience in dealing with Hunter (if any)	N/A
The owner's experience with the boat dealer or broker, if any	This was in a guys yard for years and was near dead. The mice had taken up residence. Hence her name: Mouse House.
Other comments	Hey, Im just a beginner but if theres others out there wondering if sailing is for them, I cant think of a better sized boat than the old Venture 17.

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