GL: McGregor 26X

[Bob Austin]

Just to double check my recollections I reviewed the Macgregor owner's site.
It affirmed that there are many Macgregor enthusiasts. Many of the owners have
fitted 70 and 90 hp engines to achieve planing speeds--Once a boat is loaded
with any sort of cruising gear, the weight goes up rapidly--and the power to
plane also goes up.  A number of members report with the 50 hp Honda you can
only get around 14 mph--and that is at WOT--so you would be burning 2 1/2
gallons an hour.  The boat will take two 12 gallon fuel tanks.  Even Macgregor
relates that if you want to go "Trawler speeds" 5 to 10 hp is adequate.  As
for out running a storm at 22 mph--that is a fantisy.  I cannot outrun a storm
in  a boat which will cruise in the low 40's.

Sailing--yes, the boats sail--the PHRF handicap is in the 228 seconds a mile,
not the slowest for this size boat, but there are some like the J 27 which
rate 102 seconds a mile faster--this means that if a boat is sixty seconds a
mile faster, it will do a mile in a minute less.  Multiply that times an 80
mile run--and that is an hour and 20 minutes longer--Also the boat does not
sail to weather as well as some of the better sailing boats that size.

I'll have to disagree with Larry Z for a rare time.  We have found that over
50% of the time on the intra coastal and inland  waterways that the wind was
from an unfavorable direction--and another 20 % too light for sailing. Keep in
mind that boats can sail into the wind, to a point--but that the ICW is a
narrow channel, and often busy, so that tacking a sailboat up or down it, is
not necessarilly a safe or easy thing to do.  So don't count on a lot of
sailing.

Second protection and amenities.  Many years ago we built a 38 foot "ideal
world cruising sailboat"--We started on a 5 month shake down cruise.  We had a
proper dodger, and wheel steering with autopilot.  After a month, my wife said
to me "buy me a pilothouse boat and take me where it is warm, and I will go
anywhere".  The protection on a full time cruising boat is extremely
important--not only from wind, rain, sleet etc, but from sun.  It would be
difficult to rig a proper dodger with "camper back" on a Macgregor 26.  A boom
or mast tent does not do it for people who are cruising long distances--think
that you can only stand in the center--sitting may even be a problem.  You
need protection when sailing.

Room below--a scrunch in porti potty?  No shower--(sure you can jerry rig one,
but will the wife be happy?  (I know the C Dory 22 that Bill and El own--and
owned one--El is a very special woman to put up with the inconviences of that
size boat--we just "upgraded" to a Tom Cat 255--which has a Queen bunk, and a
stand up head with a hot shower--because the Admiral was not happy with the
accomidation of the 22--and Marie is a lady with over 100,000 open ocean
miles, so she is no stranger to all types of boating.
How about airconditioning--even the best will be jerry rigged in a Macgregor
26.  Anchor out--get the breeze?--great, but there are a lot of places where
there is no breeze and fewer places to anchor each year.

Finally--safety.  There are at least several cases of capsize of the Macgregor
motor sailors.  I am sorry, but I would not even do the rivers and inland
waterways in a sailboat which would potentially capsize.  There is a certain
type of person who is a Macgregor 26 enthusiast--I suspect that most of these
folks have not owned a more responsive sailboat.  This is sort like V W
Vanagen camping.  But personally I would not consider the Macgregor a
comfortable boat to spend a couple of years on doing the loop.
But this is a personal preference.  Be sure and spend some time
sailing/powering one fully loaded before you buy into the concept.  Probably a
great trailerable sailboat for short vacations and day sailing, but not of
long distance sailing for the average person--especially the wives.

Bob Austin