GL: MacGregor 26

[Ralph Yost (home)]

For anyone contemplating the purchase of a new or used boat, I strongely 
recommend reading as much material as you can on the following web site:
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/

Read especially the BUYING A BOAT section and all the articles there. He 
gives you great assessments of factory construction techniques that work and 
fail, especially after reviewing many boats damaged from the hurricane, or 
worse yet, not even a hurricane...just some strong wind !

R.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Langenwalter" <tillerman26@msn.com>
To: <great-loop@lists.samurai.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 8:06 PM
Subject: Re: GL: MacGregor 26


>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: Mark Langenwalter<mailto:tillerman26@msn.com>
>  To: great-loop@lists.samurai.com<mailto:great-loop@lists.samurai.com>
>  Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 5:48 PM
>  Subject: MacGregor 26
>
>
>    Here's another 2 cents worth about the MacGregor 26. There was one in 
> our
> sailing club and all the other boats were also in the 22-27 foot range. 
> The
> MacGregor was the only one that lost it's centerboard, literally. When the
> boat refused to sail to windward, the owner motored back to dock and 
> pulled
> the boat out only to find the centerboard was gone. Most sailboats have a
> fixed lead keel which provides a righting moment when the boat heels in
> addition to preventing the majority of leeward movement which is what 
> makes it
> possible for the boat to sail to weather. The MacGregor has water ballast 
> and
> a fiberglass centerboard. Some of the capsizing incidents I have read 
> about
> were due to inexperienced sailors forgetting to add the water ballast when
> attempting to sail. The result would be similar to a keelboat losing it's
> keel.
>
>    The MacGregor has introduced scores of people to sailing at an 
> affordable
> price and for that I conmmend it, but it's major drawback (in my opinion)
> which would prevent me from taking it on an extended trip is it's 
> fragility.
> They are inexpensive for a reason. The next time you look at one, take a 
> close
> look at the standing rigging and the associated hardware (blocks, winches,
> etc.) and then walk to the next slip and examine a similar sized keelboat.
> There is really no comparison. The standing MacGregor joke was that you 
> could
> buy all your boat's hardware at Home Depot or Tru-Valu Hardware. The
> chainplate covers on our friend's MacGregor were pop riveted to the deck, 
> as
> were the spreaders to the mast, and while down below on a sunny day, I
> actually saw the shadow of a person walking by on the dock on the inside 
> of
> the hull. That's not much fiberglass between you and the sea bed if you 
> bump
> into a deadhead or some other type of flotsam or jetsam. MacGregors are a
> great boat for a weekend at the lake but I wouldn't venture off shore in 
> one
> (including the Great Lakes). I can envision the boat going straight to the
> bottom after getting pooped by a large following wave with a 300 lb. 
> outboard
> hanging on the transom. I don't want to sound like a doomsayer, but it's
> something to think about.
>
>    Mark
>
>    S/V Aislinn
>    Hunter 36
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