-=> Quoting Bob Hirschfeld to Laurence Charlot <=-
 BH> the  cabin of my '94 Macgregor 26. Perhaps on a long sail thast would
 BH> be helpful.  The Mac 26 has a horizontal hatch cover which swings
I had a Mac 25 (1987 model) prior to the Catalina 22 I have now. 
How do you like your Mac 26? Is yours the "regular" Mac 26, or the
newer 26X?  I have heard a rumor that the factory quit building
the regular 26 last year, shifting all production resources to the
26X...Don't know if this rumor is accurate or not....I have looked
through Mac 26's of both types at boat shows, and although the 26X
has a lot of interior room, I have a hunch the regular 26 has better
pure sailing performance. There is a Mac 19 in our sailing club and
I am not impressed with it's sailing ability. Especially
upwind; it can't point closer that about 65 degrees to the 
apparent wind. I think too many hull shape compromises were made to 
allow the boat to plane with a large motor, and the sailing performance
suffers as a result.  Could the same be true of the 26X compared
to the regular 26?  
I have been considering a larger boat like a Catalina 30 or Newport 30,
these both have the interior headroom I need, but I am not sure if
I am willing to give up the ability to trailer, and the high cost
of a permanent berth in a marina is a serious drawback too...
Thanks for your reply, hope you have a good sailing season this year.
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