-=> Quoting Rick Hoppe to Laurence Charlot <=-
 RH> I have been looking at the new Macgregor 26's, and am really
 RH> interested in  one.  I am interested in one for several reasons. 
 RH> Anyone out there have one or have sailed on one?  Any reviews that I
 RH> can get  will help.
I am looking into a moving up to a larger boat, and the Mac 26 is one
possibility.  We are having a boat show next weekend and there will
probably be one there.  One thing I am uncertain about is a rumor
that the "regular" Mac 26 is out of production, and only the 26-X
is still being built.  Anyway, I will be looking at one next week at
the boat show and will try to arrange a test sail.  The main concern
I have about the 26-X has to do with the hull shape.  It is compromise
between a pure displacement hull and a planing hull, like the Mac 19.
I am worried that in order to allow the hull to plane with a high
power outboard and empty ballast tank, the hull shape is not optimized
for sailing, and the boat maybe is not a very stable or responsive
performer under sail.  Also, the freeboard is enormous due to having
a full-headroom cabin, and in a crosswind, the boat probably crabs
a lot.  The relatively small twin rudders are a concern, as I doubt
that they work as well as one large rudder at low (sailing) speeds.
I will send you another message if I get some more info.
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