-=> Quoting Struther Macfarlane to Laurence Charlot <=-
 SM> The Mac 26X will be a lot of fun for someone who doesn't know
 SM> diddly-squat about sailboats (or power boats either, for that matter),
We had a Mac 19 in our sailing club, and it's sailing performance 
was so poor, especially upwind, that the unfortunate skipper was often
several hours later than everyone else in completing a cruise. As of
last January, that person has upgraded to a Catalina 27, so I guess
his Mac 19 is going to be sold...Anyway, I fear the Mac 26-X may share
many of the handicaps that were oh so apparent in the Mac 19.
Now, the regular Mac 26 isn't too shabby under sail, at least
considering the price. We have 2 of these, and they seem
to keep up with the Chrysler 26's and Catalina 25's, of which our
club has several of each. By tuning the rig and purchasing better
quality sails than what comes from the factory, a regular Mac 26
can be made to sail fairly fast. I don't know the PHRF rating, though.
Of course, the bottom line for any MacGregor product is the light
hull construction. My first boat was an '86 Mac 25 (pre-water ballast,
it had a cast iron swing keel). It was 2 years old when I bought
it, and was in near factory-fresh condition. After 5 more years, there
were stress cracks in every corner of the deck and hull liner, and
the bow pad-eye was starting to tear out. I could feel the foredeck
sag under my feet a little every time I walked on it, and the
swing keel had developed a lot of lateral free play in the pivot
bushing.  A lot of the stress-crack problems may have been partially
to blame on the cheap trailer, which does not support the weight
of the boat very well.
Looking back, and comparing to other trailerables in it's
size range, the mast was smaller in diameter and wall thickness
of the extrusion, and it may be a miracle that I didn't dis-mast
the boat in the typical brisk summer winds common on San Francisco Bay
and the Sacramento river delta. The Mac 26 is still using that same
size extrusion, and I still feel a little uncomfortable with it on
a 26' boat.  Of course, the deck hardware MacGregor uses is infamous;
a lot of it is "homemade" out of stainless sheet metal, very rough
looking, and barely adequate. Of course, you get what you pay for,
and the cheap hardware and fittings is one of the reasons the Mac 26
is $6000 less than a Catalina 250 and $8000 less than a Hunter 26.
I wish MacGregor would beef up their hull and deck laminates-the
owner can always upgrade hardware, but a weak lightweight hull is
something that can't be easily upgraded like installing better
blocks, turnbuckles, and cam cleats.
 SM> condominium structure on-deck giving a wind resistance that would make
 SM> slow movements (such as....docking?) difficult - might just as well
 SM> leave your main and jib up and HARDEN 'em both!
Nothing worse than trying to make a graceful entry to a marina berth
in a hard crosswind with a high-freeboard boat and a puny 5 hp motor!
--- HyperMail! v1.22
---------------