DSK wrote:

Jim Cate wrote:

I suppose that you are right in one respect. - The MacGregor boats
have incorporated a long list of advantageous features not available
in most displacement boats, and the new Mac 26M carries that tradition
forward as did the earlier models.


You really are addicted to Macgregor advertising, aren't you?

If you can point to errors in my notes, I'll accept that criticism.
Until then, however, you are just another of the "Moorons" who aren't
willing to put up or shut up.



... The Macs were one of the first cruising sailboats to popularize
the use of water ballast, the advantages of which are so obvious that
their competitors (e.g., Hunter, Catalina) are now offering it also.


Except that the Mac 26X was so poorly designed that it needed to have
lead ballast added. My wife & I owned a water ballasted Hunter 19 for 10
years and it sailed fine... in fact we outsailed Mac 26Xs many times in
it, and a Mac 26M a couple of times.


Really? From other ngs, it seems that lots of owners still prefer the 26X.



... Further advantages include positive flotation (the boats actually
float, even if the hull is compromised.


Imagine that... I've been sailing boats with positive flotation since
about 1968.


Interesting. And how many of the contributors to this newsgroup would
you think own boats with positive flotation? - Maybe 20%? Or 10%? Or
Maybe five percent?





... Further advantages that are unique with respect to most of their
competition is the ability to "fly away" from the
"displacement-speed-barrier" that keeps most sailboats locked in their
place (unless they are surfing down a wave during a storm).


If that's true, then why is the Mac 26X and Mac 26M so slow under sail,
compared to other boats of similar size? You don't have to look ver far
at all to find 26' boats that will sail rings around it.


Where, and when, have you seen such races involving the 22M?



... Still further advantages include the ability to float in waters as
shallow as one foot, and to be beached for picnics, camping, etc.


Comes in very handy, but it's hardly unique to MacGregors. There are
quite a few centerboarders that can be beached, including some 40+ footers.



And, did I say it was "unique" to the MacGregors? What I said was that
they offered a package of advantageous features not often found in a
such a cruising sailboat. If you don't believe me, why not conduct a
poll of the contributors to this ng.


... A still further advantage is that they are trailerable,
permitting them to be conveniently relocated to a desired sailing area
hundreds of miles from their usual port.


Comes in handy as long as you have a behemoth SUV to tow it. We used a
minivan with a V-6 for our trailerable... got about 25 MPG with it. It
is nice to be able to cruise far waters on a short vacation.

With the water ballast removed, the boat weighs only 3,500 pounds. I
pull it with my 2002 Mercury sedan, which I also drive to work, to the
symphony, to the opera, etc.

But again, this is hardly unique to the Mac 26X or Mac 26M. If you knew
more than what Macgregor told you, you'd find that out.


Again, did I say that the Mac was "unique" in being trailerable? -
Perhaps you should read my notes a little more carefully. (And once
again, what percentage of those owned by contributors to this ng do you
think are trailerable?)

All in all, Jeff, you are quite correct in suggesting that the Mac 26M
incorporates many of the same features and characeristics developed
over the years in earlier models. It merely carries the tradition
forward to a higher level. - Very perceptive comment on your part.


And when are you going to actually look at a Mac 26X and compare hull
shapes, and realize it's the exact same as your boat? Not very
perceptive on your part.


Once again, Doug, you're dead wrong. When are you going to actually
compare the two boats?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King



Jim