MacGregor 65?

[ds797]

Has anyone any experience of the MacGregor 65?

The marketing blurb from when they were available new is compelling reading and obviously highlights them as being amazing boats in terms of sailing speed, value, accommodation etc.

Wondering if anyone can actually speak from experience?

Thanks.

 

[TQA]

I had a quick peak at two in Antiqua [ they were there for race week ] in the 90s so I am plumbing the memory banks here.

One was the full on race version and it was just a single long cabin no privacy and quite claustrophobic somehow. The other had a pilothouse layout and was still pretty plain inside but not so claustrophobic even though the space inside was broken up. Not a lot of room for 65 feet though.

The owner of the race version was in party mode as he had [ I quote ] "slaughtered the Swans".

On a boat hunt recently I came across a cheap one and did a bit of research but found out it was one of the first hulls and had a history of hull to deck problems and that these were ongoing. it also had a 12 foot draft, which might have been a typo. I did not go and see it as I decided it wwas more boat than I wanted, still it was attractively priced and you would tunr heads in a cruising anchorage on a Big Mac.

 

[Sybarite]

Saw one sailing out of the Golfe de Morbihan two weeks ago. Impressive.

A few years ago they decided that they were going to attempt to beat the average ferry time between Marseilles and Corsica. They waited first for a good Mistral and then I remember (I think) they hit 27 knots but then something broke.

There is one for sail at Le Pornichet €185k

http://www.aventure-oceane.com/detail-voilier-occasion.196.voilier-d-occasion.htm
http://www.macgregor26.com/65/65.htm

 

[ds797]

Cheers for the responses... anyone else got further comments?

Thanks.

 

[jwilson]

Has anyone any experience of the MacGregor 65?

The marketing blurb from when they were available new is compelling reading and obviously highlights them as being amazing boats in terms of sailing speed, value, accommodation etc.

Wondering if anyone can actually speak from experience?

Thanks.

Saw one called "Brian Boru" that arrived in Hong Kong after an amazingly fast Pacific crossing, forget the time, but apparently engine running virtually all the way but not huge fuel use as most of the power from the rig - engine just to keep her fully planing.

 

[Jeremy_W]

Listen to the reaction of the crew!

I was the navigator on the First MacGregor 65 in the UK. She was great for quick hikes round the Solent. Then the skipper decided to take her to the Med. First leg was beating into a F7 in the Channel and we bust a hinge on the forepeak door. Trivial, but worrying. You had to wonder how well built the rest of the yacht was.

When we got to Gibraltar the crew boss, who was a Ocean Yachtmaster Examiner, led the crew off to a burger bar in the Marina. His first question was "would anyone sail in this yacht again and the crew's answer was 'No'!"

My concern was that the chart table was right over the galley. If I fell when climbing up to the chart table I could have ended up badly burnt....

 

[Rob_Webb]

Surely you'd go for the Sundeer 64?

Raven came through Gulf Harbour (Auckland) a few years ago, seem to recall skipper was v happy with her, came doww from the Pac Islands to NZ in about 4 days (1000nm) which is multihull territory in terms of average speeds.

 

[Dockhead]

Do you know the MacGregor 26? Then you have an idea of the build standards.

The whole idea of the M65 is similar to that of the Sundeer, and it is actually sound: A long narrow boat will outperform a short fat one of similar cost and accomodation.

So the M65 is a very high performance sailboat for the money. But it is nasty, cheap, and plasticky, built to a low standard. The interior is particularly hideous, looking like a set from Clockwork Orange.

They have a very narrow beam and so the accomodation is more like that of a 45 foot boat. Likewise the displacement, and cost.

But they are full of innovation. They have a separate aft engine compartment like the Sundeer (with a couple of crew bunks inside!), and a kind of pilothouse steering position.

Their owners love them and did I say that they are extremely fast?

But if I wanted something of this ilk, I would go for a Sundeer, which is double the cost but ten times the boat.

 

[Rob_Webb]

Do you know the MacGregor 26? Then you have an idea of the build standards.

The whole idea of the M65 is similar to that of the Sundeer, and it is actually sound: A long narrow boat will outperform a short fat one of similar cost and accomodation.

So the M65 is a very high performance sailboat for the money. But it is nasty, cheap, and plasticky, built to a low standard. The interior is particularly hideous, looking like a set from Clockwork Orange.

They have a very narrow beam and so the accomodation is more like that of a 45 foot boat. Likewise the displacement, and cost.

But they are full of innovation. They have a separate aft engine compartment like the Sundeer (with a couple of crew bunks inside!), and a kind of pilothouse steering position.

Their owners love them and did I say that they are extremely fast?

But if I wanted something of this ilk, I would go for a Sundeer, which is double the cost but ten times the boat.

Well yeah, I guess that's what I was alluding to in pictures rather than words!