Macwester Seaforth

The thread is actually about one Macwester the Macwester seaforth.Anybody who thinks they are all the same knows bugger all about boats.

Wow! Touchy aren't we! I was trying to do the op a favour and get back on subject.

Okay. In my opinion the Macwester Seaforth is such a heavy old skip that I advise your pal to buy a Rocna to go with, as that is the only anchor that can possibly hold it, and anyone who thinks otherwise knows bugger all about the - what was it?- oh yes the Macwester Seaforth.

[sits back to warm hands on the burning flames of the thread]
 
The Macwester Seaforth does what it says on the tin. Honest heavy Motor Sailor which makes an ideal family boat. The cockpit is deep and safe with built in wheel house. Agree sailing performance is not the best and at times assistance from the motor is required, but the ability to take the ground and explore drying creeks and shallow harbors is what some of us look for. Macwester Owners can always find a shallow anchorage and avoid the £30 pounds a night Marinas. There cannot be a lot wrong with the Seaforth as we have owned ours for over 30 years. How many of those running the Macwester brand down can enjoy nights in Christchurch, Wareham, Fareham, Newport (IOW) Ryde. Totness, Truro, Porthleven and Mousehole.

Perhaps we Macwester owners have our own brand of sailing,.
 
Wow! Touchy aren't we! I was trying to do the op a favour and get back on subject.

I know you were my comment was'nt aimed at you & I also know that seajet for the most part just goes in for a bit of leg pulling but some things are beyond the pale......& talking of beyond the pale.
The notion that Westerlies are better fitted out than Macwesters certainly falls into that category.Just don't go there Centuar owners!:D
 
The Macwester Seaforth does what it says on the tin. Honest heavy Motor Sailor which makes an ideal family boat. The cockpit is deep and safe with built in wheel house. Agree sailing performance is not the best and at times assistance from the motor is required, but the ability to take the ground and explore drying creeks and shallow harbors is what some of us look for. Macwester Owners can always find a shallow anchorage and avoid the £30 pounds a night Marinas. There cannot be a lot wrong with the Seaforth as we have owned ours for over 30 years. How many of those running the Macwester brand down can enjoy nights in Christchurch, Wareham, Fareham, Newport (IOW) Ryde. Totness, Truro, Porthleven and Mousehole.

Perhaps we Macwester owners have our own brand of sailing,.

At last an honest, informed opinion. I looked at the "Clipper Marine" Seaforth early this year. I think the boat is ideal for creek crawling on the East Coast. This example looked scruffy inside and needs a major update. The engine is meant to have been refurbished (or something to that effect|) but looks like an old tired engine which could do with taking out and rebuilding. The wiring was all over the place. Maybe at £17,500 it would have been worth considering.

I did go to France and look at another that had a 4/5 year old Nanni engine but the rest of the boat was a complete tip. The owner proudly showed me the 5 year old sails which were all damp and full of mildew and still stuffed in a locker where they had been for 4 months. There were more things that didn't work on that boat that did.....windscreen wipers........"oh yes they haven't worked for a good few years.........but I find that I don't need them"...etc...etc!!

I like the layout, a cracking doghouse and cockpit, just the right size, sizeable rear cabin. Reasonable size main cabin. Shallow draft and great for skanking over East Coast sand/mud banks. I bought a Colvic Atlanta Mullion 32 as it had been completely refurbished but prefer the design on the Seaforth.
 
Like others have said it really depends on usage.

We bought our Malin as a safe family boat. We don't race. The boat is solid and takes the abuse that inevitably comes along with kids. If we ever have the misfortune of running aground, we'll have more chance of getting away with it than many modern boats as the hulls are pretty thick.

I like that. I like the heavy build. I like the baby ship feel. 'Motorsailer' isn't a dirty word; it's a description of a type of boat that has evolved to satisfy a demand.

No doubt there are prettier and more modern 32 / 36 footers out there, but larger Macs still offer a compelling East coast proposition for the money.

Incidentally, I think it's the 27 that has extended keels.
 
In case you all have failed to notice, the OP has corrected the theme of the thread. Apparently his Irish friend is interested in a MacGregor of some sort.

I have looked at only two of these (for a friend), both called MacGregor 26. One was a sort of floating caravan shape with a short mast and a 40 horse outboard on the transom. The owner said it was a great boat, could sail and do over 15 knots under power. On asking, he admitted the downside was that it sailed very slowly and used 3 gallons of petrol per hour when at full speed. The other was also 26 feet long but as different as chalk and cheese. It was a sort of day-sailer with a small and uncomfortable cabin dominated by a centreboard case. A bit of rusty wire went into the case to operate the centreboard. The boat was seriously neglected and was still for sale at the same inflated price (around £8k) several years later.
 
In case you all have failed to notice, the OP has corrected the theme of the thread. Apparently his Irish friend is interested in a MacGregor of some sort.

I have looked at only two of these (for a friend), both called MacGregor 26. One was a sort of floating caravan shape with a short mast and a 40 horse outboard on the transom. The owner said it was a great boat, could sail and do over 15 knots under power. On asking, he admitted the downside was that it sailed very slowly and used 3 gallons of petrol per hour when at full speed. The other was also 26 feet long but as different as chalk and cheese. It was a sort of day-sailer with a small and uncomfortable cabin dominated by a centreboard case. A bit of rusty wire went into the case to operate the centreboard. The boat was seriously neglected and was still for sale at the same inflated price (around £8k) several years later.

Have a look at post #41. Chinita was being a little tinker.. :):)
 
Have a look at post #41. Chinita was being a little tinker.. :):)

But he spoiled it by owning up, so forestalling all the wonderful advice that might have followed - except from Seajet who obviously had not read it all but still gave his 2p worth!
 
Unfortunately I owned up too soon. Should have let the topic career wildly out of control for a few pages before announcing that my mate was quite taken with a Bav he had seen but noticed some rust around the keel..........
 
Rust is OK. You have to be able to see daylight between the keel and the hull before there is any cause for concern - but then a tube of bathroom sealant from B&Q will probably fix it.
 
Rust is OK. You have to be able to see daylight between the keel and the hull before there is any cause for concern - but then a tube of bathroom sealant from B&Q will probably fix it.

But the keel was lying beside the boat :confused:

Perhaps it is normal winter maintenance, removing the keel?

Is was going very cheap for some reason.
 
Then probably need 2 tubes of sealant and a few decking screws to put it back on in the spring - although of course you could just put some bungs in the holes in the bottom of the hull so you can use a drying mooring. Rudder might be a bit of a problem, but that will probably snap off like a carrot first time it dries out.
 
Hope you guys won't mind me butting in here, notwithstanding the OP isn't now looking for a Macwester at all!

I have a Macwester Rowan (22 footer) and, yes it's heavy, over 2 tons! Wouldn't have been even on any list of boats to look at let alone first choice. Actually she was wrecked in Newton Ferrers and declared an insurance write-off. I bought her for less than £300!

On my first 'overseas' trp to the Channel Islands we were hit by severe weather (sent by the Fench!) and I soon gave our little bathtub a great deal of respect.:eek::eek:

Returning from Guernsey this summer ( yes, we did have one) we were averaging between 5 and 6 knots towards Plymouth, getting in 3 hours ahead of ETA. And in September, between Mevagissey and Fowey we almost reached 7 knots (OTG) and that was towing the inflatable!:):)

Mind you, for close quarter work I do rely on my Yanmar!

Geoff
 
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