Why no Macgregor 26's in the West of Scotland?

Topcat47 said:
I wouldn't consider one for use on the West Coast. The one's I've seen seem very lightly built. I don't think the hull form makes for sea kindliness. I'm not impressed by the rig or the accommodation. I've a few years on you and I doubt my Nich's any less cramped than your Varne but I'd not think of making that particular swap. I'd rather go the whole hog and get on old Nelson.
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They must have done something right, they made 5,000 of the 26X.
 
scruff said:
I've sailed the west coast for years and it's far from uncommon to get walloped with an un-forecasted 35+kts. Not the place for toy boats. Sounds like you want either 2 boats; a rib and a cruising boat or a motor cruiser really.
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We got exactly that coming home on Saturday, only more like 25 knots. It was bloody miserable and we were motoring the whole way, flat out at 3 knots. Took hours.
 
Many Great Lakes MacGregor sailors in the US have an optional ballasted lifting keel for their windy conditions. Probably makes the trailering bit more awkward.
 
ash2020 said:
What sort of speed would you get out of a Nelson at full whack?
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Entirely dependent on how much horsepower is installed; typically they're built with enough to reach 15-20kts, but that was down to the build customer. Don't discount crowd-funding, there are a lot of people not happy with the way the govt let big business use the west coast as an open sewer, I'm one of them; if you produce regular video reports something like patreon could be a good way of sustainably funding your activities.
 
There's a lot of prejudice towards the Mac26x from people who've never sailed in one but they are not "toy" boats.

Nothing you can drill a 2" hole in and it not sink while carrying 6 people, or carry a 50hp outboard on is a "toy".

They're not purist sailing boats, that's not the point. They're speed boats you can cruise about silently for days while saving fuel for when you need it, & i really like the double bed area under the cockpit. I've thought about one for similar activist-type work as you are doing. It strikes me the stealth element of being able to sail in quietly would benefit you.

What else is there?

Only thought I'd consider is they are at their greatest risk while filling or emptying with ballast water. There have been accidents, usually with drunk American, over crowded etc, & that's when it happened. As in RTFM before using them & lay off the beers. Because of precisely that, they got a bad rep. So you'd want to know how long that takes & work around it. I don't know how they pump, but may be upgrade it.

Like any production boat, you'd want to up its seaworthiness a little starting with numerous eyes & straps to lock onto, & I'd permanently bond in some kind of bridgedeck into the companion way to raise it to the height of the seating area. The cockpit is wide open to the stern, so then there would be no risk of it pooping, nor flooding the cabin. If you wanted to get really serious, I'd go 'Roger Taylor' on hatch & companionway, seal them up, & put in a 60cm closing hatch at an angle, facing abaft but at 70, may you're past playing at submarine commander?

You'll need a heater in it too.

Excuse the commentary & interior decoration, but here's the first walk through I found. The only thing I'd like more, if I could afford the fuel, would be a Stridsbåt 90H (a Swedish Combat Boat 90)!

Can you stick a sail on one of them?

 
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Just how close to the fish farms are you planning on getting? You might want to consider an outboard so you can get the ropes out of your prop! It would be a little embarrassing to be stuck there and have the fish farm offer to get their dive team in and then send you the £1600 bill... plus any extras for damage caused...
 
Topcat47 said:
I wouldn't consider one for use on the West Coast. The one's I've seen seem very lightly built. I don't think the hull form makes for sea kindliness. I'm not impressed by the rig or the accommodation. I've a few years on you and I doubt my Nich's any less cramped than your Varne but I'd not think of making that particular swap. I'd rather go the whole hog and get on old Nelson.
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This is also my opinion. The Macgregor 26 was built for sailing in American waters where most folk head home before the wind reaches 25 MPH. The rig is designed accordingly. Just compare the rig on a Mac. to a Westerly Centaur or other 26 ft European boat. I believe the Mac also requires water ballast tanks to fill and empty before and after use. It is lightly constructed so suspect operating at 30 knots on the West Coast in a breeze might be challenging for those on board and the boat.
 
I saw a McGregor mid-Solent who had obviously decided to stop motoring and stick up his sails - it may have been his first trip out but he'd presumably forgotten to fill his ballast tank - the thing fell over! They were rescued by one of the Isle of Wight ferries . If you get one leave a large post-it note on the steering wheel !!
 
penfold said:
Entirely dependent on how much horsepower is installed; typically they're built with enough to reach 15-20kts, but that was down to the build customer. Don't discount crowd-funding, there are a lot of people not happy with the way the govt let big business use the west coast as an open sewer, I'm one of them; if you produce regular video reports something like patreon could be a good way of sustainably funding your activities.
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I'm another.
 
Kelpie said:
Just how close to the fish farms are you planning on getting? You might want to consider an outboard so you can get the ropes out of your prop! It would be a little embarrassing to be stuck there and have the fish farm offer to get their dive team in and then send you the £1600 bill... plus any extras for damage caused...
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They use outboards, not inboards.

Because they have chines to get on the plane, and little keel ballast, they tend to roll on the chine so are a bit tender. The Macgregor 26x yacht 'Restless'

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perhaps a cat would be a better solution?
 
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