Wightlink rescues MacGregor...

resub said:
You sir are a "flaming" idiot.

Allow me to educate YOU oh wise one.

8 adults (many of whom were on the upper deck) and 3 children in a 26 foot boat sans proper ballast, drunk skipper decides to go wide open throttle. Yup, sounds like a bad design to me. Blame the boat, not the skipper. How many 26 foot boats would YOU put 8 adults topsides?

Let's legislate for stupidity and ban these boats. 30,000 of them and one drunken idiot kills some people, ban the boats. They are "death traps". Sounds right to me.
I wonder how many deaths have been on keel boats? Ban them too.

As I see it, this bloke in the original picture is alive and the boat is 80% above water despite the accident. That's a pretty safe looking boat to me. If he had the ballast in, this thread wouldn't exist.
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A lot of new posters in this thread...

In taking exception to my post you've failed to take context into consideration.

I didn't make any comments about the Mac, I can if you'd like me to...?

All I was doing was replying to another post stating that he'd never heard of any deaths in a Mac. I had, so I said so.
 
Alfie168 said:
Are you going to round up the 30,000 or so that have been sold, or shall I....

I confess I looked quite hard at getting one of these, but it was plain its sailing performance would have just irritated me, and I spent some time watching one on Rutland Water beating to windward, and it was struggling with windage and leeway in a light breeze. I'm not sure it had its water ballast full, but I couldn't tell frankly. I just knew it was not for me for all sorts of reasons, but they have plenty of fans who sail them successfully I'm sure they have a place, sailed/motored properly.

Tim
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My boat ran aground and engine was seized. I called out to a boat that was passing us to see if he could tow us to the marina ... knowing he cam from same.

My boat is a bilge keel 25ft 1970's heavy Motor sailer job ... approx. 3.8MT.

The boat I called out to was a Macgregor 26 with humungous great big outboard on the back ...

We made fast my tow line ... and he started to tow ... well let's say he tried to tow me ... the Macgregor skitted about all over the water while pulling me ahead ... it just had no grip at all on the water. We eventually gave up as I couldn't see any way he was going to take me through the windy channel back to marina ...

I eventually got back by use of anchor and genny to do it in stages !
 
Refueler said:
The boat I called out to was a Macgregor 26 with humungous great big outboard on the back ...

We made fast my tow line ... and he started to tow ... well let's say he tried to tow me ... the Macgregor skitted about all over the water while pulling me ahead ... it just had no grip at all on the water.
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Two interesting lessons...

1. Macgregor 26s are not good tow boats (no surprise there).

2. Macgreor users are kind and considerate.

Score 1 for Macgregors I think.
 
Refueler said:
My boat is a bilge keel 25ft 1970's heavy Motor sailer job ... approx. 3.8MT.
/QUOTE]

"megatonne (MT)
a metric unit of mass or weight equal to one million metric tons (tonnes), one teragram (Tg), or about 2.2046 billion pounds."

I'm not surprised you coudn't move it with a 50 horse outboard!!!!

edit; I see this post now has more views than the "readers boats" - should it be made a sticky?

:rolleyes:
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dukes4monny said:
Absolutely not........but that is the point, it doesn't require protection because it won't happen.........but, as an example, in the UK we don't allow electric sockets in bathrooms to prevent someone from (accidently) doing something stupid and killing themselves....or someone else.
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In France, you have electric sockets in the bathroom. Even in brand new appartments.
 
could have been something different...

on your bathroom socket.... I can see that safety aspect, but perhaps it was some other reason....

the manual shaver and toothbrush interests could have won out over the electric toothbrush and shaver interest....

All good Conspiracy Theorists should have those additional explanations ready to go....

I think the US rule is AC bathroom sockets are ok.. but they need to be GFI rated... I guess that is a compromise...

Just like having international power rated appliances on the boat.. 110/220/50-60hz... so hopefully my AC things don't have issues with "end of dock" power syndrome...

--jerry
 
peter radclyffe said:
these boats should be banned
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Impressive Input!

These boats shouldn't be banned..... They are excellent river and estuary boats, really they are!

I'm not trying to take a mightier than thou stance but having owned one, i feel i may be able to shed some light on the characteristics of this boat.

We had the 26c which is the sailing version... Large water ballasted single rudder and a small 10hp yamaha outboard.

With the water ballast tank full and closed off the boat is extremely stable, even with the flat hull and the centreboard when down had an extremely strong bite. That is how a macgregor should be used under sail....

having not had the fast version but knowing from launching her that without water ballast, the act no different from a skimming stone! They are truely horrible unballasted.

(we hated it BTW but that was more from the fact that the rig was useless upwind and very very slow under sail)

Still makes you wonder though..... why didn't he go back to basics and jump on the centreboard? :D
 
Kevan said:
does anyone know what actually happened in this case or can we make anything up? :-)
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If you read the whole thread (why get involved if you haven't?) you will see that the owner's son gave a clear & concise explantion of the unfortunate event. Most of the wild opinions & "I wouldn't sail the Atlantic in one of those - so they should be banned" comments were completely irrelevant.
 
Ah well i suppose someone has to admit it.i own a mac26x,i wanted a low cost boat that i could learn to sail on,i am very happy with my boat.The mac 26x is not a yacht so compairing her with yachts is like comparing a car to a truck.The boat is sold as a powesailor.

If you are going to take the boat out to coastal waters then you have to put in the ballast,this helps the boats stability and of you do have too much canvas up and she goes over then as long as the water ballast is in,it will pop back up,it also has floatation cells,so its very hard to sink

the sailing performance is fine,i have had mine hit 9 knots on a reach (tidal assisted at sea Palling).I get about 50 deg to the wind before speed falls off and i crab.The boat should be sailed like a dingy.pointing performance is dissapointing untill you get used to a few things

I have taken the boat out over sand bars that would have a keel boater pooing in his pants,so far ive had her out in force 7.In heavy weather going towards the wind,the boat performs best with a fully reefed main and the engine at 2000 rpm.

The one fatality with these boats was down to stupidity,they are very safe boats if used correctly.the one big thing that is a no-no is sailing without water ballast.

Anyone who has sailed the inside track at Orford ness in a South Easterly force 6 on the ebb knows what a lumpy ride can be,i did that in my mac.

It is not an ocean going deep keeled boat,its an inshore/coastal boat.

you can run her up a beach,duck under bridges(the mast lowers) and get over a bar as long as you have 18 inches of water.If you break something its cheap to replace.My winter mooring charges are zilch.

Those of us who own mac,s really could not give a rats poo to you guys who feel the need to knock our little boats,they give us hours of enjoyment.

Fair winds and safe sailing to all
 
bastonjock said:
Ah well i suppose someone has to admit it.i own a mac26x,i wanted a low cost boat that i could learn to sail on,i am very happy with my boat.The mac 26x is not a yacht so compairing her with yachts is like comparing a car to a truck.The boat is sold as a powesailor.

If you are going to take the boat out to coastal waters then you have to put in the ballast,this helps the boats stability and of you do have too much canvas up and she goes over then as long as the water ballast is in,it will pop back up,it also has floatation cells,so its very hard to sink

the sailing performance is fine,i have had mine hit 9 knots on a reach (tidal assisted at sea Palling).I get about 50 deg to the wind before speed falls off and i crab.The boat should be sailed like a dingy.pointing performance is dissapointing untill you get used to a few things

I have taken the boat out over sand bars that would have a keel boater pooing in his pants,so far ive had her out in force 7.In heavy weather going towards the wind,the boat performs best with a fully reefed main and the engine at 2000 rpm.

The one fatality with these boats was down to stupidity,they are very safe boats if used correctly.the one big thing that is a no-no is sailing without water ballast.

Anyone who has sailed the inside track at Orford ness in a South Easterly force 6 on the ebb knows what a lumpy ride can be,i did that in my mac.

It is not an ocean going deep keeled boat,its an inshore/coastal boat.

you can run her up a beach,duck under bridges(the mast lowers) and get over a bar as long as you have 18 inches of water.If you break something its cheap to replace.My winter mooring charges are zilch.

Those of us who own mac,s really could not give a rats poo to you guys who feel the need to knock our little boats,they give us hours of enjoyment.

Fair winds and safe sailing to all
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Sounds excellent mate. I can certainly see the appeal.
 
Lock this bloody thread.

Really can we kill this damn thread off?

I dont think that there is anything else to add... and this lingering death is unworthy.
 
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