# Would you "Loop" a Macgregor?



## wannabsailor (Jul 9, 2012)

I will be retiring in a few years and I want to do “The Loop” I am continually checking out sailboats, as opposed to Trawlers…etc., in the 25-30 ft. range and I keep coming back to the Macgregor 26, in particular the C & D models. I just like their looks as opposed to the newer ones…and…they are more affordable. The main difference appears to be swing keel vs. dagger board. Because half of the trip will be canals and rivers I am thinking swing keel because it’s probably not “if” I have a bottom strike but “when,” and it is my understanding that if you do strike something with a swing keel it will simply bump it up as opposed to breaking it off. I also want a sail boat as opposed to a modified hull that is designed to work with a 50hp. outboard as well as sails. Seems that sailors either love or hate the Macgregor. Any thoughts, hints, or tips for a rookie? Thanks, Jimmy


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## PorFin (Sep 10, 2007)

Jimmy,

I've got no real opinion on the Mac -- as long as you and your crew like it, then it's gonna be OK for you.

If you plan on doing the Loop, don't let draft be your primary concern. 

We completed the Loop in 2009 in our Vagabond 39, with a draft a tad under 6'. As long as you pay attention to your charts and the notices to mariners regarding shoaling, grounding is not a big concern. 

Since you will be spending a fair portion of the trip under engine power alone, having a reliable power train is pretty important. Likewise, knowing your fuel capacity and usage rate is necessary in a few stretches where fuel availability is limited.


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## Chadfunk48 (Jun 8, 2006)

Your thoughts on having a boat with a centerboard are good considering the shallow waters you will be sailing in. You are correct that if the centerboard does not lock down it would just bounce off the bottom. 

Macgregors are a boat that is aimed at the trailer sailor market. Can you do the loop in one? Sure, but there are much better keel/centerboard boats out there to do it in that will be more seaworthy and have a much better motion. I'm guessing you are talking about the newer Macgregor 26 that has a water ballast and takes the 50hp motor? It is designed as a powerboat hull with sails on it. This boat can plane when using the outboard if the water ballast tanks are empty. This is not really beneficial in cruising unless you have alot of money to spend on gas. And this hull shape isn't super friendly in chop and waves at slow speeds when compared to a more traditional sailboat. 

If that is what you want though go for it. It will certainly get you where you want to go. For my money though I would look at an older Tartan, Bristol, or Pearson for this trip in the same size range. Many had keel/centerboard designs.


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## sneuman (Jan 28, 2003)

I have never sailed _on_ a Mac26, but have seen several being "sailed". My observation is that they are much better power boats than sail boats. I have to agree with Chad - if a sailboat is what you want, there are much better choices for what you want to do.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

sneuman said:


> I have never sailed _on_ a Mac26, but have seen several being "sailed". My observation is that they are much better power boats than sail boats. I have to agree with Chad - if a sailboat is what you want, there are much better choices for what you want to do.


The C and D models are not the power sailers. They are sailboats.

I had a Venture 2-22. My only hesitation would be in dealing with the currents with a small engine. Careful planning will be important.


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## MarkCK (Jan 4, 2009)

I would look at something other than a Mac for the reasons the other posts mentioned. The one plus is that they are very roomy 26 footers. On the other hand there are probably more suitable boats for this trip. The water ballast is really only beneficial in trailering. 

I would look at an older Catalina 25 or 250. The 259 also has a water ballast but I would narrow my search to the shoal draft model.


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## KIVALO (Nov 2, 2011)

I owned a Mac 25 before I bought my H-260. My only comment would be about room. Don't get me wrong, I love my H-260, but after extended periods on board she can get fairly small. The Mac 26C or D will be smaller still as long as your aware of that and are OK with it I'd say go for it. The only other comment would be to make sure you calculate accurate fuel consumption rates for various RPM's. From experience, it can get nerve racking to run out of fuel in a tight spot with other boats around transiting the same water you are(or should be ). 

Last comment is... ENJOY! It sounds like a fun journey! 

Brad
s/v KIVALO


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## johnnyquest37 (Feb 16, 2012)

PorFin said:


> Jimmy,
> 
> We completed the Loop in 2009 in our Vagabond 39, with a draft a tad under 6'. As long as you pay attention to your charts and the notices to mariners regarding shoaling, grounding is not a big concern.


Was mast clearance an issue for you? Understand there is a bridge with just under 20' of clearance in Chicago that has to be dealt with.


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Here's a blog from a guy who did parts of the Loop in a MacGregor. He appreciated/needed the trailerable because he was working and did the trip in chunks. Sea the Sounds - North Great Loop Trip-Sandy&Deb Williamson


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

The first thought that came to mind is the MAC was really designed to be day sailed. Sure you can do it with proper planning. It's the durability of the ship that you might consider. Part of the planning may be the maintenance and repair necessary. However, no one does a long passage like the loop, without a pretty noticeable amount of repair. It's just relative.


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## Ajax_MD (Nov 24, 2009)

This looks like the U.S. version of "Keep Turning Left".


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## okawbow (Feb 15, 2007)

You could certainly do the loop in a Mac 26. However; there is still quite a bit of open water to navigate while doing the loop. I've done about half of the loop in a Cheoy Lee 31, which is a pretty good blue water boat, but I still got beat up a couple times in bays and sounds. We also were able to do a lot of the trip offshore, and I wouldn't try that in a Mac. 

As someone else said; you will need a good motor for the rivers and canals. An outboard can make it ok, but will use much more fuel and probably will not be as dependable as a good diesel. 

The good things about a Mac are the swing keel and a light enough mast to take down easily with 2 people. If you get a newer good quality 4 strike motor, and are prepared to wait for easy weather at times, you will be ok.


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## chuck53 (Oct 13, 2009)

If I were doing the loop in a sailboat, knowing that a good portion of the trip would be under power, I'd look for a boat with an inboard diesel.


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## Silvio (Nov 10, 2010)

Only chiming in because you asked, but no, I wouldn't do the loop on a small Mac. Personally my 31' sailboat starts to get too small after a month or two of living on board. We plan to do the loop when we retire and for that trip we will likely buy a 35-40' trawler and save our sailing for coastal and near coastal cruising. We are definitely not wealthy but there are good older trawlers out there that are comfortable and affordable. Frankly IMHO taking a sailboat through the inland waterways is not much fun and takes a lot of the pleasure out of the trip when one tries to use a sailboat as a motor boat, which is what I have found on the GICW as well as the AICW. If I were to consider taking any sailboat on the loop I would look at a motor/sailor with enclosed cockpit and sturdy diesel with plenty of fuel and water capacity as well as the ability to cruise at 7-10kn against a current.

Just my opinion, please feel free to ignore it. Whatever you decide, have fun!

editted to add:
If I already owned a small McGregor my thought might be different. I offered the above opinion based on the belief that you are boat shopping specifically for the loop.


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## JonEisberg (Dec 3, 2010)

PorFin said:


> Jimmy,
> 
> We completed the Loop in 2009 in our Vagabond 39, with a draft a tad under 6'. As long as you pay attention to your charts and the notices to mariners regarding shoaling, grounding is not a big concern.


Just curious, did you do the Trent-Severn with that draft, or did you go via Lake Erie/Detroit?


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## PorFin (Sep 10, 2007)

johnnyquest37 said:


> Was mast clearance an issue for you? Understand there is a bridge with just under 20' of clearance in Chicago that has to be dealt with.


We pulled the mast in Catskill NY for the trip through the Erie Canal, and restepped it in Buffalo/Tonawanda.

We did the entire stretch from Chicago to Mobile with the mast down.

Once you start doing your route planning, you should take note of the bridge heights and plan accordingly. As mentioned, a good thing with a trailer sailer is that usually dropping the mast is a pretty straight forward deal that can be done without a crane or travel lift. In our case, there's no way to do it without the heavy machinery.

You might want to pick up Skipper Bob's Great Circle Route cruising guide. Hard to go wrong at less than $20.


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## PorFin (Sep 10, 2007)

JonEisberg said:


> Just curious, did you do the Trent-Severn with that draft, or did you go via Lake Erie/Detroit?


Jon,

We really wanted to do Trent-Severn and the Georgian Bay, but the nagging doubts about the skinny water just wouldn't go away. We wound up doing Erie and the Detroit River. Turned out OK, though -- had some enjoyable times just the same.

That said, I'd still like to explore Georgian Bay some day...


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## JonEisberg (Dec 3, 2010)

PorFin said:


> Jon,
> 
> We really wanted to do Trent-Severn and the Georgian Bay, but the nagging doubts about the skinny water just wouldn't go away. We wound up doing Erie and the Detroit River. Turned out OK, though -- had some enjoyable times just the same.
> 
> That said, I'd still like to explore Georgian Bay some day...


Thanks, yeah, with your draft, you probably made the right call...

I did the T-S with a 56' motoryacht a few years ago, drawing about 4.5 feet... I few spots were pretty close, but we never actually touched the bottom... If the water level in the system was at the normal or above pool height, I'd love to do it in my own boat (5.2') someday, it's a fantastic trip...


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## chuck53 (Oct 13, 2009)

I agree with some of the others. While the loop can be done on a sailboat, it's much better suited for a trawler. There are lots of single diesel trawlers out there in the 30' range that can do the loop very economically and a 30' trawler will be way more comfortable and spacious than a 26' Mac.
The owner of our marina usually takes his 41' Marine Trader to the keys every winter (from VA) and the amount of fuel he uses is amazingly low.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

I think what you might want to think more about is not whether the boat is suitable for the trip, but whether it's suitable for you. Or, to put it another way, will you enjoy the trip in a boat such as that?

You can do the "Loop" in the Mac. With proper planning you could do it in a Flying Scot or a Hobie Cat. I believe people have even kayaked it. The question is, would you want to?

If all you're going to do is the Loop, I'd get a trawler.


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## whroeder (Aug 20, 2007)

You might like the read here www.a1sailboats.com/adventures especially the Erie Canal trip


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

Whether the boat is big enough or not is really up to you. I suggest you think about tankage. The more often you have to stop for fuel and water the higher your stress level and the less flexibility you will have.


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## JonEisberg (Dec 3, 2010)

whroeder said:


> You might like the read here www.a1sailboats.com/adventures especially the Erie Canal trip


Nice little blog, I've only had a quick look, but you've had some terrific adventures with that boat of yours... Looking forward to reading more when I have the time...

I love the Barge Canal, it's one of my favorite trips, I'll never get tired of doing it... Most of mine have been via Oswego, but earlier this summer I did the western section of the Erie again for the first time in perhaps 15 years...

It ain't sailing, but canal cruising is still boating and exploring at its very finest, IMHO...


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## wannabsailor (Jul 9, 2012)

Thanks to all who gave me their thoughts and comments. I know I have things to consider but I still think it is do-able. Tried to answer a few of the comments but guess I can't do that until more posting or comments or something...etc.

Again, thanks to one and all.
Play Safe.


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

wannabe - the question isn't really whether it's doable or not, it IS doable. The real question you should be asking yourself is whether that's your best option to make the trip what you want it to be.


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