Can't believe you raised the mast w/o the Macgregor crank mast-raising system, wow. BTW your video is the only one I've seen with "detailed" sail raising. Thanks.
Yes! More women sailing! I'm a total beginner and buying a amf puffer to start off. Then maybe getting this sail or a different one. Still shopping around, but your detailed info on the rig is super helpful 👌😊
Cool boat! Are they a high maintenance costly hobby? I guess not, new lines every ten years or so, a new engine every decade perhaps, general upkeep, I wonder if it costs a lot less than we might imagine?
Macgregors aren’t a very high maintenance boat compared to others. The boat hull is made of fiberglass and is pretty tough. That being said there are still things that break on it every year. Upkeep depends on how much you want to invest. You’re technically supposed to get new sails at least once a decade or so, but I haven’t, because they work fine enough for me. I have been sailing the same boat for over 20 years, and I only need to repair a small hole in the mainsail, and replace one of the battens for the sails. I’ve replaced one of the halyards, and the centerboard line, and repaired the centerboard, and many, many scratches over the years. The internal wiring isn’t great right now and probably needs a complete overhaul. I’ve had 5 different engines on it, but only because I’ve had so many stolen off the boat, not because they have worn out. I no longer store the engine on the boat. Overall its a fairly affordable boat, and you can pour as much or as little money into it as you want. I have a pretty low key low tech setup. For the size and convenience they ARE a lot let’s than you might imagine. I love my boat.
My 29 year old Honda BF50 has a rusty pin for the tilt thing, which I will try to replace soon, and it needed a good service and a new water pump, but now runs OK. I am however ordering a new Yamaha 85 2-stroke for it, as mine is a 26X from 1995 and I think a bit heavier than the newer ones. Roger specially built the 26 series to bring sailing and boating fun to the masses, like the model T Ford, he mass produced a practical vehicle that was affordable to buy - and run. You can park it at home during the winter for example.
