Macgregor 26S or 25 or Catalina 25

[H and E]

We are looking to purchase a sailboat that can be stored on a trailer and moved from lake to lake with a swing keel that we can spend a weekend on. The ones we have found so far are the Catalina 25, Macgregor 25 and a Macgregor 26S We have not traveled to see all of them yet and from the reading we have done I am leaning toward the Macgregor 26S. I will appreciate any comment on the above boats from those that had or do own them. I believe we will be sailing on inland lakes, however, we may try the gulf in the future.

Thanks in advance.

[mdbee]

We have been very happy with the Mac26s for the past six years. We sail in the bays in south Texas. Because the bays are so shallow, the centerboard and swing keel really come in handy, plus it's nice to be able to run her up on the sand.

Another handy thing is the water ballast. The boat, trailer and gear come in around 3100 - 3500 lbs. pretty easy to pull. Down here in the shallows, if you run aground, you can blow the ballast with an air pump and float / motor off, pretty handy. (draws about a foot without the ballast water) Then you just refill the ballast tank and sail on.