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McGregor 36 Catamaran

64K views 106 replies 28 participants last post by  dpwarzecha 
#1 ·
Does anybody have any info or any idea whrer to get info on the mcgregor 36 ???
 
#2 ·
I have been searching for information for several months on the Macgregor 36. I have not found any one site that gives the information instead have found many small ads for them, many people talking about them and very few for sale. But I would love to know if you find any definitive information about them.
 
#3 ·
I''ve never heard of a McGregor 36 Catamaran, but then I don''t consider myself the final word on anything....

But I can recommend that you run a search for the magazine "Multihulls" and when you find it check out their web site and contact them with your questions. They are pretty much up to speed on Catamarans and such...its their whole world.

The only McGregor''s that I am familiar with are monohulls. And their latest success story has been a 26'' sailboat that carries a 40HP motor and it can be used as a motor boat or sail as it has a folding mast and is trailerable.....

They have a website also...and they are located out in CA. Maybe they have begun to manufacture a Cat. Since the name is the same I would start there....Copyright and trademark lawyers get real hinky whne someone else uses a clients "name".

Hope this helps alittle...
 
#4 ·
Saw a few of them back in the late 1980''s or early 1990''s. You could always tell them by the float-like structure at the top of the mast....sort of a sailboat version of training wheels on a kid''s bicycle. MacGregor certainly marches to a different drummer...don''t they. Possibly, they will make them again; only this time with really big hulls, for extra windage, and a 50 hp outboard on each one. How do they sell so many boats? I think I''ll operate mine from the dock with a remote control...it''s safer. Sorry...I digress...it''s Sunday...and I want to go sailing...but it''s gray and dreary in Seattle. Heck..we do need light air practice..I''m outta here!
 
#5 ·
just to let all the mono hull sailors know... macgregor made these boats from roughly 1972-1980. They are a model/copy of many 36'' trailerable cats out there. Supposedly more reliable then most macgregors are though. for a large trailerable cat they are a beautiful boat. The several people I know who own them love them dearly.
 
#6 ·
I have two Macgregor 36' catamaran's. They're great daysailors. Curently, I'm going through coast guard certification. It's an inexpensive way to get into the commercial catamaran business. I'm in Key West if your interested in taking a look. Call me a 305 896-3878. I painted the cat's neon Pink and will be calling them the "Pink Catillac's". Talk soon.
Captain Steve
 
#7 ·
36' Mac Cat

There are 3 in Racine Wis. Racine Yacht Club Members. 1 is for sale $18,000. I have all original sales materials from dealer including owners manuals, original factory test results and color brochures. There were 300 built by MacGregor between 1979-82.
In my oppinion they were before there time. With some modern sails and very slight rigging adjustments, they can reach 22+knots easily. Hang on!
I added UK Tape Drive Sails. Floats on the top are for the fearful not a stock item. They are trailorable but do not recomend. Mine is fully loaded from the factory. For the money you won't find anything better.
Alot of these boats were flipped in the beginning for lack of knowledge of what a "GIANT" beach cat can do for the times. So there are not many left. You have questions I would love to answer them.
My perticular boat has great history of many victories form Galveston Texas, to Florida and beyond. The original Captain quite a single handed sailor. Now though, day sailing in the Great Lake of Michigan. Yacht Club Members always ask me how long it takes me to sail from port to port. I crossed Lake Michigan in 5 hours.
I did almost flip it in the summer of 2007, but my 18' Hobie Cat experience saved the boat and 8 on board. We were flying a hull from Racine to Kenosha when a gust hit and took her up to the edge. Bailed the Main and turned into the wind, down she came. Crew hanging from the life lines like flags. This boat is a RUSH!
 
#21 ·
There are 3 in Racine Wis. Racine Yacht Club Members. 1 is for sale $18,000. I have all original sales materials from dealer including owners manuals, original factory test results and color brochures. There were 300 built by MacGregor between 1979-82.
In my oppinion they were before there time. With some modern sails and very slight rigging adjustments, they can reach 22+knots easily. Hang on!
I added UK Tape Drive Sails. Floats on the top are for the fearful not a stock item. They are trailorable but do not recomend. Mine is fully loaded from the factory. For the money you won't find anything better.
Alot of these boats were flipped in the beginning for lack of knowledge of what a "GIANT" beach cat can do for the times. So there are not many left. You have questions I would love to answer them.
My perticular boat has great history of many victories form Galveston Texas, to Florida and beyond. The original Captain quite a single handed sailor. Now though, day sailing in the Great Lake of Michigan. Yacht Club Members always ask me how long it takes me to sail from port to port. I crossed Lake Michigan in 5 hours.
I did almost flip it in the summer of 2007, but my 18' Hobie Cat experience saved the boat and 8 on board. We were flying a hull from Racine to Kenosha when a gust hit and took her up to the edge. Bailed the Main and turned into the wind, down she came. Crew hanging from the life lines like flags. This boat is a RUSH!
I read your comments and you appear to be very knowledgeable about the MacGregor 36 catamaran. I built a piver 30 ft and sailed it from Panama to Boston and throughout the caribbean, just sailed a 25 ft westerly Savannah to Panama and want to take bird-watchers to offshore island in Panama on a Mac 36, my question is: Should I buy one, in the Keys, and sail it down or truck it down I have done both in the past,but not with a catamaran. I hate that road trip. Capsizing wouldn't be pleasant in mid-ocean either, however I read the manual on righting procedures and it doesn't sound impossible. I'm more comfortable at sea than in the waterway, but don't have the catamaran experience you do, so please give me your best thoughts, I hate to have this published, some novice might do something stupid like take one to sea without experience. thanks John
 
#9 ·
MacGregor 36 Catamaran

I was searching for some ideas on what others have done to this boat as far as rigging and sails go, because I'm getting ready to make some changes myself. I'm taking the Baby stay off the mast and raising it 6-8' and adding a working jib. Thats when I found this web site and felt I needed to inform people that the MacGregor Catamaran is alive and Kickin'... "Catch me if you can"
 
#10 ·
Mac36 as weekend cruiser.

How's life aboard this boat as a weekend cruiser. I understand the cramp quarters but it's described as having berths, galley and portable heads. I'm interested in cruising LI sound along the CT/RI area. Also has anyone rigged a temp. bimini for shade, if so how does that work for you? Thanks, Bill
PS, I considering purchase.
 
#30 ·
As a formerStiletto 27 owner and guest on the SStiletto30, I highley recomend you...

How's life aboard this boat as a weekend cruiser. I understand the cramp quarters but it's described as having berths, galley and portable heads. I'm interested in cruising LI sound along the CT/RI area. Also has anyone rigged a temp. bimini for shade, if so how does that work for you? Thanks, Bill
PS, I considering purchase.
Visit the owner sites and take one out.

WildJibe.com
Stiletto Catamarans

They tend to hold value better, are made of better materials (Kevlar honeycomb), are drier, easier to trailer, and have better factory support. One of the former owners is still in the business and restores them, in addition to stocking or sourcing ALL parts.

Neither is a cruiser, but either can be. Read my blog for stories of several cruises with my little girl as crew (older posts). I sold my Stiletto a month ago :( and purchased a larger cruiser:D ; they are not the same thing, but a day on either is a joy. I will NEVER forget the day spent on the Stiletto. I will always consider it to be the ultimate daysailer.
 
#11 ·
Day Sailing 36 Mac Great Lakes

Yup, its a little tight below for sleeping but plenty of room for Galley 1 side and nav station on the other. A binimi? Google MacGregor Catamaran 36 and
you will find all kinds of changes that others have made to the boat. I do recall seeing a binimi on a couple. Portable head slides out of sight. Do the Gooogle thing and you'll answer all your questions. I cruise up and down the Wisconsin and Illinois side and occasionally do a crossing to Michigan. Splash on the Sun tan lotion is all I can say. This boat is perfect for the Great Lakes. Very sea worthy. Enjoy, Kurt
 
#14 ·
Thanks for the info. I am not ready to buy yet, I am just exploring the possibility of getting a boat that better meets my sailing needs. Most of my time on the water is an afternoon or evening sail with an occasional overnight. I am looking for a boat that is exciting to sail that I can afford. The Mac 36 and Stiletto 30 seems to fit this bill.
 
#15 ·
harrier—

If you're looking into catamarans in that range, you should also look at the Catalac 8/9/10M, the Iroquois, the Prout Snowgoose, the MaineCat 30, the TomCat 30 and the Gemini 105Mc.
 
#16 ·
These are all good recommendations but they don't have the speed that I am looking for. I would love to be able to sail in the teens, kind of like in my Hobie years (without flying a hull). I currently own a Iroquois 30 which is a good strong boat, great for cruising. She performs well for her type of design. But she was built heavily which limits her top end. I am also seeking a demountable to be able to bring it home for the winter.
 
#19 ·
You might also look at the R33 catamaran. The Reynolds R33 is designed to be trailerable, and rates a -80 PHRF. :)
 
#20 ·
When the Reynolds 33 first came out, it was offered at a reasonable price. Now it's way beyond what I can afford, even used. Whatever I can get for my Iroquois is what I have available. Because the accomodations are only in the hulls, Stiletto 27's seem to be very tight inside. I haven't seen a Stiletto 30 interior, so I don't know how much the extended bunks at deck level help open it up. I tend to agree that the Mac 36 is a good size, but I am concerned about how easy (and safe) it is to singlehand.
 
#22 ·
I just love the way these forums work when they work right. I have seen a catamaran moored here for years, basically unused. I didn't know what it was. After Hurricanes Hannah and Ike blew through here in one week last September, it was gone. Along with a whole lot of other boats, I might add. Including one of ours. But anyhow, I have discovered that the owner stuck the boat in a mangrove swamp to protect it from the storms, and they did. Except the rigging let go on the Stbd. side and the mast is now bent at a 90 degree angle. I found out the owners name, and that he would like to sell the boat. He has other cats and never uses it. I kayaked over late one day and snapped a photo, which I put on another thread here this morning. Within an hour I found out that it's one of these here Macgregor 36's, and Googling it up tells me they were last built almost thirty years ago, and were fast as heck.



It's got some scuff marks, but I have been told it's dry inside and the only damage is the standing rigging. I will go climb onto it to check, but assuming that it's okay,
What should I offer the owner? They seem to be around for about $ 17K complete, and of course I have to get the mast fixed on this one.
 
#23 ·
You might want to go around and price the rig on the Macgregor 36... I'm willing to bet it is almost as much as the price for a complete boat or pretty close. You'd have to get a new mast and new standing rigging at a minimum... considering that on some older boats, over 60% of the value is the mast, boom and standing rigging... I doubt it will be worth buying. That doesn't even address what possible damage to the hulls and bridgedeck could have been caused by the forces that broke the mast...
 
#24 ·
A friend of mine bought a MacGregor 36 back in the early 90's, and I got to sail it a few times. It's fast and fun, like an overgrown Hobie Cat, if there is any wind. It was not fast in light air, but would sail acceptably. I agree with Sailingdog that this particular boat is not worth much, if anything. A few thousand at most, IMO.
 
#27 ·
I just bought a 1981 Mac 36 here in the Florida Keys. I've found some information about them on the web, but I would be interested in making contact with other 36 owners out there.

I have collected links to sites with lots of photos, sailing tips, an old MacGregor sales brochure, a review from Multihulls Mag, the owners manual, etc. Will post them later when the forum allows me to, or message me if interested.
 
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