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Worst Sailboats Ever!

47K views 102 replies 57 participants last post by  Donna_F 
#1 · (Edited)
Everyone always talks about the best blue water cruiser or the best PHRF racing boat, but no one talks about the worst boats ever and what makes them bad. In my mind it's almost as important to learn about the bad sailboats and what design aspects make them bad.

The MacGregor 26 comes to mind but I have never stepped foot on one and cannot comment on how bad they really are. I can't think about how a 60 HP motor on the back of a light sailboat will make it handle under sail. I also wonder how many of the Mac 26's that were given away on the Price is Right (without motors) were sold for pennies on the dollar. Other than the Mac 26 have there been any true failures in sailboat design?
 
#2 ·
#4 ·
The MacGregor 25 was a sailboat, period. The 26x was the powersailor with a big outboard and more of a powerboat hull. I have never owned a 25, but remember looking at them when they were new. There is nothing particularly bad about the 25 for a trailerable sailboat with a lot of interior room. Fit and finish not the best, but a lot of boat for the money at the time, and quite safe with all the built in flotation.
 
#5 ·
I don't see this thread ending well. Not at all.

Not off to a good start criticizing a popular boat that you have never sailed.

In my limited experience, I think there are specific design features of boats that may be bad, rather than the entire boat.
 
#8 ·
Every sailboat is built for a specific purpose. Even the MacGregor 25. A 60 hp motor would return you to the dock quickly. The sailboat would sail downwind but would not point very well and have a lot of leeway. A friend just sailed an 100 foot shallow draft boat across the Atlantic. It was built for chartering. Not a boat you would want to be on in an Atlantic storm with 30 foot seas. It is a beautiful boat for the charter trade. It has a bathroom for each stateroom with tiled walls, head, and a shower. Each stateroom has an airconditioner/heater. A wood sailboat in the South would take more attention than in the North. A wood sailboat to me has a pleasant sound moving through the water. It all depends on what you want and are willing to keep up. Reading other posts will permit the reader to determine what type of boat they want.

Dot and John
 
#10 ·
Gotta love those people out there who throw statements around without even the tiniest fact woven into them. I think those people are commonly referred to as trolls on forums. Just poking the bear to see if they get a response. The Mac 26M has the 60hp motor. The 26X came with a 50. The 25 and 26C's generally are equipped with 9-15hp. 25's and C's are common, well sailing, sailboats. I happen to own an X and absolutely love it. No, it doesn't point quite as well an a "normal" sailboat, but with two teenagers on board they won't get bored when they can be towed on a tube or even ski behind the boat. And oh yeah, lets see you follow me into those shallow inlets in the Florida Keys with your deep draft full keel "real" sailboat! I guess my biggest complaint with the X (and M too) would be it's poor behavior when anchoring. They do tend have a considerable swing while on the hook.
 
#12 ·
The MacGregor 25 comes to mind but I have never stepped foot on one
I have stepped on one and wouldn't want to do it again. In the 70's I worked for a dealer and did some work on them installing hardware etc. Not to offend any owners who are reading this, but they were junk and the dealer eventually dropped them. The transoms were paper thin, the hardware was about 2 or 3 sizes too small (not sure that all of it was SS), and the hull to deck joint looked like it was held together with duct tape.

BUT.... it was cheap and got people on the water cheaply. So in the right conditions, why not? I'd say that it is fine up to 10 or 12 knots, then I'd get off.

Truly ugly boats? I've seen some homemade trimarans that look like bad wood shop projects. But to me the ugliest are the general class of (I can't recall the mfgrs) small center cockpit boats... like 30'. They look so top heavy and not sure if they want to be a condo or sailboat. Add to the list any boat where the owner thought they were smarter than the naval architect and started adding rooms and enclosing stuff with random pieces of plywood and formica.

Again, no offense to anyone who might own one of these.
 
#79 ·
There is something to be said for this approach. Not long ago, I was at the marina, and noticed that lots of really nicely appointed and respected boats weren't getting out as often as I was in a very basic MacGregor 25. So, my thought is, my boat was the better...:D
 
#16 ·
This thread is going to end Oh So Badly...
I used to make comments about ugly (not worst-I am not that qualified) sailboats to my wife when we were boat shopping. As a courtesy, I would wait until we got into the car to talk about it. On one visit, she saw a Grampian owner who had painted his boat a very loud shade of yellow. I mean HIDEOUS. So she says to the guy, "Oh, is that your Grampian? My husband hates it, but I just love that color!"
So now I just say that they are all nice sailboats, even if my eyes are glazing over while talking.
 
#20 ·
your mama jokes have to be one of the best things ever...in many kitchens I have cooked in I could go on for days with your mama

just seems funny to me

althouygh of course there is always one guy that feels you should sue because it offended him

and I can respect that too:)
 
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#28 ·
back on topic, even in my limited experience I have sailed and motored a macgregor 26. it was on an inland lake though so hardly a bluwater experience. it seemed adequate to me and the better half. she liked that it felt very stable.

would I buy one? eh probably not. if I wanted to pay for an outboard, I'd put it on a faster boat.
 
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