[Rhodes22-list] MacGregor review - Caveat Emptor

Peter Thorn pthorn at nc.rr.com
Thu Mar 31 19:13:08 EST 2005


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Thorn" <pthorn at nc.rr.com>
To: "stan" <stan at rhodes22.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:54 PM
Subject: MacGregor review - Caveat Emptor


> Stan,
>
> Cousin Tom owned many powerboats before he bought his first sailboat, the
> Mac 26x.  I would not want to offend him and hope he never sees this
review.
> However, it occurs to me there may be some lurkers out there comparing
> boats.  This is for those folks.
>
> I forgot to mention what a crappy sailboat the MacGregor is compared to a
> R22.  It has a little tiny steering wheel with a very hard feel to it.
The
> steering links to a cable system, similar to a small powerboat, that must
> turn both rudders and the motor.  It's possible to disconnect the motor
from
> the system, but there's still no "feel" through the wheel.  The steering
is
> very hard and heavy and wears out your arms after a 4 hour watch -- the
> polar opposite of the sensitive feather touch tiller of a R22.  It's a
chore
> to keep the boat on a close hauled course with such hard steering.
> Chapman's describes motor/sailor boats as vessels that can do both jobs,
but
> neither very well.  That about sums up a MacGregor.
>
> Roger MacGregor seems to work overtime to buy the cheapest of line,
blocks,
> fittings, etc. in his quest to be the "most boat for the buck".   Indeed,
he
> sells lots of boats, but Tom and I spent 3 days and lots of his money at
the
> West Marine store upfitting the boat before the trip with lines and
hardware
> we could trust.   The stock MacGregor lines just come apart the first time
> they are heavily loaded in a breeze.  I've never seen cordage that crappy
> before.
>
> Prospective buyers should know that one does not need to worry about basic
> serviceability of stock parts on a high quality boat like a R22.  You
won't
> have to buy anything twice.  Plus, its a fine sailing boat.
>
> PT
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "stan" <stan at rhodes22.com>
> To: "Peter Thorn" <pthorn at nc.rr.com>; "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
> <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 5:24 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] For Richard Smith
>
>
> > no - in a 15' Snipe.
> >
> > ss
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "Peter Thorn" <pthorn at nc.rr.com>
> > To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 5:11 PM
> > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] For Richard Smith
> >
> >
> > > Ed,
> > >
> > > Last summer, cousin Tom and I 3/4 circumnavigated Long Island in his
> Mac26
> > > in 8 leisurely days.  We demurred and starting from Tom's dock in
> Babylon,
> > > LI on Great South Bay going counter-clockwise we took the Shinnecock
> > > Canal,
> > > up through big and little Pequoit, past the Hamptons, and into LIS
> through
> > > Plum Gut with it's ripping tides.  It was really quite nice to have a
50
> > > hp
> > > for that adventure.  With the water ballast tanks dry, the Mac would
do
> > > about 20, but we were still the smallest and slowest boat running the
> > > inlet
> > > when we did it.  A large portion of the eastern tidal waters of LIS
goes
> > > through the shallow Plum Island cut during tide changes, but entering
> LIS
> > > from that short cut helped us avoid the Montauk blue water part.  That
> was
> > > a
> > > good thing: the open Atlantic is not always a safe place for a
MacGregor
> > > (or
> > > maybe not even a Rhodes 22) even in late June. However, on the plane
> from
> > > Raleigh to Boston, then to back to Islip, then home again, I passed
over
> > > Montauk four times -- but I didn't recognize it from your photo post.
I
> > > think the north/south vs. east/west orientation confused me.
> > >
> > > One of the best parts of the trip was departing early one morning from
> > > Manhasset Bay and cruising down the East River, with Frank Sinatra's
> > > greatest
> > > hits on the box  ("If you can make it there, you'll  make it
> anywhere.."),
> > > then motoring up the Hudson a bit, past the Lady Liberty (see picture)
> > > then
> > > down through the Anchorage, under the Verazano Bridge and into a
little
> > > safe
> > > harbor on Staten Island right inside of Sandy Hook.  The following day
> we
> > > crossed Ambrose Channel and Chapel Hill Channel (yup -- there really
is
> a
> > > shipping lane approaching New York Harbor called Chapel Hill Channel).
> We
> > > crossed both in the morning fog -- scary.
> > >
> > > I grew up in the NYC area, but until I traveled around NY Harbor in a
> > > small
> > > boat I had no concept of how small Manhattan is and how enormous
Staten
> > > Island is.   Many Manhattans could fit on Staten Island.
> > >
> > > Has anyone done this trip in a R22?   Without the 50 hp iron genny to
> rely
> > > on in a pinch, it would certainly be a much more challenging trip.
> > >
> > > PT
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > > From: "ed kroposki" <ekroposki at charter.net>
> > > To: "'Richard Smith'" <sailnut at worldnet.att.net>; "'The Rhodes 22 mail
> > > list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 2:30 PM
> > > Subject: [Rhodes22-list] For Richard Smith
> > >
> > >
> > > See:
> > > http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/2005-March/022105.html
> > >
> > > If I had my old Nikon with the polarizing filter, I could have cut
thru
> > > that
> > > haze.  I guess local landmarks are a challenge to LIS sailors, or even
> > > those
> > > from Brooklyn.  Maybe the guys from Brooklyn do not know there another
> end
> > > to Long Island?  Maybe they are flat earthers who are afraid they will
> > > fall
> > > off.  I was at that white building at the end about 40 years ago.  But
I
> > > thought we had someone on this list who circumnavigated Long Island?
I
> > > guess he has sailed away in peace....
> > >
> > > Ed K
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> > > [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Richard Smith
> > > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 1:15 PM
> > > To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Bill Effros a reply
> > >
> > > Post the URL for the landmark again please.  Somehow I missed the
> original
> > > post.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Richard Smith
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > > From: "ed kroposki" <ekroposki at charter.net>
> > > To: "'The Rhodes 22 mail list'" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
> > > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 1:07 PM
> > > Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Bill Effros a reply
> > >
> > >
> > > Bill:
> > > Thanks for the web site, but remember that at 10 bps it takes
> > > forever to see any website.  Their slow speeds just were not worth
> waiting
> > > for.  A Navajo could communicate faster with smoldering leaves and a
> > > blanket.
> > > Did you look at the Nautical Landmark?  I thought you of all people
> > > would have recognized and correctly identified that landmark.  Maybe
> Burt
> > > or
> > > Richard Smith or Lou or even Michael can identify it.  Gee, where are
> all
> > > the previously identified Rhodies located?
> > > Ed K
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> > > [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Bill Effros
> > > Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 10:20 AM
> > > To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> > > Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Boeing Stock and Composite Boats
> > >
> > > http://www.bbc.co.uk/
> > >
> > > ed kroposki wrote:
> > >
> > >>Brad,
> > >> I have out of touch with the world as most Americans know it.  Where
> > >>I was over in the Ukraine, there were no English language newspapers
> > >>available and no English language news.  Because of the extremely slow
> > >>internet access, I could not even check the news on the internet.
> > >> What day did this accident occur?  Any details? Web citations? Your
> > >>attached info was very interesting.  Is the sailboat incident that you
> are
> > >>referring to the carbon fiber mast failure?
> > >> AS to my being out of touch, the other lady with my wife had
> > >>extensive international travel experience and was exasperated that we
> > >>could
> > >>not even get the BBC.  The people that sent us did not accurately
> portray
> > >>the situation, enough said.
> > >> FYI, the AeroSvit flight to Kiev from JFK was almost 5,000 miles.
> > >>The plane, a Boeing 767, had screens for movies which also allowed the
> > >>pilots to post information.  In between the movies and at the
beginning
> > >>and
> > >>near the end of the flight they posted maps of the route, progress on
> the
> > >>route, altitude, air speed, departure time, actual time, expected
> arrival
> > >>time, temperature and weather conditions.  The crew was very
> professional.
> > >>All announcements were first made in Ukrainian then an English
> > >>translation.
> > >>In fact the monitor screens posted the information in Ukrainian and
> metric
> > >>then English with our miles or temperature.  I could recommend this
> > >>airline
> > >>to the next guy going to Kiev, your everyday destination.
> > >>
> > >>Ed K
> > >>Greenville, SC, USA
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>__________________________________________________
> > >>Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> > >
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> > >
> > >
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> > >
> >
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------
> >
> >
> > > Name: P1010154.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 700413 bytes Desc: not
> available
> > > Url:
> > >
>
http://www.rhodes22.org/pipermail/rhodes22-list/attch/200503/31/P1010154.jpg
> > >
> >
> >
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------
> >
> >
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
> >
>



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