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Hi, we actually trailered this sailboat down to the Keys. That’s the great thing about this style boat. 😊

Yes, we sold the MacGregor about 4 years ago because we wanted to do some more extensive sailing. We did take the MacGregor to the Bahamas two times for a month each time. The larger Hunter 40.5 is way easier to do long term sailing. But the MacGregor was great for what it did. If I was staying local and didn't want to keep my boat in a marina, I'd do a MacGregor again.

I traded mine on Monday and regret it already. They're fun boats.@@SailingwiththeMurph

Love the videos! We have a Hunter 40.5 also and love it. I see you put synthetic teak in the cockpit areas. How do you like it and would you recommend it? If so could you tell who did it as they maybe still have the template. Thank you.

@@glennmulhare9124 The synthetic teak was actually already on the boat when we bought it in 2019. It is still in great shape. We love it, and would absolutely recommend it. We've had to reattach some of the pieces with contact cement, but it's not too difficult to do. I'm really not sure who did the work on it unfortunately, because eventually I'll probably need to replace it down the line. So far it's really held up well. It's soft on the feet too, and extremely durable. Way more durable than I would think.

That's the plan! We are talking about doing a sailing trip in Europe next summer! Either 2 months or 6 months (Greece and Italy).

I plan to river and canal cruiser .

We parked at Faro Blanco marina on this trip. They have a very small parking lot right off the main highway. Because I got a slip for the night, they let us park there for free. We were able to keep it there the whole time during this trip. I am not sure if that is the same policy anymore, as parking in the Keys is very difficult to find. Generally when we would drive straight to Key West, we'd park at City Marina at Garrison Bight @ $20/day ($10 truck + $10 trailer). That is better than sailing 50 miles from Marathon, then having to sail all the way back. Best to just drop her at your destination. We figured this out when one of our shrouds broke on the way back to Marathon. We had to take a bus to Marathon to get the truck/trailer, and drive it to Key West to get the boat.

This is a retractable keel on the 26X. I prefer this because when you hit bottom, it just lifts up on it's own without any damage.

Thank you, we love the Hunter! However we do miss a 1ft draft quite a bit!

Yes, we’ve had the Hunter for 2.5 years now. We loved our MacGregor 26x. Still sitting on footage from two trips to the Bahamas on the MacGregor. I need to sit down and edit those two videos.

In this video we had the 9.4 West Marina rigid dinghy.

@@SailingwiththeMurph is it a wet ride with spray?

We did sell the MacGregor about a year and half ago, but we really loved the boat. I have 2 trips to the Bahamas in the MacGregor that I haven't got around to editing yet. We're enjoying our Hunter now, but will always enjoy the memories and ease of use of a MacGregor.

Yes they do. There is No right for prohibition of illegal search and seizure. Old late 1700s law dealing with smuggling never stricken from books. The King did and still wanted/wants his cut. Ironically this is one of the reasons the Colonists sought freedom from England.

Faro Blanco marina let us park at a small lot on their property during the time of the trip, however we only paid for one night of a slip. I doubt they allow this anymore though. I'd call to ask ahead of time.

This is a 26X, and we made along just fine with the smaller outboard. We never really had the need to plane. We were dragging a dinghy as well, so planing would not have worked out so well. I imagine if I wanted to pull a skier that might make sense to have a bigger motor.

9.4 West Marine rigid tender

I don’t think you know how fishing works. You put a lure out and have no control over what bites. It’s not like they saw the shark and targeted it.

Frigate Chaser Fishing that’s awesome! Congrats! Are you going to video document some of your adventures?

I have a 26M and love it. In fact, I stayed at Bahia Honda marina for a couple weeks last year with it. Great time. People make fun of this boat a lot but you can do so many things with it. It is very comfortable for a couple people. It sails ok and powers ok. If you want to be out there doing max sailing or max powering this isn’t the boat for you but if you just want a nice, comfortable floating home for a couple weeks and would like to move around without fuel and power around in shoal waters nothing beats it. These boats make excellent lake and coastal cruisers, especially for the Keys where depths often get into 2 or 3 feet. You can even pull it right onto a beach if you want. They also make the trip to the Bahamas on a well timed weather window. If the seas start to disagree with the forecast you can just drop sail, empty the ballast and motor at 12+ knots to get there fast. They are totally safe boats. There is foam concealed throughout the boat to allow it to float even when completely full of water should the worst happen. The tip of the mast can be pulled down to the water and she will pop upright when released. We experienced a weather front on our local lake that produced straight line winds of 60+ miles per hour. With the 50hp motor I was able to turn into the wind and hold position until the storm passed. Several sailboats and low lying power boats were swamped but we came through fine. High freeboard helps keep the water out. We have all the comforts of home on our Macgregor since it is fitted with DC and AC distribution panels with outlets throughout, dual batteries and a 200W solar system. I even have a small air conditioner with a canvas shroud I use at the forward deck hatch when at a marina on shore power. It can be 90 degrees outside but the boat is 68! Really the only negative are all the ‘purists’ out there that say she isn’t a sailboat or a powerboat. Ignore them and make some very nice memories is my advice.

Great comments!

Yes, we have crossed the Gulf Stream 4 times in our MacGregor 26X. The key is to pick your weather day. Don’t plan to sail only. Motor/sail instead. If you have wind good enough to sail at 5 knots, it’ll be too rough out.

Hobies, windsurfers (in the 90s) crossed regularly. I did it early 2000s in a Compac-16 pick a SE-S wind day easy peasy. North wind it could be a nightmare.

This is a 26ft motor sailor called a MacGregor 26X.

@@SailingwiththeMurph I think they meant the dinghy ;) I was going to ask myself.

Thank you!!