[We just got a great comment by Lawrence Trimingham from Bermuda, on our post on a late season crossing in a MacGregor 65, that we thought was so interesting that we are putting it up as a post. Lawrence has literally lived with the boat “man and boy” since his father bought Bermudian Escape 20 plus (?) years ago. He not only addresses the boat’s suitability for the crossing planned by the original questioner, he has also provided a really good overview of this very interesting cruising boat.]
I own a MacGregor 65 and have lived and sailed on her extensively in the eastern Caribbean and have done several passages between the US and Bermuda.
I also crewed on a MacGregor 65 during a storm in the Gulf Stream, with recorded winds of 60kts. No damage occurred. During the storm, the crew took the opportunity to see which angle of sail suited the vessel and crew the best and found that at times it included running off with bare poles. The MacGregor is directionally very stable at speed and does not ‘tow’ a quarter wave like many older heavy displacement sailboats.
Early reefing and minimal sail are the key to comfortably sailing the Mac 65 in a strong wind. As long as this rule is followed, the boat is very steady due to the long waterline and easily driven hull design. It is easy to handle and sea-kindly on all points of sail.
Some other information about the MacGregor 65
The plusses:
- Due to the long waterline and lack of overhang, the tendency to pitch either underway or at anchor is very low.
- The sailplan is small enough for me to handle on my own.
- Motoring is both fast and fuel efficient.
- One can steer from both inside and out.
- One hears at times that the MacGregor 65 is flimsily built, (usually from folks who have not even been on one!). Maybe this is because they were designed by Roger MacGregor of the 26ft trailerboat fame. However, if you ask any Mac 65 owner, you will find them generally a very happy lot, including when it comes to boat strength and integrity, especially for the production model with the pilot house (those built after 1987). The structural bulkheads are all solid glass and in certain areas more than 1.5″ inches thick. I know as I have had to drill through several. The hull is also reinforced in the bulkhead areas.
On the minus side:
- The original 12volt wiring installation was poor.
- The original lifeline stanchions were too short.
- The finish trim and furnishings inside the boat are basic when compared with most boats even 20 ft shorter.
- I would replace the opening ports.
- While these boats can be found in northern latitudes I am not sure how warm they would be, since there is no built-in insulation. Just a solid fibreglass hull and an interior liner.
As great as these boats are, boats like John and Phyllis’ tough and heavy Morgan’s Cloud are more suited to being hurled about for days in icy northern storm force winds with the odd iceberg floating about!
Would I cross the Atlantic between August and November? No, not even in a boat like Morgan’s Cloud, because of the risk of very nasty extra-tropical storms between the northern East Coast and Europe.
I opt for comfort, and would come through Bermuda and the Azores in May/June – crossing to Bermuda from the Chesapeake to minimize exposure to Gulf Stream storms.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you John and Lawrence for this very good review of the McGregor 65. I have had a interest in this boat because of the long water line. The interior lack of warmth (in many ways) held me back in considering this vessel as a second home. But for a quick passage maker I am sure there are few equals except perhaps the Dashew’s boat but that is a completely different price range.
Thank you for putting people straight on the MacGregor 65. I am so tired of reading scathing reviews of them written by people who have never been aboard one. While you covered allot of the positives you did not mention that there is safety in speed. I owned a Morgan 51 Out Island, and while she was a very comfortable 3 bedroom 2 bath home on the water she sailed like a brick. The MacGregor may not have the interior volume but she will literally run of and leave the Morgan in her wake. To me this relates to the safety of a vessel in that storms can be avoided instead of riding them out. The 1995 MacGregor 65 I now own is the fastest and most sea kindly boat I have ever had the pleasure of sailing, comfortable at anchor or even motoring with a quartering sea. There are forward and aft watertight bulkheads and the hull is solid fiberglass… no core! I asked a Tartan rep at a boat show once if their hulls were built using foam or balsa cores and when he realized that I was not a fan of cored hulls stated that they were only cored above the waterline. When I gave him a “duh” look he realized just what he had said and even commented that he had “never thought of it like that”! MacGregor 65′s are eligible for the American Bureau of Shipping’s +A1 rating and for Coast Guard Certification. Those that have been Coast Guard Certified have been rated to carry 49 passengers. To be eligible for this rating the vessel must pass a stability test. The following link will take you to an online copy of the MacGregor 65: http://www.webworldinc.com/heritage/brochure/800cover.htm
Enjoy the reading!
Hi Rusty,
I could not agree with you more: speed is a huge contributor to safety. Not only does it get you out of the way of bad weather, but I’m absolutely convinced that fast boats are, as a general rule of thumb, safer in heavy weather.
Having said that, good speed offshore is not, in my experience, just a function of weight: There are some fast heavy and thin boats too. But when the interior starts to govern the design, like in your old OI 51, seaworthiness and comfort (when offshore) suffer.
I’m not big on cores as a general rule, either. Although some great and strong boats have been built with Airex, so it depends on the core and the skill of the builder.