MacGregor 26X Cruising Sailboat For Sale

With raising and lowering the mast and launching and recovering, operating Gedonk takes a little physical effort. I'm getting too old to handle it, so I have put her on the market. The hard point in the negotiation is the outstanding debt: if I can't retire the debt, I can't transfer the title.

As of March 31, 2012, the marine mortgage payoff is $14,941.40, and it goes up by about three dollars a day between payments. Here's the bottom line: the credit union just won't release the title until the mortgage is paid off. As long as the lien is active, I have to keep the boat. .

FOR SALE: 2002 MacGregor 26X cruising sailboat with trailer

Most small cruising sailboats are a holy terror to trailer, and the ones that aren't hard to trailer aren't very good cruisers. The Mac avoids that problem by using a water ballast tank and a large centerboard for good sailing and low trailering weight. The shallow draft hull launches in as little as two feet of water; the manufacturer's video shows driving the boat right onto the trailer under power, but I haven't ever had the guts to try. The 50-hp outboard will get her up on plane and empty the ballast tank, giving speeds of over 20 mph under power that make sailing in places that aren't close to a launch ramp less time-consuming.

Gedonk is a great, trailerable cruiser, perfect for launching in Anacortes, motoring to Friday Harbor (she'll beat the ferry if the ferry stops at Lopez or Orcas), and spending a few days sailing the San Juan Sound. She nominally sleeps six (meaning she has space for six people to lie down), but I would feel crowded with more than two people trying to sleep inside.

Cruising accommodations

She has a king-size berth under the cockpit, a two-person berth in bow peak, a port-side settee, a starboard-side dinette that will convert to two more berths if you really need them, cooler stowage under the aft dinette seat (with a spare cooler), a head compartment with a lockable door and a Sanipotty, a shower, a pressure water system, a 50-gallon fresh water capacity, and stowage under the berths and settees.

Sailing equipment

She has three sails: main, 150 genoa, and cruising spinnaker. Sailing gear includes roller furling with integral sail cover, a whisker pole, separate halyards for the genoa and the spinnaker, a topping lift, a boomkicker, a boom vang, cockpit control of halyards, separate sail covers for main and furled genoa, and a Windex masthead wind indicator.

Power equipment

Auxiliary power comes from a Nissan 50-hp TLDI outboard with two 7-1/2 gallon fuel tanks.

Electrical system

Gedonk has a 120v 30 amp shore power connection with a 50-foot cable, a starting battery and a house loads battery (both new in 2011) with a West Marine battery combiner, a Guest battery charger, a monitor panel, a 120v outlet in the cabin, and 12v cabin lighting. Running lights are supplemented by a foredeck light, a steaming light, and a masthead anchor light.

Nav/Comm equipment

She has a bulkhead-mounted compass and a Garmin GPS chart plotter, which also includes a knotmeter and a depth sounder, mounted at the helm. She comes with Puget Sound digital charts (including the San Juans) and Columbia River paper charts. Communication is with a Standard Horizon VHF radio with helm remote and masthead antenna.

Cabin equipment

The cabin has a sink, a fan, a propane stove, latchable galley and head stowage lockers, a 120v water heater (requires shore power), bulkhead-mounted clock and barometer, AM/FM/CD stereo, teak galley stowage racks, a separate propane BBQ grill that mounts on a cockpit rail, a potable water hose, a separate washdown hose, and standard galley gear (skillet, 120v drip coffee pot, plates, cups, and cutlery).

Deck gear

She has a single-handed mast raising/lowering system with a quick disconnect for mast wiring and fore and aft mast supports for trailering. She has a forward anchor locker with fore and aft anchors. The cockpit gear includes seat cushions, a swim ladder, bimini cover, and main hatchway dodger. She comes with mooring lines, fenders, boat hooks, an inflatable dinghy with oars, and a dock ladder. And a flag standard with an American flag.

Safety gear

She has the requisite safety gear: life preservers, a throwable horseshoe buoy with rail mount, flares (new in 2011), flare gun, horn, radar reflector, and paddle.

Trailer gear

The Mac came with a custom-matched trailer with a 2-inch coupler, a 4-wire flat electrical connector, electric surge brake, safety chains, loading guides, manual winch, and a tongue jack with a wheel. I replaced the OEM jack with a sturdier one a few years back after the internal mechanism failed under operator-applied duress. I have added a "trailer dock," which is a portable plastic thingy that sits on the ground under the jack wheel. When in place, it acts as a 360-degree wheel chock and keeps the wheel from sinking in the gravel.

Unfinished Projects

Unfortunately, some of the things I began in good faith came to a gradual halt as my health began to fail in 2005. All of the parts are still there, but some of the installation work is unfinished. Here's what I can remember from my to-do list. Except as may be noted, all lines, components, connectors, and wiring are already on board.

Plumb the freshwater tank and deck fill
Plumb and wire the pressurized water system
Install, plumb, and wire the water heater
Install the galley mixing faucet
Install the mixing faucet with shower diverter in the head
Plumb and wire the shower drain in the head
Install the second bank of house loads batteries (on hand but not aboard) in the starboard bilge to improve lateral balance

I have begun working on the plumbing projects.

I have some more hardware that I once thought I would install but eventually thought better of. Without a boat, however, I won't have much use for a bow anchor roller, portholes for the main berth, a bosun's chair, and a dock wheel. They will stay with the boat if you want them.

Last modified at 08:24 PM on Saturday, March 31, 2012