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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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MacGreggor calling it quits...

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redviking
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Initially Posted - 01/22/2013 : 20:06:59

Santa gave us a late present.

I can't find where the announcement was made, but a lot of sites seem to think it's for real.

Sten

Edited by - on

britinusa
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Response Posted - 01/22/2013 : 20:17:29

Couldn't find anything to support that.

Paul

Edited by - on

redviking
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Response Posted - 01/22/2013 : 20:33:22

I know. But if you Google it, all sorts of different sites are saying the same thing.

http://www.pgscweb.com/

Sten

Edit... How about this one? http://macgregorsailors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21408&sid=ccc61aa47d6db4c3382a2dcf38a21db7&start=15

Edited by - redviking on 01/22/2013 20:35:21

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 01/22/2013 : 20:38:46

No mention on S/A--I'd expect them to be all over it!

Edit: The more things change, the more they stay the same...

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 01/22/2013 20:46:07

redviking
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Response Posted - 01/22/2013 : 20:39:43

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Stinkpotter
 No mention on S/A--I'd expect them to be all over it!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Cruising anarchy Dave...

http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=143793&st=100#entry4015741

Edited by - redviking on 01/22/2013 20:41:19

redeye
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 04:53:00

McGreggor makes a sailboat??

I always thought that was a Toys-For-Us product.

In this day and age I don't think anything goes out of business.. they just wait for another lucky buyer to take on the brand...

Edited by - redeye on 01/23/2013 04:53:30

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9081 Posts

Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 07:57:51

One story says Roger is keeping his brand for big boats, and his kids will make some new 22' and 26' boats in Florida, under another name.

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shnool
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 12:11:29

I am personally not a fan of the boats, or the line... but I have to say, those who buy them love them, knowing and cherishing exactly what they are. I think though, the company is due for some growth, and change. I applaud Roger for doing as well has he's done with the company and wish his kids great success with the resulting off shoot companies.

I look forward to NEW sailboats from their product line, that will spark new interest from people who have never sailed before. Let's face it, Frank Butler managed to do that with his Catalina 22, which is now the Catalina 22 Sport, and that boat is just a Capri 22 with a swing keel! Times change, and what works changes, I hope they manage to bring more people out sailing.

Edited by - on

redviking
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 16:53:03

The reasons cited included the developments around them complaining about an industrial facility, epa regs and the like. They were cranking out four or more of those bleach bottles a day...

Personally, I'd prefer they were not on the water anywhere near me. Nobody ever graduates from one, at least not that I have ever seen. They are dangerous in my opinion and Rogers safety claims which are probably true, only make newbies bolder than they ever should be.

All it takes is forgetting to put water in it for there to be a catastrophy. And they are uglier than sin. That been said, Roger is a damn good designer when it comes to making efficient use of the space below. Imagine what he could've accomplished if he had turned out decent bluewater pocket cruisers.

Sten

Edited by - on

shnool
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 17:00:18

I dunno, most of the ones I bump into hang onto them because they hit hot buttons of a pocketable trailerable cruiser with lots of room below for it's size, that can also be motored. The 2 in our club are sailed often (rarely motored), and the owners love their "floating party" amenities. I think many never upgrade, because they don't find anything that hits all of their priorities as well (which sad to say, sailing qualities are lower on the list than it would be for most of us).

Edited by - on

redviking
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 18:50:46

Yeah, they sail like crap with a stick in it.

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dlucier
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 18:56:24

Once upon a time, when the closest thing to sailing that I had ever experienced was the pirate ride at the amusement park, out of the blue my first sailboat just kind of fell into my lap one frozen January day. I learned to sail on that boat and I went on to sail it for the next seven years. That boat was a Macgregor/Venture 25 and although I sold it about a dozen years ago, I still recall it fondly.

Say what you will about the boats, but if it wasn't for Roger MacGregor, I'd probably have some sort of land based hobby instead of the insatiable passion I now have for sailing, as if I'm not actually sailing, I'm thinking about it.

Me and High Hopes

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 19:32:59

The Venture 25 was pretty cheaply built, but it was a sailboat--looked like one and sailed like one. The V-21 was actually a pretty fast sailboat, although also rather crudely built. The Mac 26 variations are something else again... beautiful, I guess, to people who think a Carnival cruise ship is beautiful... but they have quite a few interesting ideas in them. (Can you beach your boat? Can you stand up straight in your boat? If your boat fills up with water, what happens next? Etc...)

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redviking
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 20:10:34

I too sailed a Venture in my youth. Used to rent out of Marina del Rey. It was not a bad ride. The 26 however.... I digress...

To each their own. But everytime I see a M26 I cringe.

Edited by - on

TakeFive
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 21:09:49

Well I could do without the cheap shots. That's not the kind of attitude that impresses me.

I've seen the boats but never sailed them. But there are a lot of happy customers out there, and that says a lot. If you don't like their boats, don't buy them. But don't begrudge someone who does. We need more people taking up the sport so they can buy our boats when we're ready to move up.

It's sad to see anybody go out of business. American jobs are lost. Sounds like they'll continue production elsewhere, with an updated design. California's loss could be someone else's gain.

Edited by - on

redviking
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 21:21:02

He is not going out of business, he is choosing to retire. He will still build the 70 footers. His kids are moving the plant essentially to Florida which is a far better market than SoCal.

I've sailed them and they are really a powerboat with a sail. And most of us have a certain amount of disdain for powerboaters anyway...

And I sincerely doubt a Mac 26 owner is going to buy a C250. Not fast enough.

Edit: I also had to take one in tow after their battery died from too much stereo use while fishing in the gulf. I asked the owner who had mayday'd himself why he didn't just put up the sails and sail home. He said it would take too long...

Edited by - redviking on 01/23/2013 21:37:02

Voyager
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 21:24:05

My dockmate has one- they're partyboat people. They love it.
There's another one in my harbor - they use it for waterskiing. Seriously!
I don't get it but I don't have to. Different strokes.

Edited by - on

TakeFive
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 21:29:47

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by redviking
 ...And I sincerely doubt a Mac 26 owner is going to buy a C250. Not fast enough.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I was referring to the overall market, not my boat. Maybe I didn't make it obvious enough, but I think a larger boating marketplace is a good thing for all boat owners.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by redviking
 ...And most of us have a certain amount of disdain for powerboaters anyway...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I think you speak for yourself, not for "most of us." I have a powerboat too, and a lot of nice friends who have them. I'm happy to share the water with them. One of them may have to save your life someday. If we took a poll, I suspect most people here have much less negative opinions of powerboats than you do.

Edited by - TakeFive on 01/23/2013 21:31:10

redviking
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 21:40:32

Come on down to Florida and share the icw with them. You'll soon find out they have no respect for those of us who are CBD's. Constricted by draft. And when you get hit by their wake as they give you the finger and yell over the radio to move out of the way, you might understand.

And your "powerboat" is a skiff by comparison. Wait, it might be a skiff anyway.

And I have saved a lot of powerboaters over the years, not vice versa....

And companies flooding the market with cheap bleach bottles only reduces the value of real sailboats... Why spend $$$$ for a real boat when you can buy a floating party boat for next to nothing? Sometimes less is more.

Edited by - redviking on 01/23/2013 21:49:08

TakeFive
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 21:50:48

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by redviking
 Come on down to Florida and share the icw with them. You'll soon find out they have no respect for those of us who are CBD's. Constricted by draft. And when you get hit by their wake as they give you the finger and yell over the radio to move out of the way, you might understand.

And your "powerboat" is a skiff by comparison. Wait, it might be a skiff anyway...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
When I get to the point that I think everyone else is an a$$hole, it will be time to get out of boating. I refuse to adopt a mindset where I put down everyone else because their wakes are too big or their "skiff" is too small.

Life is too short for that kind of negativity.

Edited by - TakeFive on 01/24/2013 07:46:37

redviking
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Response Posted - 01/23/2013 : 22:00:01

Not all powerboaters are jerks. But most don't understand what a sailboat is. They look at us like the scooter that can only do 35 mph in a 40. I have many a friend who is a powerboater because they get it... The other night a guy came thru the Marina and specifically told me he was there to reposses a 45 foot powerboat. I notified security. By the time they got there the boat was gone.

The owner knocked on my boat and asked me what to do. I said call the Coasties. I handed him one of my handhelds and he said, "I don't know what to do?" 'Nuff said.

Come play in my whirled for a week. You'll sing a different toon, ok tune... :)

Edited by - redviking on 01/23/2013 22:01:26

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 01/24/2013 : 08:04:38

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">But most don't understand what a sailboat is.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I think I do. (Some "blow-boaters"

probably think I don't, but most of them wave as I go by.) Example: On the "no-wake" (5 mph) river here, I'll slow to one knot when I see someone working at the top of a mast.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 01/24/2013 08:11:48

TakeFive
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Response Posted - 01/24/2013 : 08:32:19

Edited by - on

redviking
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Response Posted - 01/24/2013 : 11:30:19

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by TakeFive
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by redviking
 ...Come play in my whirled for a week. You'll sing a different toon, ok tune... :)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I should have "slept on" my comments before posting.

I can see how I might acquire a more jaded view over time.

Were the guys really thieves, or was the owner actually behind on his payments?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Relax, I have VERY thick skin and I'm not afraid to tell it as I see it and suffer the consequences. Actually, I do have a hidden agenda. Suppose someone is considering a Hunter, a Mac26, and a C25/250. Hopefully they do their homework and wind up here and discover that their choice of vessel does matter and they hopefully decide to buy a C25... Just kidding... Sorta...

The boat was returned the following day. The owner was a bit skittish about calling the cops, so that was my first clue that something was wrong on the financial front. It was hilarious when I hailed the Coasties for the owner and asked them to switch to 22alpha. "Wow, he knows what he is doing!" the wife said. The Marina manager who also declined to use my handheld, said, "Yeah he does. He is a hardcore sailor." The boat in question is worth at least $750k if not more and the owner doesn't know how to use the radio? Amateur hour.

I have always said that you need a licence to be a massage therapist, get married, drive a car, a motorcycle, or just about anything other than own a gun -don't get me started on that one - but any damn fool can buy a powerboat. I know of one owner who actually had a car like foot throttle installed. Ycmtsu!

Sten

Edited by - on

JohnP
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Response Posted - 01/24/2013 : 11:55:45

The same folks who are jerks on the road are likely to be jerks on the water. Sailing jerks probably have less opportunity than powerboat jerks to demonstrate their stupidity!

After sailing onto a mud flat next to a red can in my local river a few years ago, I was relieved to be pulled off by a passing powerboater who spent 10-15 minutes out of his busy day to help. It takes all kinds of people to make the world!

Edited by - on

Davy J
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Response Posted - 01/24/2013 : 12:21:30

Unfortunately this thread has gone off topic, but, yeah, the ICW down here is both great and down right scary.

I watched a complete moron in a 48' Sea Ray approach a bridge that had 4 or 5 sailboats waiting for it to open. The moron continued in that "put the biggest wake up" speed until he got right up to the bridge. I watched as a 35' Island Packet almost had its spreaders in the water as the idiot went by.

I am usually against government involvement, but I agree with Sten, we need to license the operation of boats and jet skis with aptitude testing to pass. And oh yeah, I got the CWP too....

Edited by - on

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