MacGregor Yachts Corporation of the United States re launch their presence in Malta after an absence of 12 years, this time, Benjamin Curmi has been appointed dealer for the Maltese territory.

The MacGregor 26M trailer sailer is an exciting and unusual hybrid of powerboat and sailboat. It appeals to those who want or need to get somewhere fast, while still carrying a sloop sailing rig of mainsail and jib, genoa, or spinnaker.

Almost single-handed, accomplished “Hall of Fame” boat builder, Roger MacGregor began building boats in the early 1960’s as a school project at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Since then over 35,000 sailboats have been built in the state of the art factory in Costa Mesa California USA.

Early models of the 26 used a swinging keel system. Due to the length of the keel the boat had to incorporate a long indent in hull to accommodate the keel when in the closed position.

The company has always been the most innovative in the industry and in 2004, Roger MacGregor invented an adaptation of the retracting daggerboard where the scare in the hull is now only a fraction of the previous models, thus reducing drag and increasing speed from its predecessors.

Using a very easy mast raising system and the retractable daggerboard, the MacGregor 26M sits low on the trailer and even in 30cm of water it launches as easily as a power boat or motor cruiser.

MacGregor realised that as people moved to smaller cars due to increasing petrol price, the weight of their vessels had to be reduced in order to facilitate safe towing and to open up the trailer sailer market to more people. Their solution was to water as the ballast system.

The MacGregor 26M has a small amount of permanent ballast (135 kilos) and the rest is water ballast (520 kilos). After launching, a transom valve is opened and a tank in the bottom of the hull is gravity filled with the ballast water (similar to submarine technology). When full the valve is then closed so holding the water. When the boat is recovered, the valve is opened and the water drains away. This means the boats is very light for powered operation and trailering but gives it the heavy stability necessary for safe sailing. Many other manufacturers have since copied the water ballast system.

Due to the ease of launching and recovery, maintenance is minimal. During the summer months the MacGregor 26M could be kept on an open water mooring other than expensive marina pontoons. In winter it could be stored in a garage or drive way other than in a yacht yard, thus winter maintenance and cleaning could be done by the owner, reducing costs even more! On a winter’s beautiful day, the MacGregor could be towed to the nearest slipway and rigged in less then 20 minutes.

Safety features include built in positive foam floatation which makes the boat unsinkable and uncapsizable. The MacGregor is not only a sailboat but can also be powered reaching up to 22 knots with a 50 HP outboard motor, enough to tow a water skier. With the development of the MacGregor trailerable cruising sailboat, suddenly sailing and cruising are within reach of many who previously wouldn’t have considered it.

Accommodation is good too for a trailer sailer. There are two double berths and two single berths. Many trailer sailers have no toilet facilities other than a “porta potty” stored under a bunk somewhere. The MacGregor26M however has an enclosed head (toilet) compartment. This boat also includes a fair sized galley (kitchenette).

Standard features include; retractable daggerboard, main sail, steering wheel, anodised rotating mast, electric and manual bilge pumps, stern ladder and foredeck hatch. Optional extras include CDI roller furling, bimini sunshade, genoa or cruising spinnaker, kicking strap-harken 6:1 and more.

At nearly 26’ long the MacGregor 26M could be classed as being a little long for a true trailer sailer but the lightweight achieved by the use of a water ballast system and the new aluminium trailer means in fact that the boat can be easily trailered by most family vehicles.

Brand new 2009 CE certified basic models starting from e27,995, VAT and aluminium road trailer included.

The MacGregor 26M is available from stock, for viewing or sea trials call Trailer Sailing Yachts on 7972-9203 or email: [email protected].