| About the 1987 MacGregor 26 - Dagger Board Model |
| The MacGregor 26 was introduced in 1987 as a water ballasted trailerable sailboat, with enough room to sleep six adults. (Actually, it sleeps 4 very nicely, but you can squeeze in 6 if you've got enough alcohol.) This model replaced the iron swing keel MacGregor 25 and soon became highly popular with day sailors and weekenders. It's very fast (for a sailboat.) The 1987 model looked very similar to the MacGregor 25 from the outside, including the blue deck stripe. However the interior was reconfigured for the dagger board, and the M 26 had a deep lazerette on the stern. Over the course of the nine years of production, the MacGregor Sailboat Company sold, literally, thousands of these boats, each year introducing modifications to the design that increased its popularity while decreasing cost. Below is a list of the most notable items that were evolved for this model. * 1987, Boat introduced as the first mass-produced water-ballasted sailboat. * 1988, MacGregor changed the deck stripe from the traditional MacGregor blue to black. * 1989, Raised the stainless cockpit rails with raised fiberglass combings. * 1990, MacGregor replaced the daggerboard with a swing centerboard. (This inspired owners to start calling the daggerboard models "26D", and the swing centerboard models "26S"). * 1990, MacGregor replaced the gudgeon/pintle stern-hung rudder with a integral rudder/tiller that extended through the laz. * 1995 - Last year of the production, as MacGregor introduced a completely new boat called the 26X Power-Sailor. |
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| Dagger Board (26D) vs. Swing Centerboard (26S) |
| * 26D dagger board sails a mite faster, and points a tad closer than the 26S. This is because the dagger board creates less turbulence than the swing centerboard. * 26D dagger board doesn't require replacement of a center board cable -- a problem that is a frequent complaint of 26S owners. *26S swing centerboard will automatically retract if a submerged object is hit. *26S weather helm is more controlled than the 26D -- (doesn't round up in a gust) *26S cockpit seating is (arguably) more comfortable than the 26D. |
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