macgregor 40 catamaran review

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20 Blue Water Cruising Catamarans Under $100k

October 13, 2021 by Martin Parker 1 Comment

The debate between single-hull sailboats and blue water catamarans has raged since the beginning of time, and it’s unlikely ever to end! Both types of yachts have dedicated followers who are unlikely to ever be swayed by the benefits of the other. A lot of this is based on misconceptions and the influences of the people around them, though. We recommend that if you’re considering a blue water catamaran, get in a few good hours of sailing through varied conditions before making a decision.

What Makes Blue Water Catamarans Great for Cruising?

Stable platform s.

Bluewater catamarans offer fantastic stability, despite what you may hear from single-hull yacht owners. There’s no high lean angle when sailing into the wind and no need to strap everything down to prevent it from moving. Add to this little or no rolling when moored, and a catamaran is a lovely place to be.

Additional Space

An excellent beam to length ratio is essential on bluewater catamarans, and a 40-foot yacht will usually have a 20-foot beam. That gives you a 20-foot bridge deck, plenty of space on the hulls, and even more space forward on the netting.

Cruising Speed

The amount of wet surface area on a catamaran is significantly reduced compared to a monohull yacht. Without the need for a prominent, heavy keel for ballast, the catamaran can easily outperform a single hull yacht.

Shallow Draft s

Shallow draft boats allow easy navigation through shallow waters and exceptional stability for maximum comfort. You are far less likely to make mistakes with tide height predictions when sailing on a cat.

Enclosed Cockpit s

Bluewater catamarans virtually always have an enclosed cockpit. Not only does this shield you from the sun in winter, but the elements in winter making cruising far more comfortable.

Safety

The enclosed cockpit makes sailing safer, plus of course, when you need to get out on the deck, the stable catamaran is not pitching and rolling.

Our Top Choices For Blue Water Catamarans Under $100,000

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Designed and built by Rajen Naidu, the Rayvin 30 is a 29.5-foot cruising catamaran built for comfort. With a draft of just one meter, there are few places you can’t go on the Rayvin. The hull is constructed of epoxy glass fiber, but carbon-kevlar has been used for added strength below the waterline.

Inside, you’ll find three cabins, plenty of space, and even a bath! These are great value blue water catamarans with excellent performance.

Prout Snowgoose 37

Photo Provided by: Gideon Fielding (Katamarans.com)

Probably one of the most well-known blue water catamarans available, the Snowgoose 37 was designed and built by Prout and Sons in the United Kingdom. With a displacement of 6 tons, this is not a light boat, but the 600 square feet sail area gives a healthy hull speed of up to 10 knots. Many people have completed a circumnavigation in a Snowgoose.

It has a cutter design, but the overhang is substantial, leaving it susceptible to bridge slam, particularly on a close reach.

Over 500 examples were built, with plenty available under the $100,000 mark.

Prout Quasar 50

Sticking with Prout, the Quasar 50 was the largest catamaran designed and built by the company. The company was still making the Quasar until its closure in 2020, so you can find plenty of examples.

Constructed with fiberglass, the cutter design has a displacement of 10 tons and a sail area of almost 1185 square feet, giving a maximum hull speed of around 14 knots.

It has to be said the Quasar is not a pretty boat, but it makes a perfect large cruiser.

Catalac 12M

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Catalac was a British boat building company owned by Tom Lack, hence the Catalac name. Over 600 examples of Catalac’s (9M, 10M, 11M, and 12M) were built. All around, they’re known as solid boats that handle well.

Designed as a sloop, the 12M displaces almost 9.3 tons. With a sail area of just 700 square feet, this cat offers a relatively slow hull speed of 9.5 knots.

An interesting point is the double thickness hulls, designed to withstand the North Sea weather.

Maldives 32

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The Maldives 32 is a more modern design by Joubert-Nivelt. It features a short overhang with a netting deck to avoid bridge slam, initially built by Fountaine Pajot in 1988. The Maldives has a light displacement of 3.3 tons thanks to the fiberglass and foam sandwich construction. Add in a sail area of 592 square feet, and the Maldives can cruise at up to 11 knots.

The Maldives 32 is an excellent basic boat readily available well under our $100,000 price point.

Edel Cat 33

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Thanks to the fiberglass construction, the Edel Cat 33 is another light boat, at just 3.6 tons and with a shallow draft of just 2.6 feet.

The Edel was designed by Yvonne Faulconnier and built by the Edel company in France, with the first bots being produced in 1985.

The 635 square feet of sail is enough for a good turn of speed for such a light boat without over-powering the hull.

A notable feature is the very short bridge hull, avoiding almost any bridge slam problems.

Endeavourcat 30

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Designed by Cortland Steck and built in America by the Endeavour Catamaran Corp, the Endeavourcat 30 is a lightweight 30-foot catamaran constructed using fiberglass with a foam core.

It has to be said; the Endeavourcat is not pretty, but you get a lot of space for your money. Another issue is the enclosed bridge deck, making this suitable for gentle cruising only.

The sloop-rigged catamaran is a good, reasonably priced starter boat for taking the first dip into blue water catamarans.

Island Packet Packet Cat 35

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If you are looking for comfort with a bit of style, then the Island Packet Cat 35 could be it. Designed by Robert K. Johnson and built in the USA by Island Packet, the Cat 35 makes the perfect boat for cruising the Keys.

The displacement of 6.25 tons gives the boat a solid, dependable feel, while the 2.6-foot draft allows you to explore water-restricted areas.

Inside there’re acres of room, but the fully enclosed bridge deck will cause issues in heavy weather.

Gemini 105MC

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The Gemini 105MC is a sloop-rigged boat designed by Tony Smith and built by Performance Cruising in the United States. It was in production for over 27 years, and they delivered over 1000 boats, so there are plenty available to suit most budgets.

An interesting design feature is a lifting centerboard, giving excellent stability when down but a draft of just 1.65 feet when lifted.

A displacement of 4 tons combined with 690 square feet of sail area gives the 105MC outstanding performance characteristics.

With 760 examples of the Lagoon 380 produced, there are plenty on the market at reasonable prices. Built by Jeanneau, it is one of the most popular bluewater catamarans ever made.

The distinctive vertical windows offer maximum internal space, and it has a spacious interior, but the tradeoff is a displacement of 8 tons, so performance suffers a little. You can cruise comfortably at 7 knots, and with the short bridge deck, you won’t suffer too much bridge slam.

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If you can track down a Dean 365, it’s well worth a look. You can find these solidly built boats for $50,000 upwards. Designed by Peter Dean and built by his company, Dean Catamarans, they have an excellent reputation.

For a 36 foot boat, the 6-ton displacement is not light, but it does benefit from twin engines, and with the sloop rigging, it can sail downwind at up to 11 or 12 knots. With the genoa providing the main sailing power, sailing into the wind is not great.

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Sold as a self-build design, the Tiki 38 is a solid cruising catamaran designed by James Wharram. There are plenty available, but all will be different depending on the builder. With a displacement of around 6 tons, it’s not the lightest, and the cruising speed is about 5 or 6 knots.

With a ketch rig, using two 30-foot masts, the sail area is around 730 square feet, but you can also use a 530 spinnaker. The draft is shallow at 2.5 feet.

The Tiki makes an interesting – perhaps quirky choice.

Crowther Spindrift 40

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If you are more interested in performance than interior space, the Crowther Spindrift 40 could be an excellent choice. Designed by Lock Crowther, the Spindrift features narrow hulls, reducing the wet surface area and increasing your sailing speeds. The downside is a lack of space.

The sloop rigging gives you a total sail area of 791 square feet combined with a light 4-ton displacement, making the Spindrift excellent in light winds.

MacGregor 36

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Three hundred of the Roger Macgregor designed 36-foot boats were built, so there are plenty available. It’s built as a racing catamaran, so space is at a premium. There is only a trampoline between the two hulls, but the weight saving makes the displacement just 1.4 tons, and with the 534 square feet of sail, you can achieve speeds touching 28 knots.

Accommodation is restricted to the two hulls, but there are bunks for four people and a galley in the starboard hull.

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The Flica 36 was designed by Richard Wood is a proven design capable of crossing oceans. A displacement of 5 tons gives a good balance between speed and stability, and the cutter rigging allows for a main and two foresails.

The hulls have been made from ply and fiberglass, which accounts for the slightly heavier weight and strength. The bridge deck offers plenty of space with a small overhang but will suffer from bridge slam in heavier weather.

Mirage Yachts 37

Only a few of the open deck Mirage 37’s were produced, but consider them in your search. Designed by David Feltham and built by Thames Marine, the ketch-rigged boats are sturdy and safe.

At 7.3 tons, it’s heavy for a 36-foot cat, and the small sail area of just 548 square feet makes it slow, with a hull speed of only 7.4 knots. As a coastal cruiser, it certainly makes sense to give you a comfortable base for exploring.

Simpson 35 Wildside

The Simpson 35 Wildside is an excellent cruiser, with three double cabins, two of which are across the bridge deck. Roger Simpson is the designer, and he’s well known for his sturdy, reliable boats.

The Bermuda rigged sloop design features a fully covered bridge deck, so expect bridge slam if you sail in anything more than slight to moderate conditions. With a displacement of 5

tons, and a small sail area, the performance will never be exciting, but it’s okay for coastal cruising.

Gemini 3400

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The Gemini 3400 is the predecessor to the Gemini 105 mentioned earlier. If you can’t find a 105 at your price, then a 3400 is a good alternative. Although weighing the same as the 105, at four tons, the sail area is smaller at just 490 square feet, giving a reduced performance.

As with all Geminis, the 3400 features retractable centerboards for better tracking when on a close reach, without increasing the draft.

The 3400 was designed by Tony Smith and built by Performance Cruising in the US, who still produce catamarans now.

Seawind 850

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Originally built in Australia by Seawind Catamarans and designed by Scott Jutson, the 850 is a 28-foot cat featuring fractional sloop rigging. At a relatively light displacement of 2.4 tons, the 350 square feet of sail gives good performance and comfortable cruising.

The short bridge deck overhang is filled with a trampoline, allowing the 850 to sail in rougher weather without too much bridge slam. The Seawind makes an excellent cruiser despite its 28-foot LOA.

Aventura 23.5

Our last catamaran is the smallest in the review. The Aventura 235 is just 23 feet long, has a light displacement of only 0.77 tons, and a sail area of 312 square feet. Two cabins offer four berths despite its diminutive size, making it a comfortable cruiser for a small family.

There are, of course, compromises, with just a single outboard engine on the centerline, and internal space is limited. But with its lightweight design, easy handling, and shallow draft of 1.8 feet, it is a perfect first step into catamaran ownership.

Blue Water Catamarans Are a Fantastic Budget Option

Remember: When buying a bluewater cruising yacht for less than $100,000, compromise is inevitable.

The best advice for buying a boat is to be truly honest with yourself by defining your needs and separating them from your desires.

Need more advice on buying great blue water catamarans? Get a conversation started on our community forum by leaving a question or comment!

If you found this article helpful, please leave a comment below, share it on social media, and subscribe to our email list., for direct questions and comments, shoot me an email at [email protected].

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July 2, 2022 at 2:52 pm

Surprised you don’t list the PDQ 32.

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2008 MacGregor 40 Catamaran Technical Specs

General data about macgregor 40 catamaran.

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LOA (Length Overall)
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Features And Equipments

Macgregor 40 catamaran.

MacGregor provided us with the latest version of its 40 Catamaran service repair manual
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MacGregor 40 Catamaran competitors

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Joined: Oct 2002 Posts: 50	Here Are A Few Tips For Racing and Saillng A MacGregor Catamaran WeightControl Nothing is more important to performance And safety than keeping weight down. In a 12 knot wind, The addition of 100 pounds will cut speed by 1 1/2%. In a 100 mile race, it makes a 1 1/2 mile difference. Considering how close most races end up, this is a big penalty. If you are really serious about getting weight down for an important race, here are some things you can remove: Cushions, replace with air mattresses 65 lbs.* Carpet 40 lbs.* Trim Panels 35 lbs. Galley 25 lbs. 20 HP outboard, replaced with a 10 40 lbs. Sail Covers 10 lbs. Battery, replace with an aircraft battery 25 lbs. Head, use a bucket 15 lbs. All this comes to about 255 lbs. worse when wet With careful crew selection, light provisioning, and by keeping personal gear weight down, another 200 to 300 pound weight saving is possible. This gets up around 500 pounds, which can make one hell of a difference in the boat's speed. Remember to bail the bilge, nose and stern compartments. They can pick up a lot of weight. As weight increases, rig loads increase, cross tube loads go up, and the boat is less likely to slide away from breaking seas. If it is capsized, or flooded, it is much more vulnerable and harder to right. Don't build in a lot of stuff. An overweight multihull has no reason for existence. Weight Position As a general guideline, try to keep the weight as near to the fore and aft center as possible to reduce pitching motion. In light air, position the crew and gear far enough forward to get the transoms out of the water. This cuts wetted surface and substantially reduces transom drag. In winds up to 12 knots, keep the weight off the sterns As the wind increases, move the crew aft. As speed increases, the water will flow cleanly off the transoms even if the weight is aft. When running downwind in heavy winds or steep seas, the weight near the stern will help keep the nose from digging in. Obviously, keep the crew to windward to improve stability. In really light air, however, some weight on the downwind side will help. Underwater Surfaces The bottom must be smooth -- 600 grit sandpaper smooth. At 12 knots or more, a polished underbelly is essential. Any growth or roughness will turn the boat into a real turkey. Scrub the bottom before each race. The rudders and centerboard are a major percentage of the drag, so really work on them. A slightly fouled bottom can cut speed by 20%. Capsize Prevention When the windward hull starts to feel light, when you find yourself luffing sails to get thru gusts, when a bow gets low, or when things seem like they might get a bit out of hand - reef, change headsails, or otherwise reduce power. The time to reef or change headsails is when you first think about it. When oversailed, the cat is an ultra powerful, ultra fast rocket. With a small sail plan set, it is quite tame. Be conservative, and concentrate on developing the judgement to know when to ease off. We have learned this with cars. Now it is almost instinctive. Cars are not driven wide open all the time. The cat shouldn't be either. You won't win many races if you have to spend time righting the boat, or worse. Never take more than three wraps on a winch. Four or more may not slip when you want them to. Line can seize up on a winch. It is important to let it slip and pull it in occasionally when it is blowing hard, so you know that it will run free in an emergency. Make sure the tails are free to run, and that nothing can jam any block. When it is blowing hard, don't cleat down any sheet. Hold them in your hand for instant release. Watch for overrides on winches. This occurs when the loaded line comes up and over the next wrap on the winch. They are almost impossible to get loose, and dangerous. The most common cause is having a crew member lift up on the line between the fairlead block and the winch while another crew member cranks the winch. The line should always lead to the winch from below the winch, not from above. A wrap sometimes occurs when the winch is cranked while the line is loose and flapping around. Don't even start to wrap a sheet on a winch until all the slack is out of it. Make sure the mainsheet tail is near the helmsman. Lay it on the deck so that it can be released from either side of the boat. The Genoa or jib should always be cleated near the helmsman so it can be released instantly. If a hull lifts, it is quite possible for the crew to slide down to the low side. If the sheets are cleated on the high side, and the crew is not manning each sheet, you may just have to sit there helplessly as the boat goes over. Wherever you go, or slide, on the boat take the sheet tails with you . I have always made a practice (on big cats and big monohulls) to have a good sharp knife in a sheath taped within easy reach. If a crewman gets tangled up in a loaded line, or if a winch gets a tight overwrap in an awkward situation -- cut the line! On the cat, it's a good idea to tape a sheath on each tiller. Use the "chicken" technique. Anytime any crewman feels like the boat is overpowered, he should ease his sheet without consulting with anyone and without getting a lot of lip from anyone. No sense sitting around in great debate while the boat goes over. If the boat starts to go over, slide to the lower side. This beats taking a long fall later. One weird problem. If you have a novice hold on to a sheet...be careful When a hull lifts, even experienced crews will clutch, panic, or sit there in stupid fascination, hold the line with desperation and simply watch the boat go over...without ever releasing it. Warn everyone and still be prepared to have to pry a line loose now and then. Remember, it is possible to dump a boat in very strong winds by allowing the boat to head directly into the wind without releasing the jib or Genoa sheet. The sail can backwind, stop the boat, quickly spin it around and blow it over. Don't fly a hull. It is dangerous and slows down the boat.~ Shorten sail If a nose starts to bury, shorten sail. Equipment Here is a list of the items I usually carry for coastal cruising and racing . Mainsail Spare Blocks Working Jib Winch Handles (2) Genoa Drifter Bridle Spinnaker Drifter Spinnaker Pole Righting Bag Spinnaker Sheets (2) Fire Extinguishers (2) Vang Bilge Pump Foreguys (2) Bucket (for bailing) Centerboard Wedge Life Preserver (1 per person) Centerboard Pin Horn Jib Sheets Anchor, Chain & Rope (2) Man Overboard Ring, Outboard Motor With Pole, Dye Marker, Extra Fuses for VHF & Lights Strobe Light & Whistle Dock Lines Personal Strobe Light Sail Covers For Each Crew Member Fuel Raft & Paddles (Avon Redcrest) Water Inflated,on Intermediate Net Boat Tape Pump for Raft Alcohol Stove & Alcohol Radar Reflector Sail Patching Equipment First Aid Kit Flashlights Head Flare Gun & 10 Rockets Extra 1/2" Clevis Pins Fully charged battery Tools (include 2 pairs vice grips) Knife Extra 1/2" Clevis Pins Extra Shackles & Cotter Pins RDF Wet Suit ForEach Crew Extra RDF Batteries (for cold weather) Charts Wet Weather Gear Chart Compass Bosun's Chair Pencils Food VHF, With Spare Antenna Ice Chest EPIRB (beacon) Bedding Extra Compass Parallel Rule Protest Flag Stop Watch Accurate Watch Signet Knotmeter (O to 30 knots) with log Windex Masthead Wind Pointer Danforth Cl51 Compass mounted on seat Where possible, get the absolute lightest of everything. Be ridiculous about it. All this stuff can add up to a lot of tonnage. - Daggerboard Control When sailing close into the wind, the dagger board should be down, with the top of the board 3 feet below the top of the deck...no lower ..or you may break the board or the trunk. Tie the daggerboard line to the pad eye on the deck so the board cannot go more than 3 feet below the top of the deck. (If a hull lifts, the board may fall out or go below the 3 foot point if the rope is not tied securely.) This line will also prevent the board from sliding out the top and mashing someone in the event of a capsize. Important: when sailing over 10 knots, never have the top of the board below the level of the top_of_the deck. This will give you about 2 1/2 feet of board below the hull, which is all the area you need at these speeds. More board than this will cause unnecessary drag, create excessive loads on the hull and board, and greatly increase the risk of damage if the board hits something. When running, no board is necessary. Pull it up and pin it. When the board starts clunking from side to side with wave action...it is no longer creating lift, because there is no significant sideways force on the sails pull it up. In extreme conditions, Pull the board all the was up to let the boat slide away from breaking seas. Looking down on the board, note that it positions itself at about a 3 degree angle to the centerline of the boat, with the leading edge pointing to the windward side of the boat. This allows the board to generate lift without the entire boat having to crab sideways to provide the neccessary angle (a centerboard provides no lift at all unless it has some angle relative to the flow of water.) In light to medium winds, a wedge can be used to add another 2 or 3° I normally carry a mahogany 2"x2n, about 4' long, with a long taper at one end. This is used to push the board full down and to wedge the lead-ing edge to a greater angle of attack. Rig Tuning The dolphin striker wires should be tightened just enough to give an absolutely straight center cross tube in a 12 knot wind. Both wires should have the same tension. No matter what you do, the leeward shrouds will be loose when sailing. There is no reason to pre-tension everything super tight. To flatten out a full main in moderate to heavy winds, adjust the lower shrouds and lower forestay to bring the center of the mast about 4" forward of a straight line between masthead and deck. The mast should rake slightly aft, and be absolutely straight sideways, when under load in a 12 knot breeze. If the mast pumps (or moves fore and aft at the center) as the boat goes thou seas, tighten up the lower shrouds and lower forestay. Do not try to get the same forestay tension that you would try for on an IOR monohull. You will simply bend the boat. The jib and Genoa are both cut with a substantial luff hollow curve, a rod straight forestay is not desirable. Don't over tighten the lower forestay. You will just bend the forward cross tube. Sail Trim There are literally hundreds of books and articles on proper sail trim, so I won't go into detail here. Treat it as you would a standard IOR rig. The big differences are (1) sails should be flatter because of the high wind velocities the cat rig sees, and (2) apparent wind will shift radically from the true wind as the boat speed builds up. Use the gang to take unwanted twist out of the main. Always vang to lee-ward... never to windward. You may not be able to release it in time to prevent capsize. Concentrate primarily on the streamers on the Genoa. With the sail properly trimmed, the windward streamer should be just starting to float off of the sail, while still generally streaming aft. The leeward streamer should be flowing aft. If it isn't, the sail has stalled. Ease the sheet or head up. Headsail Changes Here is a really quick way to change headsails. While the boat is moving, disconnect the 2 lowest hanks on the sail that is driving the boat. Leave the tack connected. Snap all of the hanks of the new sail on the headstay between the tack and the 3rd hank. Connect the new sail tack to a second shackle on the bridle triangle. Lower the old sail, unsnapping the lowest hanks first as the sail comes down. Quickly change the halyard from the old to the new sail and hoist the new sail. You should go bald for about 30 seconds. Then, when you are all set - disconnect the tack of the old sail. Fairlead Positions The jib and Genoa fairleads are unique. The strongest points on the boat to secure fairleads are the cross tubes. It takes a lot of heavy beefing under the fiberglass decks to take the severe loads of headsail fairleads, and the hulls are too far apart anyway to provide proper sheeting points. So we are stuck with locations on the tubes, which give infinite adjustment inboard and outboard, but none fore and aft. It is possible to give precise adjustment by carrying the headsails either higher or lower on the headstay. Moving the sail up the headstay a few inches has the effect of moving the fairleads forward by a much greater distance. As a starting point, a short pennant (about 9") between the jib tack and the attachment point on the bridle moves the jib up enough to give a good lead. (The jib fairleads attach to the forward cross tube and the Genoa leads attach to the rear tube.) The Genoa leads are generally about right with a 6" pennant between the bridle and the jib tack. The fairlead positions are good if the entire leading edge of the sail starts to luff uniformally from top to bottom as the boat heads up slowly into the wind. For reaching, the Genoa is best sheeted as far outboard as possible. Try using a snatch block on the lifeline post base to pick up the sheet and carry it forward and outboard. The sheet goes thru the snatch block, thru the regular fairlead block, and then to the winch. Don't use this set up in heavy winds. The jib fairleads can also be moved outboard about 8" for reaching. This involves another set of 1/2" holes drilled horizontally thru the center cross tube. Spinnaker Handling If the apparent wind is aft of the beam, and winds are moderate, use the chute. Keep the tack and clew level and always have the end of the pole as far aft as possible. Trim the sheet so that the leading edge is just on the verge of folding over. Do not reach with the chute in winds over 10 knots. Never let the pole go forward of the windward bow. If you can't keep the chute open at this point, douse it and use the Genoa. You will go faster. Remember, the spinnaker is a light air sail. Always have the Genoa up before raising and lowering the chute. This causes it to be blanketed and prevents a wrap around the forestay. Try to head directly downwind to get the chute up and down. Use the foreguy as shown in the assembly instructions. Practice with the chute in really light air. These things are big, capricious and potentially dangerous. They require knowledge, skill and practice. Steering for Speed In light air, tack downwind. Never let the apparent wind too much aft of the beam. You will have to go farther, but the additional speed generated by reaching will more than make up for the extra distance. For example, tacking 20 degrees above the straight downwind rhumb line adds only 6% to distance, but can add as much as 30% to speed. 30 degrees adds 15% to the distance and 45 degrees adds 40%. In heavy wind, tacking downwind is of much less value. Square off and run with it unless heading up a bit produces a significant increase in speed. When tacking downwind, bear off in the puffs. When going to weather, don't pinch. When you try to point up with monohulls, you will drop back to their speed. You can outpoint them, but it isn't worth it. Generally, the slower a boat goes, the higher it can point, because the boat's speed through the air shifts the apparent wind to more on the nose. As the cat picks up speed, the apparent wind shifts around and forces you to sail further off the true wind. As you fall off a few degrees, your speed will pick up as much as 40%, and you will more than make up for the extra distance that you will have to sail. A monohull will only pick up a small percentage of speed as it heads away from the wind, so it pays for them to pinch like crazy. You will soon get used to the idea of seeing a monohull pointing 10° higher, going 4 knots, with its jib on the edge of luffing, while you are going 7 or 8 knots, with your jib also starting to luff. And you will get there first. if you come up to their pointing angle, your speed will drop to 4 knots and your jib will still be on the edge of a luff. Don't try to beat them at their game. The apparent wind angle will limit you to their speed if you do. Sail off and go for boat speed. Remember, a big percentage of the wind you are feeling is created by the speed of the boat. Caution. This is seductive. As you point farther from the wind, boat speed will continue to increase, and the apparent wind, created by the boat speed, will shift with you and you will think you are close hauled even though the boat is on a broad reach with respect to the true wind. The shifting of apparent wind is the reason that monohull sailors still sometimes think cats don't point well. No competent cat sailor will try to point with them if he wants to win. Tacking The boat sails nicely under main alone, but it is slow to tack without the jib. The reason is that the center of effort of the main is quite far aft of the center of hull resistance. The boat will tack thru the eye of the wind, but will be slow to start on its new course without the jib. The boat will try to weathervane back into the wind. The jib will prevent this. When trying to get around fast and surely, let the jib backwind for a few seconds. If you get in irons, push the boom toward the side you wish to go, and also push the tiller toward the side you wish to go. The boat will back up and turn toward the new tack. Practice sailing backwards.. When racing, have one of the crew pull the clew of the Genoa in as tight as possible, to get the boat started, while another crew member works the winch. If you can get it in before the boat takes off, you can save a lot of cranking. Securing Hatches In heavy weather, secure lifting hatches with the cabin lock or a line over the top. With high winds from the rear, they could slam open hard. With really high winds from the side, they could lift and let in a lot of Spray. Radio I strongly recommend having a VHF radio on board. The Horizon 25 is excellent, and reasonably priced. Use a masthead antenna, with the cable coming down the inside of the mast. Mount the radio to the front face of the galley (with the top of the radio pointing forward). Mount it far enough inboard so that the knobs don't stick too far out in the aisle, but not so far back that the antenna cable has to kink where it comes out of the back of the set. The masthead antenna mount gives far better range than a deck mount. However, it is useless if you lose your mast. You can get a small antenna (for about $10) that plugs directly into the back of the set and gives good range. I always carry one in the event the regular antenna is disabled. One of the most essential safety items is an emergency position indicat-ing radio beacon (EPIRB) that will send out a continuous locator signal on a frequency that is closely monitored. Speed Indicator Use a Signet knotmeter (0 to 30 knots) with a log incorporated in the unit. Mount the dial and the paddle wheel as shown below. In this position, you can see it from both sides of the boat. Where you drill thru the hull for the paddle wheel, reinforce the area with 4 layers of 14 ounce fiberglass mat and resin, 6" x 6". Make sure you mount the paddle wheel flush with the outside of the hull. If the log runs improperly with the engine running, you may have to install resistor (non-static) spark plugs in the outboard. Compass Mount a Danforth C-151 "Lodestar" compass in either or both seats. Don't cut into the vertical cabin back for a flush mounted compass. The area is heavily loaded and an important piece of the structure. In fact, the compass holes and speedometer hole are the only cuts I would make in the fiberglass structures. Drifter One of the most valuable sails on the boat is the drifter, a huge 1 oz. nylon sail that flys from the spinnaker halyard at the masthead and the end af the spinnaker pole (about 3' ahead of the boat). It sheets in with the spinnaker sheet near the rear of the boat. It looks like a huge Genoa flying from a bowsprit. It has a wire luff and no hanks. The spinnaker pole attaches to the mast, and goes straight forward under the bridle. To keep the pole from breaking, the forward end of the pole is held down with a secondary bridle. This sail is perfect under the following conditions. 1. When the air is so light or the sea so lumpy that the spinnaker will not stay filled. This is a very common condition at night. 2. Reaching in light winds with the wind abeam or forward of the beam. In this circumstance, the Genoa is too small and the spinnaker will not allow the boat to point high enough. The drifter is a perfect airfoil and can be carried close into the wind. Do not use this rig in apparent winds of more than 8 knots. The pole won't take it. The sail won't take it, and the bridle won't take it. Haul Out If you have to haul the boat, and you don't have a trailer, be sure that the hulls are supported under the bulkheads. Maintenance Here are a few things to keep an eye on as the boat ages. 1. Wear on the rudder shaft or hull bearing surface. Inspect these items at least once per year. 2. Cross tube clamps. Make sure they are tight but not so tight they damage the tubes. Check them every 6 months. 3. Chafe on trampoline ropes, halyards and sheets. Replace. 4. Turnbuckles. make sure clevis pins are cotter pinned. Inspect these each time you sail. 5. Block shackles. Keep them tight and make sure each clevis pin is properly cotter pinned securely. 6. Mast tune (See prior instructions.) 7. Winch position. Make sure all winches are mounted so that the line approaches the winch from below the plane of the base of each winch. This will help prevent dangerous winch wraps. Re-bend the Genoa winch plate as required and, if necessary, put thin wood angle blocks under the other winches to tilt them in the proper direction. 8. Electrolysis on metal parts. The stainless to aluminum contact may cause problems, depending on the electrical systems carried on board. Keep an eye on the cross tubes where the shroud rings, mast hinge and clamps attach. If you see any sign of electrolysis, isolate the clamps from the tubes with a l/16th thick sheet of rubber. 9. Rigging - check for broken wire strands and replace rigging as necessary. 10. Fasteners - do a periodic tightening of all nuts and bolts. Hose the boat down regularly and flush your outboard with fresh water. Use WD-40 on all fittings that move. Leave your hatches open as much as possible to preclude mildew. The forward face of the cabin is slippery. It would be a good idea to apply self adhesive non skid tape on this area as a safeguard. Generally you are best off staying on the trampoline when you go forward. The further you are from the edge of the boat, the better... especially in rough weather. Topping Lift This is a real convenience. Fasten a 3/16 stainless cable permanently to a pad eye bolted to the masthead. The lower end of the wire should have a strong snap shackle, permanently attached. This shackle can snap into one of the outhaul eyes on the boom. The wire should be just long enough to hold up the boom and take all of the load off the sail. Wind Indicator Use a Windex masthead fly. They are better than any of the electronic goodies. Bosun's Chair If you have to go up the mast, always clip 2 halyards to the chair, and have them both manned by competent crew members. Don't trust your life to one halyard and its fittings. Rudders Make sure the rudders are parallel when centered--If the cross tube gets bent, it is possible for the rudders to toe in. The effect on speed will be major. With the rudders set along the centerline, the dimension between the leading edges at the top of the rudders and between the trailing edges (also at the top of the ruddersJ should be identical. If not, drill new holes in the tiller and relocate the tiller crossbar to position the rudders to a perfectly parallel position. Pat McGrath Test Sails The MacGregor 36 Catamaran Multihulls, Spring 76 When my wife, Jill and I were invited by Roger MacGregor to visit his plant and go for a sail on his new production cruising catamaran, we were understandably pleased. We have kept a file on the MacGregor 36 since it was first announced almost two years ago. We routinely do this with all proposed production multihulls that come to our attention, since we have known for some years now that the day would inevi-tably come when John Q. Public could buy an all fiberglass production multihull "off the shelf." Our tour of the MacGregor Yacht production facilities, where the "Venture" trailer-sailers are made, was a real eye-opener to us. Before going into business for himself, 10 years ago, Roger MacGregor-was an administration manager for Ford, and has carried his knowledge of mass production line techniques Into his concepts of boat building and marketing . Every stage of the manufacturing is refined down to its simplest common denominator. All operations follow a flow-through pattern. Large use is madeofopensided buildings or outdoor areas, where the California climate is utilized to maximum advantage. Each part of every boat is reduced to its simplest engineering function to provide effective fabrication at the lowest cost. As a result, MacGregor has experienced the largest sales of manufactured sailboats in North America, and has survived the recent boating industry recession in good shape when many of his competitors have gone to the wall. Down at the dockside we saw the MacGregor 36 for the very first time, and first impressions are lasting ones. We had seen many photographs and drawings of the craft, but indeed she is far more attractive to the naked human eye, than she is in any photographs, which we had seen of her. This is one of those rare boats that do not have a single ugly line, and her functional proportions make her look fast even tied to the dock. The following day we were back again for an afternoon sail, and the M36 slipped effortlessly away from the dock under mainsail alone, and into the middle of Balboa Harbour, before the Genoa was raised for a reach out into the Pacific. Although the boat is equipped with a 10 h.p. motor, Roger does not believe in using it when there is wind, and as a result we were not able to check its effectiveness that day. The cat slipped through the water so easily and quietly that it belied the speed with which we moved out of the harbour. This prototype was not equipped with a speedometer, and so we were not aware of how quickly we departed the harour into the open Pacific, until it became time to return later on that afternoon, and we saw how far we had come. Out in the open ocean winds were lighter and we took the helm to feel how this boat behaves. I was suitably impressed by the way she could move to windward and overtake other boats sailing in the area, but since this was a typical Californian after-noon, we generally enjoyed lazying around the boat, pointing her in different directions, tacking, and generally getting the feel of her. The prototype boat we were sailing had standard tiller helm and we found this completely neutral with no tendency to develop either weather or lee helm under the light conditions response was immediate when the helm was moved, and there was never any doubt about the boat's ability to tack. In fact her tacking ability was as good or better than any catamaran that I have ever sailed and all her movements were smooth, purposeful and positive. Fore-and-aft trim was particularly good and she appeared to have no sensitivity in this regard. The crew were able to lounge around any-where on the boat they pleased. Even a critical helmsman would not feel the need to tell crew members to move to any particular part of the boat to Improve trim. A spinnaker of about 1000 sq. ft. had been borrowed for this afternoon's jaunt. Setting this and reaching back towards the entrance to Balboa Harbour occupied some time. At this point we sighted a Tornado heading in the same direction. Well, as you know, when two sailboats are heading in the same direction they are considered to be racing. So from here on in it was a challenge who was going to reach the other end of Balboa Harbour first. The Tornado was about 400 yds. ahead entering the harbour, and as we turned to enter ourselves the wind came dead aft. The Tornado immediately started tacking downwind as this Is the "hot cats" favorite technique of moving fast off the wind, but Roger felt that as a cruising catamaran we would have no advantage doing likewise. Soon we had to turn a corner and were reaching with a rather full spinnaker. Another corner required a spinnaker jibe and further spinnaker reaching. We were gradually gaining on the Tornado until finally we reached the moorings at the northern end of the harbour. Yours truly was on the helm and found himself threading between moorings and boats with literally feet and inches to spare on either side. Here was a situation where any boat, if it has any weaknesses of steering or control would show up to catastrophic disadvantage, but the MacGregor 36 indeed came through with fingertip precision as we threaded our way through this mass of boats. We also passed the Tornado a couple of hundred yards before the head of the bay. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. The spinnaker was dropped, the Genoa was re-hoisted, and we sailed back up to windward to Roger MacGregor's home dock. Here we were treated to an experience which I had never encountered before in twenty years of sailing. As we approached the dock, Roger at the helm headed the boat up into the wind and the Genoa was dropped. From perhaps 50 yds. out Roger then proceeded to sail the M 36 backwards, under perfect control, directly into his boat slip. A better display of helm and rig balance I could not imagine. Jill and I were leaving for Australia to see the "Little America's Cup" races, but we promised to be back in two weekends' time to sail with Roger in the Mid-Winters Multihull Regatta on Santa Monica Bay in order to give the boat a proper shakedown. Accordingly we rejoined the M 36 and her skipper at the Playa del Ray Marina, in Los Angeles, one Saturday morning two weeks later, and motored out to the starting line in the company of such illustrious "ocean greyhounds" as Allez Cat, Hiolani, Polyne-sian Concept, Seasmoke, Imi Loa, Imua and half a dozen others. The MacGregor 36 moved out smoothly under the power of her 10 h.p. motor, and I cannot imagine why anyone would need a larger engine than this. The motor was mounted on a standard lifting bracket, attached at the Inboard side of the starboard hull. Apart from a larger than normal cavitation plate affixed to the lower unit, no special, or abnormal mounting arrangements were employed. Coming out of the mouth of the harbour into the Pacific there was only a light wind, but large Pacific swells. Under these conditions the M 36 moved easily and smoothly with minimum of splashing. At this stage there was no water on deck or the trampoline, the moulded in splash rails on the sides of the hulls prevented this. Later on when the rising wind turned the swells into hard edged waves, spray did come up through the forward netting and occasionally up through the center lacing of the trampoline. MacGregor says the production version has a flap under the lacing to prevent this. Water did not collect on the-tramp deck, however, and the airflow over the boat rapidly dried the trampoline. Even when the spray was flying it was comfortable and dry to sit up against the windward cabin side, or to lie in the tramp, facing the helmsman, with head and neck on the main crossbeam. A lot of people who sail on boats with *** seats and hard decks cannot appreciate the comfort of lounging on a soft trampoline, and of the effect of spacious security which it gives. On this prototype the daggerboards were arranged in such a way that the port board would rotate about 8ø in its slot. On either tack the board would have a positive angle of attack, relative to the centerline of the hull of about 4ø. The starboard dagger was a normal installation. A lot of time was spent trying first one board and then the other on windward legs, to see if there was any obvious difference in leeway or performance. If there was any, we were not able to discern it, and not surprisingly, we found the cat went to weather best with both boards fully down. In the production version the boards will be accurately formed to the most effective profile. They will be non-tacking, and will extend through the bottom of the hull in a massively reinforced area. The slots will be profiled closely to the shape of the board in order to reduce turbulence to a minimum where the board protrudes through the hull. In the light of current foil technology this would appear to be the best decision, being simple, effective and most important, less expensive! One of the problems of designing a production catamaran is that it cannot be assumed that all the new owners will be experienced hotcat' sailors. The last thing a manufacturer wants is for his beautiful creation to become labelled as a "killer boat" in the hands of inexperienced yachtsmen. The M 36 started out with a 50-ft. rotating mast carrying a high aspect ratio, fully battened mainsail, with a small roller furling jib: like a giant "Tornado" rig. It was the most exciting thing I had ever seen, but it also made my hair stand on end when I tried to imagine handling that monster in rough water and heavy, gusty conditions. Since that first design, Roger MacGregor's boat has gone through six rigging changes, four different sail plans--and a lot of fingernails. The result, not unexpectedly for a cruising boat, has ended up as a perfectly conventional sail plan in the best I.O.R. tradition. A smaller main, little roach, short battens and large overlapping Genoa; all held op on a 43-foot non-rotating mast. The result is pleasing to the eye, easy to handle, efficient and, once again, economical. The mainsheet is on multiple blocks, attached to the non-rotating boom, and the roller bearing car runs on a traveler track extending to the full width of the boat on the aft cross-tube. The boom gooseneck is bolted directly to the mast, so luff tensioning is taken care of by a Cunningham downhaul. "Slab" or "Jiffy" reefing is done in the normal way by easing the hal-yard. Two-speed Barient sheeting winches are standard. Spinnaker gear is optional, and if the Mac-Gregor 36 is to be used for racing, it is an essential option. Until now we may as well have been sailing on a big and heavier "D" class daysailer. But after lifting up the cabin tops, all this changes. The after bunks are just that. Places to sleep. They are wide, long, and have just enough headroom to enable a crewmember to sit up, sort of. They are real bunks. Thirty-seven inches wide and eight feet long, they have plenty of room for personal kit storage, and are the quietest place on the boat. The forward bunks are something else again. Thirty-nine inches is considered the proper width for a double bunk in a seagoing boat. Anything wider is untenable in a seaway. Four foot wide beds only exist in houses and floating gin palaces, and are only usable when tied up in a slip or on a quiet mooring. The MacGregor 36's forward bunks taper gently from 3'3" toward the bow, and are nearly 10 feet long. There is stowage space behind the daggerboard case which is on the inboard side of the hull, and aft of this will be a complete galley in one hull, and a navigation area in the other. The bows and sterns, the volume under the bunks, the cross tubes and the spars are filled with foam, which makes the boat unsinkable. Should the boat be completely flooded, the hulls are self bailing to the level of the bunk bottoms, merely by unscrewing removable plugs. The remaining water in the main cabin would be about calf deep and would have to be pumped or bailed out in the usual way. A cleverly designed toilet is concealed under the companionway step of one hull, and a cooler under the other. Interior finish is bright in the Macgregor "Venture" tradition, with a complete fiberglass liner, striped cushions, shag carpet - the lot. You either like it or you don't. Personally I would like to see more light in the cabin, and particularly in the forward bunk. With the "lid" closed, the one small window might make some people feel a bit claustrophobic, and a little more light further forward would enhance the usefulness of the gorgeous great bunk, and make a wonderful place to hide away and quietly read a book when solitude is required. The MacGregor 36's lack of pitching, due I believe to Its more full ends than most contemporary catamarans, and its quietness, due to the massive use of foam flotation, truly makes this forward bunk area a comfortable place to be. Finally, the great asset of this type of catamaran is on lazy summer afternoons, with the pop top open, the optional canopy rigged over the boom to keep off the hot sun, but let in the cool sea breezes. Gunk-holing, quiet cruising or gung ho racing are all possible and compatible with this new catamaran. I, for one, think that Roger MacGregor has got himself another winner!!!!!

[ ] 05/13/03 05:28 PM 05/13/03 05:28 PM
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[ ] 05/14/03 05:05 PM 05/14/03 05:05 PM
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Joined: Oct 2002 Posts: 50	Also, if you have the interest or need, I've found an original Mac 36 owner's and assembly manual. Though I've misplaced the web address I do have the manual copied as an Adobe file that's emailable. If you want it, give me an email address and I'll send all 27 pages or so...and if you don't have Adobe, it's available on the web for free.... The manual is pretty interesting reading and goes through the assembly and disassembly process (sep-by-step), rigging, tuning, self recovery from a capsize, etc. Have you looked at any of the other demountable and trailerable larger cats...like Viva 27s, Stiletto 27s, etc. They are not Mac 36s but every now and again, there are some "killer" deals that come up and some "deals" are in sail-away shape, with road-worthy trailer....if you keep your eyes open, have some patience and are ready to make it all work before someone else shows up..... What caused me to not go for the Mac 36 I found...and got the guy to go down to $2,000 cash.... was my wife....! But, she had some valid points.... Fixing up the trailer or buying another would add another $1,000 or two ....adding or finding this or that would add more $$$$ and so on.... plus she wanted to sail sooner than I would be able to actually refurb the boat and make it seaworthy... (Don't ya just hate a wife that wants to buy a cat and go sailing...and right now...???) When all was said and done...we found a boat (Stiletto 27) in sail-away condition, road worthy trailer, large sail inventory, and bunches of this and that boat stuff -hardaware- furler- etc.... for around $10K.... (which I thought was much less than I would have spent in time and $$$ to find, make or repair things for the Mac 36) ...but we had to drive $3,000 miles to get there and back.... and not counting the other trips we took looking at boats.... before we finally bought the one we now have... But all were good trips as was is was the fun trip we took to Mexico, even if we hadn't decided to grab that Stiletto.... Best of luck and I'd be interested in hearing how your search progresses and what you finally end up doing...

[ ] 05/14/03 06:12 PM 05/14/03 06:12 PM
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addict Joined: Apr 2002 Posts: 591	I'm not really interested in the Stilettos as I'm looking for something a bit bigger and more off-shore capable. My dream-cat is the G-Force 36 Sport-Cruiser, of which I know only one in existence (and they're not selling)! I also don't mind taking a year or so to fix and outfit a boat.

[ ] 05/18/03 08:51 AM 05/18/03 08:51 AM
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McGregor 36 Catamaran

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Does anybody have any info or any idea whrer to get info on the mcgregor 36 ???

I have been searching for information for several months on the Macgregor 36. I have not found any one site that gives the information instead have found many small ads for them, many people talking about them and very few for sale. But I would love to know if you find any definitive information about them.

I''ve never heard of a McGregor 36 Catamaran, but then I don''t consider myself the final word on anything.... But I can recommend that you run a search for the magazine "Multihulls" and when you find it check out their web site and contact them with your questions. They are pretty much up to speed on Catamarans and such...its their whole world. The only McGregor''s that I am familiar with are monohulls. And their latest success story has been a 26'' sailboat that carries a 40HP motor and it can be used as a motor boat or sail as it has a folding mast and is trailerable..... They have a website also...and they are located out in CA. Maybe they have begun to manufacture a Cat. Since the name is the same I would start there....Copyright and trademark lawyers get real hinky whne someone else uses a clients "name". Hope this helps alittle...

Saw a few of them back in the late 1980''s or early 1990''s. You could always tell them by the float-like structure at the top of the mast....sort of a sailboat version of training wheels on a kid''s bicycle. MacGregor certainly marches to a different drummer...don''t they. Possibly, they will make them again; only this time with really big hulls, for extra windage, and a 50 hp outboard on each one. How do they sell so many boats? I think I''ll operate mine from the dock with a remote control...it''s safer. Sorry...I digress...it''s Sunday...and I want to go sailing...but it''s gray and dreary in Seattle. Heck..we do need light air practice..I''m outta here!

just to let all the mono hull sailors know... macgregor made these boats from roughly 1972-1980. They are a model/copy of many 36'' trailerable cats out there. Supposedly more reliable then most macgregors are though. for a large trailerable cat they are a beautiful boat. The several people I know who own them love them dearly.

I have two Macgregor 36' catamaran's. They're great daysailors. Curently, I'm going through coast guard certification. It's an inexpensive way to get into the commercial catamaran business. I'm in Key West if your interested in taking a look. Call me a 305 896-3878. I painted the cat's neon Pink and will be calling them the "Pink Catillac's". Talk soon. Captain Steve

36' Mac Cat There are 3 in Racine Wis. Racine Yacht Club Members. 1 is for sale $18,000. I have all original sales materials from dealer including owners manuals, original factory test results and color brochures. There were 300 built by MacGregor between 1979-82. In my oppinion they were before there time. With some modern sails and very slight rigging adjustments, they can reach 22+knots easily. Hang on! I added UK Tape Drive Sails. Floats on the top are for the fearful not a stock item. They are trailorable but do not recomend. Mine is fully loaded from the factory. For the money you won't find anything better. Alot of these boats were flipped in the beginning for lack of knowledge of what a "GIANT" beach cat can do for the times. So there are not many left. You have questions I would love to answer them. My perticular boat has great history of many victories form Galveston Texas, to Florida and beyond. The original Captain quite a single handed sailor. Now though, day sailing in the Great Lake of Michigan. Yacht Club Members always ask me how long it takes me to sail from port to port. I crossed Lake Michigan in 5 hours. I did almost flip it in the summer of 2007, but my 18' Hobie Cat experience saved the boat and 8 on board. We were flying a hull from Racine to Kenosha when a gust hit and took her up to the edge. Bailed the Main and turned into the wind, down she came. Crew hanging from the life lines like flags. This boat is a RUSH!

Karocky1 said: There are 3 in Racine Wis. Racine Yacht Club Members. 1 is for sale $18,000. I have all original sales materials from dealer including owners manuals, original factory test results and color brochures. There were 300 built by MacGregor between 1979-82. In my oppinion they were before there time. With some modern sails and very slight rigging adjustments, they can reach 22+knots easily. Hang on! I added UK Tape Drive Sails. Floats on the top are for the fearful not a stock item. They are trailorable but do not recomend. Mine is fully loaded from the factory. For the money you won't find anything better. Alot of these boats were flipped in the beginning for lack of knowledge of what a "GIANT" beach cat can do for the times. So there are not many left. You have questions I would love to answer them. My perticular boat has great history of many victories form Galveston Texas, to Florida and beyond. The original Captain quite a single handed sailor. Now though, day sailing in the Great Lake of Michigan. Yacht Club Members always ask me how long it takes me to sail from port to port. I crossed Lake Michigan in 5 hours. I did almost flip it in the summer of 2007, but my 18' Hobie Cat experience saved the boat and 8 on board. We were flying a hull from Racine to Kenosha when a gust hit and took her up to the edge. Bailed the Main and turned into the wind, down she came. Crew hanging from the life lines like flags. This boat is a RUSH! Click to expand...

MacGregor 36 Catamaran I was searching for some ideas on what others have done to this boat as far as rigging and sails go, because I'm getting ready to make some changes myself. I'm taking the Baby stay off the mast and raising it 6-8' and adding a working jib. Thats when I found this web site and felt I needed to inform people that the MacGregor Catamaran is alive and Kickin'... "Catch me if you can"

Mac36 as weekend cruiser. How's life aboard this boat as a weekend cruiser. I understand the cramp quarters but it's described as having berths, galley and portable heads. I'm interested in cruising LI sound along the CT/RI area. Also has anyone rigged a temp. bimini for shade, if so how does that work for you? Thanks, Bill PS, I considering purchase.

wes25nor said: How's life aboard this boat as a weekend cruiser. I understand the cramp quarters but it's described as having berths, galley and portable heads. I'm interested in cruising LI sound along the CT/RI area. Also has anyone rigged a temp. bimini for shade, if so how does that work for you? Thanks, Bill PS, I considering purchase. Click to expand...

Day Sailing 36 Mac Great Lakes Yup, its a little tight below for sleeping but plenty of room for Galley 1 side and nav station on the other. A binimi? Google MacGregor Catamaran 36 and you will find all kinds of changes that others have made to the boat. I do recall seeing a binimi on a couple. Portable head slides out of sight. Do the Gooogle thing and you'll answer all your questions. I cruise up and down the Wisconsin and Illinois side and occasionally do a crossing to Michigan. Splash on the Sun tan lotion is all I can say. This boat is perfect for the Great Lakes. Very sea worthy. Enjoy, Kurt

I am also considering a purchase of a Mac 36. Does anyone know of one in the LI Sound area that I could get a look at, just to see the layout and get an idea of the proportions?

There is a 36' Mac Cat forsale in Racine Wisconsin. Asking $18,000 It's in great shape. You need standard pontoon trailor to move it. Seller's name, Tom. 630-307-3069 Tell him Kurt sent you.

Thanks for the info. I am not ready to buy yet, I am just exploring the possibility of getting a boat that better meets my sailing needs. Most of my time on the water is an afternoon or evening sail with an occasional overnight. I am looking for a boat that is exciting to sail that I can afford. The Mac 36 and Stiletto 30 seems to fit this bill.

harrier— If you're looking into catamarans in that range, you should also look at the Catalac 8/9/10M, the Iroquois, the Prout Snowgoose, the MaineCat 30, the TomCat 30 and the Gemini 105Mc.

These are all good recommendations but they don't have the speed that I am looking for. I would love to be able to sail in the teens, kind of like in my Hobie years (without flying a hull). I currently own a Iroquois 30 which is a good strong boat, great for cruising. She performs well for her type of design. But she was built heavily which limits her top end. I am also seeking a demountable to be able to bring it home for the winter.

See if you can find a Stiletto.

Bigger is Better I have my 36' up to 12 knots plus quite often. The later Mac Cats are a lot lighter then the earlier ones, A LOT LIGHTER. 2-4 on board and keep her light and you'll be getting there fast. Stiletto? All I can say is try to go for a ride first. And also, Bigger is Better...

When the Reynolds 33 first came out, it was offered at a reasonable price. Now it's way beyond what I can afford, even used. Whatever I can get for my Iroquois is what I have available. Because the accomodations are only in the hulls, Stiletto 27's seem to be very tight inside. I haven't seen a Stiletto 30 interior, so I don't know how much the extended bunks at deck level help open it up. I tend to agree that the Mac 36 is a good size, but I am concerned about how easy (and safe) it is to singlehand.

You might want to go around and price the rig on the Macgregor 36... I'm willing to bet it is almost as much as the price for a complete boat or pretty close. You'd have to get a new mast and new standing rigging at a minimum... considering that on some older boats, over 60% of the value is the mast, boom and standing rigging... I doubt it will be worth buying. That doesn't even address what possible damage to the hulls and bridgedeck could have been caused by the forces that broke the mast...

A friend of mine bought a MacGregor 36 back in the early 90's, and I got to sail it a few times. It's fast and fun, like an overgrown Hobie Cat, if there is any wind. It was not fast in light air, but would sail acceptably. I agree with Sailingdog that this particular boat is not worth much, if anything. A few thousand at most, IMO.

Thanks. I have no idea what he's looking for. That the boat has sat here since we got the one/two punch that first week of September says something. And we never have light air here.

36's Does anyone have any more info on eht Mac 36's in Racine or anywhere else?

I just bought a 1981 Mac 36 here in the Florida Keys. I've found some information about them on the web, but I would be interested in making contact with other 36 owners out there. I have collected links to sites with lots of photos, sailing tips, an old MacGregor sales brochure, a review from Multihulls Mag, the owners manual, etc. Will post them later when the forum allows me to, or message me if interested.

?
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2008 MacGregor 40 Catamaran

$69,000.

Catamaran, speeds of 20+ Knots

Specifications

Additional info, basic boat info, engines / speed.

Make: honda
Model: Saildrive 280
Fuel: Gasoline
Engine Power: 12hp
Type: Other
Propeller Type: 2 Blade, Folding
Engine Hours: 15
Make: Honda
Propeller Type: 2 Blade
Drive Type: SailDrive
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Yachting Monthly

Digital edition

Excess 11 review: A very rare sub-40ft cruising catamaran

Theo Stocker
September 10, 2024

A cruising cat much under 40ft is a rare beast, especially one that’s meant to be fun to sail. Theo Stocker went to see if the Excess 11 really delivers.

Product Overview

Price as reviewed:.

Catamarans don’t belong in the UK, I hear you cry. If you’ve been put off by towering topsides, the vast beam and ideas about how much it might cost to keep one in a marina, or their supposed lack of upwind performance, then stay with me. The Excess 11 is a boat that has certainly made me think again.

High-volume production catamarans certainly make fantastic boats for chartering with your family in hot climates and introducing nervous crew to life afloat, but I was eager to find out if a new brand of catamaran could also make a genuinely practical and enjoyable cruising boat for private owners to sail in the UK’s more temperate waters.

If you’re looking for a cruising catamaran you have, until fairly recently, faced a choice between a high-volume, stubby-keeled cruising catamaran, or a dagger-boarded speed machine. Alongside Nautitech , however, Excess has jumped into a niche for high- volume but modest displacement cruising cats that seek to offer the best of both worlds.

Theo at the helm in a red coat and life jacket

Theo found the Excess 11 is resilient with an impressive finish. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The Excess brand emerged from the Beneteau Group just six years ago to fill this perceived void. Employing top racing catamaran and foiling IMOCA designers VPLP means this boat has at least a modicum of performance in her DNA. Could this be a catamaran that’s comfy to live on, reassuringly solid at sea, and still genuinely engaging to sail?

At first glance, the Excess 11 has much in common with other modern cruising cats – high topsides, a generously glazed deck saloon, staggering amounts of space in the hulls, and shallow, long chord keels. But it was her differences that piqued my interest. To start with she’s just 37ft in length – a good 3ft shorter than any of her competitors, and only the Broadblue 345 is smaller than this.

Rather than a single, raised helm station, she has twin helms on the main deck level, aft and outboard of the superstructure. To bring the helm to life, steering uses Dyneema cables rather than hydraulics, and with the wheels where they are, this is a surprisingly short cable run to minimise play and maximise feeling.

Sheeting angles are controlled by in-and-out haulers for the overlapping genoa. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Winches are at deck level, too, so there’s more for crew to do if they want to get involved, and she comes at a surprisingly competitive price when you compare her to monohulls – the Excess 11 may cost more than boats of a similar length, but for the same space aboard you’d need to be looking at a boat at least five or 10ft longer.

So it was that I found myself motoring down the Hamble river at the bright orange wheel of an Excess 11. With both wheels set right aft and outboard you have a pretty unobstructed view directly forwards and outboard. Look through the glazing, and you then get a surprisingly clear view through the arcs obstructed by the saloon.

Step inboard slightly, still within reach of the wheel, and you can see round the support posts and straight out of the front of the boat. It takes a little getting used to as the tops of the windows were slightly below eye level (I’m 6ft 1in tall), but it’s similar to helming a deck-saloon monohull or even just ducking to leeward to look round a headsail.

The boom is low enough to make stowing the sail easy from atop the coach roof. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Command and control with the Excess 11

As we motored along, I was reassured that I could control the boat from either side, thanks to the electronic throttles controlling the twin 29hp Yanmar inboards; this means command can be taken from either wheel.

While cats are directionally stable, you might notice that, as with many other cats, there’s no prop wash over the rudders. That’s because her rudders are ahead of the propellers – an arrangement that allows the engines to be pushed right aft, saving space for the aft cabins. Not an issue in a cat as you can drive it on the throttles like a tank – not that I’ve ever driven one of those, but I imagine it’s similar.

We didn’t get the sunniest of days – the clouds stubbornly obscured the sun all day and the temperature was remarkably low for mid summer – but at least we had a decent breeze. As you’d expect from a multihull, the main is large and powerful to help propel drive the extra hull, but a two-to-one halyard taken to the powered winch ahead of the starboard helm help us set sail.

The dramatic hull flares are obvious seen from the bows. Photo: Paul Wyeth

On our test Excess 11, Sea Ventures’ stock boat, all lines other than a couple of halyards were led aft to clutches and a winch ahead of the starboard wheel, including both sheets for the overlapping jib. Most owners opt for the self-tacking jib, which simplifies things further.

With all lines taken to one side there’s a lot of rope in one place, which needs keeping tidy, though I can see that splitting controls to both sides would make some of them frustratingly hard to reach for the helm.

Underway, we faced a beat out of Southampton Water and around Bramble Bank into open water. Before I had a chance to remember that multihulls aren’t meant to tack well, I’d put her into a tack just as I would a monohull; she popped through easily and was off again almost instantly.

When it comes to a cruiser that the whole family can enjoy, a catamaran is a sensible option. Photo: Paul Wyeth

A slight bear away helped rebuild any lost momentum and we were back pointing up to 40º-43º off the apparent wind, giving us a compass tacking angle of 115º-120º – not bad for a cruising cat. When you take into account that we were doing over 7 knots upwind, upwind in a Force 4, in a 37-footer, on a completely even keel, that’s actually pretty impressive and probably almost a knot faster than you’d get from the same size monohull. Clearly, in a big seaway, the extra hull and potential slamming from the nacelle might see this drop off, but the Solent chop wasn’t anywhere near big enough to test this.

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Enjoyable helming

Steering from the windward helm, I loved being outboard and able to see forwards and to feel the wind in my face. The helm was light and responsive, and while you don’t get the feedback of the boat heeling and loading up, it was sensitive enough for me to feel the fore-and-aft balance of the sailplan – not something you’d get in your average heavy cruising cat. Seeing the genoa telltales wasn’t the easiest, so helming from leeward helped with this.

The starboard wheel was home to most of the controls, but throttles can be used on either side. Photo: Paul Wyeth

In terms of visibility, it was, if anything, better than when sailing to windward in a monohull, as the sail is above the line of sight from the hull, and the saloon windows remain conducive to looking through.

Bearing away and in a freshening breeze, we accelerated slightly to 7.5 knots on a close reach, but the real speed came from setting the 54m2 Code Zero, which was set and furled on the foldable bowsprit (this hinges away to reduce length when in harbour). We comfortably maintained speeds over 8 knots, with the occasional foray into the high nines and a max speed of 10.1 knots with the wake fizzing off the transoms as the wind gusted to the top end of the recommended windspeed for the Code Zero. The huge asymmetric is an option for lighter airs and deeper angles.

A modest galley and chart table are plenty for cruising as a couple or with a couple of friends. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The sailplan crossover table for recommended wind ranges for each sail option by the helms was a useful addition; without heel angle you need to sail a cat more by numbers. Experienced owners might be willing to bend the rules, but even so, this looks and feels like a boat that can stand up to her canvas well. She’s not going to be planing, but surfs in double digits are well within her reach.

Handling the Code Zero was straight-forward – the headsail halyards are the only lines taken to port, plus the furling line for the Zero, and sheets are led to the winches either side, so you do need a couple of people to release and sheet in after a gybe. Furling the sail is probably the easier way to gybe in reality, though handling the winches is easy enough from the helm. If you did want two winches, you’d have to move up to the larger Excess 14.

The cat in action on slightly choppy water

Good cruising speeds can be reached with minimum fuss. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The big plus of having the wheels and lines all on deck level with the cockpit is that it is easy for crew to lend a hand, helping them feel involved and making communication easier. It would also feel more secure in a seaway, while the proximity to the water makes the sailing experience more engaging.

Seats fold down behind the helm across the transom access giving two people somewhere comfy to sit and improving the sense of security at the wheel, also helped by the high bulwark outboard. Steps inboard of the wheels take you up onto the wide side decks.

On deck, much of the foredeck is trampoline to keep weight and potential sources of slamming well aft. The anchor mounts to a bow roller next to the forestay with the chain led aft to the vast nacelle lockers ahead of the saloon windows via a moulded channel, which keeps the chain flush underfoot. Most owners will opt for the second 300-litre water tank in this locker, as there’s easily space for it and crew will be happier with less strict water rationing.

The saloon nav station adds practical work space, though too small to hold a chart. Photo: Paul Wyeth

All accommodation hatches are flush in the deck, and in each bow is a cavernous fo’c’sle locker for extra kit and sails. There’s an option for these lockers to be made into extra berths if you want capacity for 12 on board.

The Excess 11’s sociable cockpit

Living arrangements on board the Excess 11 are very practical, especially for a crew of six in the three-cabin layout most owners opt for. We found crew congregate at the back of the cockpit, where there are six seats across the stern, as well as the bench seat to port and an L-shaped seat around the cockpit table, giving plenty of space to relax.

A hard-top canopy keeps weather and sun at bay over the well-sheltered cockpit. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The low boom means packing the sail can be done at waist height from the canopy without any additional climbing, so many owners opt for the hard-top cockpit canopy so that it can be walked on, as well as a place to mount solar panels. A folding canvas ‘targa’ top is also an option, however, if you want to let more light in.

Walk forwards through the sliding doors and you find yourself in a large open space around the saloon table, surrounded by an L-shaped settee against the forward bulkhead, with a couple of stools for extra seating. At the starboard end there is a nav station, though in reality navigation will be done on deck.

Against the aft and outboard sides to starboard is the L-shaped galley, with a fixed oven and two-burner gas hob, front-opening fridge, and a few lockers. To port of the entrance are another set of large lockers, ideal for stowing lifejackets and other sailing kit, or more food, and there’s also stowage under the saloon seats. It isn’t the world’s largest galley, but I had to keep on reminding myself this boat is just 37ft. It’s more than enough for a cruise of a week or two, or longer for a couple.

Space and light make the saloon a pleasant place to be in harbour and underway. Photo: Paul Wyeth

It’s down in the hulls that you really see the merit of the hulls’ volume. A marked flare above the waterline maximises space without adding drag, and the resulting chines keep spray down. Clever contours in the topsides also reduce the visual impact of big slab sides, while adding strength and volume.

To port, there are double cabins fore and aft, both with more-or-less square berths and a good-sized heads with separate shower compartment between them. Each enjoys a large hull window with opening port and a deckhead opening hatch, plus a couple of lockers and under-bed stowage spaces.

The starboard hull is the real selling point, however. How many 37-footers can offer almost the whole length for a single cabin? The owner’s ‘suite’ can be shut off from the rest of the boat with a sliding door across the stairs. There’s a locker and desk/dressing table at the bottom of the three steps, and a huge double berth aft, while the forward end is occupied by a big bathroom – nothing like the cramped heads you and I know – with a separate shower compartment, and more lockers.

Palatial space for the owner’s cabin, thanks to having a whole hull to yourselves. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The Excess 11 is built for resilience

In terms of maintenance, there’s very little you’ll need access to, other than the heads seacocks in the main hulls. Most of the systems are congregated in the large engine bays just aft of the wheels, accessed via deck panels that helpfully hinge aft, so you can access them without having to perch on the bathing platform.

On the whole, access is good, though the engines are mounted the ‘right way’ round with the sail drives aft, but this means that the alternator, impeller and water strainer are all tucked right forwards with no way of tackling them head on. The yard explained that if the engines were mounted the other way round, with the saildrives closer to the rudders, it would have made both rudder and propeller less efficient, though they acknowledged that it was something of a trade-off.

Aft-hinged engine bay hatches allow good access to the aft end of the engine and most systems from on board. Photo: Paul Wyeth

The other possible issue was that the Dyneema steering cables I so liked at the helm run immediately above the engine. While HMPE rope has a melting point of 150ºC, its maximum operating temperature, according to Southern Ropes, is 70ºC, where some engines will run at over 80ºC in normal operation.

In the event of an engine fire, you could well lose the steering cable, though the opposite wheel should continue to give you steerage with both rudders via the tie bar, or failing that, the emergency tiller. Other than this, I was impressed with the finish of the boat, which seemed to be of a good standard and with no obvious rough edges.

Structurally, the Excess 11 has been designed to be pretty bombproof. A cat doesn’t need ballast, so all of the weight can go into structural integrity. The keels are designed with extra GRP reinforced ‘shoes’ and for vertical load bearing so the boat can sit comfortably on the keels. These are moulded as part of the hull, filled with foam and capped with laminate, before the whole structure is vacuum-infused with resin.

Most owners will opt for the larger Pulse Line sailplan and the simpler self-tacking jib. Photo: Paul Wyeth

There are no keel bolts to worry about, but they are designed so that if the keels suffered a large side impact, the keel would fail without damage to the watertight integrity of the hull, acting as a fuse, allowing the boat to sail on and seek repair, which seems eminently sensible to me.

Guests aren’t short-changed either, with huge berths and views out of the hull windows. Photo: Paul Wyeth

Excess 11 specifications:

LOA: 11.42m / 37ft 6in Hull length: 11.33m / 27ft 2in Beam: 6.59m / 21ft 7in Draught: 1.15m / 21ft 7in Displacement: 9,000kg /19, 845 lb Sail area: 77m2 / 829 sq ft (Pulse line 82m2 / 882 sq ft) Disp/length: 173 SA/D Ratio: 18 Engine: 2 x 29hp Yanmar Transmission: Saildrive Water: 300L / 79gal (+300L optional) Fuel: 400L / 103gal Berths: 6-12 RCD Category: A8 Designer: VPLP Builder: Beneteau UK Agent: sea-ventures.co.uk

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I may sail monohull predominantly, but I’ve chartered a few cats and sailed some small multihulls, so I stepped aboard the Excess 11 with an open mind, and found myself quickly warming to the boat. It took much less than you might think for this boat to come alive as a sailing boat, delivering a genuinely engaging and enjoyable experience on the helm, whilst giving your crew a thoroughly civilised time on board too. The layout of the helms, deck and accommodation were all well thought through and user-friendly for a short-handed crew, and I was sold by the one-level sailing and living approach. For what I’d see as a ‘low-maintenance’ boat to sail, the Excess offers performance and fun for eating up miles with ease, at the same time as being staggeringly spacious and comfortable for her length.

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Sailboat Guide

Isla 40 is a 39 ′ 1 ″ / 11.9 m catamaran sailboat designed by Berret-Racoupeau and built by Fountaine Pajot starting in 2020.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
LOA: Length overall in feet
Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Successor to the Lucia 40. Mainsail area: 59 m2 (635 sq ft) Genoa: 36 m2 (390 sq ft) Optional engine: 2x 30hp

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Boat Review: Leopard 40. Size matters—and when you're working with small spaces, creativity matters even more. The Leopard 40 feels like a much larger catamaran, because its South African builder, Robertson and Caine, incorporated owner and charter company feedback to optimize spaces aboard. It's easy to build big.
MacGregor Catamaran 40 Catamaran boats for sale
Find MacGregor Catamaran 40 Catamaran boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld. Offering the best selection of MacGregor boats to choose from.
MacGregor Yacht Corporation
MacGregor Yacht Co. was founded by Roger MacGregor as part of a Stanford University MBA class project in the early 1960s. [1] The company was in business until early 2013, having been succeeded by Tattoo Yachts. [2] MacGregor produced primarily small, trailerable sailing yachts, from a 15-foot (4.6 m) catamaran to 17-foot (5.2 m) pocket cruisers, up to 26-foot (7.9 m) water ballasted ...
MacGregor 36' catamaran brochure
Discover the features and performance of the MacGregor 36' catamaran, a fast and spacious sailing boat for adventurous cruisers.
Excess 11 review: A very rare sub-40ft cruising catamaran
High-volume production catamarans certainly make fantastic boats for chartering with your family in hot climates and introducing nervous crew to life afloat, but I was eager to find out if a new brand of catamaran could also make a genuinely practical and enjoyable cruising boat for private owners to sail in the UK's more temperate waters ...
Used MacGregor 40 Catamaran Gas/Petrol boats for sale in ...
Clear Filter Make / Model: MacGregor - 40 Catamaran Condition: Used Country: United States Fuel: Gas/Petrol. Location. By Radius. By Country. country-all. All Countries. Country-US. United States. All. All 25 miles 50 miles 100 miles 200 miles 300 miles 500 miles 1000 miles 2000 miles 5000 miles. from your location. Region. Region-all.
Isla 40
Isla 40 is a 39′ 1″ / 11.9 m catamaran sailboat designed by Berret-Racoupeau and built by Fountaine Pajot starting in 2020. Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. ... Successor to the Lucia 40. Mainsail area: 59 m2 (635 sq ft) Genoa: 36 m2 (390 sq ft) Optional engine: 2x 30hp. Suggest Improvements Source ...
Sailing boats MacGregor 40 catamaran for sale
Look through an extensive assortment of sailing boats MacGregor 40 catamaran for sale in your area, review the boat details, compare prices, and uncover the best sailing boats MacGregor 40 catamaran offers. 2008 MacGregor 40 Catamaran for sale MacGregor. Lake Texoma Texas, United States of America. 2008. 12.19 m. Used. $135,383. All; New;
MacGregor 40 Catamaran boats for sale
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MacGregor 65 boats for sale
1990. $10,000. Private Seller. 3. Contact. 1. Sort By. Filter Search. View a wide selection of MacGregor 65 boats for sale in your area, explore detailed information & find your next boat on boats.com. #everythingboats.
MacGregor 65 1 boats for sale
Find MacGregor 65 1 boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. ... Reviews; Toggle navigation. Home / / Boats for Sale / / Macgregor Yachts / / 65 1. MacGregor 65 1 boats for sale. ... 40 Catamaran. Model-macgregor-desktop. 65-1. Fuel Type. FuelType. Diesel. Hull Type. Engine Type. Engine-desktop. All.
MacGregor kaufen
MacGregor 40 Catamaran 1 Boot. MacGregor Nach Zustand. Alle Neu MacGregor 1 Boot. Gebraucht MacGregor 25 Boote. Ihre Suche Alle Filter zurücksetzen. Marke: MacGregor ... 40 Catamaran (1) Mehr. Preis €0 - €10000; €10000 - €25000; €25000 - €50000; €50000 - €100000; €100000 - €200000; Länge 4 - 8m; 12 - 15m; 15 - 20m; Baujahr