Design and Construction
The 26D is a 25-foot-10-inch trailer sailer with 7 feet 11 inches of beam and a displacement of 2,850 pounds. Its 1,200-pound water-ballast system is contained in a baffled centerline compartment beneath the sole. The builder claimed the ballast rendered the boat self-righting. The system greatly reduces trailering weight. Built-in foam flotation leaves the boat unsinkable.
The hull has a solid fiberglass layup with a gelcoat outer surface. Although the layup isn’t overly heavy, the hull, stringers, and interior liner form a fairly stiff composite. Early boats, including the example called Thebote, had plywood-cored decks; later models used balsa except in high-load areas. A foam-filled box beam above the galley stiffens the deck at the mast step.
The hull-to-deck connection is a through-bolted shoebox lap joint, capped by an aluminum extrusion with a snapped-in neoprene rubrail. It’s a sound detail, though Practical Sailor notes that the joint was sealed with foam weather-stripping, which owners report has a tendency to leak. The interior liner also limits access to the hull.
A dedicated motor well on the port side eliminates the need for a bolt-on motor mount, though there’s no fuel-tank locker.
Rig and Sailing Performance
The deck-stepped aluminum mast sits in a tabernacle, with the forestay and backstay pinned at the masthead. Stainless-steel chainplates are through-bolted to the hull. Rig tension is adjusted through a single standard turnbuckle on the forestay and vernier-style dual-channel fittings on the shrouds. The boat is lightly rigged, with articulated spreaders and Nico-pressed eyes. Later updates provided for an optional boom vang.
Jibsheets run through fixed fairleads to Lewmar 6 winches on the cabin trunk. The mainsheet leads to a swivel fiddle block on the bridge deck.
The hollow fiberglass rudder is hung from the transom and fills with water to create negative buoyancy. The hollow daggerboard works in the same way, allowing gravity to lower it. The tiller-to-rudder assembly was sloppy on early boats, but MacGregor tightened the linkage later in the production run.
Test sailors found the 26D quick, responsive, and fun to sail. It performed well in light air even under the standard working jib, tacked easily through 35 degrees of apparent wind, and reached 5.5 to 6 knots on GPS. It sails poorly under mainsail alone but balances well under the genoa alone.
Owners note that the rudder can stall and send the boat into a roundup. The boat is initially tender, and early reefing is needed to maintain control. For comfort, the full daggerboard should be down.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The cabin trunk spans the full beam, so crew step up onto the cabintop to go forward. There are no deck grabrails, though the shrouds and mast are close enough to use as handholds.
The pop-top rests in molded channels that shed water. With it raised, saloon headroom is 6 feet 2 inches. The sliding companionway hatch runs in aluminum rails and has a one-piece fiberglass dropboard, but no sea hood. Ventilation is adequate with the pop-top raised and the forward hatch open. In wet weather, however, the lack of deck vents and opening ports limits airflow.
Port and starboard settees provide good sitting room and storage underneath. The starboard settee ends at the galley, which has a hand-pump sink supplied by a 5-gallon tank, space for a camp stove, and an upholstered panel concealing the daggerboard trunk.
Forward, there’s a compartment for a portable toilet and a V-berth more than 6 feet long and just over 5 feet wide. The space beneath the cockpit was designated as a wide double berth. Later updates opened space under the V-berth and added a demountable table.
Systems, Trailer, and Ownership
The electrical panel is mounted on the cabinet front. As delivered, the system is minimal: one toggle switch and a group 24 battery without a box or terminal covers.
MacGregor built its own painted-steel trailers. The 26D sits very low on its trailer and needs only 15 inches of water to float, which helps simplify launching. Later trailers gained a jack stand.
The boat has a base PHRF rating of 216, compared with 219 for the Hunter 26.
Known Issues
Owners report occasional gelcoat cracking and crazing, as on many fiberglass boats. Practical Sailor’s reviewer counted gelcoat cracks around nearly all the deck hardware, along with gelcoat blisters in the molded nonskid.
The foam-sealed hull-to-deck joint is also reported to leak, and the liner restricts access to the hull. Early boats may have a sloppy tiller-to-rudder assembly, though later production improved it. The 26D wasn’t designed for offshore use.
The Verdict
The MacGregor 26D is a simple, sound, and genuinely fun small trailer sailer. It suits weekend sailors who value quick rigging and lively light-air performance more than offshore ambition. Water ballast and a daggerboard make trailering and launching straightforward, while the cabin is roomy for the boat’s length.
The caveats are real but modest: the 26D is initially tender, its hull-to-deck joint can leak, and its electrical system and stowage provision are minimal as delivered.
Pros
- Quick, responsive sailing and good light-air performance
- Water ballast and daggerboard simplify trailering and launching
- Built-in foam flotation makes the boat unsinkable, and the builder claimed it was self-righting
- Roomy cabin with 6-foot-2-inch headroom and a practical berth layout
Cons
- Initially tender; requires early reefing and the full board down for comfort
- Hull-to-deck joint is reported to leak, with gelcoat cracking around fittings
- Minimal electrical system and little stowage as delivered
- Not designed for offshore use
