COMPARISON BETWEEN THE MACGREGOR 26 AND THE HUNTER EDGE

COMPARISON BETWEEN THE MACGREGOR 26 AND THE HUNTER EDGE

November 20, 2008

PRICE: (Retail)	MACGREGOR 26M	HUNTER EDGE
Base price, standard boat	$21,500	$32,990
Surge Brakes	Option $584	Std	This is an option because many owners have no need for the surge brakes. We try to make the standard boat include only the equipment that most owners want
Working jib	Option $260	Std	We offer both a genoa a working jib. It is an option so that the owner can select the sail that he wants for his local wind conditions.
Portable marine head	Option $98	Std
Retail price, comparably equipped boat	$22,432	$32,990	The price on line 1 has been adjusted for the items that Hunter has standard and that the MacGregor has as options
Trailer included	Yes	Yes
Mainsail	Std	Std
Wheel steering	Yes	Yes
Engine (Evinrude MSRP price, does not include installation)	$ 7660 (60 hp Evinrude)	$8960 (75 hp Evinrude)
Roller furling	Option	Option	Most owners equip their boats with roller furling. Hunter’s is far more expensive. Both work well.
WEIGHT
Boat weight, without engine	2625 lbs	4070 lbs	We restrict the MacGregor to 60 horsepower because heavy engines on the transom hurt sailing performance and make trailering more difficult. The lighter the better.
Engine weight	240 lbs	320 lbs
Boat weight with engine	2880 lbs	4390 lbs
Trailer weight	575 lbs	?
Total trailering weight with engine	3440 lbs	4920 LBS	Hunter requires a much more robust tow vehicle. More difficult to tow and launch. Harder to brake. Requires a heavy tandem axle trailer. Even with the tandem axle, the Hunter requires a lot more tongue weight on car's hitch. 5000 lbs is a magic number for towing boats. A very large percentage of tow vehicles are not rated for more than this. In addition to the boat, motor and trailer, there will be more. A lot more. Fuel, water, anchors, safety equipment, camping gear, food, tools, and clothing. There can be hundreds of pounds more. With the Hunter Edge, there is no significant margin for carrying all this and remaining under 5000 lbs. With the MacGregor, there is a lot of margin between its weight and its trailer capacity.
Water ballast, removable	1200 lbs	1600 lbs
Permanent ballast	300 lbs	170 (In centerboard)	Permanent ballast gives better overall stability when the water tank is empty. Weight in centerboard makes it harder to raise and lower
Total ballast	1500 lbs	1770 lbs
SIZE
Length	25’ 10	26’ 4"	Homeowner’s liability insurance will often cover boats under 26’ without a separate policy.
Beam	7’ 10	8’ 4"	Hunter Edge won’t fit in container. In many areas, 8’ is the max towing limit without a permit. (Two MacGregors will fit in a 46’ container, reducing shipping costs by half. It is also possible to ship a MacGregor, by container, to a favorite vacation spot.) Container shipping can save you thousands of dollars in delivery and transportation costs, especially if you are a long way from the factory.
Draft, board and rudders up	10"	18"
SPEED UNDER POWER
Max speed under power	21 mph (60 hp)	19.9 mph (75 hp)	With a 70 hp engine, the MacGregor goes 24 mph. Factory recommends a 60 hp engine.

FUEL USE
Fuel flow at low speed: Gallons per hour	.5 gallons at 6 mph	.77 gallons at 6.7 mph
Fuel flow at cruise: Gallons per hour	3.2 gallons at 16 mph	5.4 gallons at 15.9 mph
Fuel flow at high speed: Gallons per hour	6.0 gallons at 21 mph	7.4 gallons at 19.9 mph
	MACGREGOR 26	HUNTER EDGE

MILES PER GALLON
Miles per gallon at low speed	11.8 mpg at 6 mph	8.7 mpg at 6.7 mph
Miles per gallon at cruise	4.8 mpg at 16 mph	2.9 mpg at 15.9 mph
Miles per gallon at full speed	3.5 mpg at 21 mph	2.7 mpg at 19.9 mph

FUEL CAPACITY
Fuel tank capacity	24 gallons	24 gallons

RANGE UNDER POWER
Max range, low speed	283 miles at 6 mph	208 miles at 6.7 mph
Max range, cruise	115 miles at 16 mph	70 miles at 15.9 mph
Max range, full speed	84 miles at 21 mph	65 miles at 19.9 mph

TRAILERING, LAUNCHING AND RIGGING
Sits low on its trailer for easy ramp launching and trailering	Very low	Higher	M26 is easier to launch. Ease of launching depends on how high the boat waterline is above the ground when the boat is on its trailer. Every extra inch of height above the ground means that the car and trailer has to be backed one foot more down the ramp and into the water (on a typical launch ramp.)
Mast raising system with brake winch	Yes	No	Hunter edge has more complex block and tackle system, with more effort required. The effort required to pull on the Hunter’s rope is far more than needed to turn the MacGregor winch handle. If you let go of Hunter's rope, the mast comes crashing down. With the brake winch to do the work, you can let go of the winch handle at any point and the mast will stay where it is. This is big safety feature.
System for bolting the mast in placed while trailering	Yes	No	The MacGregor has an aft mast carrier and fittings on the pulpit that allows the mast to be securely bolted, not tied, to the boat for trailering. We think that it is risky to rely on hand tied rope to secure the mast to the boat when trailering. This is where you need somethink absolutely fool proof
SAILING
Sailing speed	See note at right		We have not raced the two boats under sail. With the lighter weight, taller rig, better sail adjustment hardware, easily driven hull, and rotating mast, the Macgregor 26 should be significantly faster. The fact that the boat goes so much faster with a smaller outboard proves that the Macgregor hull offers far less drag and will be faster when driven by sail. Hunter’s hull ridges and a large open centerboard cavity create extra drag.
Main and jib sail area	300 sq ft	330 sq ft
Main and genoa sail area	506 sq ft	No genoa available	Larger sail area is essential for good light air performance.
Steering system can easily be disconnected from the engine when sailing	Yes	No	When sailing, you don’t want to have to turn both the rudder and the engine. It makes steering a lot harder. When connected to the steering system while under sail, with the engine up, the engine tries to flop from side to side as the boat heels, putting serious pressure on the steering wheel.
Fully retracting and kick up rudders	Yes	No	Hunter rudders retract vertically, but not completely. When fully up, a significant area of the rudder remains exposed and subject to damage on impact. Up or down, the Hunter rudder will not kick up. .
Twin rudders	Yes	No	Hunter has only one rudder. If it is damaged, the boat cannot be sailed. The Macgregor 26 has 2 rudders. If one is damaged, the boat can still be sailed. On wide, relatively flat bottom boats such as the Hunter and the MacGregor, a single, centerline rudders can come out of the water if the boat heels over to an extreme angle, resulting in loss of control. With the twin rudders on the MacGregor 26, one rudder will always be fully buried in the water, and effective, even at extreme angles of heel.
Centerboard or daggerboard retract fully into the hull for high speed powering or beaching	Yes	No	The Hunter Edge centerboard does not fully retract into the hull. It is true that the Hunter Edge centerboard will kick up if it hits something, however, the rudder, which will not kick up, will still be exposed, and subject to damage after the centerboard kicks up and out of the way. It seems to us odd to have the most sturdy fin (the centerboard) kick up, but not the most vulnerable fin (the rudder). A sailboat cannot be sailed without its rudder. The MacGregor daggerboard and trunk are sufficiently sturdy to resist damage in impact at normal sailing speeds. For safety, at higher powering speeds, on either the Hunter Edge or the MacGregor 26, nothing but the engine propeller should be below bottom of the boat.
Small, low drag opening for the centerboard in hull	Yes	No	Hunter Edge’s centerboard cavity is very large, creating significantly more drag.
	MACGREGOR 26	HUNTER EDGE
Mainsheet traveler	Yes	No	Absolutely necessary for better control of the mainsail. Nearly all racing and cruising sailboats have mainsheet travelers, with good reason. For perfect sail shape in light airs, it is often necessary to have the traveler positioned to windward for optimum sail shape. The traveler, when positioned to leeward, serves as a vang to take the twist out of the mainsail.
Mainsheet positioned so it won’t interfere with the crew.	Yes	No	On the Hunter, the mainsheet is mounted on the pedestal near the center of the cockpit. When the mainsail is in tight for sailing into the wind, the system is ok. But when the boom is let out for reaching or running, the mainsheet drapes over the leeward cockpit seat and whoever sits there. When the boat is jibed or tacked, the mainsheet drags across the primary seat area, scooping of hats, sunglasses, or worse. The MacGregor 26 mainsheet is positioned fully forward of the crew area and will not interfere with or grab the crew. For entering and exiting the cabin, the mainsheet can be positioned off center and out of the way. When sailing, the traveler is rarely positioned on the centerline. It is easily reached by the helmsman.
Jib fairlead tracks for better control of the jib shape	Yes	No	Nearly all racing and cruising sailboats have adjustable jib fairleads and travellers. (Check this out at the local marina). For optimum performance, the leads tend to be moved forward for reaching and running. No one position provides optimum sail shape in all conditions. The need to move the fairlead varies with wind speed, halyard tension, wind direction, and rigging tension. Sails change shape with age and use, and what might work well when they were new will not work well as they age. Virtually all sailboats with good performance have adjustable fairleads.
Spinnaker	Yes (option)	Unknown
Rotating mast	Yes (std)	No	Essential for smooth flow of air across the mainsail. The rotating mast provides a lot more power from the mainsail. The difference in performance is striking, particularly when sailing with the mainsail alone. It can add a knot or more to the boat speed. The MacGregor mast rotation system is very simple and has been totally reliable and trouble free.

SAFETY
Full solid foam flotation	Yes	?	Hunter’s literature says the boat has full foam flotation. Upon inspection, we were not able to find where the foam is located. Check with Hunter. Foam should be placed high up in the boat to improve stability if the boat is full of water. The MacGregor 26 has 29 cubic feet of solid foam flotation to support the boat, crew, engine, ballast and sailing and cruising gear when the boat is flooded. Being a heavier boat, the Hunter Edge should require more.
Fully beachable	Yes	No	When the Hunter is beached, it will sit on its exposed centerboard and rudder, which will be subject to damage. The MacGregor will sit squarely on it hull
Rudder and centerboard fully retract for high speed powering or beaching	Yes	No	Hunter Edge’s rudder and centerboard are subject to damage when powering at high speed or beaching. Hunter Edge’s centerboard and rudder do not fully retract.
Thoroughly proven design	Yes	No	There are 2400 26M’s out there sailing. Only a few of the Hunter Edge’s have been built. MacGregor 26’s have been proven through hundreds of thousands of hours sailing, powering and trailering.
Engine can be hand started	Yes	Very difficult	Big problem if the battery goes dead
INTERIOR
Berths	All berths (6) parallel to the boat’s centerline	Rear berth side to side	Bunks arranged at right angles to the centerline are very uncomfortable when even moderately rolling at anchor, or when sailing.
Rear berth	Easily accessible	More difficult to access.
Galley	Movable	Fixed	The MacGregor 26 galley slides to the rear on rails (in 2 seconds) to allow more room for party time in the main cabin. The sink and storage are still reachable when stowed. The attractive galley and molded in sink are made of fiberglass, the same as the hull, The Hunter Edge galley has a very small countertop, with limited working area and no room for a serious stove.
Interior volume	Similar	Similar	Hunter Edge is slightly wider, with slightly less headroom. M26 interior goes clear to the transom. The rear end of the Hunter Edge’s interior is taken up by the very large rudder system, leaving less room for a fore and aft rear berth. The Hunter’s hull to deck joint trim rail is wider than the rail on the MacGregor 26, accounting for a significant amount of the difference in the boat’s width. But this adds nothing to the interior volume and comfort.

	MACGREGOR 26	HUNTER EDGE
Centerboard trunk	Trunk is incorporated into the head bulkhead and front dinette seat and is less obtrusive	The Hunter Edge’s big centerboard trunk and table dominate the interior, making it hard to move around in the boat.
Cabin seat back cushions	Yes	No
Carpeted floor	Yes	No
Cabin headroom	6’	5’ 10"
Front window	Yes	No	Its nice to see where you are going from inside.
Cabin access	Large opening with conventional sliding hatch	Relatively small opening with folding hatch	The MacGregor has a large, sturdy sliding hatch . The Hunter Edge's hatch is smaller and folds up, blocking forward view. It also depends on a small rubber gasket to resist leaks. The Hunter Edge’s hatch, when half open, is a head knocker. Again, check the marinas. Almost all sailboats have sliding cabin access hatches.

COCKPIT
Steering pedestal	Relatively small steering pedestal	Very large and tall pedestal, occupying a significantly large area of the cockpit
Skipper’s position	Seated	Very high, semi standing	Both systems offer an excellent view in all directions.
Protected rear end of cockpit	Yes	No	Items placed on the Hunters cockpit seats (cameras, binoculars, dogs, or worse), can easily slide off the seats and out of the boat.
Seats on lifeline posts	Optional $625	Yes

Hunter performance, weight and fuel use data based on Evinrude tests. (Test Bulletin # PE 626) See the Evinrude web site.

MacGregor data taken with Garmin 276 GPS and a Flowscan 500 digital fuel flow meter. Weights were certified and tests were performed by Bluewater Yachts.

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