Practical Boat Owner – June 2019

MacGregor 26X

Powersailer 1995

This is a boat that purists love to hate and
in many ways it’s easy to see why. The
slab-sided styling is neither classic nor
sleek, the austere plastic interior isn’t
welcoming, the boat doesn’t sail
particularly well and it’s not a great motor
boat either.
Designer Roger MacGregor’s own
interest was in more performance-oriented
boats, including a rapid 36ft catamaran
with accommodation only in the hulls and
the ultra light MacGregor 65 performance
cruiser, which became the biggest selling
boat of its size in the 1980s and 1990s.
However, he understood the market
better than anyone and became one of
the biggest north American builders of
sailing boats, responsible for more than
38,000 craft. For almost four decades his
25ft and 26ft models outsold all other
similar craft throughout the world. So
what’s the appeal?
Large-scale production helped to keep

LOA 11.58m 38ft 0in

Beam 6 .30m 20ft 8in

Draught 0.95m 3ft 1in

Displacement 5,500kg 12,100lb

Price £80,000-£100,000

LOA 7.9m 25ft 10in

LWL 7.0m 23ft 0in

Beam 2.4m 7ft 10in

Draught

(board up) 0.25m 0ft 9in

Displacement

(ex water ballast) 1,066kg 2,350lb

Price £8,000-£15,000

macgregorowners.org.uk

Best of both worlds?

MacGregor 26X

divides opinion

Fountaine Pajot Athena

38 is sought after on the

second-hand market

to 20 knots and is powerful enough to tow

watersports toys and water skiers.

The fact this is not a boat for long

passages or inclement weather therefore

had no impact on its appeal to those with

more modest ambitions. The 26X was

followed by the 26M in 2002, which

replaced the swinging centreboard with a

daggerboard. This freed up interior space,

allowing the accommodation to be

remodelled in a more spacious

arrangement. When Roger MacGregor

retired his daughter bought the assets of

the company and now sells the 26M as

the Tattoo 26.

costs of the 26X low, while water ballast

makes it one of the largest boats that can

be used as a trailer sailer. And the lack of

aesthetic appeal doesn’t prevent the

MacGregor 26X taking owners to beautiful

places on beautiful days. Even better, if

the weather changes the 60hp outboard

motor will get you home at speeds close

Fountaine Pajot

Athena 38 1994

The 1990s also saw a growth in the
demand for cruising catamarans. New
investment by French builders quickly
eclipsed that of British manufacturers.
Fountaine Pajot had its roots in
performance dinghies, before building
larger racing yachts. The company
launched its first fast cruising multihulls in
the 1980s and by the mid 1990s was
developing increasingly sophisticated
designs.
The Athena 38’s plumb bows give a
waterline length five feet longer than
ostensibly similarly sized British
catamarans of the same era, while the
French boat’s beam was 4^1 ⁄ 2 ft greater. This
therefore felt like a much larger boat, yet
more sophisticated construction kept the
total weight in check and the additional
beam allowed for a more powerful rig.
At the time this boat offered an
impressive optimisation between the
different demands of speed, space and
comfort, including an option with four
double cabins.
Although more recent designs have
more volume relative to their overall
length, well looked after Fountaine Pajot
models of this era remain sought after on
the second-hand market.
More than 200 Athena 38s were built
before production stopped in 2001.

Popular Classics – 1990s

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