1990 Macgregor 26S

The owner bought this boat in 2015

General condition and any additional information

Ready to sail today. I’ve been over everything, she’s ready to go. First off, the price reflects the extraordinary amount of upgrades and custom modifications not available on comparable Macs. You can probably find one of these for half this price. But before you blow me off, hear me out. These boats came very bare bones. Many are still basically that way. This one has been modified like crazy. It’s probably one of the most modified S models in existence. For starters, Honda extra long shaft electric start with new impeller, brand new sails, and extensive woodwork below. It has some unique mods you won’t find on any others. And they took a lot of time to plan and execute. I wanted to make this boat comfortable for my wife to overnight on. She wanted it to be “cozy.” I tried for this and also to make it more convenient to sail and stay on. Unfortunately my wife fell ill while I was doing these mods and is now an invalid. We never got to enjoy the boat as we had hoped. Still, I had some wonderful sailing and times with friends and family. It has so much of my heart and soul (and sweat and blood) invested that it is a very difficult thing to let it go. But my loss is your gain if you want a 26S that is modded to the hilt and would rather spend your time enjoying it instead of spending hundreds of hours copying all these features.

This Mac is a pure sailboat, not to be confused with the later motor-sailor versions. (26X and 26M) This was the first year for the swing keel. The earlier D model had a dagger board and lower cockpit combings. Other than that, they are the same. Actually, “S” and “D” are designations adapted by owners. Officially they were both just the “Macgregor 26” and were not produced concurrently. Later they were both called “26C” for classic. There are many advantages to the 26S, particularly for SW Florida and it’s skinny water.

You can see extensive photo documentation of some of the mods here:

https://www.facebook.com/dan.philgreen/media_set?set=a.10153802500122899 and type=3 and tn=-UK-R!%3Av

Lots more current photos here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10162717166767899 and type=3

Photo documentation of installing the Honda engine here:

https://www.facebook.com/dan.philgreen/media_set?set=a.10155928157222899 and type=3 and tn=-UK-R!%3Av

See the motor run here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hETCWVw04RyMgPVG-HSpJrfyYhNCyJPC/view?usp=drive_link

Photo documentation of the trailer rebuild here:

https://www.facebook.com/dan.philgreen/media_set?set=a.10153722643187899 and type=3 and tn=-UK-R!%3Av

Standard features

Fully retracting swing keel, boat can be beached, draws approx. 15” with boards up, approx. 4’ boards down. Unlike with a dagger board, if you hit something with the keel, it just swings up – a non event Retracting rudder, flip up tiller Water ballast, 150 gal = 1200 lbs of ballast. Empty, boat weights only 1,600 lbs. V-berth Queen size rear berth Port setee can sleep one adult, starboard setee can sleep a child Galley sink Enclosed head with porta potty 2 winches, winch handle Gin pole for raising mast Bow and stern nav lights Pop top section over center of cabin for standing headroom Original pop-top tent cover. Very rare! This may have been an option, but in any case, very few still around

Extra gear included

Roller furling jib Main sail cover Stern rail Main sheet with quick releases and jam cleat Boom vang with quick releases and jam cleat Anchor rack on bow pulpit rail Jib sheet tracks and trucks Reefing blocks and jam cleats Jam cleats for all sheets Anchor chain through deck and locker Brand new marine deep cycle battery Depth gauge Marine radio Mast top antenna Mast top windex (wind direction vane) Boss Marine stereo w/speakers in cockpit and cabin, Inputs: Radio, USB, SD, aux, Bluetooth Bimini top Propane stove On deck propane bottle magazine Fresh water tank with electric pump Shower hose and nozle with valve Swim platform/ladder Custom folding table fits in cockpit and cabin and stows in head Boat hook Camfro low draw fan Screen panel for companionway Roller top mast crutch for transport Extra tall mast crutch for access during storage Brand new aluminum fenders on trailer Brand new water pump impeller in Honda 9.9, installed 4/20/25 Brand new main and jib sails. I mean brand new. They have never been used. Jib has integral dacron UV cover for use on furler Main: https://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/7104-1v0.htm Jib: https://shop.bwyachts.com/product-p/7206-1c0.htm Spinaker Spinaker pole with deck brackets Items to be legal: flares, whistle, fire extinguisher, 4 basic PFDs Included, not installed: Simrad Auto Tiller (needs some fittings), blower unit for laz with ducting

Improvements to the hull, deck, rigging, engine, or interior

Honda 9.9 extra long shaft 4 stroke engine, electric start, extra charging capacity for sailboats. Special installation allows full locking tilt up and lock to lock steering. (No small feat to make this work as boat was built when smaller 2-stroke power heads were the norm.) Custom Delrin rudder guard on Honda lower unit New standing rigging (now all 5/32 stainless) New spreader end sail guards New color coded running rigging New 5/32 bare stainless life lines Custom headstay with Johnson Marine lever tensioner (makes a huge difference raising/lowering mast) In-cockpit 2:1 keel raising system (stock requires going below and is 1:1) Replaced keel raising cable Replaced keel raising system pulleys and hardware Cut opening in stern rail and added a walk-through gate Made and installed bulkhead storage cabinets just inside companionway including new panel for VHF radio, stereo, and 4-switch panel Installed speakers in cockpit and cabin Custom galley of oak and ipe fitted for plates, cups, silverware, etc., matching overhead rack for wine glasses, custom storage over sink with flip down cover Propane stove tilts up to access pots/pans storage below Custom shelving with oak fiddles along sides of rear berth and along sides and across v-berth Matching oak and ipe magazine racks flush mounted in sides of rear berth Custom shelving with fiddles in head Replaced old original 6-switch, fused, incandescent pilot light panel over galley with 8-switch panel with breakers and LED pilots + charge and discharge meters Added 6-switch panel to laz Added 4-switch panel to storage unit just inside companionway New LED cabin lights, galley lights, plus alternate red cabin LED lights LED lights in galley storage areas LED lights in cockpit footwell LED light over engine USB outlets added to galley, cabin, rear berth, and v-berth Gooseneck LED lights to use in berth USB outlets White/red LED light in head White/red LED light in laz Flat wood floor in laz Bilge pump in laz Solar powered exhaust fan in deck above head Folding spring hatch supports on front hatch and laz hatch Padlock hasps on companionway and laz Opened foam containment areas above V-berth, through companionway bulkheads (accessing behind cockpit seat backs) and above aft berth (accessing under cockpit seats) for storage. Cut openings in aft berth side panels for inserted oak and ipe magazine racks Battery moved from laz to under v-berth to counter heavier Honda engine Master breaker added near battery Drilled out rivets holding cast mast top cover to access wiring, replaced with 1/4-20 bolts after drilling and tapping Replaced all mast wiring for anchor light, steaming light, and spreader flood lights Added zip ties with long tails all along mast wiring to prevent internal slap noise at anchor Removed broken deck light from mast Installed LED flood lights on spreaders Replaced steaming light with LED unit Replaced bow and stern nav light bulbs with LED New mast to deck plugs Removed head door and replaced with curtain using screw eyes and bungee cord, provides privacy 2 ways with much more room to maneuver in the head Curtain bungee setup for rear berth and v-berth privacy New stainless steel gooseneck boom attachment Refinished tiller and added epoxy reinforcement to mounting end Installed blue underwater light below waterline on transom A beautiful young woman christened the boat “Goldilocks,” we spilled champagne, and added lettering to the stern (The boat had not been previously named)

The one thing left that needs attention is the cushions. They are the originals from 35 years ago. Hard to believe they have lasted so long but they are needing replacement. Also, I would not trust the trailer tires beyond local use.