[Rhodes22-list] Fun and Games with A Mac 26M, reply

Fri Jun 27 12:34:15 EDT 2008

Ed,

I do think that MacGregor is having some problems.  
When they killed the 26X in favor of the 26M, they 
omitted/changed some of the features that attracted 
the casual boat owner and added some that were of 
questionable value.  The 26M (IMHO) is not as 
attractive as the 26X.

Given the construction and delivery chain problems 
alluded to in Jay Hersh's note, there is some remedial 
work to be done, if only to the face presented to the 
public.  There was a Mac rep in Maine, but he dropped 
the Mac line when the 26M came out.

Stan certainly has nothing to fear from the 26M.

/Robert
------------------------------------------------------
Tootle wrote:
> 
> Robert,
> 
> And Stan thought he had issues with his people.  He ought to read it to his
> guys, that is, if he can translate it to Spanish.
> 
> And Stan knows the head fellow of MacGregor!
> 
> If only half of this is true, I guess it means that MacGregor is going
> under.  However, the dealer who delivered should have taken time to check it
> out.  Car dealerships used to check out a car prior to delivery.  Quick way
> to ruin a business.
> 
> On the otherhand, this guy may lack ordinary common boat sense and expect
> after a long trip that everything is perfect.  That is why Stan either goes
> thru the basics at the plant if it is a pick up or sends an experienced
> person to assist with the initial set up.
> 
> Ed K
> Greenville, SC, USA
> http://www.nabble.com/file/p18154416/economics%2B101.jpg economics+101.jpg
> 
> Robert Skinner wrote:
> >
> > I received the following message from a fellow sailor,
> > and thought I'd pass it on.  While I have not verified
> > the details and cannot vouch for the accuracy thereof,
> > the general tone seems to indicate caution where Macs
> > are concerned...
> >
> > /Robert
> >
> > -------- Original Message --------
> > Subject: re: August sail
> > Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:20:27 -0400
> > From: "Jay Hersh aka Dr. Beer(R)" <jsh at doctorbeer.com>
> >
> > We bought a MacGregor 26M from a Colorado dealer named Kelly Hanson
> > because
> > they had showed at the Boston boat show and there are no MacGregor dealers
> > for 400 miles so it was going to have to be shipped to us anyway. We
> > ordered it in March and Kelly Hanson got the check on April 1st. It
> > cleared
> > my bank account April 3rd, and sincethis takes 2 days for out of state
> > checks, they must have deposited the day they got it. That was the last
> > thing about this transaction they did in a prompt manner. The boat didn't
> > arrive until Memorial Day, a month late. It is riddled with problems.
> > Major
> > problems.
> >
> > - Engine won't go into reverse and starts in gear because the throttle
> > cable was not installed correctly.
> > - the Engine wasn't inspected by an authorized dealer BRP, the parent
> > company of Evinrude, won't validate the warranty until I have this done.
> > - Steering linkage was either a bad design or incorrectly installed
> > because
> > you can't turn to starboard
> > - the trailer torsion bars were never adjusted so the fenders were rubbing
> > the tires. Because the flatbed that was supposed to deliver it from CO
> > broke down in PA the trailer was towed by some 3rd party shipper the last
> > 400 miles. This resulted in the side light wiring chafing away.
> > - Speaker wire was used to extend the 14AWG marine grade wire that
> > connects
> > the 30 Amp main switch panel to the battery.
> > - the connection between the 30 Amp panel and the battery had a 10 Amp
> > fuse
> > wired inline, not a 30 Amp. So if you flipped more than one switch on the
> > panel the fuse would blow
> > - the 12 volt power socket which has 20 guage wiring and is designed for
> > no
> > more than 10 Amps had the 30 Amp inline fuse wired into it
> > - the engine wasn't connected to the batteries via the battery selection
> > switch
> > - the 2nd battery I was sold ($195 for the battery, Perko battery switch
> > and installation) was a 75 Amp trolling motor battery
> > - the main battery on the boat was a 450 Amp, not the proper size for the
> > ETec 50HP engine I ordered which the manufacturer spec says should have a
> > max cranking amperage of 1000 Amps
> > - the stereo I bought was advertised and invoiced as a "Marine" stereo but
> > instead a car stereo was installed. It was installed in the wrong place
> > and
> > it wasn't even hooked up right. there was no fuse in the inline fuse
> > holder
> > and the wire on the positive wasn't stripped before being crimped in the
> > connector end
> > - They stiffed me for the main sheet, genoa sheet and genoa cars
> > - The $495 Genoa that is advertised as having a sewn on UV cover didn't
> >
> > This is just the short list. There are 2 full pages of defects on this
> > boat.
> >
> > When I tried to contact Kelly Hanson both the Sales Director who had sold
> > me the boat (Jeff Stagg) and the Chief Financial Officer (Andrew Etzen)
> > who
> > I'd also dealt with previously ignored repeated emails and calls. I posted
> > something on the MacGregor Sailors web page and the owner of the company
> > Art Kelly called me names and said that if I'd only called him he'd have
> > corrected everything. So I called him and he said to email him the list of
> > problems and the pics I took of them. That was three weeks ago, and as you
> > might be guessing he didn't respond to my email.
> >
> > Next I contacted the East Coast Sales Rep who only recently started with
> > them and works part time while having a day job. He's a nice guy and he
> > came out to my house near Boston two weeks aga and took a look at the
> > lemon
> > of a boat they sent me (we've nicknamed it the Albatross for now) and when
> > I told him that I should be getting refunded at lesat some of my $ for the
> > slipshod work his reply was that calling it slipshod "was being kind." He
> > put together an action list and sent it out to Colorado. The CO office has
> > done nothing. They haven't bothered to doing even the easy stuff on the
> > action list like mailing me the missing parts and they have yet to send me
> > a dime.
> >
> > I've had to shell out $300 to have the trailer repaired earlier this week
> > so I could tow it to the closest Evinrude dealer to have the warranty
> > inspection done, the throttle properly connected and a battery sized for
> > starting this engine installed. That's going to cost a bunch more $.
> >
> > In the meantime Kelly Hanson is blaming MacGregor for some of these
> > problems since it's a custom built trailer and MacGregor installed the
> > engine. They haven't owned up to the miserable and hazardous wiring job
> > they did and refunded me the $ for the labor on it or the cost of the
> > stereo plus installation. Summer starts
> >
> > The hybrid power sailer of the MacGregor is in principle a good design.
> > MacGregor itself cuts just about every corner they can to squeeze a $1
> > more
> > profit out it. They make claims about the boat that just plain aren't true
> > which I won't go into those here. They don't stand behind their 2 year
> > warranty, and they aren't even remotely close to being qualified to
> > install
> > engines on their boats.
> >
> > Kelly Hanson has a nice web site. They've been selling MacGregors for 1.5
> > to 2 years and have become the largest reseller. Almost nothing Jeff Stagg
> > their sales Director told me about the boat before I bought it is true. He
> > misrepresented so many things about it I don't know where to start. There
> > is no supervision of whoever is doing the install work on the boats of the
> > options they sell, and despite a lot of huffing and puffing from Art Kelly
> > (who also runs Freedom Boat Works) they don't stand behind the boats they
> > sell.
> >
> > So just like Ishmail in Moby Dick, I'm here to tell you my tale so that
> > you
> > might avoid my fate. Think twice or even thrice before you decide to buy a
> > MacGregor because even if it is delivered in the condition it is supposed
> > to you'll spend lots and lots of money and time just replacing the cheap
> > hardware they use (most of which is designed for much smaller day sailers)
> > with quality stuff. Definitely DO NOT BUY A BOAT FROM KELLY HANSON
> > MARINE!!!! Tell anyone you know that might be thinking of buying a
> > MacGregor not to buy from Kelly Hanson Marine. Tell them to tell everyone
> > they know. Believe me you'll be doing people you never even met a huge,
> > huge favor.
> >
> > If the boat weren't in the shop I'd probably be working another 10-12 hour
> > day on it in the fading hope of getting to sail it this year instead of
> > writing this email.
> > Hope all your summers go better than mine has started out.
> >
> > Jay
> >
> > PS I've created the website KellyHansonMarineSucks.com and will be posting
> > a list of the defects the boat arrived with, pictures of the slipshod work
> > that was done by them and MacGregor, the timeline of events, and other
> > details.
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> >
> >
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-- 
Robert Skinner  "Squirrel Haven" 
Gorham, Maine         04038-1331
s/v "Little Dipper" & "Edith P."