MacGregor 26S

The MacGregor 26S is the 1990–95 version of the water-ballast MacGregor 26 with a pivoting centreboard in place of the 26D's daggerboard; otherwise the hull, rig, 1,200 lb water ballast and 2,850 lb sailing displacement are the same. It is the more common of the two early boats and the one Practical Sailor's 1995 owner survey mostly describes.

The 25 lb centreboard pivots on a 3/8 in cross pin into a slot moulded into the ballast tank, so it does not intrude into the cabin; its control line is led to the galley counter rather than the cockpit. Construction is unchanged from the 26D: solid glass hull, plywood-cored deck, full liner, through-bolted joint. Some sources call the swing-board boat the 26C; MacGregor Yacht Corporation's own history uses both letters.

Recorded as a separate model from the 26D because buyers search by letter and the board type is the defining difference; the catalog figures are identical apart from keel type. Good Old Boat's saildata lists a 6.33 ft board-down draft for the 26S, which is not supported by Practical Sailor's 5'4" for the same hull and has been rejected.

In addition to the 26D issues, owners report the centreboard thumping in its trunk at anchor (curable only by fully retracting it) and jamming with mud. Later boats gained a better tiller-to-rudder assembly, an optional vang, a jack stand on the trailer and a demountable table.

Values overlap the 26D. Verify the ballast valve and vent, the centreboard pin and pennant, the deck core around fittings, and the electrical system, which most owners have rewired.