OPERATING COSTS

The typical monthly payment on an installment loan for this boat is about $170. The following is a rough idea of the typical yearly cost of owning a MacGregor 26.

Trailer license ---$49 (California)

Boat registration ---$9 (California)

Insurance ---zero to $180

Ramp fees ---zero to $100

Maintenance ---zero to not much

Other costs will include outboard motor maintenance and fuel. Sailing may even save you money by replacing a far more expensive leisure activity.

MAINTENANCE

The MacGregor 26 is as maintenance free as a boat can be. The rigging is of anodized aluminum and stainless steel. The fiberglass hull and deck require only an occasional waxing. Woodwork means work for you, so there is no exposed wood to refinish.

Resale value on our boats has remained high in relation to the value of boats stored in the water. If an owner has to pay high dock fees and finds that he is using the boat less after a few seasons, he feels the pressure to sell it. Trailerable boats, on the other hand, don't have the big expense meter running. The result is that they come on the market a lot less frequently than more expensive "in-the-water" boats. Once the initial investment is covered, trailerable boats remain close to cost-free. Many of the owners have held on to them for decades. Many of the boats still look as good as the day they left the factory. For this reason they tend to hold their value. Unlike a car, they don't rust away to junk in seven or eight years. Fiberglass seems to have no age limit.

BOAT STORAGE

If you have the room you can keep the MacGregor 26 at home, on its trailer. where it is available for convenient loading, care and maintenance. Provisioning the boat at home can avoid the long trek from the parking lot to the slip (with a weekend's worth of stuff). If you can't keep the boat at home, there are many dry storage areas where the boat can be kept on its trailer, fully rigged. The fee, in comparison to a slip fee, is small. Of course, you can keep it at a dock or on a mooring like any other boat. If stored in the water, you will need a good coat of anti-fouling bottom paint to keep the bottom clean.

One person can easily move the boat and trailer around on level ground because of its light weight. The trailer has a nose wheel to make pushing it a lot less difficult.