Grebe, Piccolo ... Macgregor!

[Popeye]

speaking of Iain and small sailing canoes reminds me, that i have Oughtreds plans for a Macgregor canoe rolled up in a tube, laid away in my basement .. somewhere.

altough, not too fussy on sailing this boat, thought she would make a nice, cheap to build, lightweight, (stable?) double paddle canoe. Anybody, with less indecision and more time, gone before me?

[J. Labaree]

Pop,

I can't say for sure about Oughtred's version, but if he pretty much took the lines from MacGregor's original Rob Roys, I can give a hearty endorsement. Some years ago, I built the 12 foot version, the original of which Mystic Seaport owns. They sell the plans. I built it in the traditional way, straying from the original by planking her in Atlantic white cedar, not MacGregor's English oak. I also used sawn apple frames because that's what I had on hand.

It's a wonderful boat, very easy to paddle and extremely pretty.

[Popeye]

Oughtred's plans, if i am not mistaken, allows for either planking (he provides scantlings) and also suggest 4,5 or 6 mm mahog plywood. build in 13 to 17 foot versions by stretching the roundish stations.

english oak .. now there's a thought.

[Bruce Taylor]

As far as I know, Oughtred's Macgregor is an original design, not a replica of the Rob Roy.

Norm Messinger built one.

As long as you're looking at sailing canoes, go here

http://www.interlog.com/~timgitt/history.html

and here

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fassitt/canoe_mirror/canoe_sailing.html

Check out the impressive lines collection at the first site.

[ishmael]

I think if you compare Macregor to Rob Roy, you'll find the later considerably finer in the ends. No jetskeet wakes(and others) to deal with. smile.gif Pretty boats.

[skuthorp]

I sail, paddle and row a decked Macgreggor and am a total convert. Not as unstable as one might think, in light air it' easier to gybe, sails in 3ins of water, cockpit floats just above the water if you tip it over. Bags of floatation and carrying space fore and aft, 16ft version big enough to sleep in. Second time around I'd lengthen the cockpit 15in aft and opt for a mizzen. Bit of a handful running with a following sea but forgiveable for such a flexible craft. I cartop it single handed in a purpose built rack with a roller at the back. As a matter of interest I'm 60 and think the rack is better than a trailer.
Jeff

[NormMessinger]

Any chance of seeing a picture or two of your roof rack, Jeff? I've been thinking of putting one or both of our MacGregors on a trailer so I can launch them alone. As it it one MacGregor rides on our Devlin-designed Egret and I n eed help getting it on and off. Yer only sixty, eh. Seven years made a lot of difference to this kid.

[Popeye]

Norm!

Any chance of a few pic's or any thoughts on building/paddling your MacGregor please?

[Jeremy Burnett]

Check out Rushtons Diana/Princess design from the Adirondack museum.I fancy a bit heavier than the Macgregor,sails well and looks lovely.

[skuthorp]

Norm,I had a look at the pics Iv'e got but the canoe gets in the way! I'll take a few shots of the rack alone and take some measurements.
She travels right way up and the roller runs under the keel as you slide it on or off. That and a simple beach trolley gets me most places and i'll take some pics of that too.
:D :D

[NormMessinger]

Popeye, I found these three pictures of one of our MacGregors in my ImageStation albums:

The Foredeck (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid63/p5b8f41c61f88b58bc8bcbca10a11f13c/fc04efe3.jpg)

On Green River Lake, Wyoming (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid16/p7b0593dee99edac211eedacc63e3d866/fdeebd29.jpg)

The Boat, The Granddaughter and the Son. (http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid16/p66f3117ea1ccb6afab89f96f3ff517b6/fdeebd25.jpg)

I really don't have broad enough experience with thing paddled to compare the MacGregor but it seems to be stable, fast and fun. I can't imagine anyone not being satisfied with it's performace. I've not sailed it much.

[Tom M.]

I'll second Norm's request to see pics of your rack. On Sunday I launched my MacGregor. I loaded it myself onto the ladder rack on my huge van, had help unloading and loading it at the lake, but when it came time to unload it at home, well, I tripped over a pile of wood and dropped my boat. CRACK! I broke it. <shudder> Fortunately I've fixed it already. I've been thinking up a cradle with rollers since then.

Tom

[Popeye]

ohhh, la la.

[Don Maurer]

Norm, Is that a cedar strip deck on your Macgregor?

[NormMessinger]

No. I glued 1/8" walnut to 3/4" cherry then ripped off 1/8"+ strips, edge glued them then glassed inside and out with 2oz glass. As usual if I were doing it again I would pay more attention to symmetry of the sap wood and not just do the best I could with material on hand.

[Steve Lansdowne]

Many of the double paddle canoe designs are less wide than the MacGregor, which Oughtred describes in his catalog as primarily a sailing boat and secondly a paddling boat (which is the reverse for the Wee Rob, which can be stretched to the 13 1/2 foot length of the MacGregor). Many of the early double paddle boats were 28-29" wide, while the MacGregor is a few inches more than that. Depends on whether you're looking for a paddling boat that sails or vice versa.

[skuthorp]

The Macgreggor is 32" wide and the plans include drawings for a break-apart double paddle. Most of my paddling was in K1's and TK1's so my balance is good enough to sit at deck level when I paddle it. I use an old wooden double and a 5' single that can be useful in dirty weather and lives permanently in the boat.
Mine looks like Norms but its bright yellow, she's called "Filicite" which means happiness and was my mum's name. Good choice I think.
Sorry about your accident Tom M., I can imagine your heart jumping. My sedan is not as high as your van so lifting one end on to the roller is not such a big effort. Over here the used to sell a track that screwed to your roof rack and pulled down over the boot, called a "Cartopper" I think. Had a carriage and roller bearings in a slotted track. Cant remember any more than that. :D :confused:

[ 09-24-2003, 05:39 AM: Message edited by: skuthorp ]