I used to own a Macgregor 26X in Boston. It is a great first boat, because it allows you to quickly get to places with the high hp outboard, and sail around. It has a lot of room for a 26 footer. It is faily large for trailering, but light. Rigging, and de-rigging can take some time, depending how efficiant you are. It is not an offshore boat, although, balasted, it is stable. As long as you stay in Massachusetts Bay, use the water balast all the time, it is a very good choice. Yes it is a clorox bottle, and built inexpensively. The hull is solid. The topsides not as much. The 50Hp outboard is a huge advantage. It is a jack of all trades, master of none. If you an avid sailor, and do not care about the high performance, you may be able to find stronger used boats that the Mac. A well equipped new Mac will run over $30K