McGregor Classic Ski

Has anyone had a chance to try one?

It's beautiful: looks a little like the 1st Generation 560 from Nelo.

Where did you find that?

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600x43 cm

Said to be more stable than the spark, so must be much more stable than the original 560

Every ski is more stable than the first 560!

Yes, 5 people have paddled the ski and 5 people have ordered one immediately. I guess that says something. It was not designed to be a production ski, it's 30 years of shaping, racing and designing. I wanted a ski for myself to have fun in, to race in, and this is what it is. It's a mixture of many skis produced over the years. First of all, stability weight, strength and speed were a priority. I love the thought of paddling my own ski that weighs under 10.5 kg and is shorter than normal @ 6 meters. Knysna Racing are building a magnificent craft. I will be racing everywhere and anywhere in the world that I can. Having fun! And hopefully beating some young guys...

See you on the water,

Lee Mc Gregor

Thanks Lee! Look forward to trying one when they arrive in Florida.

The Mc Gregor Classic will be arriving with me in Miami next tuesday as I will be doing some races in Florida over the next couple of weeks. If you would like further info about the availability of my skis in USA, please contact Mr. Bruce Gipson @ Venture Sport, Inc, phone 561 302 6859.

Lee

Just received confirmation that Lee will be racing the McGregor Classic at The North Shore Cup in Summerton, SC on October 15th. The race weekend will be a great chance to demo several new skis on the market and compare them back to back: McGregor Classic, Nelo 560 ski, Nelo 560M, Nelo 520, Think Uno Max 3G, along with a few Nelo K1s (Classic, Viper 51), plus the entire Think surfski lineup, and of course Jantex Paddles and Mocke gear! With Lee in the race, along with Jesse Lishchuk and Reid Hyle, it is shaping up to be a sharp front end of the field!

Thread bump... I just viewed one for sale on the area Craigslist in Venice Fl. Nice looking boat from the pictures. I spent the next few hours reading as much as I could about this thing. Lee McGregor definitely has a fascinating life and must be proud of Hank's accomplishments on top of his own.

I'm seriously considering buying the Mcgregor Rhythm but will have to buy without trying. My only concern is the bucket size and the hump. I am 5'7" @ 150 lbs. I presently paddle the 1st generation SES with small seat and fits me well. I paddle the 1st generation V-12 for awhile, the high hump in it made it very uncomfortable ( left leg would hurt after about thirty minutes).
Any insight on what to expect with the Rhythm would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill

Hi Bill

Good to hear from you. Re your enquiry about the Rhythm.
It is an intermediate boat compared to the Classic. The Classic is one of the most radical designed surfskis around. As fast as any K1 kayak. But it needs a high performance paddler to appreciate its speed.
The Rhythm is very similar, a slightly wider version of the Classic, 20 % more stable. Being wider, it caters for a heavier person, i.e. a wide seat. Obviously it can be paddled with a smaller person, but I would recommend putting foam on either side of the cockpit seat to lock yourself in for heavier sea conditions. There is a container load of Rhythms arriving in Florida in one week's time. Some of these boats have been sold already to paddlers from all around the USA. Whereabouts are you living, so we can make a plan to have you try a Rhythm out before just buying it? Contact me on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Look forward to hearing from you,
Lee Mc Gregor

Where in Florida will they end up? I have a brother that may be interested.

Boca Raton, Fl. Venture sports. Go to venturesports.com and you find a contact for Bruce (nice guy).

venturesport.com/ no "s" on the end of sport.

Thank you both.

I ended up seeing the Classic that was for sale in Venice 4 months ago. It's an absolute beautiful ski. The seller said it was very fast and "lively" and relegated it for flat water. The boat was beyond my abilities to fully enjoy it so all this is from a purely visual observation. The ski was sold and hopefully the new owner is enjoying it...

While the elite skis take time to get used to as long as you can get your bumm in the bucket you can paddle one. Florida has plenty of flatwater to enjoy a fine craft like the Classic.

received one last week & IMO: very impressive price, quality, performance & comfort
- A$3.8k: $400 cheaper than Fenn, 2.2k cheaper than Epic & Nelo of same weight
- good quality finish with custom design options: chose white with red tips
- flat water speed up there with epic v14 & Nelo 560M
- comfort mid to upper range for my taste
- stability better than v14 & about same as fenn elite S: will hopefully paddle in ocean this weekend to assess this further
obviously this my intermediate paddler perspective
great product Lee McGregor & knysna kayaks

Thanks Tony,
Will take all the input I can get.

I can add another independent review of the Classic:

I received one in mid-August, and paid full price of about $3400? USD and used it extensively on flatter water up until a week ago (winter is here). I haven't weighed mine but it feels about 22 lbs.

The bow is very low volume, V shaped and piercing, somewhat like a K1/K2. The hull becomes somewhat flat under the cockpit and then transitions to a flat arch at the stern. The seat is low and wider at the bottom than other narrow skis like the V14, and the seat sidewalls are pretty vertical, meaning that they don't keep flaring outwards above the waterline. The footwell is narrow about like the 560, V12/14. The catch is narrow, about like the 560, V14 too. I can't fit in the V14 or Uno Max (hip pinch) but can cope with the Classic's seat for about an hour or two without a seat pad. With one Epic seat pad, I'm good in the Classic all day long, while I would still be too tight down low in the others.

I find the ski to have fairly good initial stability / wobble on flat water. While the hull shape is very different from the 560 and from Epics, I'd put it at about the overall tippiness of the older V12 on flatwater and much more stable than the V14. I didn't get a chance to get out on any days with greater than 1 ft waves, sorry to say. In confused water with waves that size, it's manageable for me but it might be a handful in rougher seas for me - my boat balance is good but not elite-level good.

Speed-wise, it's difficult to say. At 190 lbs / 86 kg, it feels really slick in the water at speeds in the 7's and up to about 8.8 mph, above which, it's difficult for me to judge resistance. At marathon speeds and up to about 8.4 mph, it really feels stable and glides really well. I suspect that the shorter waterline and narrow waterline gives it low resistance at the lower speeds and that once you get above 8.6 mph or so, the wave drag catches up to it and it's then no slicker through the water than longer narrow skis like the V12/14, and the Elite/Uno Max. At my weight, I am definitely faster at speeds up to about 8.5 mph in the Classic than in the 560 (though the 560 feels wonderfully fast above that speed). I'm seeing about the same gps speed at marathon pace (7.8-8.1 mph) in the Classic as I was seeing in the V10 and older V12, but I feel like the resistance in the Classic is lower and I'm burning less energy at that speed - if that makes sense - and that I'll have more energy reserves after an hour or more of racing than I would in one of the other longer skis.

The Classic also accelerates really well due to its low weight and shorter length.
The Classic turns on a dime, too, even with a smaller swept back rudder.

I think it's a great ski design and I'm quite happy with its performance thus far.
EBorgnes USA