Hi Stephen, and welcome!

My first Mac was a 1997 X, and there are a few of Leigh's points on 26Cs that don't apply (but otherwise excellent advice!).

The X has a swing centre-board, not a dagger board, so you don't get problems with damage to the trunk. But when inspecting a boat on the water, make sure the board lowers and raises smoothly.

Several features of the X evolved between early 1997 and late 1998, so you'll see slightly different things depending on the age. One of the most noticeable is access to the cabin. Originally it was a GRP step on the cabin floor, that removes to reveal the ballast tank vent. Later, it was replaced by a ladder, and the ballast vent was moved to under the forward bunk. This is supposed to give better venting of the tank. Mine had the earlier arrangement, but I can't say it was a problem. Very early ones only have a 2" ballast valve on the transom, which makes for slow filling & emptying. This was fairly quickly upgraded to 3", so only some very early models will have the 2".

Another significant change was the rudder design. The original rudder brackets were cast aluminium, and developed a history of cracking. The design was changed to stainless, which is a lot stronger. Again, though, mine had the aluminium brackets and suffered no failures. The rudder shape was changed at the same time.

There was also a change to the steering. The earlier rotary helm was changed to a rack and pinion. I think the rack design was supposed to be more positive and reliable. However, I've heard just as many reports of problems and failures of the rack design as the older style, so I don't think there's any reason to favour either. The rack version has a taller central cockpit console because the rack arrangement needs extra space.

Steering linkages are a common source of problems, so ensure the helm turns smoothly from lock to lock, and the connecting bars etc. at the transom all work properly. It's all exposed on the X, so you can see easily if everything's working. Undue stiffness is usually corrosion in the cable from the helm to transom. They are impossible to lubricate, but are a standard part so readily replaced.

The rigging wasn't changed for UK, unlike the earlier boats that Leigh referred to. Chain-plates are standard, although some owners will have upgraded with turnbuckles. If a boat that age still has original standing rigging, then it's overdue replacement anyway, and can be readily made to measure by any local rigging shop.

The thing you'll find about Macs is that, being basic boats and easy to modify, almost every owner will have made their own tweaks to the boat, sometimes minor, sometimes very substantial. You're highly unlikely to find a "standard 26X"! That can make it quite hard to compare one against another.

The most important thing is that the hull, deck, mast & boom are sound, most of the rest is fittings that are generally standard stuff that can be sourced in the UK and replaced. You just need to make sure the price reflects anything that might need spending to bring the boat up to scratch.

I was in your situation about 10 years ago, the best thing is to do as much reading and research as you can on the boats, and take your time looking at them. Make sure to compare several and you'll get a good feel for what you're looking at.

Good luck!