Mac 25 Restoration

A forum for discussing topics relating to older MacGregor/Venture sailboats.
Sisu
Chief Steward
Posts: 67
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2015 6:58 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 25
Location: Oshkosh, WI

Mac 25 Restoration

Post by Sisu »

I figured I'd start a thread for the many questions we'll have as our restoration project starts to come together.

First, here's a summary of the story so far:

Back in November, my girlfriend and I went out for a car ride. Driving down a country road we saw a boat by the side of the road with a big "800" stuck to it in blue painter's tape. We turned around. The next day I forked over the cash. I'm no stranger to sailing - I've been coaching racers for almost 10 years and sail scows competitively. I did happen to be looking for a boat but was mainly in the market for a dinghy like a laser or C Scow to race. Nonetheless this looked like a good winter project. The main issues stemmed from a grounding in a storm, which resulted in damage to the keel trunk and a snapped mast. The keel trunk damage was fixed by the prior owner, who also jury-rigged a Catalina mast onto the stub of the broken MacGregor section. A little sketchy but looks like it will work.

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We stored it at a friend's house for a few days to replace the wheels and lights on the trailer, then brought it home and pressure washed it

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Vacuumed out the interior too

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Last edited by Sisu on Fri Feb 05, 2016 11:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Sisu
Chief Steward
Posts: 67
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2015 6:58 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 25
Location: Oshkosh, WI

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by Sisu »

Ripped out the godawful electrical system - we'll be rewiring that (minus the questionable shore power rig)

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Next we took out all bulkheads and beams and ripped out the headliner

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Sisu
Chief Steward
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Sailboat: MacGregor 25
Location: Oshkosh, WI

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by Sisu »

We decided on a good exterior primer covered with a gloss enamel for the ceiling

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Next we stripped and re-stained and varnished the trim strips

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Then we cut new bulkheads out of Lauan plywood and painted them to match the ceiling

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Sisu
Chief Steward
Posts: 67
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2015 6:58 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 25
Location: Oshkosh, WI

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by Sisu »

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We also decided to replace the windows. Unfortunately the removal took a little gelcoat off. It will be a pain, but we'll have to fix that

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That brings us to yesterday, which saw the arrival of our new tiller, windows, and some nice Lewmar #6 winches I found cheap on eBay. I plan to move the factory ones to the cabintop.

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As questions come up I'll post them here. Looking forward to sailing this spring!
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cptron
Captain
Posts: 515
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:08 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26M
Location: Hattiesburg MS. "Storm Walker" 2011 26m with ETech 60

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by cptron »

Good luck and keep us updated with pictures cause they tell a lot. :D Looks good so far and remember new guy buys the pizza. Some like anchovies however since I beat him to it you can leave them off. :P
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Freedom77
First Officer
Posts: 481
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:43 am
Sailboat: Venture 25
Location: Lake Mead, Nevada '76 V-25 #928

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by Freedom77 »

$800 is a steal. another $20,000 and you'll be ready to launch :) Where did you order the tiller? I have found Rustoleum white high gloss oil base is excellent for interior. Welcome to the legion of the Damned :evil: Keep us posted. Fair Winds and Full Sails...Old Salt
Sisu
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Posts: 67
Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2015 6:58 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 25
Location: Oshkosh, WI

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by Sisu »

Freedom77 wrote:$800 is a steal. another $20,000 and you'll be ready to launch :) Where did you order the tiller? I have found Rustoleum white high gloss oil base is excellent for interior. Welcome to the legion of the Damned :evil: Keep us posted. Fair Winds and Full Sails...Old Salt
Windows and tiller are ruddercraft. Thought about doing our own tiller but for $99 unfinished it's a good investment that saved us a lot of time. Very professional job on both the tiller and windows, we're impressed!

We do have some pretty heavy damage to the rudder. Does anyone here have experience building their own?

(by the way, the $800 included sails, trailer, and outboard! We don't have any illusions on saving money, but this way we get to rebuild it to our liking and it's a fun project!)
THE CUSCUS
First Officer
Posts: 339
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 7:59 am
Sailboat: Venture 25
Location: North East River, MD

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by THE CUSCUS »

Looking good!! The Mac 25 is a great boat. Enjoy, and keep posting your progress.
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grady
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Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:38 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26S
Location: Dallas

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by grady »

I would repair the rudder rather than fixing it. If fixing it is not an option Ruddercraft does make a good replacement. It would be fun to make one but in the end a one off is not going to be any less expensive. Unless you are looking to make a better performing rudder.
Sisu
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Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2015 6:58 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 25
Location: Oshkosh, WI

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by Sisu »

grady wrote:I would repair the rudder rather than fixing it. If fixing it is not an option Ruddercraft does make a good replacement. It would be fun to make one but in the end a one off is not going to be any less expensive. Unless you are looking to make a better performing rudder.
Well, an actual NACA section might be nice. I do know a guy who has a CNC router used to make wooden aircraft parts, so that might be an option. The existing rudder is ripped open at the bottom and badly de-laminated around the damage (probably from the grounding that damaged the keel trunk). Maybe for this season we can do some fiberglassing and call it good.

@THE CUSCUS, I know you've done a lot of rigging work - do you recommend relocating the leads for the working jib at all? I am considering installing tracks if I can find some cheap ones, otherwise I'll replace the plastic fairleads and move them if necessary.
THE CUSCUS
First Officer
Posts: 339
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 7:59 am
Sailboat: Venture 25
Location: North East River, MD

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by THE CUSCUS »

I can't comment on those fairleads, as I have never used them. I removed them. I have the older style 25 with the nice side decks and have 1" tracks up to the chain plates. I don't use my working jib very often, and when I do it works fine using the cars on the track . I would definitely get some track put on. In the general scheme of boating expenses, the track is not that expensive.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iY8IwdjN0WI
81venture
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Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Wake Forest, NC

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by 81venture »

Before you order more "bits" check with me..

I am sitting on a pile of stuff

dave
Sisu
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Joined: Tue Dec 08, 2015 6:58 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 25
Location: Oshkosh, WI

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by Sisu »

Dave, PM sent

THE CUSCUS, you really sheet the jib that far outboard? I was thinking if anything the leads need to come inboard a little, but I guess we won't know until we're sailing. I'm jealous, by the way - I think the Venture has a much better deck setup. The lifelines strung across the cabintop on the Mac look goofy.

Here's a shot of the weekend's progress - Bulkheads are re-mounted along with the trim strips. The bulkheads were a bear to re-fit and actually they are suspending the mast support a few millimeters off the base (which has an indentation from years of use - may have to replace the core under it at some point)! We'll have to shim that.

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Freedom77
First Officer
Posts: 481
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:43 am
Sailboat: Venture 25
Location: Lake Mead, Nevada '76 V-25 #928

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by Freedom77 »

Sisu: LOOKS GREAT! I built a rudder out of teak. $$$$$. A lot of the stock Mac rudders were fiberglass over foam which tended to swell and crack. Ruddercraft builds an excellent product. Also check with Blue Water Yachts in Seattle. The specialize in Mac/Venture stuff. What did you use for interior paint? Also, check between mast step and keel trunk sometimes under mast post there is a gap which has to be shimmed up or the deck will pump and your mast might buckle. Not a good day at sea. :P Welcome to the Legion of the Damned! Keep us posted. Fair Winds and Full Sails...Old Salt.
THE CUSCUS
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Posts: 339
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 7:59 am
Sailboat: Venture 25
Location: North East River, MD

Re: Mac 25 Restoration

Post by THE CUSCUS »

Sisu, your boat is looking good there. I do agree the Ventures had many good features. The ones towards the end on their run, especially. Mine is a 1979. I know having the jib track closer to centerline will allow you to point alittle better when using the jib as compared to having the track outboard, but when I'm racing I'm not using the jib :wink:
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