Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

A forum for discussing topics relating to older MacGregor/Venture sailboats.
tidal9
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Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by tidal9 »

Hello, sorry, but this will be long,

I am seeking some advice on a 1974 Venture 2-24 I'm currently looking at.
Because of our current temps (lake ice forming), I will not be able to sail her,
so I'm going by inspection alone, and, I'm pretty novice. First off, I'm
choosing this boat because I am looking for a bit more comfort and stability
than my 18' Chrysler Buccaneer provides (my wife refuses to sail on the Bucc
anymore because she doesn't want to capsize (it hasn't happened yet). And
Venture/MacGregor has a good rep and following.
The boat in question is listed for $1200, solid, with trailer, mast and 3 sails
in great shape (not sure which ones yet). The owner said the keel is in decent
shape with no housing or ridge damage. He also said that there is no damaged
fiberglass, but there is some spiderwebbing. Sails and rigging are in great
shape, some of the ropes need replacement, interior pieces are there, just not
installed (was to be remodeled). Also, no soft spots on the deck, but possibly
a small spot on the hull where it sits on the trailer.
I have yet to see it in person (just pics), but it sounds like a decent price,
is it? Can this be single-handedly sailed without much retrofitting? (I may
need a mast raising system of sorts) Also, and most importantly, I am looking
for a STABLE boat for my family to enjoy. I was originally looking at the Mac
26S, but this price caught my attention... Also, can this thing be towed with a
Jeep Grand Cherokee on flat ground with an inline-6? Any insight into this?

Thank you!

Darren

PS: Is the keel the deal-breaker on these boats? I've heard if the keel is bad, they're scrap...?
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mastreb
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by mastreb »

I don't know much about the boat in question having a Mac 26M myself, but I can say that the spiderwebbing is merely a cosmetic issue, and the Jeep is plenty of tow vehicle for it. If the hull is sound, the boards are good, and the sails are functional, $1200 is a great price. If the trailer works at all, that's a bonus. Do look hard at the trailer--new tires and brakes are pretty easy to replace, you'd be looking for excessive rust/corrosion.
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Freedom77
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by Freedom77 »

'74 was one of the last years that they built the 2-24 which evolved into the V-25. They are very stable with 700 lb keel. Easy to rig and launch. Single hand setup can be setup for a few bucks. Yeah you can haul it with ease with the jeep. Not seeing pics it sounds O.K. Does it include an outboard? Engines can run $1000. Is trailer, tires, bearing buddies, bunks etc in good shape. If you can get pics send 'em along. Good Luck, Fair Winds and Full Sails....Old Salt
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Catigale
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by Catigale »

I think I might make an FAQ out of this for posterior..

Is it a great price to get into sailing with a pocket cruiser? Yes. Especially if the keel is present and working. The keel is the deal breaker on these boats, indeed.

A new keel is going to be something like 2000 USD,,,and you will have to find someone to make it for you local of course.

Is it a great price in that I can buy this thing, sail, and then get my money back if I dont like it? No. Boats in this price range are everywhere, and each one represents thousands of USD of potential work for the new owner. The competition to selling a boat in this range isnt the next Venture, it's a daysailer, a Hobie, etc.....all the other ways someone can get on the water cheap.
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dlandersson
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by dlandersson »

The Jeep should be fine - does it have the tow package upgrade?
tidal9
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by tidal9 »

Hello and thank you all for your prompt replies, this place is great, and fast!

Yes, like many things these days, I realize this is more of a personal material/interest item, and not an investment, unless you count fun, and that's subjective. It does kinda take the wind out of your sails (pun intended) when you consider your retail market is small daysailors, but really, this is the same thing, in the same price range. In all, I'm hoping to be able to work on it (it is a sailboat after all), learn a thing or two in the process, try not to get too discouraged and maybe get her on the water at some point. I acknowledge my problem of seeing things as "not what it is, but what it could be!". Believe me, my wife is a patient woman, but I don't want to push my vision of grandeur too much. That is why I plan on going into this slowly and will take as many photos as I can this Monday when I see it for the first time so I can scrutinize them and remind myself of things noticed. I'll post some on Flickr and attach a link here if anyone else would want to chime in.

Thanks for the replies thus far!

btw, the Jeep doesn't have a tow package that I'm aware of, just the the standard class II (?) hitch.
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dlandersson
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by dlandersson »

Re: your Jeep - might be worth finding out. Does the hitch include the electrical connection? If it does, then there's a strong possibility that your Jeep DOES have the tow upgrade. Might be nice to know.
tidal9 wrote:Hello and thank you all for your prompt replies, this place is great, and fast!

Yes, like many things these days, I realize this is more of a personal material/interest item, and not an investment, unless you count fun, and that's subjective. It does kinda take the wind out of your sails (pun intended) when you consider your retail market is small daysailors, but really, this is the same thing, in the same price range. In all, I'm hoping to be able to work on it (it is a sailboat after all), learn a thing or two in the process, try not to get too discouraged and maybe get her on the water at some point. I acknowledge my problem of seeing things as "not what it is, but what it could be!". Believe me, my wife is a patient woman, but I don't want to push my vision of grandeur too much. That is why I plan on going into this slowly and will take as many photos as I can this Monday when I see it for the first time so I can scrutinize them and remind myself of things noticed. I'll post some on Flickr and attach a link here if anyone else would want to chime in.

Thanks for the replies thus far!

btw, the Jeep doesn't have a tow package that I'm aware of, just the the standard class II (?) hitch.
tidal9
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by tidal9 »

The Jeep does have a factory receiver hitch and I do have the round electrical terminal built into the hitch (I use a round to 4-flat converter). But I don't think that this a "tow package" though. It just looks like the factory hitch I see on thousands of them. I think the tow package option is geared differently and has a class III hitch with transmission cooler. I believe my Jeep is rated at 3500lbs tow capacity with the tow package rated at 5000lbs.

Thank you for your responses!
ixkj58
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by ixkj58 »

My first boat was a Venture 2-22. I paid $2300 for boat and trailer. I was new to sailing and had a more experienced sailor look her over (still on the trailer) before I bought it to make sure it would float. That's all I wanted. Since this is your second boat, you'll have more experience going into it than I did.

Yes, it will give you a bit more room but you'll still be stooped over when below. Unless you are VERY short. Two of us spent weekend on ours for two years before deciding we didn't want to have a permanent curvature.

Mine was a project boat. I wanted to use it to teach myself fiberglass repair, rigging, etc. It served its purpose well.

Spider cracks in the gelcoat is normal. Unless they are so deep to cause water to get to the fiberglass, that shouldn't concern you.

You should be fine towing it with your Jeep.

The Ventures are simple yet stable boats. Not as solidly constructed as a Catalina but it will be fine, I'm sure. I added some wood trim inside, brass reading lamps, removed all the flotation and cleaned it, painted the cabin, and other stuff to spruce it up. I also replaced the standing rigging and used swageless fittings. Much easier to do than I expected.

By the way, Northern Tools makes the winch to raise and lower the keel if yours needs replacing. It was a perfect match on my boat.

If it was on the trailer long, the indentation is normal and will work itself out over time once you start sailing it.

Good luck.
tidal9
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by tidal9 »

Just looked at a Venture 2-24 today, have pics of it...


I posted earlier about going to look at a 1974 Venture 2-24. Previous owner
said sails are great, rigging is great, mast is fine and keel is decent.
Interior is gutted and dirty, and there are a few cosmetic blemishes here and
there. He wasn't there when I viewed it, so I am waiting to hear back about
what sails are included and soem other misc....here is the link to the
pics...price as it stands is $900 Worth it?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tidal9buc/ ... 301050653/
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Catigale
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by Catigale »

A good deal at 900 IMHO. Cosmetic projects except for that pulpit hit which will both SS work and FG repair....but can be deferred by sealing it well.

Don't let this fish swim away!!
tidal9
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by tidal9 »

It isn't set in stone, but I think I got this for $800. I'm supposed to pick it up on Friday if all goes well, and then she goes straight to shrink wrap and storage. Can't wait until spring!
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Catigale
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by Catigale »

Sweet!!
Bill Reichert
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by Bill Reichert »

I'm on the Yahoo V24 site. This boat is odd. It has a factory well for the outboard. AND the keel winch is inside the cabin. The windows look too tall for the 24s. It also has the Mac logo on it. My question is? does this sound more like a Mac 25 or a 22? In what year did the Venture become the Mac?
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Sumner
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Re: Looking to purchasa a Venture 2-24, have questions!

Post by Sumner »

Bill Reichert wrote:I'm on the Yahoo V24 site. This boat is odd. It has a factory well for the outboard. AND the keel winch is inside the cabin. The windows look too tall for the 24s. It also has the Mac logo on it. My question is? does this sound more like a Mac 25 or a 22? In what year did the Venture become the Mac?
You might look at some of the boats and links in my "Links Page" below and the one site that has helped me the most with questions like yours is Sailing Texas...

Here are Macs...

http://www.sailingtexas.com/cboats99macgregors.html

and here are Ventures...

http://www.sailingtexas.com/cboats99venture.html

Just remember that sometimes registrations and titles have a way of getting screwed up and people think they have one thing and it is actually another or a different year than what is on the paper work,

Sum

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