Keel-up refit 1977 Venture

A forum for discussing topics relating to older MacGregor/Venture sailboats.
Post Reply
TangoXray
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:47 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 25
Location: Austin, Texas

Keel-up refit 1977 Venture

Post by TangoXray »

Howdy, y'all. My name is Khy and I will be spending about a year doing a complete refit of my '77 Venture 25, Tibfib. A few things first, however. I won't start until December because of other projects. I am no newby to boat work, just Mac/Vent 25's. I am a six-year US Navy vet and did a year stint on a 68-foot Hatteras sport fisher as a deck hand in the Pacific. I was the chief maintenance officer of The UT Austin Sail Club in the late '90's where I put all but one boat back in the water and put all of their trailers back on the road. I welcome all help and advice delivered with mutual respect and fit for any PG-13 conversation.

Tibfib was a Craigslist score from Dallas and brought to Austin last April. She had sat in a field in Oklahoma for several years where the bunks on the trailer rotted and the steel posts oil canned the hull on both sides. I have begun that repair already and also stripped nearly everything off the interior and exterior of Tib. The overall plan is to prep everything for new paint inside and out and equip her for some island runs in the Florida Keys, The Bahamas, The Santa Barbara Channel Islands, The San Juans up in WA and a sail from Chicago up Lake Michigan to the UP with my crazy and dearly-lovable Yooper friend Kathy. Tib needs a new rudder and electrical refit along with navigation electronics and depth finder. Her sails are in great shape and I added a symmetrical spinnaker last year that is a Texas flag number from a previous life on a Catalina 25.
User avatar
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: Keel-up refit 1977 Venture

Post by Freedom77 »

Hi new V-25 owner. Freedom is late '76 V-25. Hull # 928. Best way to remove keel is to hoist boat off trailer if possible. Roll trailer out and drop keel onto a moveable flat bed with casters. I jacked up stern on oil drum with 2x4 cross beams covered with carpet. Used bottle jacks to raise hull and walked trailer out alternating jacks. PITA but it worked. Keep us posted and good luck. Fair Winds and Full Sails, Old Salt....
adventuren1
Just Enlisted
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2021 9:19 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 21
Location: Port Townsend, WA

Re: Keel-up refit 1977 Venture

Post by adventuren1 »

I am taking on the same project and curious as to how yours is going now that it's been a couple years. I'm almost a year in and still slowly taking things apart. Any updates on your boat? Would like to see another one being saved.
Post Reply