Venture 22 Brought Back To Life!

[ShipFaced22]

Hey everyone!
I am brand new on here and would like to share my Venture 22 with you that I have been working on for the last few months.

I'll give you a little background first...

I'm a 29 year old Fire Fighter in Central Florida and have never sailed a day in my life. My girlfriend of 2 years has always dreamed of sailing, owning a sail boat, and talks about it all the time. So, needless to say,she inspired me to do some research which lead to getting me totally hooked on it.

My buddy Darrel, who is a retired Fire Fighter, bought a 26M last year. His Venture 22 had been sitting behind his house under a canopy since 1998. Until that point he had pretty much fully restored and painted it after a collision with another boat while docked during a very bad storm.

So...after a few beers and a lot of discussion, or a lot of beers and a lot of discussion, either way...I bought the Venture 22....But i didn't tell the girlfriend.
My buddy said he would help me with getting it all put back together and we decided it would be cool to get the boat restored and surprise her with it. Thank god he helped me through it, or it would have never happened. He has been a great teacher through this whole process.

Anyway, my gf's birthday is next week, and we are going to surprise her with it this Saturday. I can't wait!

Here are a few pics of what we have done. There will be more to follow once we get rigging set and get it in the water.

My Photobucket Venture 22 Album : http://s1143.photobucket.com/albums/n622/ShipFaced22/

Let me know what you think. I am eager for input!

Thanks!


This is where she sat since 1998



This is where I am currently at

[jcasale]

SF'd

That's a good looking boat and one hulluva gift idea. Good luck and keep us posted.

John
Atlantic Beach, Fl
2000

[tomchitecture]

Very well done. Tasteful, classy paint job. I have a Mac 26s and am amazed at how similar these boats are. Congratulations. Let us know what she says.

[Freedom77]

She looks great. Beautiful paint job on the hull. Did you get it that way or did you paint it? Do you know what kind of paint? If I'm any judge I think your girlfriend is gonna luv it. Freedom is 35 years old and still holds up pretty well but we live in a very dry climate, (understatement) which keeps the moisture damage to almost nothing. Buy the way, Where are you going to mount the BBQ in the picture. Fair Winds and Full SAils...Old Salt.

[Tomfoolery]

That's a really good looking boat. Nice paint, and nice lines to start with.

If she's not thrilled, get a new girl friend.

[ShipFaced22]

Hey everyone!

Well..it was a total success! SHE LOVES IT!
I still have a little work to do on it, but we cant wait to hit the water.

I put up some new pictures of the almost completed cabin also.

[mastreb]

Nice, uh, cabin!

[Catigale]

It's a tradition for new owners to post a peachy picture ...if you could so advise your SO we would appreciate it....

[Crikey]

Beautiful job - you should be proud of that!

I see the champagne, so you must have christened it?

[Freedom77]

Looks great, even if you girlfriend wasn't sitting there. Interior looks like brand new. Great buy. Did you christen/name her, the boat not the girlfriend. If you decide to break a bottle of bubbly over the bow do what we did. tape a piece on angle iron to the bow. When my Beloved wife Penny smashed the bottle on our V-25 she sent glass flying 30 feet into the parking lot. Didn't know her own strength . I am now somewhere between 60 and death and don't move as fast as I used to and my lifemate has gone to the big regatta. You youngsters get out as much as you can and enjoy every minute of it. What year is She? Looks like maybe mid 80's. What's hull #? Good Luck. Fair winds and Full Sails...Old Salt.
P.S. I would suggest you put on a mid boom mainsheet traveler . We did this to our V-222 and our V-25. Gets the stern clear and you will point higher and go better. After I did this I was able to outsail any other V-22 on the water.

[ShipFaced22]

A funny story about the Champagne ... We didn't crack it over the bow, but about an hour into showing it to her, it started to rain. So, we grabbed the bottle and went inside. Well, i should have paid attention to where i was pointing the bottle, bc when i popped the top, the cork went right into the kitchen light fixture and and shattered it into a million pieces. Great way to start it out...haha!

We have not come up with a name yet / cristen her...This brings me to a question I have been wanting to ask...

What is the proper way to cristen a boat? I really don't want to get glass everywhere....
This boat had a name before, so technically we are renaming it??? I'm curious as to what is proper procedure?

[albinvega]

Another new member having just bought a '76 Mac 22' on Friday. First, I must say the site is great and John's refurbishing of his Florida boat also looks pretty grand from the pics; good job.

Have to admit up front that I'm also the owner of a 1976 Albin Vega 27' but, when recently moving to our new home on Vancouver Island, I learned that the waiting time for a slip in our local municipal marina can be as long as 6-7 years. I bought the Mac '22 because it came with a 28' slip in the marina and therefore a hole in the water for my Albin. That said, I'm intrigued by the Mac having owned a Sirius 21' in Ontario many years ago (also a swing keel) and intend to refurbish the Mac as necessary to get it into the water for my daughter/hubby/grandkids who also just moved here from Alberta.

My Albin remains on the hard on the BC mainland (just a ferry ride away!) but the Mac will be a good learning curve for the kids until I'm able to move the Vega "across the water" and finish its renovation that's currently underway. All to say, I'm sure to be asking lots of question about the Mac on the forum and look forward to hearing from what is obviously a very dedicated and knowledgeable group of Mac sailors.

My first concern is the condition of the keel and am pretty sure she'll have to be dropped from the boat for a complete grinding/epoxy fairing exercise. Tough to do on the trailer so will also need to find some local help with the proper equipment to get the 500lb cast iron beast separated from the boat and ready for my epoxy routine; hopefully with nobody being injured or losing any fingers.

Kudos again for the site, well done!

[mastreb]

What is the proper way to cristen a boat? I really don't want to get glass everywhere....
This boat had a name before, so technically we are renaming it??? I'm curious as to what is proper procedure?

Firstly, this is the sacred Neptunian rechristening ceremony, ancient and historic, (as modified per CFR 321 subpart J paragraph 7, "Rechristening of vessels subsequent to private transfer"):

1. Owner shall rent a slip or be launched at sea or upon fresh water, such that the rechristening occurs in Neptune's Realm. Rechristening cannot occur over the hard.
2. Cite the local municipal codes against water pollution, if required by legal jurisdiction.
3. Tap (being careful not to break in deference to (2) above) a bottle of Champagne (NOT California sparkling white wine, and preferably Methode Veuve Clicquot) against the bow.
4. Take said champagne in to the cabin, drink at least a bottle each.
5. "Christen" said boat.

[Freedom77]

Knowing what I know now. Wrap bottle in netting and "lightly tap" on the bow. Usually, a beautiful lady, yours qualifies, breaks the bubbly and states, "I christen thee ---, God bless this boat and all who sail in her" As I mentioned before, we taped a piece of angle iron to the bow which gave it a good sharp edge. We put a large piece of plastic under the boat to catch any glass. My dear wife hit a home run and sent glass flying. Don't think it's necessary to put boat in water to christen. Ships are usually christend/launched on the slipways and glide gracefully into the water. Vis-a-vis. U.S. Navy Ships, Cruise ships, etc. My wife had two signs made to put in our cabin. One says, "Bless us O' Lord, Thy sea is so great and my boat is so small." and "Like a woman, the rigging costs more than the hull." Fair Winds and Full Sails, Old Salt....

[Crikey]

Waiting for name ......