New Venture 22 owner questions

[rob-in-iowa]

I bought a 1976 Venture 22. A nice little "beater" for the lake with my boys. If anyone out there has/had one of these in working order, I have a couple questions. The guy I bought it from knew almost nothing about it.

1) I got what looks like boom vang rigging with the boat (see pics). Where does it attach at the base of the mast? There is nothing there to attach it to. The boom has a metal U hanging down about in the middle that I assume the top hooks to (red arrow in pic). Am I missing something that bolts on with the mast at the bottom?

2) Does the boom have a topping lift? I have 3 pulleys at the top of the mast. 2 in FRONT. And 1 in back. The back one I assume is for the main sail halyard. One of the front ones is for the Jib/Genoa halyard. And maybe a 2nd for a spinnaker, which I don't have? Or does that 2nd one in front operate the topping lift for the boom by running the line backward to the end of the boom?

I have downloaded the manual, but it does not help for this detail. Clear pictures of a properly rigged Venture 22 would be like GOLD to me. I can't find any online.



I am coming to the conclusion that this boat does not have a vang. I have been scouring the internet for pictures with decent enough resolution to see the lines. Some booms don't have that U shaped thing. Plus, if I raise the pop-up on the cabin, it would hit the vang if I had one. I am thinking it didn't have one from factory and some hot rod decided to add it afterward.

As far as the topping lift goes. I can see what appears to be 2 methods of keeping the boom up. I see some pics with a topping lift line that goes "somewhere" up above out of frame of any picture I can see it on. Another is that it appears some people tie it up on the backstay with a short line and just let it hang there when the sails are down. That is what I may end up doing if I can't get an answer on the topping lift setup.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[NiceAft]

rob-in-iowa,


I know nothing about your boat, but, If you look closely at the photos in the brochure, I believe that’s the boom vang at the extreme end of the boom. Is there any location at the stern of the 22 that looks to be where the vang attatches?

Also, might that not be the standard boom?

[Russ]

My that U is probably a tang used as part of the mast raising system. The "vang" might also be part of it.

You can find some info here https://www.macgregorsailors.com/resources.html

That is the boat that got my dad hooked on sailing. He was invited out sailing on a Maine lake while we were on vacation. It sparked it in him and I grew up on boats ever since.

[topcat0399]

I have a very similar boat. 1973 V224.
I have heavily modded it from a plain jane stocky.

These cheap macs usually came with the barest and cheapest of running rigging.
Looking at those cheesy factory winches easily tells the story.
Dealers sometimes added various features to these boats.

From your pictures, yes, the previous "Hotrod" changed some things.
The blocks on your stock mac boom and the mainsheet block on the combing are not 1970's stock.
They are way better.

Boom Vang.
I too have added a boom vang and I necessarily disconnect it when raising the pop top.
I added a mast plate with block mounts that I connect the vang, among other things, to.

It is possible that that "bail" (U-shaped thing) on your midboom could have been rigged for a midboom mainsheet.
I am rigged like that, but I have also installed a traveler on the bridge deck.
Look in your cockpit for possible tackle mounts.

Mast Head Blocks.
The one for the Jib should be obvious.
The one for the main halyard should be closest to the track of the mast so the line runs as fair as possible.
If they are both samely situated, use which ever one you like.


Topping Lift:
These boats didn't come with a factory topping lift. The main sail holds up the boom
or there should be a "pigtail" hanging from the backstay cable.
You can use the 3rd masthead block for a topping lift if that's what you desire. I have mine rigged:
Boom end/masthead block/lower mast cleat (note: all of my controls run to the cockpit from the mast base).

Really man, these boats are rigged so simply that I'm sure you can piece it out.
2 halyards, mainsheet on the aft of the boom, jib sheets thru the side deck hoops (fairleads). That's it.
If you look at any sail boat in the same size range the basic running rigging is the same, only the details vary.

The beauty of these simple boats is that you can "KISS" as it is or go nuts and install every sail control known to man.

Good luck and welcome to the old wreck club.....