MacGregorSailors.com

ok -sighs- how to respond here. well there is work to do on the keel, maybe even a replacement. might help if I can positively id the boat before I go buying a new keel right? or the rigging style anyone have any idea how to rig this boat that I cant id yet? I know I cant because A I am more used to the modern rigging systems for example 4 winch drums instead of 2 and out draw and down draw systems that I am used to but of course this would be a bit more simple if I knew what I was looking at wouldnt you agree? see the boat looks strikingly like a particular boat but considering that the mast is not original some of the running rigging gear is not original I think it could be in my best interest to id the boat first. just sayin

I dont want to sound mean especially since I am coming here for help and advice and I appreciate the help I have gotten immensly but wouldnt you say the its putting the horse before the carriage to worry about the rigging just yet when I need to yank the keel and finish the bottom paint, much less the top paint, the interior and interior paint then standing rigging etc. I am sort of doing this in a orderly manner so the boat is safe and ready when I drop her in the pacific here. I just want it done right know what I mean?

For those folks that don't click through on links:


~Rich

ty Hamin didnt really think about that. here are two other images that might help



You cant see it from these photos but the keel is in pretty rough shape and until I figure out how to drop it / grow the man bits to deal with that I wont know how bad the damage is. after I get the bottom side handed I can move on to other things (bottom up fron to back is sort of how I am going about this.) I want to make sure I have the right info before I start hemorrhaging money for the wrong keel, this is the only part of the boat I am nervous about. concerned that I cant refurb it or that it will cost more than ill be able to reasonably afford.

I'll try better to help than pontificating

You are definitely right to be more worried about the keel than anything else

There were a couple of active threads in Venture about people who had a great bost, they just needed a keel

Cost estimates were 1500 to 2000 for materials , so double that for price... and, finding some one to do that work isn't easy

Can you post some links to higher Res pix on the rigging? Might help sort it out ...

Hey Redemption. As I mentioned on Sailboatowners.com you definetly have a Venture 24. I sailed against enough of them to be able to identify it. The Venture 25 hull is pretty similar to the 24. The 25 came with a cast iron no glass keel which saved a lot of grief. I will offer any advice I can but contact Dave or Steve, San Fernando Valley Yacht Club for expert advice....Fair Winds and Full Sails....

From the pics, it appears that there is a fixed keel of some kind on this boat - did the Venture's have that, or where they all retractable keels as the later models are?

It's amusing all the varied responses on this question, "it's stolen", "it's not a Mac", "it appears that there is a fixed keel of some kind on this boat", c'mon!, It's on a trailer with no visible keel below! Obviously it's retracted...WOW!

Redemption, I like this board, I frequent it often, but I think you'd have better luck asking questions about your boat on one of the other boards.
Try http://www.trailersailers.com Macgregor/Venture forum, or http://www.macgregorowners.com

For those who may not be aware, Roger Macgregor branded his boats Venture, prior to changing to Macgregor, so really a Venture is a Macgregor.

I think you have a Venture 24. Does yours have a pop-top?

Here's a link showing production years; http://www.wadler.org/boat-mac/production_years.php

Sailingtexas.com is a good place to find a lot of pictures of different boats, take a look; http://www.sailingtexas.com/sventure24100.html , http://sailingtexas.com/201009/sventure24102.html Compare the interior layout to yours.

Notice the shape of the windows, pre 72' looked like yours, 72's forward and aft angles were going the same way.

Hope this helps!

Doug

I'd say Doug's nailed it....

http://www.sailingtexas.com/sventure24100.html

On Edit: Oops put up the same link that Doug did. Hehe, either way, the boat looks identical to several Ventures googled.

Cheers

LOL Doug ty for being a third party to say it. this is a common problem I see on the net sometimes I usually just shake my head and go whaaa? then the thought briefly occurs to me that their all on the phone, in on it coming up with responses to confuse me. anyway to clear up that last one I will state this as clear as I can possibly say it.

Ive crawled under the boat, its a swing keel there is only one other type of keel that will allow a boat to sit that low on a trailer and that is a show keel and their so darn similar they might as well be the same thing.

I am posting in other locations and I am finding some help in those places but I will be sure to take your recommendations Doug and Currie thank you for giving them.

there is no pop top on this vessel its titled as a 26 but its a 24 series im sure of that and the year 1971 is consistent with its lack of a plate. Im still stripping items out of the interior since this is a full refurb and semi update im bound to eventually find the number and if not then ill straighten it out with the highway patrol like I did when I built my baja and my sport bike. any info you can give me that helps me on specific model etc will be helpful tyvm

Redemption - to be certain, I was just looking at the second set of pictures you had posted and saw the white keel-looking-object that appears to protrude from beneath the boat, like a short cut-away keel - and we was only trying to help ye...
(Lighten up Doug...)

Granted, some of us may not have been much help with the history lessons, but pretty much everyone on here is VERY VERY helpful, and willing, and did I mention very helpful...and I suspect that as you continue on the renovation of your beautiful Venture 24 swing-keel pre-HIN non-pop-top low-rider (on the trailer, that is) you'll find many wonderful ideas and plenty of good advice within the borders of this forum.

C'mon back any time, y'hear?

This is a great forum and I have used many of the tips and ideas from other sailors here. Most dont directly work with my boat (V23) but many can be adapted. Trailersailers.com and Macgregorowners.com (sailboatowners.com) are also great sources of information, help, and moral support. But if you want specific information about your specific boat you should also check out the website dedicated to Venture 24s: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/venture24 [/size]
I'm not suggesting abandoning this site for that one; it's a matter of using all the resources that are available.
For those interested in learning more about the Venture of Newport, that boat-specific site is http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/venturenewport

no viz I agree and sorry if I seem like I am coming off as ungrateful. I do appreciate all of the responses. I am impatient and young and I find it frustrating that sailing being a big part of the history of human beings has had such a poor time of properly documenting anything.

I think its is pretty fair to settle on this being a venture 24 there will be a lot of upgrades and changes and ill be sure to need help when I am coming up with how to rerig her etc

So what IS the white keel-looking object under your boat in the other pictures?

The Transom is different .....but there sure are a lot of similarities to a 25' Catalina from the era.. I have some pictures . But you'll figure out what it is long before I ever figure out how to post them..
I sat next to that Cat.25 on two different occasions for a couple days Off Matlacha Fla.

Definitely a venture 24, very similar in appearance to venture 17 and 21.