MacGregorSailors.com

New to sailing, new to MacGregor, humbled by the shared knowledge, wisdom and experience observed after reading 600+ post on repairs, mods, and design ideas. Russ, Sumner, and countless others who read, post, and support this site...thank you. As my name implies, I'm in Denver and, though I've had a romantic relationship with sailing since I was a boy, it has been a long-distance relationship. Your posts have taken fear and guesswork out of many of my thoughts and I hope to someday contribute as you have.

The wife (I understand she is now the "Admiral") and I bought a '73 V22 and, though she was loved and used by her PO, she has the scars of a lifetime of less-than-attentive maintenance upon her...which is why we love her...'cuz so do we!

We used several posts from this forum to remove her from her trailer which we then ground, sanded, primed and painted. We gutted the interior and began designing a new layout with an extended bow berth, more storage (stowage?), and bought the tv and stereo for her before we even began patching the many cracks, crazes and scratches I her deck and hull.

Sadly, I had Achilles surgery earlier this week so my progress on her has been halted if only temporarily. The benefit of this, however, is that I've been able to catch up on Don Casey's tomes, read Cap'n Fatty's sea gypsy stories, and peruse thousands, literally, of beautiful, and could-be-beautiful boats online. If I lived in New York I'd have a dozen yachts already!!! So while we plan, dream, and conspire to get the kids out of the house and sail the big blues into our latter years (is there a sweeter tale than that of Sumner and Ruth?) I have some questions about my lovely Christianna...her new name.

(Too much?)

Our V22 has no dividers under the cockpit from the cabin through to the stern stowage compartment that holds the gas tank and the batteries. After reading the forums, I see benefits (not to mention less risk of fire) of moving the batteries to the bow and building a ventilated compartment for the portable gas tank under the stern hatch. Does anyone have such experience with a similar design or advice I'm missing?

Thanks in advance for the insight.

Welcome aboard!! Sounds like a great project is underway.

Looking forward to some photos!

There is a lot of room under the cockpit, even with the floatation foam. We added a second quarter berth on the starboard side, as we have 4 kids, and needed a place for everyone to sleep. There is no reason you couldn't make a vented gas tank locker in the stern hatch. Personally I like using it for sail storage, as it is a cavernous space, on a boat that doesn't have lots of room for storage. I suppose one way to do it would be to make a huge compartment under the stern where you could store sails, a gas tank, or whatever. As for the battery, you could put it in the bow, but you don't want to have to make long runs of cable for everything. I found putting the battery under the dinette seat worked well. I mounted the fuse panel just to the side of the keel winch, so everything is close together. Either way, there aren't any wrong answers. It is a great boat, have fun with it.

Welcome aboard!

You have learned the first rule already...the captain runs the boat, but the admiral runs the "fleet".

I have a VN23....not sure but I think the insides are very similiar

I already had a fuse and switch panel located on the dividing wall for the head. So I just used that one when I re-wired everything. I used "alarm Wire" that a friend gives me the leftover rolls from his business...usually 50+ ft of "scrap" left on each reel, to short for them to use, long enough for what I do.

I have 2 Deep Cell Batteries, and I put them directly behind the Keel Winch. There is a little "pocket" there. I have a small chunk of 2x4 under the aft battery to make it "level" as without it the battery tips backwards slightly. The Dual Battery switch is mounted just to the side of that.

The Gas tank is up to you, but I DO NOT stow it below. Admiral doesn't want the fumes in the cabin, period. She has a sensitive sniffer. If I were you, and Your Admiral is also sensitive it might be a good Idea to take the gas tank you will be using and fill it up and put it where you intend to below and don't forget their is a "vent cap" on tanks and in rough weather or waves losing a drop or two isn't uncommon. Not enough to be a safety issue most likely, but the Admiral can smell it and won't have it. Let your tank sit their with the vent unscrewed in the hot sun for a few hours, then have her go below and do a sniff test....also spill a thimble full on top of the tank and see if that's acceptable to her. If you only Day-Sail might not be as much of an issue, but we stay overnight on ours often.


I keep my 5 gallon tank on the floor, in the aft end of the cockpit. Henry, with the Chiquita, keeps his in the same place and has built a wooden "box" to cover it. I totally plan on stealing this design, but also want to add another "layer" on top to store small hardware...This keeps the gas smell out, more room below for other things. The gas tank in this location has not interfered with sailing or comfort in the cabin (it's kind of a dead space) and it keeps the smell AND the fuel itself out of the cabin...so that's also got to be safer I imagine.

Cheers Mate

Thanks so much for the replies...we are on our way!

I'll post pics as soon as I figure out the links.

Every square inch of our cabin is covered with carpet. I've looked at lots of pics and read many posts about mold so we are pulling it all out and, like you, will grind the hull out of it. Yikes! I'm going to have to learn patience...

I'll start tomorrow. Hahaha!

Oh yes, the grinding... I'm having PTSD just thinking about having done that!

Do you have the old, thick and peeling paint too? That was harder to get rid of than the carpet.

I'll have to post some before and after photos now that the Admiral has finished sewing the curtains and the cushions are all in place.

Welcome to the legion of the damned. Our second "yatch" Penny Sue Too was a '72 V-222. Kept her for five years, found her a good home, and bought freedom in 1976. Great boat, lotsa fun. Enjoy! As I have mentioned numerous time there are three things to keep in mind on a sailboat (Yacht). Weight, Weight, and Weight. The more weight you can place low and close to the keel the better she will handle. Keep as much weight out of the stern and foreward as possible. Four people in the cockpit of a V-222 is plenty. Keep us posted on progress Yacht is the way you describe your boat to someone who will likely never see it. Fair winds and full sails...Old Salt

I had a v222 before i bought my M and did extensive work on it. i kept my gas outside. mine had the motor cutout and well for a portable tank. for long distance jaunts i kept another tank on the cockpit floor. i kept sails in the back hatch. I raised the hight of the motor mount, and put a retractable bracket on instead. i also made the cabin higher and got rid of the poptop.i kept the battery on the port side, just behind the dinette seat, to balance out heavy gear on the other side of the boat. i also installed a centerboard trunk brace since it is only supported on the one side. i got rid of the head compartment and had a long single berth there instead. i lowered the veeberth front since it has an upward tilting angle i found uncomfortable. that was a pita but worth the effort for me. i slept with my feet forward and they were raised up. mine had the flaking speckled gelcoat inside. yuck. i painted as much as i could and covered the hull sides with upholstery fabric which amazingly, never mildewed! i took great pains to keep the boat dry however. I chased down every leak: the centerboard bolt heads got a light cover of glass. the windows got resealed. the hull to deck joint got resealed with silicon, that lasted for years. the tube that the centerboard cable comes out of, got extended up a few inches, and stuffed with a greasy rag. water would come into the boat from that before if it was rough out! There was stuff screwed right into the top of the centerboard trunk, and I patched those holes. my boat was dry even on the rainiest cruddy day.
i one sized up all the rigging wire and installed beautiful bronze chainplates, but the old ss ones looked fine when I took them out. I put a third rudder pintle and gudeon set on, and i also beefed up the areas of hull where the chainplates attach, and especially where the backstay connects to the boat. After i did all that I felt really confident in the boat.
Ix

Thanks again for more ideas...but...now I think I should take up golf!

Hahaha.

It looks like the carpet was glued on with...

Wait for it...

Liquid Nails!

Seriously!

I love the idea of installing a motor mount to the transom and keeping the tank in the well where the transom is cut out (No vapors for the...ahem...Admiral to be upset about. (It's really me...)). I assume a simple strap install would reduce the worries of "tank overboard."

Lots of holes to patch, windows to replace, sanding and shining to do. If anyone wants to visit Denver with a palm sander...

Our 22 also had the gas tank well built in. Just a little advice. Get a rubber sink mat and cut it fit in the well. Keep tank from slipping around and avoid scratching gel coat. Used some neoprene rubber when mounting engine. Saves the finish and cuts down on vibration a bit. Also, when you get $$$ install mid boom main sheet setup. She will point higher and you will able to control mainsheet easier. "A BOAT IS A LARGE HOLE IN THE WATER INTO WHICH YOU POUR COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF CASH" Send pics of new baby ASAP! Fair Winds and Full Sails...Old Salt