And so it begins... The V222 Restoration

Apr 19, 2012
1,043
O'Day Daysailor 17 Nevis MN
She looks really nice Todd. Keep at it.

btw. It seems that every Mac needs rewiring. The wiring was only marginal from the factory so any Mac over 10 years old needs to be rewired.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
She looks really nice Todd. Keep at it.

btw. It seems that every Mac needs rewiring. The wiring was only marginal from the factory so any Mac over 10 years old needs to be rewired.
Bud...That Mac was probably made in the '70s.

Todd... Way to go. It is going to be such a satisfying boat once you are done. I'd like to share a thought I'm toying with for a Rhodes 22 that I'm restoring. No wring at all....I'm going to light the cabin with battery operated LED puck lights, use a batter operated LED camping lantern hanging from the boom for an anchor light and keep a stash of "emergency" battery operated navigation lights for the rare times I sail after dark... and last... a hand-held VHF.

My experience with nav. lights is ... you don't use them very often. So why go through the hassle of a fuse panel and switches and crimps and wires etc.... and puck lights work great.

I'd also lose the galley... and just keep a bucket on board for washing dishes in. You need a bucket for other things anyway. And find a way to secure a camping stove in the cockpit for when you are at anchor. Or get a gumballed camping stove similar to this one that you can stash away when not in use.

 
Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
GRRanger - I don't know why that wouldn't work great. I'm converting most of the cabin to LED including the aft quarter births. These births are historical under utilized as they are usually pretty dark. Running a s strip of LED's really makes the space both more useable for storage, as you can see what's back there as well as more functional for sleeping. Plus the new white paint really makes it bright. Useful when your searching bags or supplies. It must be human nature, but I'm always more at ease sliding into a birth where I can see and not bump my head.

The hand held VHF is a good call as well. I think your plan is solid.

We finished the deck paint this weekend and only need finish the back two quarter births. Things are moving alone. This weekend we will deploy the travel lift I made and attempt to raise her from the trailer. I'll keep you in the loop.

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Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
Thanks for the articles and the compliment... I do agree she is looking good. I think I'll spring for an extra quart of West Marine Sea Gloss Pro and hit some of the thin spots. It really did a nice job and I hope it will hold up for awhile. But, let's face it might as well go one more weekend of painting and not have to think of it again for the foreseeable future. I'll be turning my attention to the keel next. I admit I've been dreading this... but, I have a solid plan for "lifting and blocking" her. You can see some of the homemade travel lift in the pictures, but I'll be posting more as I go. Basically I'm using ten foot 4x4's, a 5000lb tow strap and 8000lb come along.... and you guys know the rest. Inch it up, block it, roll the trailer out. I've also figured out that if I leave the travel lift and tow strap attached to the front cradling it, I shouldn't need stands, as it will be impossible to tip. Some simple 2x4's tilted and cut to rest against the hull should suffice. I'll keep the updates coming. Cheers.
 
Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
Re-installed the galley and bulkhead wall this weekend. Also, purchased some nice cabinet grade plywood to re-build the table and one salon bunk. It's getting serious now! Soon the keel!

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Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
And so it continues!
I just wanted to update the group on our progress. Spring has sprung in Louisville Kentucky, though we just got 8" of snow on the first day of spring. Not to be deterred, we put a heater in the cabin and began removing the tape that didn't get removed last fall (mistake to leave it but, just a little elbow grease). Everyone who sees her compliments our progress! That being said, we are on track for a June Launch, maybe earlier if I can get the keel project finished quickly. The keel repair is the final piece... and admittedly the most daunting to me. So, I'm looking for encouragement... "It's easy Todd, no worries, 500lbs is nothing..." I might add that I've been sidetracked by the acquisition of a couple of Sunfish we picked up for free too! It's amazing the boats you can get for free if your only willing to devote, hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to a free boat! I'll keep the updates coming and add some new pics soon.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I've done this job three different times.

Once you get started on the keel, it won't take that long. Two weekends. The hard part is getting it out of the boat without dropping it on your toes.

Once you lift the boat off of the trailer, you will have to get the weight of the keel off of the keel bolt so you can move the bolt out. That has always been a slow process for me. There might be a better way but what I did was put a jack on the keel and lift it a little to get the weight off of the bolt... then went in the boat and tried to sledge the bolt out. But each time you enter the boat, your body weight shifts the equilibrium a little so it is a trail and error process. Once you get the keel bolt out, you need to lower the jack to lower the keel but keep the keel lifting cable attached so the keel does not drop out without a way for you to keep it off of the ground. You don't want to dead lift 500 lb keel off of the ground. Then run a cable through the keel bolt hole and lower the keel the rest of the way to the ground (or onto the trailer is better if you have a way to keep the boat suspended). Either move the boat off of the keel or drag the keel out from under the boat.

If you can find an engine hoist on Craigslist, that is the best way to go, but a stout oak limb and a come-a-long will do the trick. You can always resell the engine hoist after you are done (that is what I did). Lift the keel up and start stripping it to bare metal. I've used a grinder on one of the keels that was relatively smooth, and a chipping hammer followed by a sandblaster on one that was full of rust scales. You will also need to get some rust treatment (phosphoric acid based) and some barrier coat. Once the keel is stripped and rust treated, paint several coats of barrier coat on the bare metal. Then fair and cover with fiberglass and barrier coat again. Kevlar would be a great choice but I never sprang for that since I already had fiberglass cloth in the shed.

Then you have the joy of reversing the steps you took to get the keel out of the boat.

But when you are done... you will know it is right and strong and you will feel safe sailing her in big waters.
 
May 16, 2011
555
Macgregor V-25 Charlton, MA- Trailer
I've done this job three different times.

Once you get started on the keel, it won't take that long. Two weekends. The hard part is getting it out of the boat without dropping it on your toes.

Once you lift the boat off of the trailer, you will have to get the weight of the keel off of the keel bolt so you can move the bolt out. That has always been a slow process for me. There might be a better way but what I did was put a jack on the keel and lift it a little to get the weight off of the bolt... then went in the boat and tried to sledge the bolt out. But each time you enter the boat, your body weight shifts the equilibrium a little so it is a trail and error process. Once you get the keel bolt out, you need to lower the jack to lower the keel but keep the keel lifting cable attached so the keel does not drop out without a way for you to keep it off of the ground. You don't want to dead lift 500 lb keel off of the ground. Then run a cable through the keel bolt hole and lower the keel the rest of the way to the ground (or onto the trailer is better if you have a way to keep the boat suspended). Either move the boat off of the keel or drag the keel out from under the boat.

If you can find an engine hoist on Craigslist, that is the best way to go, but a stout oak limb and a come-a-long will do the trick. You can always resell the engine hoist after you are done (that is what I did). Lift the keel up and start stripping it to bare metal. I've used a grinder on one of the keels that was relatively smooth, and a chipping hammer followed by a sandblaster on one that was full of rust scales. You will also need to get some rust treatment (phosphoric acid based) and some barrier coat. Once the keel is stripped and rust treated, paint several coats of barrier coat on the bare metal. Then fair and cover with fiberglass and barrier coat again. Kevlar would be a great choice but I never sprang for that since I already had fiberglass cloth in the shed.

Then you have the joy of reversing the steps you took to get the keel out of the boat.

But when you are done... you will know it is right and strong and you will feel safe sailing her in big waters.
 
May 16, 2011
555
Macgregor V-25 Charlton, MA- Trailer
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I made a gantry. I then traced a pattern of the stern. Once the boat is cranked up just pull the trailer out. I made a cradle for the keel and rolled it out. 650#!! Wheeled it into the garage and refinished it with POR15. Top coat of Rustoleum. I left the cable connected and lowered the keel down into the cradle with the winch. Once down I used a pump jack to support the bolt end. Take the weight off the keel and the bolt just tapped out. I had to straighten it in the vise to get a few previous owner sins out and good as new. I put butyl tape under the washer to get a good seal.
Never a dull moment with these boats. I have a new torsion axle sitting in the garage right now. Looks like the boat is coming off again!!
Ken B
CMDRE - North East Trailer Sailor Yacht Club
https://www.facebook.com/NorthEastTrailerSailors/?ref=bookmarks
 
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Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
Hope Springs Eternal - Just a few pics and updates. She is off the trailer about two inches above the bunks. I opted for the cinder block method and she seems very stable. I'll add some more blocks to the sides before moving the trailer and removing the keel in about two weeks. If anyone sees any gotchas let me know, like I said I have about two weeks before removing the keel and starting the re-glass. It went up remarkable easily and I can easily raise it a quarter inch, block and repeat, until she is exactly where I want her. My neighbor has offered some advise on filler epoxy's for the enormous gashes in the keel, but I'm looking for suggestions there too. Refer to the pictures early in the thread to understand just how much filler I will be dealing with.
 

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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Getting close!

You might want to lower the keel onto the trailer so you can use the trailer to move it around. That is what I did with my Mac V21. On my Balboa I did what you are doing and then built a cradle to move the keel around in.
 
Jun 24, 2010
189
Macgregor 25 Northeast, MD
I would recommend two stacks of blocks at the back with the blocks running forward and aft so the boat can not roll the blocking to the front or back. I used a stack of wood pallets to support the back of my boat when I removed it from the trailer. They provided a nice wide stable support for the back of the boat.
 
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Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
Thanks rgranger... I've since added some blocks at the transom. Seems very, very sturdy.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
You are welcome Todd but it looks like you were responding to jjsbiggs ... at least content wise.

Hope you can get on the water soon.
 
Jan 25, 2017
147
Macgregor V222 Kentucky Lake
I wanted to post a few pics with the V222 off the trailer. We finished the hull paint last night, and while it's a bit lighter than the original paint, I'm very pleased with the results. This weekend, we drop the keel. I'm hoping to have that wrapped on in a couple of weeks.
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Looking back over the pictures from the past year and a half it's hard to believe how far we have come. I don't think there is anything as rewarding as putting an old boat back on the water. They seem to know it somehow and maybe it's just me, but the ones I've brought back to their glory always seem to return the favor.
 
Apr 5, 2018
95
Catalina Capri 25 Jackson
Looking back over the pictures from the past year and a half it's hard to believe how far we have come. I don't think there is anything as rewarding as putting an old boat back on the water. They seem to know it somehow and maybe it's just me, but the ones I've brought back to their glory always seem to return the favor.
Thats pretty poetic :D I'm hoping my boat is thankful and treats me well when we're back in the water after all the long hours I've put into her. This is the first boat i've fixed up on my own, and even during the most horrid job of sanding the bottom of the hull, i look up at this mass of fiberglass above me and just think "damn this is my boat and im going to make it look good"
 
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