I will check out Walmart and thanks for the info on the tires as I most likely wouldn't have looked for bias ply tires.
See? That's one of the cool things about this group: they are a fountain of information most of us new guys would never otherwise know about, and they're willing to share.
You sound like me. Seventeen days ago I found a deal I couldn't pass up: a 1978 Mac 22 and trailer for a very low price. The present owner was a commercial operator here on the island. It once belonged to someone he knew, and sat at mooring for a long time. The operator took the boat in lieu of money owed, put it on a trailer and started to go through it; but it sat from 2008 on; he was operating several boats and didn't have time for this one; and he just wanted it gone.
I was the other side of that coin. I wanted a trailer sailor I could pick up cheap and repair; so I did. Here's what I've noticed about mine so far, so you can compare it to what you're dealing with:
The keel winch was gone. What the guys told you about Northern Tool is right. I'd have gotten my replacement there but they don't ship to Hawaii, so I installed a 12 volt power winch. We'll see how that works out.
The keel is cast iron, has some marine growth still on it, but seems to move freely and correctly: or, at least as far as I can tell on the trailer. Since the keel is a critical part of the boat, I do believe I'm going to drop mine and replace the pivot bolt, unless it really looks good. (Might have been done in recent years.)
The standing rigging is there and complete: not new, but not looking bad as far as I can tell. I want mine looked at by someone more knowledgeable; you might want that, too.
The running rigging and sails are all there except for the fiddle block that goes on the aft end of the boom; the guys here have shown me where to get reasonably priced replacements; or I might make one. Doesn't look too complex.
Cleaning out the interior and washing the boat down was the first thing we did. involved removing all the innards, but wasn't too hard.
I'm working on the hull, and the biggest thing I have to deal with is a whole lot of "blisters" in the gel coat from sitting on the mooring. That's a matter of sanding, filling, and priming for paint. Not too hard, and again the guys here have given me a lot of tips on how that's done, what to use, etc. Check the posts since August.
Some of my teak wood was shot: the cabin top and companionway door sliders, for instance. I plan to make a cheapo set, but I've seen polyethelene ones available: all four for $148 a set as I recall.
The mounts where my stainless bow pulpet attaches were rotten. The PO had to take it off and repair it with wood and fiberglass. All i need to do is sand out the resin before I paint.
The hardware for my rudder mounting brackets and outboard motor mount are toast. I'm going to pull them out, reseal and reinforce the area with fiberglass matting inside the hull, and install new hardware.
Other than that, it's paint. I can paint it myself, but the thing I'm seeing is it's important to buy the right kind of paint. Two-part, and the kind with antifouling properties below the waterline. The cost of the paint will probably be my biggest expenditure in the entire restoration.
That might sound like a lot, but it's mostly just elbow grease and the expense hasn't been much at all yet.
If you got your 25 at a good price, I'm thinking you will be able to get her up and running for a fraction of what she'll eventually be worth. Everyone I talk to says MacGregors are good boats, and a good investment.
Good luck with your new project!
VBR,
Pat
The paint is peeling on the upper cabin which I think I may just sand down and repaint. Hopefully I may get a chance to put the mast up and check all the rigging. I'm an aircraft tech by trade so inspecting or replacing the cables should not be a problem. That may just have to wait until I get it home to Vermont.
