I am looking to purchase my first sailboat and recently found a 1972 MacGregor venture 17 for sale in my area. I would greatly apreciate the coments and opinions of anyone familar with this boat.
First Boat Advice: MacGregor Venture 17
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Peter
The smallest Venture...
my first boat with "sleeping space" was a Venture 17. It's cheap, easy to rig, a trailable behind the smallest vehicles. It's a light weight and not a very well sailing boat. Somewhere I have a photo of two of us sailing my Venture, and it is so low in the stern from our combined weight in the cockpit, that it is laughable. It was advertised as with cruising room for 4, but 2 is more practical down below. It's lightly built and not well finished. Wouldn't want to take it very far from shore. OK as a starter, but you'll soon be disappointed in its handling. I think I had mine about 2 years before frustration set in.
my first boat with "sleeping space" was a Venture 17. It's cheap, easy to rig, a trailable behind the smallest vehicles. It's a light weight and not a very well sailing boat. Somewhere I have a photo of two of us sailing my Venture, and it is so low in the stern from our combined weight in the cockpit, that it is laughable. It was advertised as with cruising room for 4, but 2 is more practical down below. It's lightly built and not well finished. Wouldn't want to take it very far from shore. OK as a starter, but you'll soon be disappointed in its handling. I think I had mine about 2 years before frustration set in.
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Scott
Why look at such old boats?
It won't be hard to find a much newer, and better boats for very reasonable prices. Make a visit to Sunset Sails on Lake Hopatcong or the sailboat shop that is on Hwy 31 just north of Spruce Run in Glen Gardner and get a better idea of what is around. Both locations are local to you in Flanders. There are plenty of Catalina 22's around for sure (for next to nothing). If you are thinking about a 17' to 18' boat for lake sailing (Lake Hopatcong, Spruce Run or Round Valley Res) why not consider a new boat? They are not prohibitively high priced in that size(in fact, I think they are downright cheap, compared to powerboats) and you can easily get something with much nicer equipment and performance than you will find in an older boat. I bet it could make the difference between being lukewarm to sailing and really enjoying it. There are some great Hunters, Catalinas, Precisions and others at either of those two local shops.
It won't be hard to find a much newer, and better boats for very reasonable prices. Make a visit to Sunset Sails on Lake Hopatcong or the sailboat shop that is on Hwy 31 just north of Spruce Run in Glen Gardner and get a better idea of what is around. Both locations are local to you in Flanders. There are plenty of Catalina 22's around for sure (for next to nothing). If you are thinking about a 17' to 18' boat for lake sailing (Lake Hopatcong, Spruce Run or Round Valley Res) why not consider a new boat? They are not prohibitively high priced in that size(in fact, I think they are downright cheap, compared to powerboats) and you can easily get something with much nicer equipment and performance than you will find in an older boat. I bet it could make the difference between being lukewarm to sailing and really enjoying it. There are some great Hunters, Catalinas, Precisions and others at either of those two local shops.
Not so fast
Some of my best sailing memories were with my young children on our '74 V17. Sure it was small and light and simple, but it was easy to trailer, easy to setup single-handed (15 minutes or less) and it fit in my standard-size garage. It was so convienient that I took it out on Lake Pontchartrain almost every day even though I lived 15 miles away. It could take the worst Pontchartrain (and I) could throw at it; often sailing with a rail in the water. What a work-out. After 2 years I decided to "upgrade" to a little larger (and heavier) boat. What a mistake! The bigger boat took 2 to launch and rig and was never as much fun. It wouldn't fit in the garage. I couldn't keep it "ready to go" while parked in my yard so I hardly ever used it. If you're going to go bigger then go all the way up to a MacGregor 26. The early ones are light (water ballast) but good sailers and the later ones are amazing hybids (fast under power). Happy sails *_/), MArk
Some of my best sailing memories were with my young children on our '74 V17. Sure it was small and light and simple, but it was easy to trailer, easy to setup single-handed (15 minutes or less) and it fit in my standard-size garage. It was so convienient that I took it out on Lake Pontchartrain almost every day even though I lived 15 miles away. It could take the worst Pontchartrain (and I) could throw at it; often sailing with a rail in the water. What a work-out. After 2 years I decided to "upgrade" to a little larger (and heavier) boat. What a mistake! The bigger boat took 2 to launch and rig and was never as much fun. It wouldn't fit in the garage. I couldn't keep it "ready to go" while parked in my yard so I hardly ever used it. If you're going to go bigger then go all the way up to a MacGregor 26. The early ones are light (water ballast) but good sailers and the later ones are amazing hybids (fast under power). Happy sails *_/), MArk
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