I have a venture 224 .

Feb 20, 2016
49
macgregor venture 224 Port Saint John
I have a venture 1972 224 and I was wondering on the registration the hin # says 2244 does that mean that she was the fourth boat off the line that year .Also on the hull stiffeners under the cockpit there is the number four drilled in 1/4 inch holes .Can someone help me .
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
The HIN system was introduced for boats manufactured or imported after Nov 1, 1972. Prior to that some States assigned numbers. It is possible the Certificate of Origin from the manufacturer may have included the number 2244 and the State picked it up. The important thing is that you can transfer that number in your registration to the boat. I have no information on what that last #4 could have meant.
 
Jul 29, 2010
1,392
Macgregor 76 V-25 #928 Lake Mead, Nevada
Roger MacGregor is the Henry Ford of sailboats. Yep, it looks like you have hull #4. Venture 24, no pop top, became Venture 224, pop top in 1972. You have one of the earliest 224's. Vintage. Venture 25, Our Freedom, same hull, different top mold came out in '75. Macgregor 25, modified hull, different top mold and interior came out in '78. and so on...Friend of mine had Venture 21 hull #8. V8. First production boat by MacGregor was Westwind 19, early 60's. Built some Venture 17's. and Venture Cat. Also 36 footer. Sadly no more Macs. Plant in Costa Mesa shut down as well as Catalina Plant in Woodland Hills, Islander and Cal in Costa Mesa.
 
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Feb 20, 2016
49
macgregor venture 224 Port Saint John
Thank you ,Benny and freedom 77 .Thats totally awesome yes it is a pop top.got it for 800.00 on trailer ,new sails.but no keel ,just got finished welding up a new one going to glass it in the next couple of weeks.hope to get it in the water soon .going to sail it first needs a new paint job has about 4 or 5 coats of paint on it.I really love this web site.thank you all so much .
 
Jul 29, 2010
1,392
Macgregor 76 V-25 #928 Lake Mead, Nevada
Good luck with the new keel. What are you fabricating new keel from. How 'bout some pics. Freedom has cast iron no glass. Salt water tends to get into keel and expand glass. Had to reglass our Venture 222. Give some thought to putting stainless steel bushing in pivot hole.
 
Feb 13, 2016
551
macgreggor venture 224 ohio river
Great boat for the price, I bought a 73 224 back in December from a guy who just wanted to be done with it. Got boat trailer and a 89 15 HP for a $1000, I was super happy! Had to put about 1500 in it but now it's like new
 

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Feb 20, 2016
49
macgregor venture 224 Port Saint John
Good luck with the new keel. What are you fabricating new keel from. How 'bout some pics. Freedom has cast iron no glass. Salt water tends to get into keel and expand glass. Had to reglass our Venture 222. Give some thought to putting stainless steel bushing in pivot hole.
 
Feb 20, 2016
49
macgregor venture 224 Port Saint John
Steel plating already have it welded togather was planing on a s.s bushing got some s.s.schedule 40 pipe I had left over from a job .Didnt have anyway to make it out of cast iron no forges within several hundred miles of where I live. so glass is going to have to due. Also bought a brand new merc 9.9 4 stroke .so I wouldnt have to mess with an old motor. thanks for everything.
 
Feb 20, 2016
49
macgregor venture 224 Port Saint John
Thanks for all your help sailnewbie will send photos when the boat looks a little better.lol
 
Feb 20, 2016
49
macgregor venture 224 Port Saint John
Does anyone know how many venture 224s were made in 1972 or in any given year? also does anyone out there have #1,2 or 3.would be interesting to find out if I have the oldest one left.That would be cool.
 
Feb 13, 2016
551
macgreggor venture 224 ohio river
You just may, maybe it'll add some value to her, I looked at mine once and it had a whole bunch of numbers to it, nothing special to mine unless mine is the last one built:clap:
 
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Feb 20, 2016
49
macgregor venture 224 Port Saint John
Thanks there is a sloop tavern yacht club regatta 1977 in the cabin.If that helps jog anyones memory.
 
Jul 29, 2010
1,392
Macgregor 76 V-25 #928 Lake Mead, Nevada
Catalina 22 is still the largest production sailboat. Frank Butler didn't do a lot of the changes that Roger did. Ventures of various sizes are right behind. Venture went through more morphs than Catalina. There are a whole bunch of them around dating back to the beginning. Just the 24 went from 24 to 224 to V-25 to M-25 to the 26 series. At one point the factory was cranking out a boat a day. Roger helped more of us average working guys get into sailing than almost anyone else.
 
Jun 25, 2016
65
Venture 21 Minter Bay
Someone, or some group ought to help/entice Roger write his memoirs, an autobiography or research/interview for a biography. I've owned my V21 since 1986 and wish I'd met the guy on one of my trips to CA (Daughter a USC Trojan from early 2000's)...sounds like an interesting fellow.

Sail on...
 
Feb 20, 2016
49
macgregor venture 224 Port Saint John
Thanks VenturED someone really should his daughter runs a boat business down the coast from me. Think around the West Palm /Ft.Lauderdale area.Like I said ive been through my boat from stem to stern inside and out and the only id number ive found is the number 4 drilled in 1/4 inch holes in the starboard hull stiffener under the cockpit .Its nice to think that ive got the oldest 1972 venture 2-24 around.
 
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Jul 29, 2010
1,392
Macgregor 76 V-25 #928 Lake Mead, Nevada
Met Roger many years ago at the plant in Costa Mesa. The place was a beehive of activity. More business owners should be as nice as him. If memory serves me, he attended Stanford and built Westwind 19 as his MBA project. Most people don't remember "Eighth Day" Mac 36 Cat that set a record on the Newport/Ensenada Race. He shot past us like we were sitting still.
 
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Jun 25, 2016
65
Venture 21 Minter Bay
Yes, Laura's last name is now Sharp. I asked a few weeks ago about their Tattoo operation and for info on my V21 keel via the www.tattooyachts.com website "contact us" form. She replied they have a new facility now and are working to get the Tattoo 22 into production (similar concept to the Mac 19 and 26X motor sailors), but no timeline. I read elsewhere the Mac 26x mold used for the Tattoo 26 wore out and it wasn't likely they'd make a new one to continue the model.

Laura had no info on the V21 keel, referring me to BWY in Seattle (now apparently further north in Lynnwood and not right on Lake Union). Todd at BWY did find drawimgs on the V21 construction and one with bolt hole location dimensions, but they were too faded to scan without retracing the details. I offered to do that work for him and I'm still hopeful I'll see them in the relatively near future. Maybe I'll head that way and see if I can snap photos to share!

Cheers!
 
Mar 19, 2018
1
O-Day 22 Lake of the Ozarks
Good day, seen you post about the venture 224. I have a 1971 Venture 24, and the keel was gone when we purchased it. The boat is in perfect cond and as I have been seeing it looks like the keel was bad and removed. I seen you made a new one for yours, If that is true I would really appreciate any help with pictures or drawings on anything that would help me fab one. Hate to see a nice old boat go to scrap. Thank you, Matt
 
Jun 25, 2016
65
Venture 21 Minter Bay
Mathew,

Sorry for the delay in replying. My Venture is a 21 and they had a least two designs for keels over the year. Mine is a steel bar anchored in a lead foot. Whomever built them for MacGregor is likely no longer around, so I can only guess that this core was placed in a mold so it could be cast to closed to its finished dimensions and then glassed and fared before some sort of top coat.

I have photos of my rebuilding process in (keeps getting out in hold for other projects dictated by the Admiral) in an album in Google Photos but need to add a few with my beginning steps for recasting the filler... When you view each image there is a comments icon at the bottom where I have `captioned' what is shown...feek free to ask questions there! Also, email me at ebachy@gmail.com if I don't get back and add the latter steps there sometime soon.

https://goo.gl/photos/Do3MN5bEBuLsFAJB9

Cheers!