I have a question if anybody out there knows how to lock the keel down on a Newport Venture to keep it from slamming into the hull in case of a knock down. Please help Thanks Jeff
Locking the keel on a Mac 23 Newport Venture
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bruce cornell
lock
there are 2 bolts thru the keel trunk forward near the compression post...one is the bolt that the keel attaches with, and has larger gaskets, the second bolt is the keel lockdown bolt. remove bolt,lower keel, replace bolt thru housing and keel. lock bolt is highest of two, i think, and should 'drop'out...if never used, may have growth that will have to be cleaned up first. many of us just leave unlocked and sail till it drags, crank a turn and head for deep water, remember you need about 6 feet of water when locked down...
there are 2 bolts thru the keel trunk forward near the compression post...one is the bolt that the keel attaches with, and has larger gaskets, the second bolt is the keel lockdown bolt. remove bolt,lower keel, replace bolt thru housing and keel. lock bolt is highest of two, i think, and should 'drop'out...if never used, may have growth that will have to be cleaned up first. many of us just leave unlocked and sail till it drags, crank a turn and head for deep water, remember you need about 6 feet of water when locked down...
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Greg Pecaut
Keel
You may be missing the bolt and washers. But I am sure you can find the hole they belong in. Do use a fender washer on each side of this set up and do tighten the bolt. Otherwise it will wear as it wiggels in the hole. With my boat, if I leave the bolt and washers out, I get splashes of water comming out of the holes for the lock down. This get the seat cusion wet at the dinette. This makes the girl friend upset, as now her bed is wet. So if not for the boat, at least for your passengers, do lock the keel down. If you have some one else lower the keel you can watch and see when the hole in the keel lines up with the hole in the centerboard trunk (OK swing keel trunk) and from there it's easy to push the bolt in. I put the bolt in from the starboard side, so that there are no threads wearring on the cusion. But then I just spent a bunch on replacing all the cusions. As far as scratching your self on the threads when walking by, skin heals it's self, but you might want to try getting the bolt just the right length and using a cap nut, Then neither side has to get scratched. As far as running aground, learn to navigate, and I prefer knowing the boat will stand back up if knocked down over trying to figure out how to take care of the hull damage and get it back upright because it's a little easier to raise the keel leaving the bolt out.
You may be missing the bolt and washers. But I am sure you can find the hole they belong in. Do use a fender washer on each side of this set up and do tighten the bolt. Otherwise it will wear as it wiggels in the hole. With my boat, if I leave the bolt and washers out, I get splashes of water comming out of the holes for the lock down. This get the seat cusion wet at the dinette. This makes the girl friend upset, as now her bed is wet. So if not for the boat, at least for your passengers, do lock the keel down. If you have some one else lower the keel you can watch and see when the hole in the keel lines up with the hole in the centerboard trunk (OK swing keel trunk) and from there it's easy to push the bolt in. I put the bolt in from the starboard side, so that there are no threads wearring on the cusion. But then I just spent a bunch on replacing all the cusions. As far as scratching your self on the threads when walking by, skin heals it's self, but you might want to try getting the bolt just the right length and using a cap nut, Then neither side has to get scratched. As far as running aground, learn to navigate, and I prefer knowing the boat will stand back up if knocked down over trying to figure out how to take care of the hull damage and get it back upright because it's a little easier to raise the keel leaving the bolt out.
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Keith Berglund
To lock down, or not lock down... that is the ques
Hi Jeff, Like Bruce said, there are two sets of holes directly below the mast compression post. The lower set has the keel pivot bolt and the upper set (about 5/8” or so in diameter) are the holes for the lock down bolt. The port side hole is easily visible while the starboard hole is located down in the lower starboard side equipment storage area. Now here’s where everybody has an opinion...and I, being somebody, am no exception. It’s obvious that Mr. Pecaut has never navigated on the Texas Gulf coast. Here, the water is very brown and very thin. It’s not IF you’ll bump bottom, but how many times and where. The old joke goes – Don’t worry about drowning in Galveston or Matagorda Bay – if the boat sinks, you can walk home. That being said, I never lock the keel down. When I hit the bottom or some submerged object, I’d like the energy to be dissipated by having the keel move up rather than having it transferred to the fiberglass keel trunk. I HAVE been knocked down to 80+ degrees and have never had any problem with the keel sliding back into the boat. Nobody I’ve ever talked to or had correspondences with has ever had their keel slide back into the boat during a knockdown. If this does happen, it’s extremely rare. On my boat, any splashing through the lock-down holes has been easily contained by rubber corks for many years now. Again, the preceding is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. There is an entire Yahoo group dedicated to the Venture / Macgregor 23 representing several hundred boat owners. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/venturenewport/ Join and post your questions there. They are a good bunch of people and will be happy to give their opinion.
Hi Jeff, Like Bruce said, there are two sets of holes directly below the mast compression post. The lower set has the keel pivot bolt and the upper set (about 5/8” or so in diameter) are the holes for the lock down bolt. The port side hole is easily visible while the starboard hole is located down in the lower starboard side equipment storage area. Now here’s where everybody has an opinion...and I, being somebody, am no exception. It’s obvious that Mr. Pecaut has never navigated on the Texas Gulf coast. Here, the water is very brown and very thin. It’s not IF you’ll bump bottom, but how many times and where. The old joke goes – Don’t worry about drowning in Galveston or Matagorda Bay – if the boat sinks, you can walk home. That being said, I never lock the keel down. When I hit the bottom or some submerged object, I’d like the energy to be dissipated by having the keel move up rather than having it transferred to the fiberglass keel trunk. I HAVE been knocked down to 80+ degrees and have never had any problem with the keel sliding back into the boat. Nobody I’ve ever talked to or had correspondences with has ever had their keel slide back into the boat during a knockdown. If this does happen, it’s extremely rare. On my boat, any splashing through the lock-down holes has been easily contained by rubber corks for many years now. Again, the preceding is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. There is an entire Yahoo group dedicated to the Venture / Macgregor 23 representing several hundred boat owners. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/venturenewport/ Join and post your questions there. They are a good bunch of people and will be happy to give their opinion.
shifty thin
Water depth is not a certain thing, even in well charted areas if you sailing the Gulf coast or Atlantic coast of the southern US, where big storms, and hurricanes cause major changes in bottom contours, in a matter of hours. Just look at Google Earth, the satellite before and after pictures of this seasons storms and you can see actual botoom and beach changes that will not appear on charts for decades due to cut backs in funding for coastal surveying. I've seen old sailing passages in Florida fill up overnight and become land. Islands cut in two, islands become peninsulas in one storm. And then you factor in all the trees, containers, boats, etc. sunk during hurricanes, and all the navigation in the world just doesn't work like you want it to. Check local knowledge, consult the tide tables, post a lookout, proceed with caution and cross your fingers is the best one can do. I'd never lock my keel down, even in the open ocean, unless in major storm conditions. It's not built to take a direct hit at speed.
Water depth is not a certain thing, even in well charted areas if you sailing the Gulf coast or Atlantic coast of the southern US, where big storms, and hurricanes cause major changes in bottom contours, in a matter of hours. Just look at Google Earth, the satellite before and after pictures of this seasons storms and you can see actual botoom and beach changes that will not appear on charts for decades due to cut backs in funding for coastal surveying. I've seen old sailing passages in Florida fill up overnight and become land. Islands cut in two, islands become peninsulas in one storm. And then you factor in all the trees, containers, boats, etc. sunk during hurricanes, and all the navigation in the world just doesn't work like you want it to. Check local knowledge, consult the tide tables, post a lookout, proceed with caution and cross your fingers is the best one can do. I'd never lock my keel down, even in the open ocean, unless in major storm conditions. It's not built to take a direct hit at speed.
J
Jeff
I am not sure which two you are talking about
Thank you for your response, you mention two bolts. I have two bolts near the top of the houseing (about 9/16 or 5/8) and one larger one near the bottum (about 3/4) do I remove both of the top bolts or just one when lowering the keel. Sorry for the slow up take. Jeff
Thank you for your response, you mention two bolts. I have two bolts near the top of the houseing (about 9/16 or 5/8) and one larger one near the bottum (about 3/4) do I remove both of the top bolts or just one when lowering the keel. Sorry for the slow up take. Jeff
K
Keith Berglud
The Third Hole
The other hole you are probably seeing is the access hole for the compression post bracket. Unless you are doing maintenance, you should never mess with it under normal sailing.
The other hole you are probably seeing is the access hole for the compression post bracket. Unless you are doing maintenance, you should never mess with it under normal sailing.
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