Looking for Macgregor 22 (opinions?)

[tegwilym]

Paranoid, boat buying newbie....

Ok Karl, J. and Dennis, you are correct.I did talk with the owner of that 24 last night. I'll probably give him a call again today and see if he can send me some more photos of the boat. He said the boat could sail right away, but would probably want to fix up some things. He said the hull was very solid, but the previous owner had painted it while it was on the trailer and there were some spots where the trailer beds were that didn't get completed. He said there was some bubbling in the paint, but it was the paint and not the hull itself. He bought the boat in Snohomish and towed it to Gig Harbor (~50ish miles for those of you not familiar with this area). He said he took back roads the whole way since as he mentioned in the ad, the trailer is the weakest part of the deal. It seems that a lot of 'trailer sailors' tend to comment the same kind of thing about freeway towing - it's not a whole lot of fun? My boat will only have to make the trip once, then it's 2 miles to the water from my backyard - easy!I'm not totally against something that requires some work, since I do enjoy building things and working with my hands.  (on a totally non-boat related topic, see what I built in my backyard a couple summers ago - http://www.eastsideastro.org/observatory)Ok, back on topic!I think it could be a lot of fun to do some work on it and customize it for a more personal touch too. Yeah, it's time to stop asking questions and to feel and grope some hulls in person. Tom

 

[Dennis]

I like towing

I might be the odd dog out here, but I would rather tow on the Interstate! The only problem is when a tractor trailer passes, it can sway you, but otherwise, thats the route Ill take everytime! As to painting those areas, that were missed, when I re-geled my hull, I just jacked it up enough to get at those areas, and left it till it dried! Just be sure when you jack it up, to do it in the strong points of the hull! Like at the transom or around the keel trunk, where there is plenty of fiberglass for support!

 

[Dennis]

I dig Cosmology too

I really like your set up, and have thought about getting a scope myself several times! Cool pics!!!!!! Also I enjoyed fixing my boat up my way and still tinker with her today! Always improving!

 

[Dennis]

Further on hulls

when I got my V222 I didnt want the blue hull, and wanted black! I lightly sanded the blue gel-coat, and were there were bubbles, I sanded a little more, and then applied my black pigmented new gel-coat! Any areas where there were bubbles were filled in, so now I have a hull that is nice and shiny and you can see yourself in her! Remember you dont have to sand out the original gel-coat all the way, just a light sanding will give the different colored pigmented gel a place to adhere! Thats if you didnt want to paint her!! Just a further thought for you! A lot of people shun black hulls, but i like them and have had no problems with it in any way! Of course even placing a new paint layer on the old, you should lightly sand it anyway! Better adhesion!

 

[tegwilym]

bubbles and paint...

When I talked with the owner, he said that this boat did have some of those dreaded paint bubbles since the previous owner did something wrong with painting it. I'm not picky about color, just as long as it's in fairly good condition.I might go see the boat this weekend and check it out in person if things work out right. I still need to buy a better frame hitch for my Ranger though, and will hopefully do that this week. So when I meet the boat that wants me, I can drag the beast home. Tom

 

[tegwilym]

List

Oh, something else about this 24 that I'll hopefully visit. The owner is also going to send me a list of the things that he was thinking of fixing or other "issues" with the boat that may need attention. He says the boat is ready to go in the water and sail already, but there are things that would need some looking at. I requested photos of the trailer, cabin, cockpit, keel, and any blemishes that he could find that I'd like to know about. Some other things....he said it comes with 2 jibs, mainsail, and a spinnaker. He never used the spinnaker so he couldn't tell me much about it, and some of the required Coast Guard required items. I'll share the photos when I get them.Tom -many, many, questions, worries and concerns about buying a boat!

 

[Dennis]

If that is the boat you want

Just remember everything is fixable, and so enjoy your new boat! Just fix it the way you want and most of all have fun!