possible new owner with a few questions.

jimmyvusa · Aug 25, 2003

Clay:

I have a later edition Vega. No hull crazing and /or blisters of any kind in the 4 years we have owned her. Rudder and posts are solid. I saw this so called "rudder problem" in a "Good Old Boats" posting as well before we bought our boat in '99. This is something we cannot relate to in our experience. This part of our Vega seems sound as a drum. As far as mast compression is concerned others out here are perhaps wiser and far more experienced offshore. Recently, I was forced to come in a howling SW squall that NOAA says was 40 gusting to 50 knots. We made headway under diesel/Combi power running for home when
a lot of bigger boats were forced off course to the lee. No one on our Vega, all of whom I sent below for safety were frightened. The scariest part of this exercise was cleating her home on our mooring. We were being blown so hard away from the mooring line, it took all my strength to pull us close enough to cleat her down. My arm almost came out of its socket the pull was so strong. I was worried about my furling headstay unraveling in this blow and putting on a bungee cord safety wrap while lightning was hitting all around was also no fun.

All in all the Vega is a sound inexpensive way to get on the water. We have little to regret. It has allowed us to get out in conditions when we might have stayed on our mooring in the past. Good luck

Fair winds....Jim 3228 s/v Discovery
cwm_of_nm claywmoore@... wrote:hi All,, , i'm considering a Vega for a trip to hawaii and back.
while i've read alot of the messages, i cant find out just what the
"combi" is. if someone could explain that to me i'd appreciate it,
or tell me a
place on line that does explain it.

i've read about the mast compression and possible rudder problems.
are there other things to be aware of when purchasing ?

is there a year range/version that is preferred by most ?

i also read that blisters are not known to be a problem,
like on some other boats. Is anyone experiencing blister problems ?

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wxt8981 · Aug 25, 2003

Hi Clay;

I bought my VEGA in the early seventies- I have sailed her over 40.000
Miles, in good and
bad weather (with gales in the Great lakes and calms in the Bahamas),
and she always proved
seaworthy.
I used to have a Combi-Drive, but changed to a three blade fixed prop,
but only because it was
easier to make it fit when I installed a new engine. I used to like the
Combi-drive, though it needs
more care.
I've never had any blisters- the boat is sound- and wouldn't change for
another one.

Wilhelm, V-257

James G. Villa wrote:

lastgaspid · Aug 25, 2003

Clay, a combi is the transmission description. You move the throttle lever forward and you go forward the further you move it the more RPMs forward. The same in reverse. You move the throttle lever back from neutral and you go backward. The further back you push the more reverse RPMs. All the way back and the prop goes into S feather position for less drag when under sail.

Dave
V3233

vega1860 · Aug 25, 2003

Aloha Clay,

I see most of your questions have been answered. Blisters - don't worry. Of over three thousand Vegas built I have only heard of one instance of blistering and I'm not certain of that one. The rudder post problem has occurred but it is by no means common. Just for safety's sake have the boat hauled and surveyed professionally. On rigging - The Vegas I have encountered that have this problem are, in my experience, the ones that have been raced or sailed very hard with the rigging set up bar tight. Many, probably most, cruising Vegas never have this problem. Have your rigging tuned properly and sail conservatively and you should not develop mast compression problems.

When you get to Hawaii be sure to look me up at the Ala Wai Marina.

a hui ho

Chuck Rose
SV Lealea, V1860
Honolulu

"cwm_of_nm" claywmoore@... wrote:

robertgainer · Aug 25, 2003

I sailed a Vega to England from New York. The spreader bases were changed
before the trip. That was the only change to the boat because of weakness of
design. Because the rigging was old I replaced some of it, and bolted a life
raft to the boat. Pad eyes were added to the deck, bow and stern on each
side so I could run a plastic coated wire for the clip of a safety harness.
Some other odds and ends, but nothing major. Of all the trans atlantic trips
I have made, the one on the Vega was one of the most fun and trouble free.
All the best Bob Gainer

imbissfrank · Aug 26, 2003

Clay, should you decide to purchase a Vega, you might want to consider becoming a member of the American Vega Association. It's a great deal for the money. Contact Chuck Rose at www.vega1860@... for further information.

"cwm_of_nm" claywmoore@... wrote:

pelagicasd · Aug 27, 2003

Hi Clay, About Vega's problems. Blisters are a rare problem but do occur.
I've fixed a few. Rudder problems also occur rarely. My blade pivoted freely
on the shaft after running aground and having an overly strong crew member
decide to "free us" by rapidly working the tiller back and forth. It too was
a fairly easy fix. The shaft was dropped while we were hauled out. The blade
was split along the outside seams and pulled away from the shaft. This
revealed a broken weld on a tab attached to the shaft. This was rebuilt with
a larger tab and the blade was epoxyed back together. We also drilled a
small hole in the trailing edge of the blade to allow a line to be passed
through in the event of a future failure. You'd have to go overboard to pass
a line but it would be possible to steer the boat after you did. The deck
and cabin are foam coared with plank re-inforcement running fore and aft
from under the mast up through the foredeck and along the top of the cabin,
port and starboard and also running fore and aft.
We repowered with a Yanmar 2GM an if I was to do it again I'd go with the
Beta from Steve. SSB might be a bit of a problem as the backstay might be a
bit short for use as a SSB antenna. I'm not the expert on this though.
Liferafts are something you will probably never need but if you do need you
need in a bad way. We have a Switlik Rescue Pod. Light weight and fairly
inexpensive. Zodiac has a coastal raft with more features for about the same
price but with PVC coating. Sunlight will cause it to deteriorate. If you
are adrift long enough for that to happen you've probably died from
starvation anyway, most important thing to have would be a 406 EPIRB. Our
boat (Lyric #120) was laid up in 1967. So how much are the people you are
considering buying from asking and as previously mentioned get a survey. Ask
your local banks who they like for surveys and then ask your local marine
insurance companies who they like for surveyers. Pick the name that shows up
most. If you are buying form a broker I'd be hesitant to let them pick the
surveyer. Might be a great one but might also be the salesmans brother.

mphalv · Aug 29, 2003

We purchased the Yanmar 1GM with three blade prop. The Combi Was a difficult
repair item. Good Engine but have had problems with air getting into the
system. No problems with deck flex. Solid boat and easy to self maintain.

Paul H.
Holden Me.