Restoring a 71 Mac Venture 21 got a few ???

[dohcdelsol93]

I'm picking up a neglected venture 21 later today so long as i can find trailer tires on a sunday in the bible belt.

She's been neglected and needs some work, mostly just elbow grease and more than some spare change.

Thanks to this site i've gotten a very helpful link to a place to purchase the sails.

Thats one step in the right direction.

I'm purchasing the boat from someone who purchased it with the intentions of restoring it and ended up being a lawn ornament.

This means i'm purchasing it from someone that really doesn't know what all is there and whats not all there. This is my first sailboat and the rigging is little intimidating to say the least when it's all tangled up and all over the place.

Because of the age/neglect i'm treating the rigging as it pretty much all needs to be replaced. I'm also much less likely to forget where it goes if i replace each piece line for line and bolt for bolt if i do it all myself step by step.

I want the boat to be reliable for everyweekend use at the lake and the occasional weekend doing some costal/protected water sailing along the charleston, SC and gulf while on vacation once i'm done with sailing lessons and get the feel for the boat.

Is there a one stop shop where i can purchase all the running/standing rigging as a kit?

I'm going to be doing most of my sailing with my son, he's about 2. The rest of the time i'll be sailing with the family (daugher and wife) so that means i'll be sailing solo all the time . I'd like all the lines to come back to the cockpit.

The lake areas i'll be sailing do not have consistant winds at all. This is where i'll be spending most of my time. I'm not sure what sail selection i should make and i'm guessing that depending on what sails i choose it might also change my choice in rigging.

Along the the main sail i will also be ordering a jib and spinaker. I've seen more than a few different jibs from large geona jibs to much smaller jibs.

The only thing i will be doing in this boat is cruising whether it be a weekend trip to the lake or a week camping out in the gulf. Any recomendations would be great, i'm sure my jib selection going from the realitively callm lake waters to costal sailing on nice days will change my sail selection depending on winds/wave conditions.

All the foam has been taken out of this boat. Since i'm not planning on ever sinking the boat i'm not sure if i should just leave it out and have plenty of storage space or put something back in it. Aniy recomendations on that would also be great.

Does anyone have a step by step how to on removing the keel? While i have her out of the water and in teh air i'd like to remove, clean, paint and re install the swing keel along with a new brakewinch/cable/hardware while i'm at it. I only have a month or two before lake waters are warm enough to swim and want her good to go for the summer.

I'm sure i'll be adding to the questions as i go along and i'll post pics when i'm done picking her up and get her cleaned.

Thanks guys!

 

[Sumner]

I made up new standing rigging for our boat except for the forestay that had to have ends put on that needed to be machine swagged.

You probably can't find a 'kit' but maybe BWY has the wiring made up. The place I used for the forestay and all of the supplies for me to make up the shrouds and backstay, except for the hand swage tool came from...

http://www.riggingonly.com/

........They have great pricing and are very quick.

If you were to use them make up a diagram of your rigging and label each item. Then send all of them to riggingonly.com and let them duplicate them and mark them and send them back. That is what most rigging shops want, not just measurements.

Here is the swage tool I used....

http://www.amazon.com/Tie-Down-43005-Hand-Swaging/dp/B000CSNJAI

I didn't get it from there and paid about $55 for it. Search around as I don't have the receipt or link here on the boat. I made up one line at a time using the old one for a template.

The thimbles and sleeves came from riggingonly. It is hard to find stuff on their site, but they have it. For what you want to do just have them make up the rigging and then you don't have to worry if you are doing it right. I also think you are doing the right thing in replacing the rigging.

Good luck,

Sum

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Good luck,

Sum

 

[Timo42]

What Sum said, send the whole mess in, but first set it up on the boat and step the mast to make sure everything fits. If all the fittings are the original nicopress type you should be ok, if there are any repairs, you may have to do some adjusting. Get some pics and we can help you sort it out.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

i will get some pics, hopefully tomorrow. Had some issues getting tires for the trailer today.

Ended up having to buy rims/tires seperatly and put them together at home with a wratchet strap and a flat screw driver.

Thanks for all the help.

Once i get home and get her cleaned i'll snap pics with the everything put together before i start removing everything to start the paint.

We got a family of 4 soon to be 5. The interior is pretty shotty, i'm thinking about getting some marine plywood and a few more sheets of fiberglass to just gut the interior and start from scratch. I'd like sacrifice a small amount of counterspace for an added area for a really little one to sleep or get out of the sun.

Any suggestions on adding a port hole at the front berth? It would be nice to enter/leave the cabin without disturbing the little ones. Would also be good for added circulation of air while cruising on calm/hot days. Nap times are a must for the little ones especially on vacation

 

[MrBill_FLL]

I got the practical sailor article on the v21. the later models had spreaders, and was recommended upgrade.

pics are very helpful to offer advise.


I would think about adding some epoxy to all the bulkheads and re bedding the U bolt holding it to the trailer. add better backing if original.

west systems has some thickened epoxy in a caulking gun (6x10?) that looks pretty nice for basic strengthening sealing. -good to ck the keel 1st thing.

and for a family of five I think you'll want a boom tent, and a way to bridge the cockpit for sleeping out.
check the electrical system... again if stock, start over...


for the bow, do you have a hatch on the front? I think later models did... if not, start looking on ebay for a bomar hatch (or similar) -but I'd want to add some kind stringer to strengthen it once you cut into it. or it will leak and could crack under load. I don't think portholes in the hull would be a good idea... too wet.


Good Luck! :dance:

 

[dohcdelsol93]

sorry i'm new to the boat terminoligy, i meant to say a hatch. I would like to add a hatch above the front berth.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

someone here replaced the stock hatch with a nice aftermarket ( bomar ?).

I think they used a few sheets of starboard or wood under the hatch...(shimmed) which would be good for you, since you have a pretty flush deck, and that will help keep water out of the cabin. (raising the hatch an inch or 2)

 

[ejet99]

To remove the keel the boat must be secure and solid. the boat should not be too high. It would be easiest if it is low 24" I think, just enough to fit it out. You lower the keel at the winch so the aft end hits the ground or whatever you want to put it on. Now you have half of the 575 lbs down. Put a jack under the pivoting end and lift it enough to take the weight off the pivot bolt and remove the bolt. Lower it down. This should be done with help you have to think about side to side tipping when you are letting it down and it could wedge in a bit and you might have to play with it. It is not a piece o cake job.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

I got the Mac last night. Was a rough haul from the NE Georgia to upstate sc. nearly lost the hitch on the old trailer.

The old keel looks to have a fiberglass laid outer shell which is coming off toward the bottom/foward part of the keel.

I need to post pics but i'm wondering if it would be ok to cut the bad part off and re fiberglass it with some sheets and sand her down nice and smooth paint then wax.

I've also got some leaking from around the keel housing that rests up in the hull of the boat.

The boat is suprisenly very solid. A few spots i need to fill from trailer/beach/dock damage but nothing soft. Cabin and cockpit were about the same.

Looks like some paint and little amount of fiberglass and she'll not be such an eye sore.

Hope to get the painting started this weekend. Will have to get trailer repairs done first.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

personally, Id do the keel right, remove it, sand, epoxy / glass, seal, paint. reinstall. (check the pivot! )

once that is done I'd be willing to invest some $$$ in other things.

 

[ChockFullOnuts222]

personally, Id do the keel right, remove it, sand, epoxy / glass, seal, paint. reinstall. (check the pivot! )

I second this recommendation! Depending on how badly rusted the pivot area is on the keel, just doing a fast patch job will only buy you 2 or 3 years TOPS in fresh water. Cut that time in half for salt water. I tried this on my V2-22 a few years back, and as it turns out, I'm completely removing and overhauling the keel this summer. Partially fiberglassing one of these keels is like putting a band-aid over an abcess....it covers up what's going on underneath, but does nothing to fix the problem.

On these fiberglass-over-steel keels of the early Ventures, there are two key areas to be concerned about once you see major cracking/delamination in the outer fiberglass:

1. The pivot hole. Heavy rusting here will eventually make the trailing
edge vulnerable to failure. If this happens, the keel falls out of the
bottom of the boat. New keels aren't available, and used ones are
very hard to come by without buying another boat for parts.

2. The cheek plates. If the design on the 21 is anything like the
22/2-22, it's not just one slab of steel. There is a main, center slab
and one smaller slab welded on each side of the main slab. Really
bad rusting here is evident when the cheek plates begin to separate
from the main plate because of the rust expanding in between
them. I've seen it on someone else's boat, and it's difficult to repair
if you catch it in time. Not catching it in time means that either the cheek plates expand so much that the keel becomes firmly stuck up in the trunk...or the cheek plate completely falls off of the main plate.

Hopefully you're catching your keel before any of this kind of damage has really set in. Proper preparation of the steel core during an overhaul is very important in assuring that your repair lasts for years instead of 2 or 3 seasons.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

just wanted to make sure this is a venture 21

i found some emblems that have a W/21 on them


I will be removing keel first thing when i get a cradle made for her.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

 

[dohcdelsol93]

and i will go ahead and strip off all old glass and completely re glass it. I should be able to fit it in the sand blaster at work to get her shiney like new before re glassing.

Once all the glass is off can i hot tank the keel to remove rust/dirt/anything else? I might not be able to fit her in the blaster but the engine tank would be an easy fit.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

also any tips on resealing her after i re lay the fiberglass? Just good bottom paint?

And i'm guessing i need to lay an epoxy down on the steel keel before laying the new fiberlass.

 

[ChockFullOnuts222]

Looks like a V21 to me.

It is often recommended to coat the steel in POR-15 before doing any fiberglass or filler work. After that, fair & fiberglass it, seal it (another coat or two of POR-15 or a good barrier coat), paint it. Make sure fiberglass goes over the filler. But that steel core absolutely has to be sealed before you fiberglass it, or it will rust again quicker than you think.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

i drive an old land cruiser...i know rust

I'll have this keel out as soon as i get the trailer situation taken care of.

I'm getting a longer trailer, the guy is giving it to me but i have to dispose of the boat that is on it (old tri-hul).

I'll have to put on some rollers and build the hull support rails.

Once that is done i'll haul it down to my parents place do raise the boat with the front end loader in order to put her on a cradel.

once on the cradle the keel will be dropped, stripped and cleaned. I'll blast it, heat tank it, whatever is needed to repair it.

I have 3/4" and 1/2" thick sheets of solid steel laying around all of them about 12ft squares.

If it's so bad i can't re use it i won't have much of an issue using the org. as a stensil. Have a truck scale at my dads shop so matching up weight would also not be an issue.



I just won't know how bad the rust is until i remove it. Hopefully it's mostly cosmetic and surface rust.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

any suggestions on beefing up the stern of the boat?

Cleaning it i found the motor mount had some flex to it, i'd like to get rid of this.

 

[ChockFullOnuts222]

Haha, rusty vehicle, huh? You should see my Blazer. Well good, though; if you have experience working with rusted metal, then overhauling the keel will be no big deal.

In terms of beefing up the transom, some plywood on the inside, larger than the footprint of the motor mount, should be good enough.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

to get the plywood in there must i cut out a section of the top of the stern to fit it in there?