Going to look at a Venture 22

[TheJoe]

There she is. Was a bit overwhelmed today being a new (highly inexperienced) sailor. Wind and current both high. I only raised the main once for a brief time.

[GaryMayo]

Good looking boat. You did very well with the price of her. find an experienced sailor to take you out once. That will show you what the boat will do. I found a friend on here that was a great help to my wife and I.

Have fun with her!

[TheJoe]

Going to try and keep this thread going with updates, mods, and repairs.
Haven't been able to do much with some house renovations going on, but I did get it in the garage last weekend. She barely fit, I measured a few times and knew it was either going to fit or not fit by an inch or less. There is about one inch from the garage door to the tip of the trailer tongue with the boat touching the back wall of the garage.

Winter Plans:
Remove and reinforce all the deck fittings forward of the cockpit.
Paint the ceiling.
Install a new headliner.
Reupholster Cushions.
Extend V-Berth to divider wall.
Make new hatch/inspection/compartment covers.
Refinish or re-stain all the interior wood.

Re-Wire entire boat, all new led lights, mast flood light, cockpit lights etc, budget permitting.

I just bought an industrial sewing machine and time permitting I want to make an enclosure for the pop-top eventually.

Any way, her are some pics:

[Freedom77]

HI The Joe. Welcome to the Legion of the Damned. Penny Sue was our V-21. Our second boat, Penny Sue Too, was our '71 V-222. Kept her for five years, found her a good home and traded up to our V-25, Freedom which we have had for 35 years. Got a little cramped with extra bodies for a week. We used to drop anchor in Catalina every year and do nothing for seven days. AHHH. She looks in great shape. What year? Hull #? Where do you sail. Keep us posted. P.S. Screw renovations on the house. Keep your priorities straight. Fair Winds and Full Sails....

[sbgorges]

That was my first boat and loved sailing it all over So. California area up and down from oceanside to San Diego and over to Catalina Island. Sold my Catalina 38 about 2 years ago and just bought a 25 Mac Gregor with a swing keel and trailer so back hitting the water and planning to take her up to Santa Barbara Islands. So many place to go now.

[snotnosetommy]

Thousand clams ain't much for a good sailor. Take you just about anywhere. I can tell you're pretty excited. Nothing quite like it.

[TheJoe]

She's a '79, not sure about hull number, there's numbers on the sails, not sure if they match the hull. Where are the hull numbers marked?

Got this old girl today...

It was a bit more than I expected to pay when I casually dropped by the sewing shop to see what they had available in industrial machines, but a couple days later a check came in the mail from an ebay motors class action law suit I had forgotten all about and I took it as a sign. Scored 8 yards of outdoor fabric the other day for $2.00 a yard from joann fabrics so cushions might be re-done over the next few weeks.

I am excited, that's for sure, I'll mostly be on the Ohio River at Owensboro, KY, but I plan to to sail area lakes, mostly KY Lake.
I must admit I mostly just wanted a larger boat to overnight and weekend in more than I wanted to sail, but after taking her out and sailing my sunfish knockoff a few times I know I'm really going to enjoy it.

[Catigale]

Nice toy...I've add my eye on the Sailrite version for a while.

Are you missing the engine cover in photo one?

[Freedom77]

Hey The Joe: Generally the stock sail # and Hull # are usually the same. The "VIN" # is stamped on the right rear transom. The Hull # is incorporated in that string.
Hey SBGORGES: WE had our '71 V-222 for five years and We've had our V-25 for 35 years and trailed all the way from BC Canada to Baja, MEX. Love San Diego harbor and Mission Bay. If you're going to Santa Cruz Island you need to get a permit from the Santa Cruz Island Company. It is privately owned. Fryes Harbor is a great place to anchor. Well Protected and good bottom. Best place to launch is Santa Barbara, shortest hop. Also if you haven't been to Channel Islands they're great. Launch from Oxnard and it's a great day trip. Lots of tidepools at low tide. Santa Barbar Island is a long haul. And of course Catalina. We used launch at San Pedro, drop anchor and stay for a week at a time. Snoozin', Boozin' and Cruisin'. Emerald Bay, west of Isthmus, is a short hop and during off season is almost deserted. You can rent a can there. Been a desert rat for years here in Nevada. Miss the ocean real bad. Fair Winds and Full Sails....Old Salt

[TheJoe]

Nice toy...I've add my eye on the Sailrite version for a while.

Are you missing the engine cover in photo one?

Thanks! It's a straight stitch only machine, in case you didn't realize. (see below)
The only machine sailrite has that compares is this one: http://www.sailrite.com/Sailrite-111-He ... ccessories#

Keep in mind that price does not include the motor or stand, much less someone to properly set it up for you (just in case you aren't experienced.)
There are a lot of old machines for less money that will run forever and take common parts you can get almost anywhere secondhand as well.
You should be able to get a turnkey setup for that price and probably some extras.

Mine is a Consew 226R, it is a Japanese clone of a Singer 111w with reverse, there are other clones too, and all the older ones are supposed to be bullet proof. (This head weighs around 50-60 lbs)
If you want to sew sails (zig zag stich), I would recommend getting an older portable Singer, good ones can be had for $250-$400 and they are supposed to run forever. Again parts are local and cheap.

One local shop here has all kinds of old machines, the old man that owns it has been in business 61 years and he reminded me of this fact several times and once more when I asked him if it was good to go and been checked over the final time I went to look at it and test material I brought with me. His reply was not "yes sir". It was simply "Son, I've been in business 61 years."

I mostly got this machine because of a specialized venture I want to start, and I want to try to get good enough with marine vinyl to make some money at it.

The motor cowl was off because the pull start rope came out of the mechanism and I was winding it around the flywheel. I got it that way and was afraid the mechanism was broken, but to my surprise after some tinkering I figured out how to wind it back up, and tie the rope back in, works great now!

I think I did ok for my first time sewing vinyl, and my first real project with this beast machine. My corners aren't real sharp, but I'm proud of myself.

[Catigale]

Joe..nice looking vinyl. I think a retirement hobby/income with that skill is definitely worth pursuing...even if it's decades away...

I'm old enough to recognise the guys who just look at you with the 61 years line.....but there is a huge satisfaction knowing tht you are walking out the door with a handshake from this guy that will last forever. Not to be found at any price at the big box places...

[Catigale]

Ps... You sure that boat will fit in the summer when it warms up and expands???

[TheJoe]

I forgot to mention I had to remove the motor mount for her to fit, so in that sense she will be expanding when winter ends and will not fit, unless diagonally which would render the entire space useless.

[Catigale]

I think I'm declaring joes boat, at one boat buck for a trailerable, sailable, and motor running the official Heath board deal of the year for 2011.....

Your good karma would be extended by a generous donation to the Board of course....disclaimer, all board donations go to our wall street trader level moderator end of year bonuses......payable in cordage...

[TheJoe]

Not sure what that first sentence means except for that I got a good deal.

I might contribute to the forum via paid advertising soon if some certain projects go my way.
I give a lot of money to other forums for my business via donations and paid advertising.