The Venture 22 is an American trailerable

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was designed by Roger MacGregor as a

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

and first built in 1968.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 210.

International Marine S&P Global Inc. (prior to April 2016 McGraw Hill Financial, Inc., and prior to 2013 The McGraw–Hill Companies, Inc.) is an American publicly traded corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Its primary areas of business are financ ...

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes referenc ...

, 2010. The Venture 22 and the similar

MacGregor 22 The MacGregor 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Roger MacGregor as a cruiser and first built in 1967.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 181. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ...

were developed into the

Venture 222 The Venture 222 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Roger MacGregor as a cruiser and first built in 1971.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 210. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ...

in 1971.

Production

The design was built by MacGregor Yacht Corporation in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, from 1968 until 1971, but it is now out of production.

Design

The Venture 22 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...

, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a

raked stem The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively. Description The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...

, a slightly angled

transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...

, a transom-hung

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

controlled by a

tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...

and a retractable

swing keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

. The design is equipped with a "pop-top" to increase cabin headroom. It has positive foam flotation making it unsinkable. The boat displaces and carries of lead ballast, of which is in the keel. The boat has a draft of with the keel extended and with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water, beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. The boat is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. The design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double

"V"-berth A berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, the lack ...

in the bow cabin, drop-down dinette table that forms a small double berth on the starboard side of the main cabin and an aft

quarter berth A berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths. Beds in boats or ships While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, the lack ...

on the port side. The

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

is located on the port side just aft of the bow cabin. The galley is equipped with a two-burner stove and a sink. The

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

is located in the bow cabin on the port side under the "V"-berth. Cabin headroom is or with the pop-top open. The design has a

PHRF Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...

racing average handicap of 258 and a hull speed of .

Operational history

In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "here is a vessel designed to satisfy the Great American public's desire for a simple, low cost sailboat big enough to cruise a family of four (or five in a pinch), at least for a weekend. The hull walls are thin, the hardware is so-so, but the boat does not pretend to be a 'yacht' (despite the word 'yacht' in the name of the manufacturer), and the formula worked. As early as 1970 the company's ads said 'There are more Ventures sold than any other cruising sailboat. The price is low. The trailer is your mooring. And ... the wind is free.' Best features: Very shallow draft plus a low-slung trailer, sold with the boat, that makes launching and retrieving as easy as it gets. A fold-down poptop and button-on canvas weather curtains provide interior space with 6' 1" headroom when at anchor or when sailing in a light breeze. Foam flotation under the cockpit and the forward V-berth make the boat unsinkable despite the weight of her 460 pound swing keel. And we like the dinette, which converts to a so-called 'double' about 3' 4" wide and barely 6' long. Worst features: Did I mention cheap construction? Well you can't have everything."

References

{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide Keelboats 1960s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Trailer sailers Sailboat type designs by Roger MacGregor Sailboat types built by the MacGregor Yacht Corporation

Production

Design

Operational history

See also

References