I would think the bladder would be an awful lot of work. BUT if you could imagine a bladder of about 1/2 to 2/3 the ballast volume which would ensure that incoming water/ballast would not be constricted. This way, you'd still have 75 gallons or so. As far as half empty situations, the only time a ha...

Post script

Things will hop a little more in season.

I sail a 1972 Venture 25 in northeast Ohio.

Just bought a Pearson 26 with a lot more weight underneath, so I don't know about too much sailing this year(on the Venture), but it's the boat I cut my teeth on and I appreciated it.

Does anyone know if the ballast is flooded or not?

This all means nothing if there's not enough floatation to begin with. In the Venture 25' there are 2 pieces of 5'x1.5'x1.5 pieces of foam(plus some under the V-berth. The boat weighs about 2000+ and then one needs to add the steel Keel(almost 600 lbs). I don't know the bouyancy of fiberglass, but i...

I've never seen actual numbers as to how much flotation exists in a MacGegor.

Maybe there's only enough to keep a bare-bones boat afloat, in which case, once a stove, motor and anything else is added the positive floatation is compromised anyway.

Has anyone ever contemplated running a solar-powered, forward facing video camera from 1/2 mast? My thoughts are to run a 1/2 minute interval, 1-megapixel shot which would take up about 60 megs per sailing day. The reason for the solar would be that the camera could run while the sun is available to...

DO they have water in Iowa?

same here. I've considered adding a support railing to fit just below the boom, extending from about the end of the cabin to about 1-2 feet beyond(forward), the mast. ESPECIALLY on boats like the MacGregor, which have no side-deck and require that a person actually climb on top the cabin-roof to go ...

ugly outside and looks like pressboard bulkheads on the inside, although the interior layout looks nice

are there stats indicating when crew are most likely to fall overboard? I've always heard of crew falling overboard while watering the water, but how often does it happen? How likely is it that someone will fall overboard while motoring, if sitting in a cockpit? I would think, that other than wateri...

Can anyone tell me is there a "rule", that controls ingoing and outgoing traffic under a lift bridge, other than keeping to starboard? I have noticed that going out is often very difficult since the weather that favors sailboats is the same weather when powerboats come in. The channels are...

There now, available for free, aerial photos(2006), of all the counties in Ohio. If you like to plan your sailing around the lake these photos are great . . . and free. Using these photos in Mr. Sid will give Ohio State Plane Coordinates, while using these photos in GlobalMapper will give both Lat &...

I've decided to do more sailing this year. The great lakes season is less than 1/2 the year for most people(about 5 months) Part of my desire for more sailing involves attempting to "lengthen", the sailing season(at least for me), on Lake Erie. I'd like to begin sailing in April and end it...

I used that black, really hard bottom paint years ago and does it ever look good.

It lasts forever and on your boat probably longer.

The reason I bring it up is, will after all is said and done will your hull look like it's had the chicken-pox?