Towing a 1976 MacGrager Venture 22, original trailer.

[Little_Shenandoah]

I am going to pickup my new (to me) 1976 MacGregor Venture 22 in less than a week. The person I am purchasing it from is not going to be able to give me any details about the trailer, until I make the 400 mile trip to pick it up. I have several question for any Venture 22 owners out there that may know something about the original trailer specs. If these questions have already been answered somewhere in the forums I apologize in advance.

1. What is the recommended top of ball height for the Mac/Venture 22? ...I would rather have my hitch setup before making the trip.

2. What is the ball size for the Mac/Venture 22 original trailer? ...I am assuming 2".

3. What is the tire/wheel size on the original Mac/Venture 22 trailers? Also, how many lug nuts and of what size? ...from the pictures the tires are dead-flat and there is no way to see the wheels as they are covered by hubcaps.

I plan on replacing the wheels/tires/nuts prior to making the 400 mile trip home, I have magnetic trailer lights so I wont have to fiddle with the original lights if they turn out to be bad. If there is anything else I should consider prior to pulling her home I would appreciate the comments.

[Russ]

All good questions. I wish I could give you answers to your specifications.

If that is the original trailer, I would do a lot of inspections before taking a 38 year old trailer on the road. Rust can be in places you can't see. Check the tongue and axles, anyplace where a load is applied. I've heard of tongue couplers coming off from rust. Just be careful.

[Tomfoolery]

As Russ pointed out, tongue/coupler and axles/bearings. I'd also add brakes, though I don't think that trailer has brakes, which simplifies things a lot (mine dragged and burned when I first took it home).

That pole tongue can rust from the inside out, so pound on it with a heavy hammer, especially the bottom of the tube, and listen for a solid 'ring'. Dull means it's rotted, and there probably isn't much left. The bending moment is greatest where the straight tube meets the angled trailer side frames, so if it's going to break, it's most likely going to happen in that area.

Those wheels may be the older automotive style steel wheels with the wheelcover bumps outside the bolt pattern. No clue as to the size, though. Could be 14". Could be 15". Lug pattern is typically "5 on 4-1/2" for a 3500 lb axle, which means 5 lugs on a 4-1/2" diameter pattern (1/2" lugs), but that's not guaranteed here. You're really going to have to measure or have someone else measure. Mounted tires from etrailer.com are a good bargain, and come aired up and ready to go (but do adjust the pressure as needed), but you can get the tires replaced at any tire shop (use trailer tires, NOT passenger car tires).

18" ball height is pretty standard, but I think the Mac trailers were designed for 20". Ball mounts and balls are available just about everywhere, so unless you have some already, I'd measure the trailer and go to an autoparts store, Home Depot, hardware store, Walmart, U-Haul, and so on and just get what you need. At over 2000 lb gross trailer weight, it's highly unlikely it's a 1-7/8" ball, so if you have a 2" ball, just bring it and a very big wrench (even Harbor Freight has a hitch ball box wrench in the stores).

Just a few things to think about. There are other threads dealing with the issue of picking up a boat trailer sight-unseen, so a search should give you some more things to think about.

[Little_Shenandoah]

So here are the only 3 photos I have at present...

Can't really make out the trailer very well in this overall shot. But it looks pretty clean to me.
Looking at the photo below, I can't imagine the trailer tongue being much higher than 14 or so inches.



Here are the wheels... they look like they may be originals too, lol. I will just replace them outright!




I will defiantly bring a grease gun!

[March]

Little_Shenandoah wrote:
I will defiantly bring a grease gun!

Scary...

[Russ]

BTW, here is the manual for your boat.
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/manuals ... Manual.pdf

That boat looks to be in fairly good condition. It should clean up nicely.
The trailer is not falling apart, so it would seem it was taken care of or it's not original.
White wall tires look scary. Did they every make white wall trailer tires? Maybe they do, but the wheels look so rusty, I'm sure the rubber is rotted. I wouldn't take that on the highway.

As Tom mentioned, etrailer is a great place to buy wheels. http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Tires_a ... Wheel.aspx

I bought 4 premounted and they delivered them UPS to my door for a reasonable price. Remember, you can't use an auto tire on a trailer. The load and sidewall ratings are different.

Okay, looking at the trailer again, I doubt it's original. It has rollers. I'm pretty sure the original didn't have them.



--Russ

[Tomfoolery]

That's not an original trailer. Roller bunks and bow support are not original, and it looks galvanized, though that could be deceiving. Wheels are automotive style, with old-school wheel cover with the hole in the middle for grease access (my Aquarius original trailer had the same thing). Tires are from a car (whitewalls) - not something you want on a boat trailer. I don't know if the offset of those wheels is the same as with the common 8-spoke design used these days, but you won't know for sure what they are (diameter and stud pattern) until you get there.

I called the MacGregor factory a few years ago, and they told me all their trailers were designed for a 20" ball height. 18" is the standard height U-Haul uses. No clue what that one is, do I'd wait until I got there before buying anything. Make the trailer frame parallel to the ground (doesn't matter if the ground is actually level) by measuring ground to frame at the rear and same near the front (main frame rails) then measure up to the top of the ball socket (or center of the ball). Use a ball mount and ball combo that gives you the same or a little more, as the tongue weight will drop the rear of the vehicle a little.

Boat looks a little neglected from the pics. Go into it with both eyes wide open.

Edit: Aaahh, Russ beat me to it.

This is what's on there now, with the three 'bumps' to hold the wheel cover . . .



. . . but this is what's most common these days (painted or galvanized), and they're a bit cheaper, too.

[taime1]

You could also consider renting a flatbed trailer and strapping your boat and trailer to it. It would give you piece of mind and you could fix up your trailer and tires at home. 400 miles is a long run for an older trailer that is unfamiliar.

[Little_Shenandoah]

You could also consider renting a flatbed trailer and strapping your boat and trailer to it. It would give you piece of mind and you could fix up your trailer and tires at home. 400 miles is a long run for an older trailer that is unfamiliar.

Renting a flatbed is not a bad idea... I will consider it if it looks pretty bad when I get there.

I am defiantly going to make a trip to the local tire store and buy both wheels and new trailer tires before attempting to move her. Thank you Tomfoolery for the tips on finding the proper hitch height.

As RussMT pointed out, the trailer has rollers and is not original as I had previously thought... From what I've been reading this is actually a good thing!

The late owner of the sailboat passed away due to tragic circumstances and it's my understanding that his family hasn't touched the boat in the past 3-5 years... It's just been sitting there.
It's a huge upgrade for me moving from a 14' dingy with a centerboard to a 22' cabin sloop with a weighted keel. I really look forward to the work or restoring her, making her beautiful again, and putting her on the water where she belongs! I am glad to have found this forum filled with so many Mac lovers who are so helpful and like-minded. I'll definitely make use of the forum during the restoration process, and keep you all updated.

[Catigale]

Make sure the boat isn't full of water. Even 6 inches of water will have huge mass that will break the trailer or hitch.

[Little_Shenandoah]

Got her home and cleaned up. I ended up replacing the tires and wheels which on my EZ-Loader trailer were P205/75D14 with a 4 & 1/2, 5-hole pattern. The hitch turned out to be approx 18" with a 2" ball. Not too much rust. Greased her up with marine wheel grease and took her home at 60 MPH tops without any problems. Now I just need to get to work restoring her! Gonna start by panting the trailer and putting on LED trailer lights.

[NavySailor]

Looks good! I hope it all goes well for you. I just brought home my first, a 1986 25' last night. This is close to an original trailer, but the title says homebuilt. No brakes and nearly 3k lbs. Surprisingly legal here in Virginia, but the pucker factor was mighty high!