The Venture of Newport 23, also called the Venture 23 and the MacGregor 23, is an American trailerable character sailboat that was designed by Roger MacGregor as a cruiser and first built in 1973. The design is intended as a miniature replica of a 19th-century pilot cutter.[1][2][3]
V | |
 | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Roger MacGregor |
| Location | United States |
| Year | 1973 |
| Builder(s) | MacGregor Yacht Corporation |
| Role | Cruiser |
| Name | Venture of Newport 23 |
| Boat | |
| Displacement | 2,000 lb (907 kg) |
| Draft | 5.50 ft (1.68 m) with keel down |
| Hull | |
| Type | monohull |
| Construction | fiberglass |
| LOA | 22.58 ft (6.88 m) |
| LWL | 19.50 ft (5.94 m) |
| Beam | 7.17 ft (2.19 m) |
| Engine type | outboard motor |
| Hull appendages | |
| Keel/board type | swing keel |
| Ballast | 600 lb (272 kg) |
| Rudder(s) | transom-mounted rudder |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Cutter rig |
| I foretriangle height | 22.75 ft (6.93 m) |
| J foretriangle base | 12.42 ft (3.79 m) |
| P mainsail luff | 25.50 ft (7.77 m) |
| E mainsail foot | 9.00 ft (2.74 m) |
| Sails | |
| Sailplan | Cutter rigged sloop |
| Mainsail area | 114.75 sq ft (10.661 m2) |
| Jib/genoa area | 141.75 sq ft (13.169 m2) |
| Total sail area | 256.03 sq ft (23.786 m2) |
| Racing | |
| PHRF | 255 |
Production
editThe design was built by MacGregor Yacht Corporation in the United States, from 1973 until 1984, but it is now out of production.[1][3][4]
Design
editThe Venture of Newport 23 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It is a cutter rigged sloop, with a spooned raked stem with a bowsprit, an angled transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller and a retractable swing keel. It displaces 2,000 lb (907 kg) and carries 600 lb (272 kg) of iron ballast.[1][3]
The boat has a draft of 5.50 ft (1.68 m) with the keel extended and 1.50 ft (0.46 m) with it retracted, allowing operation in shallow water or ground transportation on a trailer.[1][3]
The boat is normally fitted with a small 3 to 6 hp (2 to 4 kW) outboard motor for docking and maneuvering.[1][3]
The design has sleeping accommodation for five people, with a double "V"-berth in the bow cabin, a straight settee to port and a drop down dinette table to starboard that converts to a double berth in the main cabin. The galley is located on the port side just forward of the companionway ladder. The galley is equipped with a two-burner stove and a sink. The enclosed head is located just aft of the bow cabin on the starboard side. Cabin headroom is 48 in (122 cm).[1][3]
The design has a PHRF racing average handicap of 255 and a hull speed of 5.9 kn (10.9 km/h).[3]
Operational history
editIn a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "This vessel goes by a variety of names: Venture 2: MacGregor 23, Venture of Newport, and maybe others as well. All refer to the cutter-rigged, bowspritted sailboat with the springy sheer and raked mast pictured here. Her odd looks are explained in a sales brochure saying that she is “a modern replica of the famous English and American pilot cutters of the late 1800s. Well, not in our history book, but we guess if you use your imagination you might see some sort of connection between a typical 49-foot pilot cutter drawing eight feet of water, weighing 55 tons, and able to go out in any weather, and this Venture of Newport, a mere 23 feet, drawing a foot and a half, weighing one ton, and restricted to sailing in protected waters—but not much of one. Best features: Her springy sheer gives her a jaunty look. Worst features: She won't pass muster with sailors who aren't attracted to heavily made up women. Louis Sullivan said that form follows function, and here's a good example of where it doesn't."[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Venture of Newport 23 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Roger MacGregor". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Henkel, Steve: The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats, page 262. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. ISBN 978-0-07-163652-0
- ^ McArthur, Bruce (2022). "Macgregor Yacht Corp". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2022.