[heinzir]

Hi Gorlog,

It sounds like you have a Venture 21, made by Macgregor Yachts from 1967 to 1985. Up to 1980 they were called Ventures, after that Macgregors. Roger Macgregor built Ventures in 17, 21, 22, 23, 24. and 25 foot sizes; no 20'. Current Macgregor "Powersailers" are a far cry from the sweet lines of the older Ventures. The V21 has a reputation for being wickedly fast.

I have copies of the original sales brochures for Venture sailboats in pdf format. Sailnet won't let me attach them, so PM me if you would like a copy.

IMHO rope clutches are way overkill for this size boat. Most sailors just use regular horn cleats for the halyards on a boat this small. A nice alternative is the Spinlock PXR; it is sort of a cross between a clutch and a cam cleat. Use Harken or similar cam cleats for the sheets; you want to be able to release them quickly. I recommend Harken's Extreme Angle fairleads for their 150 cam cleats to use with the jib sheets. These allow you to trim or ease the sheets from anywhere in the cockpit (windward sheeting!) with just a flick of the wrist.

The mainsheet system on Ventures is a simple triangular affair. The mainsheet starts at an eyestrap next to the swivel cleat, goes up thru a double block on the end of the boom, down and around a block on the opposite side of the boat, back up thru the double block on the boom, down to a turning block attached to the swivel base, and through the cam cleat.

You can use this system along with a powerful boom vang to control the the main but incorporating a traveller will give you greater control of its shape. The traveller could be mounted across the seats on the "bridge deck" -- the board that supports the keel winch. Then you would have to switch to mid-boom sheeting. Check the Harken catalog or web site for some ideas.