Venture 21 (Macgregor 21)
Description
The Venture 21 is a classic American trailerable sailboat designed by Roger MacGregor as a racer-cruiser suitable for day sailing, short cruises, and club racing. It was the first monohull yacht produced by MacGregor Yacht Corporation, capitalizing on the fiberglass revolution to make recreational sailing more accessible and affordable. Introduced as part of MacGregor's Stanford MBA thesis project, a prototype was built in 1965, with full production starting in 1967 and continuing until 1979. In 1980, it was updated and renamed the MacGregor 21, with production of the successor model ending in 1986. Thousands were built, igniting the trailer-sailor boom of the 1960s and 1970s by appealing to new sailors and families seeking an easy-to-tow, fun boat for lakes and bays. Today, it's out of production but remains popular on the used market, often available for $1,000–$2,000 in sail away condition, though many require restoration work like keel maintenance.
Construction Details
| Designer | Roger MacGregor |
|---|---|
| Length | 21.000 ft |
| LOA | 21.000 ft |
| LWL | 18.500 ft |
| Beam | 6.830 ft |
| Displacement | 1500 lb |
| Max Draft | 5.500 ft |
| Min Draft | 1.500 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 24.67 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 7.83 ft |
| p | 21.83 ft |
| e | 9.75 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24.67 ft | 7.83 ft | 21.83 ft | 9.75 ft | - | - |
Sails
| Sail Type | MAINSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 21.83 ft - (6654 mm) |
| Foot | 9.75 ft - (2972 mm) |
| Leech | * 23.39 ft - (7129 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.9 ° |
| Diagonal | 23.58 ft - (7187 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4 in - (102 mm) |
| Area | * 109.57 ft² |
| Sail Type | JIBSAIL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 21 ft - (6401 mm) |
| Foot | 9.25 ft - (2819 mm) |
| Leech | 18 ft - (5486 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 100.77 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 7.89 ft - (2405 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 13.82 ° |
| Area | * 82.88 ft² |
| Sail Type | GENOA |
|---|---|
| Luff | 24 ft - (7315 mm) |
| Foot | 12.33 ft - (3758 mm) |
| Leech | 23 ft - (7010 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 148.28 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 11.61 ft - (3539 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 2.04 ° |
| Area | * 139.34 ft² |
| Sail Type | DRIFTER |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 24.59 ft - (7495 mm) |
| Foot | * 13.13 ft - (4002 mm) |
| Leech | * 22.09 ft - (6733 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 149.94 % |
| Length Perp | * 11.74 ft - (3578 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 8.99 ° |
| Area | * 144.35 ft² |
| Sail Type | ASYMMETRICAL |
|---|---|
| Luff | 25 ft - (7620 mm) |
| Foot | 13 ft - (3962 mm) |
| Leech | 23 ft - (7010 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 244 ft² |
| Sail Type | STORMJIB |
|---|---|
| Luff | * 14.24 ft - (4340 mm) |
| Foot | * 5.86 ft - (1786 mm) |
| Leech | * 11.72 ft - (3572 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60.03 % |
| Length Perp | * 4.7 ft - (1433 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19.1 ° |
| Area | * 33.45 ft² |
Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite.