New/used venture bass boat

I bought a 1986 venture 17' 6" bass boat paid $3000 for it.

I know it sounds like a lot but this boat is solid everywhere and one owner garage kept he is old and needed something smaller.

this boat has 3 new tires with 3 new deepcycle batteries and 1 new deepcycle/starting battery and has a receipt where he had compression checked, new spark plugs and the lower unit serviced.

He uses the same boat mechanic as a friend uses so we called him up and he pulled his records that go back 15 years as long as his shop has been open. Every other year he has had the lower unit serviced, compression checked, spark plugs and impeller changed. The only other repairs has been a rectifier replacement and some kinda hose for block pressure gauge replaced.

Went on a test run and the boat showed 67 on the speedo with 72 on my GPS it has a 150 mariner. He drove the first pass and when I drove I trimmed it in to far and when I hit it all I saw was sky it stood straight up when we went by my friend said the only thing in the water was the last 2 feet of the hull and the prop.












the only problems with the boat is the cockpit (cockpit is that correct? ) deck as the carpet has come up and you can see where the fiberglass has some minor cracks in it but the deck is solid I'm 6'2" and 280lbs and the floor doesn't sag at all. both casting decks are fiberglass with no wood in the casting decks or hatches. The only wood I can find is in the cockpit floor and the transom looking down in the bilge access I don't see any stringers just the shape of the hull which meets where the top cap comes down to form the cockpit.
the transom doesn't move when lifting the outboard up and down and sounds the same all the way across when I hit it with a rubber mallet.

what do I need to seal the floor with before putting down new carpet or some kind of paint/sand coating?

there are 2 steering cables and the motor will turn easy with the wheel until the boat is moving then it will track straight but is hard to turn is there some way to lube the cables?

also the top three water intake holes have been epoxied up and I asked the seller about it he said they did that when it was new to stop it from sucking air at top speed when on plane. Has anyone heard of this?

I'm also going to extend the front casting deck back as the front is kinda narrow and with the foot control it get kinda crowded up there.

[zooker]

1 fast laser owns a boat simlar to that one.. I really don't know much about them..

zooker

[Stinkies Daddy]

Originally Posted by zooker

1 fast laser owns a boat simlar to that one.. i really don't know much about them..

zooker

Stinkies Daddy has 1 too! The hull was designed by a fella named Buster Dobbs, who has passed. I don't think there ever was an actual Vernture boat co. I think that the hull was done by who ever was the lowest bidder. I believe that in 84 Venture bass boats held 2 world bass boat speed records. Mine says Winchester Tenn on it but a google search produces nothing, sure would like to have more info.

[bcklash]

For a 23 yr old boat it appears to be in great shape--the carpet a minor thing

[bamabassman]

I agree bcklash, that is a very nice rig for it's age. it'll be great when you get it fixed up.

[abu4600]

Hey KG the boat looks great. The carpet should be a easy repair.

Got the carpet but I talked to the local lineX guy and he said if I bring it by saturday when He got done doing a couple of trucks for a dealership He would tape it off and hit it with the left over coating for $40.

[bcklash]

Post a picture of that when it's done. PLEASE

[bamabassman]

I don't know about doing this to yer rig pal. I mean, yes, it will serve the purpose. but com'on bring it back like it came outta the show room. just my little ol 2 cents worth.

Originally Posted by bamabassman

i don't know about doing this to yer rig pal. i mean, yes, it will serve the purpose. but com'on bring it back like it came outta the show room. just my little ol 2 cents worth.

I like to put jugs out for catfish out at night and run them at night and early morning then go Bass/ crappie fishing and wind up with catfish slime and blood on the floor. There is also a problem with sand and there is a drain in the floor and I am thinking about having the carpet bound along the edges and setting it down with snaps.

unsnap the carpet and hang it on the fence and wash it then clean out the boat let it dry and snap it back in I think water not draining is what caused the glue to fail as the carpet is good everywhere else.

the black lineX will get hot in the sun and will burn my delicate feet not to mention if I DO decide to go in the buff.

[bamabassman]

Now THAT is a fantastic idea there. go for it then.

[aikenyounggun]

Seems like a good boat..... have fun in it.

[1FASTLASER]

Well lemme tell ya before you go doing all that u wanna sell it. that boat is a sleeper. With a little tweaking here and there that boat makes Skeeters and Stratos and all the other cookie cutter boats cry when it comes ripping by. I cant tell from the pics is that the 17,or the 18. They made 3 including the 19 but it is a rare bird indeed. I know of one in existence that with a stock 225PM Merc on it runs high80's ALDAY long. Anyway that is a breat boat and motor combo there.........lol buy you a luminum boat to jug fish outta.

[woody]

By the overall great looks of the boat, I'm surprised the original owner let the carpeting get so far out of hand. Anyways as others have said, that should be an easy repair job. Great find!


~Mark

The carpet still looked good but you could tell it had a couple of loose spots in the middle and He told me He had just got to old to mess with it.

After a couple of trips it just got worse so I pulled it out to redo it.

It's 17 ft 6" by the paper work but I haven't broke out a tape measure.

I took to whale tail off and dropped the jack plate down 1 inch and it steered much easier and didn't chine walk much at all and hit 72 on the speedo and 73 on the gps.

dropped it another inch and it only made it to 68 and had more of the hull in the water at plane and made a much larger wake.

[Bassboss]

Looks like a nice boat!

[1FASTLASER]

Originally Posted by kg5388

The carpet still looked good but you could tell it had a couple of loose spots in the middle and He told me He had just got to old to mess with it.

After a couple of trips it just got worse so I pulled it out to redo it.

It's 17 ft 6" by the paper work but I haven't broke out a tape measure.

I took to whale tail off and dropped the jack plate down 1 inch and it steered much easier and didn't chine walk much at all and hit 72 on the speedo and 73 on the gps.

dropped it another inch and it only made it to 68 and had more of the hull in the water at plane and made a much larger wake.

Take it back up an inch and then prop her right. You will have a solid 70-75mph boat. Man I lovve do's venture's

[Bmetcalf81]

I just purchased a a venture bass boat. The title says its a 1979. It's a 16 footer and is in real good shape, with a 140 evinrude. I just can't seem to find any info on this boat. The boat says rendezvous lll on the side. Does anybody have any info?

[Captmikestarrett]

Interested what you did about the cock pit floor....

I had an idea that the linex was good. The hot tootsie issue could be fixed by a bartenders mat. It is heavy so it will not blow out like foam and removable to wash it. Also it will trap sand and dirt keeping from the drain area. The LineX will waterproof the floor also.

Just an idea..

http://matsetc.com/543cushiontred.html

Capt Mike

[JRL]

Originally Posted by Stinkies Daddy

I don't think there ever was an actual Vernture boat co. .

I think my buddy had one of those also. Pretty nice boats. Some epoxy and 3 oz fiberglass cloth will fix the floor permanantly.


BTW, there is a Venture Boat Co. They are a few miles from my house. They dont make anything under 30 feet. Super expensive.

[hickswes]

I have a 87 and I am going to have to replace the floor did it look like I could take the floor out without having to split the boat in half or could I just pull out the old stuff and slide the new in and seal it and yes they are great boats, the venture boat company that made these boats went out of buisness in the 90's like the guy said above the guy that made them is now dead I have yet to find any info on the company I do know they were made in ARK.

[1FASTLASER]

Originally Posted by hickswes

I have a 87 and I am going to have to replace the floor did it look like I could take the floor out without having to split the boat in half or could I just pull out the old stuff and slide the new in and seal it and yes they are great boats, the venture boat company that made these boats went out of buisness in the 90's like the guy said above the guy that made them is now dead I have yet to find any info on the company I do know they were made in ARK.

To do the floor properly you need to take the cap off. Not hard to do just time consuming. A quick fix is tooverlay but I highly recommend NOT doing it that way. Adds twice as much weight and leaves all the wet rotted wood below to start working on the new wood. Take the time to pull the cap and do it right ......you will be MUCH happier.

if you look the floor is 3 pieces that were put in and seamed with fiberglass

the wood was good in my floor so I just sanded and reglassed the seams and just put the carpet back in.

my neighbor was able to remove the screws around his floor and cut out the fiberglass seams and pull the floor out in pieces.The pieces slid back under the cap with just enough room to pull them up and out like a puzzle.

He did remove the rubrail and staples on the console side and seperated it with a couple of small blocks of wood to give extra flex while getting the plywood under the console.

[ladybug]

I am kg5388's wife I will post pictures when the boat is finished..

[bcklash]

Welcome aboard Ladybug.