Familys Seafarer Ventura 17 to buy?

[Dynamicdans]

Hi All,

A new member here and first post, so thanks for reading.

I have a family member with an old seafarer Ventura 17, guessing its from early 70's. Purchased brand new originally by my grandfather and it has stayed in the family since, always garaged its whole life. Has not seen water for the past 30 years.
I am thinking of taking ownership my self, but was wanting to ask some questions which could help me decide.

1. The boat seems in great condition, strong floor and transom. Are there any other things i should look out for on the hull?
2. It has an old original seized 85 hp evinrude starflite. What were the weight of these? Planning on replacing this with a Yamaha F115
3. Providing the hull is in A1 condition, but no running gear (needs new motor, steering, radio etc) what would just the hull be worth - need to offer a price
4. Based on the images, what year would you guess this was from?

thumbnail_IMG_0331.jpgthumbnail_IMG_0335.jpgthumbnail_IMG_0333.jpg

Thanks to all.
Dan

[shakey55]

Firstly WOW it does look in good condition for its age.

The Ventura is a half cabin Viking (same hull). The Vikings were released in 1979 from memory.

If it is solid and considering it needs a total refit, motor, steering etc I wouldn’t be offering anymore that say 4 - 5 grand tops, again depending on condition. If not perfect about 3 grand

If the build plate is still attached you could contact Seafarer and they might be able to tell you year of build.

If you buy it keep us updated with the refit.


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[Noelm]

Just a stab in the dark, I would guess maybe very early 80's hull, but an older motor was fitted when new, possibly from previous boat? Most had 90-115HP from new, make sure whatever motor you choose is not too heavy, weight varies considerably between models in that HP range.

[shakey55]

Just a stab in the dark, I would guess maybe very early 80's hull, but an older motor was fitted when new, possibly from previous boat? Most had 90-115HP from new, make sure whatever motor you choose is not too heavy, weight varies considerably between models in that HP range.

Totally correct Noelm weight is a priority. A good mate had an 80’s model Viking and he put a brand new 115ph (two stroke) Johnson Ocean Pro (I can’t remember what year , but it would have been about 2004 and weighed about 145kgs) on the back and that appeared to be a perfect match.

So I would be looking for something of not much more weight

A Suzuki 100 is about 185kgs
A Mercury 115 Command thrust is about 165kgs

Lots to consider I think


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[Chimo]

Weight is important on the back of these
You may well find that a 90 Hp such as the 2 stroke Parsun gives a better performing boat than the heavy 4 stroke you are considering. 119 kg weight would be nice on this hull. and they are cheap enough too. http://www.islandinflatables.com.au/...troke-outboard

Much of the additional HP of the bigger 4 stroke will just be employed keeping the bum up and moving compared to a lighter better matched motor.. I have seen this with many older boats that were not designed to carry the extra weight of the newer 4 strokes.

The 4 stroke you are considering is a lot heavier.

Weight of Older Outboard EnginesWhat is the weight of a 1976 Johson 85-HP engine? I am thinking of re-powering with a Yahama 90-HP four-stroke and I was told the weight of the Yamaha and the wieght of a 1976 Johnson 85-P are close. Thanks. shipwreck8
	posted 05-26-2006 10:27 PM ET (US) Weight of Older Outboard EnginesA 20-inch shaft 1976 Johnson 85 weighs about 300 pounds, maybe a bit less if it does not have power tilt and trim.
shipwreck8	posted 05-26-2006 10:33 PM ET (US) Weight of Older Outboard EnginesTom, Thanks, what do you estimate the weight to be if it has a 25-inch shaft? Thanks shipwreck
Tom W Clark	posted 05-26-2006 10:38 PM ET (US) Weight of Older Outboard EnginesThe 25-inch shaft length adds about five pounds or so.
jimh	posted 05-26-2006 10:47 PM ET (US) I would be glad to collect, organize, and publish the weights of some older classic two-stroke engines. If you have data on various engines, feel free to append it to this discussion.
Tom W Clark	posted 05-26-2006 11:06 PM ET (US) Weight of Older Outboard EnginesThe weight of the 25" Yamaha 90 four stroke is about 375 pounds, a LOT more than the old Johnson 85. Somebody is feeding you a line.

[Chimo]

Or this for less than $4 k https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-johnson...p/k0?sort=rank

or two going well 115 HP off a cat for $6 k so you have a spare!.

[Andy56]

If its for sentimental reasons, sure keep the boat. Personally, its bottom is too flat for my liking. I would budged$10,000 plus newish outboard. Its then close to $15,000 - $20,000 on the water. I have seen far better boats around this price on boatsales.

[gford001]

Hi All,

A new member here and first post, so thanks for reading.

I have a family member with an old seafarer Ventura 17, guessing its from early 70's. Purchased brand new originally by my grandfather and it has stayed in the family since, always garaged its whole life. Has not seen water for the past 30 years.
I am thinking of taking ownership my self, but was wanting to ask some questions which could help me decide.

1. The boat seems in great condition, strong floor and transom. Are there any other things i should look out for on the hull?
2. It has an old original seized 85 hp evinrude starflite. What were the weight of these? Planning on replacing this with a Yamaha F115
3. Providing the hull is in A1 condition, but no running gear (needs new motor, steering, radio etc) what would just the hull be worth - need to offer a price
4. Based on the images, what year would you guess this was from?

thumbnail_IMG_0331.jpgthumbnail_IMG_0335.jpgthumbnail_IMG_0333.jpg

Thanks to all.
Dan

Ive got one of these and its an awesome boat.
I had a 20ft caribbean before and this kills it, despite being 3ft shorter.
Mines got a 115 suzuki 2 stroke. Pushes it quite well. If i was to repower though i would go for a 140 suzuki 4 stroke, or similar, 135 merc etc....... i think the step up to 150 would be a bit too heavy.
Few more HP would serve it well. It seems to carry the weight well enough.

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[Dynamicdans]

Thanks shakey55. The F115 is around 170kgs, so I might also consider a smaller motor. The hull is rated for 200hp though on its plate.

[Dynamicdans]

Thanks, Yeah 4k is what we have in mind, so seems ok then. Condition is excellent (well looked after and only about 10 years of actual use during the first 10 years).

[Dynamicdans]

Thanks for the tip. Plan is to keep total cost under 15k.

What disadvantage does the boat have for the bottom being too flat? I assume these are common designs of older hulls?

[Dynamicdans]

Thanks, its great to hear from another owner with good reviews - it gives me more confidence in going ahead. What year is yours? Its also good to hear that they can handle a large motor (115hp) ok.

Ive got one of these and its an awesome boat.
I had a 20ft caribbean before and this kills it, despite being 3ft shorter.
Mines got a 115 suzuki 2 stroke. Pushes it quite well. If i was to repower though i would go for a 140 suzuki 4 stroke, or similar, 135 merc etc....... i think the step up to 150 would be a bit too heavy.
Few more HP would serve it well. It seems to carry the weight well enough.

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[Andy56]

[QUOTE=

What disadvantage does the boat have for the bottom being too flat? I assume these are common designs of older hulls?[/QUOTE]

They dont have a good ride in bad conditions unless you travel slowly. They bang. The advantage is they are very stable in calm conditions. Having said that, its probably no better or worse than most tinnies. Lots of people buy tinnies, i did for my first boat. Hey i could be wrong , they could be fabulous, but going by the pics, not likely.

[Andy56]

[QUOTE=

What disadvantage does the boat have for the bottom being too flat? I assume these are common designs of older hulls?[/QUOTE]

Generally flat bottom boats dont have a good ride in bad conditions unless you travel slowly. They bang. The advantage is they are very stable in calm conditions. t. Hey i could be wrong , they could be fabulous, but going by the pics, not likely.

[shakey55]

I’ve spent a lot of sea time in an early 80’s Viking (I think they have the same hull) and I would consider the hull a good sea boat. Ride was good in nearly all conditions and pretty stable at rest.

There is a Seafarer appreciation thread on this forum and some very knowledgeable owners of Seafarers, and a couple of blokes that used to work at Seafarer under Lindsay Fry. Get on there and ask some questions in case they have not seen this post.

Good luck

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/sho...ciation-thread


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