16 foot ceebee avenger

[gettinwet]

just getting into the performance boat world...have a 1973 16foot ceebee avenger...has been in the family since 1975...but under a tarp in the barn since 1990...needs a floor and interior of course...power is where i'm stuck..i want to stick with johnson/evinrude....but hp is where i'm not sure...plate says 90hp max but have seen quite a few on here with well way more then that....any suggestions? have a few v4 85's and an early 80's 115v4...looking few newer engine but will probably drop an 85 on here for this season...i know late start....any info anyone can give me on these boats would be awesome...

[mikeyboy]

they ride like junk

[gettinwet]

they ride like junk


thanks for the positive responce:rolleyes:....so why do they ride so bad?

[Eric T]

Thats a little harsh, they don`t ride like junk, my friends brother had one with a V4 140 HP , it was pretty fast as I remember , + the guy was nuts . He did have a good prop ,which is important., not everybody has a Hydrostream, you have to have a variety of boats out there for people to see and enjoy .

[gettinwet]

i am doing it up also due to sentimental rerasons as well...

[300x Stoker]

A guy has one on the river below me. Looks like a 75 or so Force outboard. Might even be smaller than 16'? Watching from shore, it looks like it rides and handles at least as well as any other 16' low profile ski boat? Looks like a real fun little boat. :thumbsup:

[mikeyboy]

i have been in the boat it does not have the lift it needs

and it has a very heard ride

[JWS]

I remember lookin at a new CEEBEE in the 80s. Cool boats then AND now. I have had a couple of 16 foot boats, a baja and a carlson. Guess what... neither of them rode like a 36 skater. Imajine that. BUT,, I had a hell of a lot of fun with them.

Restore that hull (if it needs done), clamp on a 140 HP OMC and go have a great time with it. The 140 is a little over the USCG rating but as long as you get to know how the hull is gonna respond to trim,etc... you should be OK. I tried to hang a v-6 on a 16 carlson and the bottom of the boat near the rear delaminated. Most 16 foot hulls dont like V6 power.

There are a lot of good guys on this site that will answer anything you wanna know including me if I can help. Dont listen to any of the negative crap ya may hear. A handfull of the guys on here spend so much time on da puter they aint been laid for awhile I guess. We all started somewhere too. GOOD LUCK and keep us posted.

[KG4]

I have the same boat with a 1500 inline merc.They dont ride like junk but they are a handful over 60mph.I have a 5 inch manual setback and a 26 merc chopper.They are a heavy boat but i love mine.The problem with them is they have a rounded bottom and the love to chine walk.Power it with what you can afford and the important thing is to have fun.I get more compliments on mine than anyone else at the ramp.If you have any questions feel free to pm me i will help the best i can.

[gettinwet]

well i found a mid 90's 90hp johnson..with a new tilt and trim and a spare as well...with new controls and steering, and lol 2 6 gallon plastic fuel tanks new as well...that whole deal for $700.00...sound like a done deal...going to hear it run on sunday...has under 200hours too...

[rdkvector]

I agree with kg4, I had one, a 74 Avenger with a 77 Evinrude 140 xflow. I loved that boat! They are a handful over 60 mph. the point is, if used as a fast skiboat rather than all out speed they are great...very solid but not a speedboat in the way of a Hydrostream or an Action. Hang a 115hp 60 degree looper on it, a 4 in manual jackplate, a 22p Raker prop and you'll have a great boat that will run low 60's.

[gettinwet]

looking for a set of the wrap around style back to back seats...like the ones they put in the jet boat back in the 70's..i saw a set in another avenger on here..they were dark brown leather looking....thats the style i want...will get them recovered...if needed...anyone have a set they want to get rid of?

[gettinwet]

with the 90hp...what prop should i go with?looking for best all around...like i said i'm not looking to do 100..but would like to keep up with my buddies...16foot baja 140hp...do want to have them slow own to let me catch up ...lol well not to much that is ...

[KG4]

Be sure to post some pictures of her when she is all done.I would love to see it:thumbsup:

[gettinwet]

here are a few shots as she sits now...dirty...top is a light cream color and the gunnels are a rootbeer brown metalflake...keeping it the same...

[KG4]

Mine was the same way when i got it.Transom was rotted and the floor was shot and as stated before the are an excellent ski boat.As far as your buddies baja with the 140 he is going to have some speed on ya.The baja i think has a pad on them.He would have some speed on me also.I am teaching my boys (11 and 14)the essentals on performance boating and mine will be passed on to them when the time comes for me to get a new boat.Mine takes a crap load of trim to get over 60 and is plain scary when im in it by my self but with a passenger it is a blast to drive.Looks like you have a good foundation to work with and welcome to scream and fly.Their is a wealth of knowledge on this board and we will help you any way we can.Like i said before its all about fun:cheers:

[gettinwet]

what are you refering to when you say pad?

[rdkvector]

Flat area at the rear about 10in wide. It does have a pad....it's small and will take 55mph to get it up on the pad and then you have to balance it with steering input. if you want to run over 60 you'll need solid motor mounts and dual cable steering. Without you won't be able to balance it.

[Li'l Toy]

With a pad, the bottom isn't a pure "V." There is a flat section right at the bottom, and at top speed the boat is runing on that and that alone. From what was said above, sounds like your Avenger has a pad but a narrow one.

When a V bottom boat is on the pad, you have to work to keep it there. And it takes lots of seat time to learn how. Someone on here has the signature "I drive an Allison because I can"--so true, much to learn with time. Once you get the hang of it, is is a very gentle correction to the right and left to keep the boat balanced on the pad. Otherwise, it starts falling off to one side, then the other--known as chine walking.

In a fast enough boat, you want dual cable (two push-pull type cables that you can tighten one against the other to eliminate all slack) or hydraulic steering and solid motor mounts to take all slack out of the steering and let you fine tune the ride.

But that may not be much of an issue for you now. We had a 14'6" Hydrostream Vandal for many years (my son is rebuilding it now) with a V4 90 Johnson on it. Top end was 55 with me, maybe closer to 60 with Matt (what can I say, some that he is gutsier but mostly he is lighter). We never really worked the setup, just played and tubed/wakeboarded and had a blast.

We had just a regular Teleflex steering and no solid motor mounts, and could almost always beat chine walk at those speeds. We did have a wide pad, maybe 8 or 10 inches, and I have no doubt that if we hung a 140 on it (Matt will put at least that much on it when he is done) it would be running closer to 75 or 80 and need the good steering and solid mounts.

What I am saying is, that 90 sounds like a great deal. Hang it on and have fun this summer.

Going back to my comment on the other thread, I see lots of dark material in the bottom of the inside of the boat. Was she ever full of water? Be sure she is solid.

I do have the prop from our 90--it is an OMC Raker, I believe, not sure of the pitch. I will check it out--if I forget to come back on this thread, PM me.

Have fun with this--sentimental is why Matt is rebuilding the Vandal, it means a lot.

[mikeyboy]

my friend had a 112 omc cross flow and he ran my 22 raker that whould probly be good for you if you want im willing to sell it i got a merc now also my buddy has a 24 if u need

[300x Stoker]

I got pictures of the one I see about every day. It was 105 degrees or so today and it might be a day or 2 before I get around to putting the pictures up but the one I saw hasn't got any windshield and runs great. When it's this hot ( 100 degrees at 10PM, a new record??) I don't even want to be out in a boat. :o :o

[Bruster]

I had the same boat with a 15" 1500XS on it. It ran and handled very well. Although it wasn't the fastest boat with the XS it was still fairly respectable (mid 60's). It probably was capable of going faster with some set up, but I just left the motor bolted to the transom. I pulled the XS off and put a newer 20" 115 ADI Merc on it with a 2.3 inline 4 lower unit with a 23" high five prop. With the 115 it would jump out of the water & it became a great ski boat. It was (is) still plenty fast for an everyday boat.

[gettinwet]

i'm hoping to have it in the wayer and running by end of august...seats seem to be the tough find...seeing that i'm looking for a particular set of seats...

[VAPirate]

here are a few shots as she sits now...dirty...top is a light cream color and the gunnels are a rootbeer brown metalflake...keeping it the same...

Identical model and colors of the boat I bought last week. I hope the Merc 850 on the back of mine moves her well.

[gettinwet]

Identical model and colors of the boat I bought last week. I hope the Merc 850 on the back of mine moves her well.

do you have any pics?

[rdkvector]

That 90hp is a good motor and at that price it's hard to beat. I don't think it will chine walk at the speeds that you will see. That said, I would'nt worry about solid mounts and dual cable steering can be added later. Try a 4in jackplate and a 22 Raker and you'll have a boat that will run fast enough on very little gas. I had a 90 Johnson, absolutely bullet proof motor!

[VAPirate]

Here is what I am starting out with. As you can see, she is not ready for Screaming & Flying, but we have some potential.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/Mickfinity/Logo.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/Mickfinity/Bow.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/Mickfinity/Boat.jpg

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/Mickfinity/Dashboard.jpg

[Bruster]

Not sure I would put any set back on that boat unless you can get someone to fess up and say they have done it and it worked. KG4 has (had?) setback on his and it has some handling issues. With mine the motor was bolted on the transom and it ran and handled very well to the limits of the boat.:thumbsup:



That 90hp is a good motor and at that price it's hard to beat. I don't think it will chine walk at the speeds that you will see. That said, I would'nt worry about solid mounts and dual cable steering can be added later. Try a 4in jackplate and a 22 Raker and you'll have a boat that will run fast enough on very little gas. I had a 90 Johnson, absolutely bullet proof motor!

[Jay R.]

Cool boat man, and welcome to the site! a 90 V4 outta be good power for that boat. yeah alot of us are overpowered but only a handful of hulls can run like that. biggest thing is to not run it past your ability! have fun and be safe, keep us all updated!!

[Dave S]

Why some say they ride bad..... they are a shallow V........:cool: Have funn with it.:thumbsup:

[prolinews]

I drove one of those once years ago. It had a 70 johnson no tnt just a whale tail it was a fun little boat . A buddy of mine got it from his grandad we did the carbs waterpump new battery and had a blast.

[rdkvector]

I did run a 4in jackplate on mine and with the same motor and prop it made a huge difference. My set up was 140 xflow, 4in jp and 23p round ear manufacturer unknown. If there were better props back then it would have been a faster boat.

[chargerk1d 2]

ceebee avengers sux i had one and couldnt wait to sell the bigest peice of junk i ever owned and and ever drove in

[gettinwet]

ceebee avengers sux i had one and couldnt wait to sell the bigest peice of junk i ever owned and and ever drove in


thanks for the comments...nice spelling by the way..:rolleyes:

[Bruster]

:iagree:Easy on him, he does good for 11 or 12.


thanks for the comments...nice spelling by the way..:rolleyes:

[gregpro50]

Not everyone enjoys boats for their performance potential. My GT-150 doesn't ride that great and is a real handful at speed but I love the boat and have a blast with it. This is coming from a guy with two Hydrostreams.

The Avengers are cool boats and they certainly aren't hard on the eyes to look at. They have some very unique lines. I'm thinking of picking up a local Avenger as a future project just for fun.

[Damyankee]

But one of the 1st performance looking boats I owned was a Wellcraft Avenger, looked just like this boat. Mine had a 120 force motor on it, not fast but a fun little boat to play with. Does anyone have any knowledge of the Wellcraft Avenger?

[chargerk1d 2]

:iagree:Easy on him, he does good for 11 or 12.
oh im so sorry Mr. strait A

[VAPirate]

Do any of you guys with the Avenger model have these same 3 holes on the transom? The man I bought her from owned it for 18 years and says the holes were there when he bought the boat. I have had several boats and this is the first I have had with 3 holes.

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk246/Mickfinity/Transom.jpg

[Mark75H]

I would guess the 2 holes at the bottom are because the boat has a stem that divides right and left inside.

The larger top hole is probably just the motor well

[VAPirate]

I would guess the 2 holes at the bottom are because the boat has a stem that divides right and left inside.

The larger top hole is probably just the motor well

That was a good thought. But there is a motor well hole (not pictured) on up above. The big hole in the pic is the plug hole (above deck). Those 2 smaller holes on the bottom are below deck with no access from inside. I was told from previous owner to put 2 screws in those small holes. Screws? Really? Screws?

And why are they there anyway. If the deck is glassed in, I should not experience water beneath the deck. Right? If that is the case I would rather have a bilge pump down there with access, and seal those holes. I think? Maybe there is a reason they are there. It will be interesting to see if any other Avenger owners have these holes.

[Bruster]

The bottom 2 holes go between the floor and the bottom of the boat to drain away any water that somehow gets in there. Mine was setup with 1/2" brass drain plugs. Water accumilates somehow and they provide a way to drain it out. I always removed the plugs when the boat was in the garage or in my warehouse in the winter just so fresh air can circulate and keep this area dry.

[gettinwet]

well he are a few updates...i kinda of put this project boat on the back burner for the winter...due to i found an 18 footer with a 150 super v6 evinrude on the back that has had some work done to it...needs new seats and a new tach....ran about 64 last season...i will post up some pics later...i need to get the tach fixed and then adjust to the right prop...has a cool blue white paint job..just needs to be buffed out a little...sharp looking boat...rides very nice and runs like a bear!!!...engine has domed pistons, head shaved and polished...