View Full Version : New project boat, 16.5 Avenger
I brought home a 1979 16.5 Avenger Sunday. The poor boat was being used as a carp fishing boat, there was a shooting platform with lights on the deck. My plan is to restore her, I would love to save the green, but after I fix all the holes, and repair the fiber glass, i think I'll have to paint it. I got her as a bare hull, no trailer. couldn't be happier.
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I soon get to pull the floor and see what kind of work the other guy did. I want to run my 140 hp Chrysler on her. the nice thing is that I'm going to build it up with this in mind. it is shaped like a kite. so i got to wonder how fast it will run before you rally risk it blowing over
I should add that he gave me the hull after bugging him all summer that if couldn't sell it and was going to cut up the hull to please call me. some how, he did. and I jump at it. Today we (yes my wife thinks this is fun too) bought a rough VIP bass boat for the trailer and the duel cable steering.
lucidphreak
04-28-2020, 08:57 PM
Whats up with this project.. I love ceebee/avenger stuff.. would like to see how far you’ve gotten.
She got her own trailer now, and that's about it. we moved over the winter. so it did get to sit inside over the winter in a un heated building. There was a crack some where at the transum bottom. the area under the floor is completely closed off. So I need to open the floor the see what the owner did. the fact it has two drain plugs isn't a good clue. one for the floor area and one for the closed area. I'm thinking the lower got water in it and cracked the bottom.
Plan was to build it up to run three lakes, but that event is no longer. and well we are both now out of work. So plans have changed. No longer a race boat, now just a cool cruser. and I can only do things that don't cost more money.
tunnelfun
05-02-2020, 10:19 AM
I had one of them, with a 150 Merc in-line. Good little ski boat. Ran 55. Road like a riding lawn mower in a garden patch, and wet as taking a shower. Lots of glass in that boat but probably don't take well to being rained in.
Way back, late 70's early 80's my cousin had a green 18 Avenger, some color combo as that one. When 150 blew up a 200 merc went on. That was fast for those days.
This one is going to get a 140 Chrysler. My dad was chief engineer back in the day. so its what I grew up with. I was considering going to make it into a race hull and heavy modif the 140, but with no more Three Lake event, its just going to be left stock but for a jack plate and electric fuel pump. And I love the green, not sure what its going to look like after everything is repaired. Currently working on how to flip it over to work on the bottom. I have two floor jacks and the engine lift to work with.
1954bmw
05-03-2020, 01:41 PM
Strap around a tree and drive the trailer out from under it. Large group of guys roll it over onto a stack of tires, come along in said tree to lift the back of boat, engine lift on the nose. Good luck.
Stock.....hmmmmm, "tuned" sounds better!
Well what's the plan? Is it apart or still sporting highring pistons?
plan for the hull is to cut off the center bunks on the trailer, lay down two Styrofoam blocks under the hull and roller her over using the engine lift on the stern. My 140 Chrysler is still all together, has good compression but no spark. have a second outboard with spark. (you can buy Chrysler's for about 200) I have my west epoxy all ready. just waiting on some warm weather. The only missing part that will cost money is steering. But just sold my 16 hobie cat, so have some money to start working forward on it.
Well you can buy cores complete for that.
If you feel like getting into the 140 post it. One thing for sure , check the ring rebound through the tranfers before you go further.
I was planning on building the Chrysler for Three Lakes, milled head, light weight pistons, nitros, and injection. But that event is gone, not to mention, so is the job to pay for it. So if I can get it running. I'll be happy, I have a 105 and 115 for parts. At one point, I was thinking of running my 225 pro max on it too.
I finally got the guts and flipped my hull. wasn't that bad. I found that lifting the stern from the center kept things from being very exciting. I working at fixing where the previous owner add glass the bottom at the stern. I'm a little concern with the transom. Its not flat. the last 3 inches or so curve toward the bottom. He installed a new transom, So who knows what was or was not done.
tunnelfun
07-17-2020, 02:42 AM
I finally got the guts and flipped my hull. wasn't that bad. I found that lifting the stern from the center kept things from being very exciting. I working at fixing where the previous owner add glass the bottom at the stern. I'm a little concern with the transom. Its not flat. the last 3 inches or so curve toward the bottom. He installed a new transom, So who knows what was or was not done.
Well, it don't look good for the home team.
Well, I'm just a dumb white boy, so I'll just keep going forwards. My west epoxy is all cured, and bottom is now solid. Now to make it flat and smooth.
How much would it weigh finished no motor on it?
tunnelfun
07-17-2020, 03:48 PM
How much would it weigh finished no motor on it?
It was 725 shipped.
tunnelfun
07-17-2020, 03:50 PM
Well, I'm just a dumb white boy, so I'll just keep going forwards. My west epoxy is all cured, and bottom is now solid. Now to make it flat and smooth.
Be careful what you use for filler. Epoxy is picky about what will stick to it.
I use all the West Epoxy system. I use their fillers and additives. it grabs onto anything. I've had it grab onto a plate of 1/2 glass that i was using to make a flat surface. Its not cheap, but it will definitely grab onto old fiberglass.
It was 725 shipped.
You build a strong runner and setup it'll be fun.
working on what color to paint it. Love the green, But with all of the glass work, there just isn't any way.
tunnelfun
07-17-2020, 09:18 PM
I use all the West Epoxy system. I use their fillers and additives. it grabs onto anything. I've had it grab onto a plate of 1/2 glass that i was using to make a flat surface. Its not cheap, but it will definitely grab onto old fiberglass.
If your epoxy has cured there will be no chemical bond. Just mechanical from sanding.
I'm not real sure, but the west stuff will rip the old glass off if you try to get it off. and like I said, I couldn't get it to let go of a plate of glass surface. I've used it of years, I've seem normal resin pull away from old fiber glass.
https://www.westsystem.com/
tunnelfun
07-17-2020, 09:36 PM
I'm not real sure, but the west stuff will rip the old glass off if you try to get it off. and like I said, I couldn't get it to let go of a plate of glass surface. I've used it of years, I've seem normal resin pull away from old fiber glass.
https://www.westsystem.com/
Yes, good stuff. Epoxy doesn't chemically bond to cured epoxy. Just mechanically, sand it good.
after far too long, i finally got the Chrysler on the boat, mounted to a 5 inch manual jack plate, transom got a knee that ties it to the single stringer. and now i get to figure out steering and controls.
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Got one step closer to running, I got the exhaust snout cut and move back so I could run a chopper on my Chrysler, should be interesting to see how it effects power. Getting close to getting her wet soon,491952
If you reduced the snout area cross section drill a couple holes above the cav plate, typical relief.
When using a 40-60hp snout on that lower to clear high rake , it hated the reduced cs.
You should be mounted high enough, take advantage of the side bullet intakes.
If you find a 92-94 FORCE 3/4/5 parts motor use the later BIA clamps and pump with lines. The trim tilt rams are the same as previous CHRYSLER. It makes using a typical jackplates easier. Almost looks like you did from the pic , can't see it but they are painted white.
yep, got the newer brackets, so its bolted to jack plate, have a water pressure gauge hooked up to the engine, So I plan on running has high as I can and still get on plane, I'm kind of thinking of going old school and having the wife craw out on the deck to plan off. For the exhaust, I cut the snout off and move it back about a inch for clearance for the prop, looking inside, it doesn't look like I reduced the exhaust area. I should get it in the water this week, and that will tell me if it works or not. On a fun note, I ran into a guy out on Big Cedar Lake here in Wisconsin, he has a 1993 Avenger. He said that he found the guys with the molds in 1993 and had them build him a boat.
That's interesting having the mold available.
Can't recall what you've done to the motor, maybe I missed your post. How much psi, what jets, ports, pistons, tuner?
Tell you for certain , ign , jets, tuner cut weld, ports, 170/172psi , pistons , happy
its just a old stock 140. big plans got shot long ago. I think its at 155 for cold cranking psi, maybe 165. I was talking with my dad who work as a engineer at Chrysler, might run a electric fuel pump. He said that there mine money costumers were in the third world. So the engines where setup to run on fair bad gas. So if the boat works, and is fun. I plan on light weight pistons and have the head milled. Have to do some math to figure out how much to take off. I do have both ignition systems. currently running the belt drive distributor, because it works.
Ok I found it.... tuned but stock. Still, cages lapped, good reeds, 0.098, good advance, that's all stock.
Highring pistons then, what's the psi now?
Well 155 -165 is factory range, 165 is better, 170 even more.
No , good gas motor for sure. Crap gas killed them, especially if loaded and lugging heavy. Tetra Ethyl Lead was still available in those worldly places. Run top shelf pump
Absolutely make certain you're dead on mid point TDC and set the pointer to it. I check all cyl then adjust the cam on the points distributor if needed to run max ign without going blind to a cylinder slightly ahead. If you want to be sure as sure with the higher psi. Without going into chambers and sizing.
what do you run for timing? I have four outboards that all run. One had the timing way off at start up, it was no wonder it didn't run. everything is very late 70's to early 80's and one force 125. I wanted one newer ignition system. lots of fun for $100 a outboard,
Did you paint it? Or still looking for a color??
It will depend on your tune, ring seal, psi , etc etc. But with Wisecos and 170psi and a little this and that 0.098 jets sometimes as fat as 0.104" depending on what I'll run, 34° at full RPM. That's near 36° static. I'm set to hold full advance at WOT without backing up. My off idle pickup is also a little more with the roller cam follower.
What you choose is for your pistons and conditions but at speed 33° with good fuel and oil and 0.098 jet should be pushing it.
Nothing better than a good set of points and a good CD and coil.
she still isn't painted, lots of areas are patch up. its not a good looking boat right now. I gave up on body work and decided to get it in to the water. I was getting burned out on this project. My hope is that getting to go for a ride will get me motivated to get back to the body work. It got rained on when I was running it in a bucket, and the old metallic green looked great wet.
Metallic green is cool but would be a nightmare to redo
yep, might sand her all down and do some graphic over the repaired areas and clear coat the whole thing. this of course is assuming the dam thing doesn't sink.
I got my Avenger in the water today, she runs way better than I thought it would. But like any project, I now have a new list of things to fix. Its a fun and quick boat. Let at least way quicker than I thought it would be. 493237
first run in a project boat, tach failed, speedo works, but who knows if its right. Today was cleaning carbs and getting them to stop leaking and re-wire the tach.
after doing a little more running, I found that the bottom is flexing, my thought is its because the other owner removed all of the foam from under the floor. the plan is to remove the floor and core the bottom.
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