CeeBee Avenger Project: See link!

[croSSed]

I decided NOT to paint with Brightside yellow. I've been working on this boat since December and I just want to get it on the water. All the work of masking off, wiping down with wax remover, sanding, wiping down again, priming, sanding, etc., etc., etc. just does not appeal to me. But, I did manage to get the red metal flake looking pretty good again. See the pics. This is after buffing with Meguier's Medium Cut Cleaner, followed by 3M Finesse It II, and finally waxing with Meguier's Pure Wax.

TG

[croSSed]

Today was a great Father's Day. I got to take my newly restored boat out for the first time. I've attached a couple of pics, but go to the Photobucket site also for more pics. Thanks!

TG

[stevers]

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Hi! I have a 18' Mach 111 avenger jet with 454/500hp she fly's and is stable in the water at high speeds. The speed-o in boat is not accurate at high speed. It has turned a few heads on my lake. </TD></TR><TR UNSELECTABLE="on" hb_tag="1"><TD style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height=1 UNSELECTABLE="on">
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1977 avenger 454 chevy, berkly jetdrive, my buddy had one with tunnel ram, roller cam, and ran well, about 90 ...in 1977....till a 20 foot hydrostream blasted him broadside and blew a gapping hole in the side at oak beach inn in 1977, that was the end of the avenger....was a pretty boat, blue flake, silver..

[Dragons Breath]

TG,saw your Ceebee restoration,lot of work...Looks good.
Just finished my CeeBee Avenger Jet boat too. Time and Money two thing don't have enough of...

[Six Four]

Good jobs guys

[Da Bull]

TG,saw your Ceebee restoration,lot of work...Looks good.
Just finished my CeeBee Avenger Jet boat too. Time and Money two thing don't have enough of...

Very interesting. How did you boat perform? Videos would be great. I watched the vid of Nye`s aluminum turbine jet boat and it was restricted on power output. It still ran into the high 70`s.

DB

[superquick2]

I've got a 1975 Avenger built by the Cee Bee manufacturing co. I've looked @ the old advertising sheet from that "cat" company....and I don't see my boat on it. I know a little (very little) about the history of the company moving to Texas and so on....

My question is, Did they ever make a 17' Avenger with an I/O set-up in it? Mine has a 140 Mercruiser and a sterndrive #1. Just trying to figure out if it came from the factory that way. I am currently rebuilding it (rotten floor) and am in the process of installing a small block chevy with an alpha 1 gen 1 in the transom. My boat looks identical to your white one (except for the last 3'). It ran about 45 mph with the 4 banger in it. That's not enough! It had no "hole shot" power for pulling wakeboards or tubes.

I've built several land toys, but this is my first boat of any kind. Any tips would be appreciated.

Ken, Northcoast Ohio.

[Dargo]

Check out these brochures on the IHR website. I stumbled across them when I was restoring a 16 footer a few years ago. Cool boats. Built like a battleship though! Wish I would have figured out a way to have kept mine!

http://www.hydrostream.org/Literature/Literature.htm

[superquick2]

Hey, thanks! That was all of the stuff I could not find from powercat. Mine is the 175 Mach II. It looks like from the pictures that that hull should handle my V8 project. (I was going to do it anyway) but now I feel better!

Thanks again.

[croSSed]

Hey, Dargo... VERY cool link! Thanks for posting it. I'm looking at it waxing sentimental. Those old pictures of some of those boats bring back fond childhood memories...

TG

[tucson_boat_guy]

Hey all ,

I am new here, I also have a 76 Avenger with a Merc 150 on it. I put a pic on here of it. I am trying to sell but no one around here wants it. I just may keep and finish the restore.

I already have the floor, seats, guages, steerring and electrical all done already, just needs re-gel'd.

Hope to see more pics of everyones.

[croSSed]

Post some pics of the resto. Love to see them.
Why do you need new gel coat? Would like to see condition of that, too. You'd be surprised how nice it can look again with some 3M Finesse It II applied with a wool buffing pad, followed by some high quality carnuba wax.
Do you know what model this is? It looks like a 17' bubble deck. Is that a V-6 150 on it? What year is the motor? Do you have a jack plate? What kind of prop you running? What kind of rpm are you getting with it at full speed? How does it handle at that speed? I'd like to put more power on mine (for better out-of-hole go for skiing mostly), but with my 115 I've hit 62 mph on gps, and if there's any chop at all it becomes a little squirrelly. I'm afraid that with 35 more ponies it might be unmanagable.

TG

[Allstar]

I had a 1976 150 with 70hp Evinrude. Then a 1985 200 with 200 Mariner.

They were great boats.

[tucson_boat_guy]

Well the gel is all cracked from the sun around here and the metallic is just about worn through. I am going to try and give it a bath this weekend. I got hurt and am stuck in a wheelchair for another month....

Post some pics of the resto. - I would love to but I dont think I took any that I am aware of. I redid the floor cause the boat was crazy heavy so I drilled a hole in it and the hull was full of water. The previous owners ran a ton of screws into the floor to hold the seats in. When I started the fenders were about 1/4" from the tires, after the resto of the floor and new interior it sits about over 1" away from the tires. That water and water soaked floor was super heavy.


Do you know what model this is? It looks like a 17' bubble deck. - I have the brochure from 1976 and it is a Model 163 Outboard Just about 17' long I will put the brochure up here as soon as I post this reply


Is that a V-6 150 on it? What year is the motor? - It is a 1979 Mercury v6 150 Black Max - Previous owner cut the exhaust out so it does not go through the prop anymore. And it idles like it is pretty pissed off.


Do you have a jack plate? - Yup a Hydraulic made by CMC called Power Lift I want one from Bobs Machine they are lights and smaller and have different ones for differnet set back. Or even a manual set back jack plate.


What kind of prop you running? - well I have a few - 3 and 4 blade from 20 to 23 and I have a chopper 23p that has has super top end and great bow lift but as you all know no hole shot

What kind of rpm are you getting with it at full speed? - Well I have a Gaffrig tach that goes to 8000 and I run the needle all the around - I have been curious to see if it is working correct, but this little thing has no problem making RPM - I have wanted to pull the powerhead and see if the midplate has been modified


How does it handle at that speed? - It only gets a little chine walk but then I dont leave it all the way open very long cause the bow like to come up. and I only have a tail on the motor. It needs trim tabs and a bit more set back and I think it will be super stable, once the hull lift out of the water (lol)


I'd like to put more power on mine (for better out-of-hole go for skiing mostly), but with my 115 I've hit 62 mph on gps, and if there's any chop at all it becomes a little squirrelly. I'm afraid that with 35 more ponies it might be unmanagable. - Since these boats are so short I dont think this one can hanlde much more than this 150.

I will try and get some older pics up before the resto and some after the resto.

Brochure up next.

[tucson_boat_guy]

Here is the Brochure from 1976 for the entire line of Cee Bee Avenger Boats, with all the options and interiors they offered. First 3 pages