23' Venture Power

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Golerud

New member
I am looking at a 2008 Venture 23 that is for sale on the west coast. It is powered with a Honda 90. The boat is rated up to 150 HP so I am wondering if the vessel is underpowered with the 90 HP Engine. Do any of the C-Brats have any experience with this setup ond/or opinions as to how it would perform?
 
Hi,

I have a 2008 Venture 23 with a Honda 135. I am very happy with the power than we have on the MARCIA JANE and I'm glad I didn't choose a smaller motor. The Venture is a heavy boat and while I obviously don't get the fuel economy of a 22 with a 90, I think it's the right combination.

Good Luck,

Kent
MARCIA JANE
 
We have the cape cruiser 23 with a f-115 hp.3bladed 14 by 15pitch prop .Top speed 30-32 best cruise 22mph on a lightly loaded boat .

trade the 90 honda in for a 135 hp and be done with it resale will be better and you will enjoy the 23's venture to it's fullest abilities . The boat loves to run 22-25 mph
 
I have a 2006 Cape Cruiser 23 with a Honda 150 and I'm delighted with the boat/motor combination. ...certainly all the performance I want.

Interestingly enough, I actually get as good (usually better) mileage than I did in Naknek (a 2003 CD22 w/Suzuki 90). Now I can actually cruise faster if I choose, AND get 4smpg. (I never reached 4smpg with Naknek.)

As for a 90 on a Venture 23 - my guess is that it would be significantly underpowered unless you Really propped it down. If your primary interest is displacement cruising, it would be Great, and quite economical.

Casey
 
Golerud":1m06usc4 said:
I am looking at a 2008 Venture 23 that is for sale on the west coast. It is powered with a Honda 90. The boat is rated up to 150 HP so I am wondering if the vessel is underpowered with the 90 HP Engine. Do any of the C-Brats have any experience with this setup ond/or opinions as to how it would perform?
Click to expand...

The BF90 on the V23 will be sort of the marine equivalent of a 4-banger in a commuter car. As long as the boat is fairly light it will get the job done and it won't be a dog. But it will suffer quite a lot with the addition of much weight to the boat. So it really depends on where you'll use the boat and what sort of load you'll have aboard.

Because there's a Honda on there now the easiest trade out is to another Honda since the rigging is all in place but it's not terribly more work or expense if you find another brand engine you like better.

The Honda BF115D, BF135, and BF150 are all the same engine (block). The biggest difference in the line is in the BF150 since it has V-TEC (variable valve timing). That kicks in at 4,500 rpm, if you don't run the engine at 4,500 or above there's so little difference in the BF135 and BF150 you couldn't tell them apart without the decal on the hood.

The BF115 has 1 ft-lb less torque than the BF135 and 2 ft-lbs less torque than the BF150...for all intent and purposes, the same.

Peak torque on the BF115D is at a low 3500 rpm so it's ideal for a hull like the V23 (the BF135/150 is at 4,000). Peak horsepower on the BF115D comes in at 5,250...just slightly lower than the 5,500 on the BF135. The BF150 cranks out 160-hp at 6,000 rpm.

The BF115D has the best specific fuel economy, which means it uses less fuel to produce one horsepower than the BF135/150 (that's a design thing, not a user thing).

Unless you're looking for a higher top end the BF115D is well worth looking at since in rpm up to about 4,000 the BF115D, BF135, and BF150 are hard to tell apart without a scorecard.

Since there are incremental price increases between each horsepower point I'd look at each and decide what would be the best choice for your needs (different at 7,000 feet, or on the coast, or inland).

And don't discount the 90 until you sea trial it and get some hard numbers on rpm, speed, and fuel burn if you're not planning on having a good deal of weight aboard.

Best wishes...
 
Gary, most of the 23 Ventures we have rigged have had 150s Its a really good match . Its is a common misconception that a smaller motor uses less fuel . Just because one has the horsepower doesn't mean you have to use it all . A smaller motor is working much harder to push the boat onto plane .
Marc
 
We have a 2009 venture 23 with a honda 90 efi and a honda 9.9 kicker. We feel that the set up is great for us. Lightly loaded (two people and full gas) top speed is a little over 31 mph. We run heavy, usually set up for two to four weeks of cruising. With full water, gas, food, full canvas, tools, inflatable with 4 hp honson, 120 qt ice chest (full of ice and drinks), two anchors with chain & rode, spare parts, pots/pans, and clothes our top speed is 27-28 mph. We can still get 4 mpg IF we stay below 4500 rpm. This will give us a cruise speed of 18 to 20 mph. We think the HP of the honda 90 efi is a little under rated and that the honda 115 is a little on the heavy side.
 
I have the Honda 150 on mine and it is just fine. Try the 90. These aren't go fast boats anyway. As long as you can plane easily with a full load, who cares what the top speed is.
 
If you have the dollars the new lighter Yamaha 70's used in a twin configuration I think would be a sweet setup. We have a 150 Yamaha which has been a sweetheart and is only 60 pounds heavier than a 115 hp. We can still will cruise at 25 mph at the the higher elevation lakes like Yellowstone etc. some boats with marginal power can't even get up on plane. The 23's cruise well at 20 to 30 mph. It's nice to cruise along not having to whip the tar out of you motor. It's nice to have the option to go faster even though you might not use it but once in while.
D.D.
 
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