Venture 23 vs Venture Sport 23

J

JohnLinda

New member
I've been thinking of pulling the trigger on a new Venture 23, and have been puzzled by the differences between the standard Venture and the Sport. Per the CD website, the Sport model is balsa core, and the standard Venture is not. The dealer salesman said the reverse chines are slightly larger on the Venture.
Since we are located in the Heartland, it is not easy to try and find the two of these to do a side-by-side...
Does anyone have any experience with both, or maybe share some thoughts on ride quality, other differences etc? Right now the best price deal is on the Sport, but I would tend to want the foam core hull all other things being equal.
Thanks!
 
One difference is that the Venture interior is lined "Cabin is fully lined with marine hull liner".

The Sport cabin is "Gelcoated and stippled interior for simple wash down".

The Sport interior is the same as the "classic" C-Dory interior. Although now they use a brighter color and don't have contrasting stipples.
 
I doubt that different molds are used for the "Sport" and "Regular" models, so the reverse chine should be the same.

The Sport has the stipple fiberglass interior, the standard has the vinyl liner. Some of at the vinyl liners have had problems with delamination and mold. You can turn a hose on the inside of the sport (remove upholstery) to clean if you go somewhere there is fine dust (Lake Powell, and similar).

I would call the factory to be sure about the core. If you get water in any core which has penetrations--and there are freeze thaw cycles, it will delaminate. That does not mean you will notice any difference. I personally prefer the balsa core, because of its better shear and adherence properties. All foams can eventually will get water if there is water intrusion. Foam does not rot.

It would be very unusual than anyone, even very experienced skippers, could tell the difference in ride between similarly equipped Sport and standard.
 
Both the 23 Venture and 23 Venture Sport are identical in how the boats are constructed. The difference between the two boats is that the 23 Venture interior is lined with a Marine Grade Vinyl Fabric that is smooth to the touch and has some softness or give when you push on it. The forward berth is also lined with a thin Marine Grade Fabric that looks and feels different than that of the cabin. There is also more teak trim in the boat to accent the interior. The 23 Venture Sport has a spray in stipple material that is hard to the touch.

We own a 2018 Venture Sport that was built specifically for us. If you decide to buy new, I highly recommend that you take the time and effort to go the factory (Northwest Marine Industries) in Fairhaven, Washington and tour the facility there. By doing so you will think of a lot more questions to ask and you will also see how the boats are made. We did this in 2018 and are glad we did so. Greg Little is the VP of Operations there and worked with us closely during the build. The factory put in all the options we wanted into our boat and all the installs were done correctly. Greg always answered my calls, texts and e-mails in a timely manner.

If you go to our pictures, you will see the build pictures of our boat. All of these pictures were taken and sent to us from Greg Little as the build progressed. We are very pleased with the people at NMI and think highly of them as boat builders.
 
So if the essential difference between the Venture and Venture Sport is the vinyl vs stipple interior, what is the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Am I correct to assume the vinyl lined interior is a bit more luxurious whereas the stipple is more utilitarian and as Dr.Bob pointed out can be hosed out?
 
C-Sharp":1kxrm601 said:
So if the essential difference between the Venture and Venture Sport is the vinyl vs stipple interior, what is the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Am I correct to assume the vinyl lined interior is a bit more luxurious whereas the stipple is more utilitarian and as Dr.Bob pointed out can be hosed out?
Click to expand...

Vinyl interior probably has less condensation issues (but that'll depend on where you use the boat). The vinyl interior also looks nicer because the wiring can be hidden.

The stipple interior is more durable and easier to clean. However, the boat wiring is left exposed (much easier for maintenance though).
 
Sorry JohnLinda and to others out there for some misinformation I have made on this post. It got me thinking and I did some research. I looked at the C-Dory Factory Web Site and found under the general specifications of each boat (23 Venture and 23 Venture Sport) that it does say that the Venture is made with Composite Core material and that the Venture Sport is made of Balsa Composite Core material.

This morning, I contacted Greg at the factory and he said that the Venture Sport has balsa in the construction to keep the cost of the boat down and the Venture does not use balsa in the construction but uses a Composite Core. There is a difference in how the boats are constructed. I stand corrected.

Gary.
 
DayBreak,

I looked at your build pictures and noticed that in the picture Build 2, the top of the hull, where the deck joins is covered with what appears to be wood planking. What is it and what is it for?

Boris
 
Boris, I assumed that it is fiberglass because fiberglass can be that color. If anyone knows differently please let us know. Thanks.
 
journey on":3oc9c431 said:
DayBreak,

I looked at your build pictures and noticed that in the picture Build 2, the top of the hull, where the deck joins is covered with what appears to be wood planking. What is it and what is it for?

Boris
Click to expand...

I believe that photo is the deck and cabin house upside down. It may still be in the mold--I cannot tell for sure. What you see is the balsa core of the deck and cabin house. It may or may not need more layer of glass. Polyester lay up is very translucent--and in thin layers transparent. Boat builders almost always put a layer of darker pigment inside of the outer gel coat, so folks won't freak out when they see light thru the hull.

Build_2.jpg
 
Bob, that makes sense. I was looking at it as if it was the hull, not the upside down deck. A change of viewpoint gives a big change in understanding.

Boris
 
Amazingly, after a hiatus, I'm looking at the 23 Venture and Venture Sport.
The website lists the 23 Venture construction: composite core & fiberglass.
The 23 Venture Sport: balsa composite core & fiberglass.

I'm not afraid of balsa (done correctly) as core, or part core, material. I owned a
28' go fast, all balsa core, that would punish the hull in a weekend of running
more than a lifetime in a C-Dory, w/o collisions and/or groundings.

As for the vinyl liner in the 23 Venture, I'm not a fan. I had the 26 Venture
w/same which delaminated after 2 months in S FL. Not a serious thing but
somewhat a PITA. Maybe the factory has not discovered the adhesive E6000
yet?

So, my monster Tiara 3200 is being sold as I type...

Aye.
Grandpa used to say, "Less is more."
 
Foggy":krfvwovi said:
Amazingly, after a hiatus, I'm looking at the 23 Venture and Venture Sport.
The website lists the 23 Venture construction: composite core & fiberglass.
The 23 Venture Sport: balsa composite core & fiberglass.

I'm not afraid of balsa (done correctly) as core, or part core, material. I owned a
28' go fast, all balsa core, that would punish the hull in a weekend of running
more than a lifetime in a C-Dory, w/o collisions and/or groundings.

As for the vinyl liner in the 23 Venture, I'm not a fan. I had the 26 Venture
w/same which delaminated after 2 months in S FL. Not a serious thing but
somewhat a PITA. Maybe the factory has not discovered the adhesive E6000
yet?

So, my monster Tiara 3200 is being sold as I type...

Aye.
Grandpa used to say, "Less is more."
Click to expand...
1

Make sure you get twins on the Venture.
 
Having had twins on only one of your past 5 boats, how have you arrived at such a
recommendation for someone who has had twins on 5 of my last 7 boats, Jason?
Not talking mono or di zygotes either.

Grandpa, an Old Norseman, would use "tvinnr" which adds a bit of, "je ne sais pas",
maybe interest, to the banal current day humdrum terminology "twins".

Aye.
PS: Keeping with his words, "Less is more", I'm pretty sure he'd go with a small
single, probably just a kicker, on that li'l CD 23.

PS2: Oh, oh. Boat broker just called. Buyer of Tiara may back out - 2 dead flies
in the bilge.
 
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