18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

A conversation among Whalers
Drmorison
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18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby Drmorison » Fri Sep 08, 2017 2:41 pm

Hello All. I am a long time lurker and new member of CW. For the past four years, I have been running a 1993 SPORT 13 here in Narragansett Bay. (I live in Providence). If you know Narragansett Bay, this means that I stay close to shore, and I am typically off the water by noon. If we want to go out for longer, we go on the salt ponds in southern Rhode Island, and I have never left the inlet. I am usually accompanied by my wife, son (9), and small dog (130lbs), and occasionally a friend or two. The 13-footer gets very crowded with three or four adults, a kid and two dogs. Even when it is just the three of us, the boat is very small. So I would like to upgrade. Here are my limitations

My towing vehicle (1990 Land Cruiser) has a towing capacity of 3,000 lbs. If I am going to have a boat that weighs less than 3,000-lbs then I want to keep it in my driveway and not pay for a mooring or a slip. So I am thinking of the following options:
    16 Ventura
    18 Ventura
    16 Dauntless
    18 Dauntless.

We are not interested in fishing, we just like to cruise around on the water and go to the local beaches. I would really like to have more access to Narragansett Bay and not have to get off of the water by noon due to the chop--afternoons in Narragansett Bay are way to uncomfortable in the 13-footer.

Also, would it be possible to take a 16 or 18-foot boat out of the inlet?

I would love to be able to go along the coast from Narragansett to Westerly.

My personal boating history: many years of sailing small boats in protected harbors; grew up in and around medium sailboats and on 23-28' powerboats in northern Massachusetts; Four years on Narragansett Bay and Salt Ponds with my 13' Sport. Any feedback would be great!
Thanks in Advance!
-Tom

Jefecinco
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Re: 18' Dauntless vs Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby Jefecinco » Fri Sep 08, 2017 7:24 pm

I believe the two boats use the same hulls. The 16 Dauntless would meet your space needs without the necessity of buying an extra two feet. The extra expense is a bit much for an occasional friend or two. The 16 is really fine for four people and only a little crowded with five. I believe the accommodations on the Ventura may be better for four or five. Certainly the 18-foot boats will handle a crowd more comfortably.
Butch

Harpoon
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Re: 18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby Harpoon » Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:59 pm

I have an 18 Dauntless, it is a great boat and can handle many people comfortably. My only wish for it would be to have a taller windshield for better wind protection, as I use it year round here in NC. The Ventura has a windshield that would potentially extend your boating season in comfort. I had an enclosure made, but the less you can do to be on the water quicker means more use of the boat.

Buoy
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Re: 18' Dauntless vs Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby Buoy » Thu Sep 14, 2017 11:35 pm

Harpoon wrote:I have an 18 Dauntless, it is a great boat and can handle many people comfortably. My only wish for it would be to have a taller windshield for better wind protection, as I use it year round here in NC. The Ventura has a windshield that would potentially extend your boating season in comfort. I had an enclosure made, but the less you can do to be on the water quicker means more use of the boat.

The 18' Ventura offers the greatest protection from the elements which will extend your season in the northeast, though total tow weight will likely exceed 3000-lbs.

Drmorison
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Re: 18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby Drmorison » Tue Oct 17, 2017 9:52 am

I ended up with a 2000 Ventura 16. It is SOOO much better than my 13-foot skiff. It is absolutely amazing the difference. Unfortunately, it only has a top speed of 28-MPH--a bummer. But I am hoping to sort it out to get some more speed. The VENTURA 16 has the original Mercury 115-HP.

jimh
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Re: 18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby jimh » Tue Oct 17, 2017 10:58 am

My towing vehicle (1990 Land Cruiser) has a towing capacity of 3,000 lbs.


The biggest problem for you will be to get an 18-foot boat with an engine, fuel, and gear on a trailer that will have a total towed weight under 3,000-lbs. Your vehicle's towing capacity is quite modest.

Also, congratulations on having a 1990 vehicle still on the road. A 27-year-old vehicle is a rarity these days.

Drmorison
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Re: 18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby Drmorison » Tue Oct 17, 2017 1:04 pm

jimh wrote:The biggest problem for you will be to get an 18-foot boat with an engine, fuel, and gear on a trailer that will have a total towed weight under 3,000-lbs. Your vehicle's towing capacity is quite modest.

Also, congratulations on having a 1990 vehicle still on the road. A 27-year-old vehicle is a rarity these days.


The actual towing capacity of the Land Cruiser is 3500-lbs, but I use 3000-lbs to be safe because she is so old.

I bought a 2000 16' Ventura with a 115-HP Mercury engine and towed her back to Rhode Island from Long Island. The new (to me) boat is a HUGE upgrade over my 13-foot skiff. We are very happy with our choice. And thanks for the compliment regarding the aging TOYTOA Land Cruiser. She has 309,000 miles and I am hoping to break a million.

jimh
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Re: 18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby jimh » Tue Oct 17, 2017 1:26 pm

Thanks for the follow-up on the TOYOTA Land Cruiser. I didn't recall that vehicle clearly, so I searched for some information. I was astonished by the asking price for used models, some as old a 1989 and with hundreds of thousands of miles; the sellers were asking $20,000. There must be a cult-following for that vehicle, something akin to the Boston Whaler boat.

Also, I think in that era the Japanese imports were really making fantastic quality vehicles, which was part of their long-term plan to invade the North American car market and gain market share. Not that the quality has declined, but some of those older early-import vehicles were very well made.

I am still driving my 1995 GMC Suburban, tow capacity 7,0000-lbs, with 155,000-miles. Here in Michigan the body integrity is a problem because roads use SALT to control snow and ice in the winter. Fortunately the Suburban has not been driven much at all in the past 22 winters, and is holding up rather well. I have seen a few similar vintage GMC trucks still on the road with 450,000-miles.

Good luck on the one-million miles. There was a SAAB with a million miles, owned by a salesman in Wisconsin, and it was bought back by GM (when they owned SAAB) as a car to be exhibited at major auto shows, demonstrating durability. I saw it in person at a big auto show in Detroit.

If you hit a million, maybe Toyota will buy it back from you.

Compare at:

https://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/18/saab-offering-free-car-to-members-of-the-million-mile-club/

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Dutchman
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Re: 18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby Dutchman » Thu Oct 19, 2017 10:01 am

jimh wrote:Also, congratulations on having a 1990 vehicle still on the road. A 27-year-old vehicle is a rarity these days.


Jim--not really.. My 1991 Volvo 944T has over a half-million miles or 20,000 per year, and my 10-year-old Highlander CUV has 150,000-miles, or 15,000-per-year. To have 300,000-miles on a 27-year-old car is just 11,000-per-year--not much and below national average.

[Vehicle service life] is all in the maintenance, as we do with our Whalers. You keep up and do the regular maintenance [a car] should last well beyond 25 to 40 years as a usable form of transportation.
EJO
"Clumsy Cleat"look up what it means
50th edition 2008 Montauk 150, w/60HP Mercury Bigfoot

jimh
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Re: 18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby jimh » Thu Oct 19, 2017 11:28 am

DUTCH--it looks to me like the average vehicle on the road these days is about three years old--at least that is what I see when travelling. Perhaps my view is skewed because I live in suburban Detroit. Literally half the people around here get free company cars because they work in the automobile industry, so they are always driving the latest model.

buzzardsbay
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Re: 18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby buzzardsbay » Thu Oct 26, 2017 10:58 am

More tow vehicle. My 2007 Toyota Sequoia tows the 25 Revenge WA with gear and half-full tank of fuel okay, but at 134,000 miles, Toyota has taken it back for a free frame replacement.

Dana Corporation,who fabricated the frames, had a few holes in the boxed frame into which salt resided and it rusted out from the inside.

Amazing what a pair of aftermarket air bags did to bulking up the rear suspension.

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Dutchman
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Re: 18' Dauntless v. Ventura for Narragansett Bay

Postby Dutchman » Fri Oct 27, 2017 1:03 pm

Jim you are right and with some of the $200 to $300/month leases a lot of people drive new cars (for 3 years). I personally buy my cars new and if they are not requiring major upkeep (transmissions, engines, etc.) I keep driving them for a minimum of 10 years. The admiral told me to thin out the boats and cars so just sold the Volvo. Left are a 2006 Mini Cooper (fun) a 2016 Subaru XV (wife's daily) and the 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid (my daily and tow vehicle) and only two boats left 1987 Achilles 400 with commercial 25 HP two-stroke Evinrude's and the 2008 Montauk 150.
Still happy though.
EJO
"Clumsy Cleat"look up what it means
50th edition 2008 Montauk 150, w/60HP Mercury Bigfoot