It was a boat, a 19-foot, 2,200-pound stealth speedster painted flamingo pink and gray that had captured the imagination of this country boy, who'd grown up on a Chippewa Indian reservation in Northern Minnesota. 

Venner, 86, is said to have been introduced to the water by paddling a birch bark canoe when he was 7 and living on the reservation. He never relented from the outdoor life, running his speed and hydroplane boats to national success, but still leaving enough time for his other passion -- hunting.

He was surrounded by family and friends last Sunday as he was reunited with the boat named "Too Much" by the wife of his late riding mechanic, Jimmy Aiello of Piscataway. 

Florence Munroe, Aiello's widow, baptized the boat when she saw the color scheme, saying to her husband, "Oh, Jimmy, that's too much!' The boat, still in its original color, has been restored during the past few years, and is owned by Noel Blair Sr. of Grand Island, N.Y., near Buffalo. 

"Too Much" now works on a vintage race boat circuit, sanctioned by the American Power Boat Association. Last Saturday, the boat returned to its original home port -- Lake Hopatcong -- where it first was tested in April 1957. The boat was shown at the 32nd annual Antique & Classic Boat Society Boat Show held at the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club. Sunday, Blair's sons, Noel Jr. and Carter, hauled the boat to Venner's home for an emotional reunion. 

"I got goose bumps all over," Venner said upon seeing it. 

He was joined by his son Roger, and another of the boat's former mechanics, Robert MacDonald, along with Aiello's sons and widow, among others. 

Boat racing hadn't been part of Venner's life before he saw the International 9-hour Endurance Powerboat Race at the annual Orange Bowl Regatta while vacationing in Florida. Venner, accompanied by his fiance and future wife Margie, was so taken by the race that he went to boat builder Forest E. Johnson of North Miami Beach and asked to have one built. He bought the boat in April 1957 for $2,700, then launched it the same month on a cold and windy day on Lake Hopatcong. 

"It just took hold of me, and when you start winning, well, you want to keep on going," Venner said. 

The boat had a phenomenal run for Venner. Racing up and down the East Coast, the boat won 14-of-15 Class F-Service races, setting two straightway event records and an event record at the Orange Bowl Marathon, the same race that caused Venner to catch the boat bug. 

On Oct. 5, 1958, Venner set a national class mark by hitting 65.099 mph at Elizabeth City, N.C. It also set a national straightway record for one mile at 67 mph in the F class (boats are categorized by their engine power and size, among other criteria). 

"I think you have to have the right combination of everything. We had a Cadillac engine, a lot of stuff made special for that boat," said Venner, who worked for 53 years for the Jervis B. Webb Company. "A lot of people helped with this." 

The boat won 15-of-16 races for Venner before he sold it in late 1958, but he mused that it wasn't always smooth sailing. 

"I should have painted the word 'Help' on the bottom of the boat because we had it upside down so much," said Venner, adding a smile. "I did all kinds of things. You name it, we did it. It gets pretty rough out there, you know." 

Venner also had a successful run as a hydroplane boat driver, but he eventually was nudged away from racing on Margie's recommendation. 

"It was the old, 'It's either the boat or me,' " said Venner, adding that he managed to sneak away a few times to help another boat owner looking for help. 

"Too Much" had several owners after Venner sold it to New Jersey native Henry Turner in 1958. Noel Blair Sr. found the boat in a marina at Lake Hopatcong in 1990 and restored it to its original look. 

"When my father found it, it was really trashed," Noel Blair Jr. said. 

The Blairs and Venner had attempted to connect to reunite the boat and its first owner the past few years, but couldn't get together until last week. 

"It hasn't changed. It really looks the same," Venner said. "We had so much fun with that boat. It's like family.

Too Much M-12 Owner/Driver Jim Venner and Riding Mechanic Jim Aeillo While on Lake Hopatcong I gave the former riding mechanic's son, Peter a ride in the boat.  Peter lost his father when he was 5 and couldn't believe that he was sitting in the same seat his father once rode in.  His mother Flo (Jim's widow), was there as well.  She is the one that coined the name "Too Much". The story goes that when she entered the shop to see the new pink paint scheme, she exclaimed "oh Jimmy, that's too much!".