Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by Joe Kriz on 03/29/12 - 7:28 PM

I see far too many people trying to list their Montauks as a 170 model in their boat listing...

The Montauk 170 did not start until 2002....
Therefore, there is no such thing as a Montauk 170 prior to 2002.... It is a Montauk 17'
Also, there is no such thing as a 2005 Montauk 17'.... It is a Montauk 170.........

Here's a clue for some of you.
What does the decal on the side of the boat say?
Montauk 17'................. Then that's what it is............. (unless someone has changed it of course)
It is not a 170 model which is much newer and a completely different hull design......

2002 and later the decal on the side of the boat says Montauk 170........ That's what this model is........

The same goes for a Sport 150.......... or Sport 130, etc..............
There is no such thing as a 1980's Sport 150..........
The Sport 150 wasn't made until 2002....... Everything before that was called a Sport 15' in the catalogs........

See this FAQ:
http://www.whalercentral.com/faq.php?...p?cat_id=5

I am overwhelmed just trying to keep up with these corrections in model names.

Hopefully this post will help but apparently people just aren't reading the "Frequently Asked Questions"......... on "What Model do I have?"....

Posted by Joe Kriz on 03/29/12 - 10:40 PM

Tom, yes there is....
I certainly don't know where you come up with this....????
Or why you are trying to confuse or complicate this post....

The side of the boat says Montauk 17' with the decals from Boston Whaler.
http://www.whalercentral.com/forum/at...decals.jpg

Very much just like the Outrage 18' decals on the side of the Outrage 18'....
http://www.whalercentral.com/photogal...hoto_id=52

The Montauk 17' is on the sides of the boat with the name up until 2002....

Then the name, and the hull, changed on the side of the boat to Montauk 170 in 2002.
Here is a photo of the Montauk 170 on the side of the hull.
http://www.whalercentral.com/images/p...auk170.jpg

So, I will say this again....

Montauk 17' is on the side of the boat.
The catalog list them as 17' Montauk

Montauk 170 is on the side of the 2002 and later models with the new hull design.
The catalog list them as 170 Montauk

Backwards or forward, it doesn't matter.... That is how Boston Whaler lists these models and most all of the rest....

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A 1980's Montauk 170 or 170 Montauk...........

Edited by Joe Kriz on 03/29/12 - 10:59 PM

Posted by Joe Kriz on 03/30/12 - 3:07 PM

Gamalot,

It's not about what we want to call it....
It's about how they are listed in Boston Whalers documentation and how they named the different models through the years...

I think I am fighting a losing battle here...
People keep signing up calling their older Classic hulls with the 3 digit name...
1980 Montauk 170
They don't even seem to be reading this current thread let alone the Frequently Asked Questions...

1980 Montauk 170 = NO SUCH MODEL
1995 Dauntless 180 = NO SUCH MODEL
1985 Sport 150 = NO SUCH MODEL

I am spending far too much time correcting the members Boat Info page...
I may have to consider just turning it off and removing that information.
It does absolutely no good to look at someone's boat info to try and see what model they have if they don't put the correct information in....
Better to have no information then the incorrect information in my opinion....

I don't blame anyone, especially members that are new. We were all new once...

I don't think anyone would call their Camaro a Corvette....... or visa versa.....

Now I can't wait for Xmas.... Hope there is a sense of humor under the tree...... :)

Posted by Gamalot on 03/30/12 - 5:27 PM

I understand completely what you are trying to do Joe. I have also been waiting for 60 years to find that humor under my tree. Most would say I got it but it needs watering!

With so many different models and all the changes throughout the many years I think it is near impossible to get everyone up to speed on their exact boat and it's designation.

You and Tom and a number of other knowledgeable members here get a big "Thumbs Up" for the service and info provided here. It sure would be great if every member did a little research and correctly identified the particular hull they have. That's not likely to happen but I also think there are enough active members to point out these differences and set the new members straight. As you said and I totally agree, it is better to ask and not mistakenly name your particular hull than it is to incorrectly name it what it is not.
All the info that we are sure of is here and in the search function but most new members don't yet know how to navigate through these waters.

Posted by Joe Kriz on 03/30/12 - 6:26 PM

#11

No comma, no coma, no periods....

I have purchased the Montauk 17' decals before from Janis and everyone I have seen did not have a comma...
Even the Outrage 18' never had a comma...

I am nit-picky on some items but am flexible for some other things...

Here is where I deviate on this site....
1973 to 2002 Classic Montauk hulls = Montauk 17' or 17' Montauk
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=14

Same way with the Newport.
1975 to 1990 Newport = Newport 17'
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=23

Same as Sakonnet
1963 to 1976 Sakonnet = Sakonnet 16
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=26

Montauk 170 with Accutrack hull
2002 to present = Montauk 170 or 170 Montauk
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=34

Etc., Etc., Etc...........
Here are the basic groups we use on this site.
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...rowstart=0

Yes Tom, I know.... but that is how I am groping them here.
There are some variations on the above I know, but I remain steadfast on my groupings....
I am letting a few technical items slide by to make it easier for me and the majority of members. Only the die hards and nit-pickers will know, but they will still be grouped into the groups I created here.

Anyone can call their boat whatever they want off this site.
However, if they try to list it here as something it isn't, I reserve the right to correct that information.

Posted by Gamalot on 03/30/12 - 8:35 PM

#12

Tom W Clark wrote:
Gary,

Joe is one of my very oldest Whaler Buddies. I pride myself on being more nit-picky than Joe but he gives me a run for the money sometimes.

So I am shocked that he let you slide with two egregious and outrageous errors:

- There is no such thing as a 1974 Montauk 17.

- Nauset is spelled with one T not two.

I still say Montauk 17' is very poor grammar and I am equally sure the comma merely washed off the hull.

Don't try to blame any of this on me. I think Joe lets me slide every now and again but I blame most of this on my spell checker. Montauk always comes up as wrong and so does Nauset and Nausett. I blame that on Maine and the Bah Haba crowd! As for the Montauk 17 designation I can blame that on Chuck Bennett and have his email from when I first got the boat to prove it. I don't think there is any place here for an old, salty sailor with a thin skin anyway! I never have seen a catalog from 1974 showing the first generation of the Montauk model so I honestly don't know what they called it. My decal is 14 inches and only ever had the sled and Boston Whaler with no R and no Montauk name or number at all.

It might be easier for us all if we were to classify the variations of same models such as the Montauk as Generation 1 being 1973-mid 1976 - Smirkless, late 1976 (Smirked hulls) - when ever as Generation 2 and so on. Some model years tell the whole story while other years don't.

Posted by Gamalot on 03/31/12 - 9:28 AM

#17

OK, I'll try to play. When the first Montauks were introduced in 1973 I think BW called them just Montauks. They are 16' 7" hulls but some how the 17 came in to play. Some other models built on the exact same hull were still designated as 16s but the Montauks were called 17s. It could be the Montauk bow rail protrudes a bit forward of the front edge of the boat but that is just a guess.

As to the Sakonnet I am going to say that BW called it a 17 in the catalogs so that is what we call it. I do agree it is the same basic hull as the others that remain being called 16s and also the same hull as my Montauk 16' 7". The interior design and furniture decides the Model on all of these hulls as far as I can tell.

Posted by Bo Neato on 04/01/12 - 5:21 PM

#21

Tom W Clark wrote:
Trivia question of the day: We all know there is no such thing as a Nauset 17, so how can I (quite accurately) say there was a Sakonnet 17? It's the exact same hull right? Joe knows this, but let's hear from somebody else.

The designation from 16 to 17 changed along with the new hull when they smirked it in 1976. That first year you could still buy the hull commissioned as a Sakonnet, mahogany console on the "17" hull. The Nauset (and Eastport) configuration wasn't available after 1973.

(how good is my guess?)

Posted by kamie on 04/03/12 - 7:25 PM

#27

The Nauset configuration wasn't offered after 1973. At that time the Nauset and the Sakonnet were called Nauset 16 and Sakonnet 16. In 1974 the Montauk 16 was introduced and the Sakonnet 16 remained. In 1976, whaler renamed the boat the Sakonnet 17 and the Montauk 17, same hull as before, just a marketing ploy to make you think it's a bigger boat. 1976 was the last year for the Sakonnet.

By 1977 all 17 models were the new smirked hull.

Edited by kamie on 04/03/12 - 7:30 PM

Posted by Gamalot on 04/04/12 - 4:16 AM

#28

kamie wrote:

I "THINK" I know some of this. The first Montauks hit the water in 1973 and I believe BW always listed them as 17' or at least they never called them the Montauk 16.

Posted by Gamalot on 04/04/12 - 7:26 AM

#30

Bo Neato wrote:
So only classic hulls were sold with wooden consoles?

Both hulls were sold during the 1976 calender year but smirked hulls were designated as 1977 craft?

The change from referring to the hull as a 17 rather than a 16 occurred in 1976, and the new hull production started in 1976, but the two changes aren't directly related?

I think you are going further astray Bo Neato. There are 1976 Smirked Hulls and Joe is searching for the ones right at the transition at the top of the Boat section. I still don't know YET if my 1974 True Montauk was ever called a 16' but right here I have been told that it is a 17' even though it is 16' 7" in length.

I think if we pester Joe and Tom enough they will clarify this trivia.

Posted by Tom W Clark on 04/04/12 - 7:28 AM

#31

The first Montauks hit the water in 1973 and I believe BW always listed them as 17' or at least they never called them the Montauk 16.

Completely false.

Both hulls were sold during the 1976 calender year but smirked hulls were designated as 1977 craft?

This is false too.

So only classic hulls were sold with wooden consoles?

Confusing question. Both smirked and non-smirked 16'-7" hulls are known as "classic".

By 1977 all 17 models were the new smirked hull.

Absolutely true.

1976 was the last year for the Sakonnet.

True

In 1976, Whaler renamed the boat the Sakonnet 17 and the Montauk 17, same hull as before...

This is essentially (but not entirely) the correct asnwer; even Kamie misses an essential part of why this is all so confusing.

...just a marketing ploy to make you think it's a bigger boat.

False. But why?

Posted by Gamalot on 04/04/12 - 8:36 AM

#37

Now for a little cheating!

In 1973 the Eastport and Nauset wooden center consoles ceased production. A new style molded fiberglass center console and the Reversible Pilot Seat were adapted to the 16-foot hull, creating the Montauk-I model. A companion Montauk-II model added standard bow railings and a molded bow platform. After 1974 the bow railings were standard and the boat was referred to just as a "Montauk"; order the molded bow platform and you had a "Montauk-II".

In 1976 the 16-foot Whaler was redesigned, and hulls from the new molds were thereafter known as "17-foot" hulls, although they retained the same length (16' 7") and beam (6' 2") as the earlier boats. The original 16-foot hull shape,

If the above from the CW site is correct then this would designate my 1974 Montauk with the front bow rails and the forward molded bow platform as a Montauk-ll.

Posted by Gamalot on 04/04/12 - 10:33 AM

#39

Tom W Clark wrote:
The 1974 Boston Whaler catalog and 1974 Price List show the Montauk as "MONTAUK 16"

Thank you for that tid bit of info. I hope you can see why many of us are confused where models and lengths are concerned. At the CW site they clearly state the first Montauks were either Montauk-l with no bow rail and no bow platform or Montauk-ll with bow rail and platform. For us novices, where are we to learn these things if not here or at the other site?

I get the impression for the purpose of calling my boat correctly here I should use the Montauk 17 designation because that is how Joe lists it.

Posted by Joe Kriz on 04/04/12 - 11:44 AM

#40

OK....

The first Montauk we have listed was made in February of 1973....
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=17

In my opinion, this cannot be a 1974 model year.... It just doesn't follow what Whaler has ever shown. Being built in February of 1973, it just didn't make it into the 1973 catalog as the catalog was already released.
So, I stand behind the 1973 model year Montauk. This point can be, and probably will be, discussed forever....

*Now here is how I see and show things on this site.... (In General)

All 16' 7" Smirkless hulls, 1975 and below, were called 16 hulls.....
All 16' 7" Smirked hulls, 1976 and newer, were called 17' hulls...

Yes, there are some exceptions to that rule but it makes it simple for 99% of the members here including myself...
For the real technical and nit-picky members, you would probably already know the other technical details.

For instance, there were a few 1976 Montauk 17' hulls that were smirkless but not very many..
(Note: this did not have the Montauk 17' decal on the side. (This is all you Whalergeeks like Tom and Myself)

As Tom mentions, the first Montauk was called:
Montauk 16
Montauk 17
Montauk 17' or 17' Montauk

Whether you want to say it backward or forward really makes no difference as Whaler listed some of them both ways either in their catalog or on the side of the boat...
In 1976 Smirked Montauk hulls, the decal on the side of the boat was Montauk 17'.....
This was the first Montauk that we know of that used decal names on the side of the boat.

Now, back to the answer for the title of this questions.
Is there such thing as a 1980's Montauk 170 ?
ABSOLUTELY NOT................

The Montauk 170, or 170 Montauk, was not made until 2002 along with the other 3 digit name change of all the models....
The Montauk 170 has a completely different Accutrack hull then all the prior Montauks.
We have a separate listing and category for this new Accutrack hull model.
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=34

Everyone should get the idea now.
When someone says they own a Montauk 17', then we are 99.9% sure they own a 1973 to 2002 Classic Montauk hull.
Even though the earlier models were not really called that, we know what they have..

If someone says they own a Montauk 170, then we can also be sure they own a 2002 or newer Accutrack hull.
Completely different than the earlier Montauks...

Same goes for the other models. Look on the side of the boat for a model name from the factory...
(Early models did not have these decal names)
If the side of your boat has a decal saying Montauk 170, then that is what it is...

In summary, this is how I do things for simplicity. Some of the groups are not 100% technically correct, but again, it makes it easy to list and categorize things on this site.

Posted by Joe Kriz on 04/04/12 - 12:26 PM

#42

Gamalot,

Very Early 1976 year models only....... Not late 1976
Technically, Yes....
On this site, No...

There is already way too much confusion here.
We already have far too many people saying they have a 1969 Montauk or a 1981 Montauk 170.....
In both cases, these are not correct...

For our site:
1973 to 2002 = Montauk 17, or Montauk 17', or 17' Montauk (Classic Hull)
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=14

2002 to Present = Montauk 170, or 170 Montauk (this has the newer Accutrack Hull)
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=34

We know there are some variations and transitions here and there. There are very few boats that fall in the transition period so, even though they may technically fall into there own category, we don't have them listed as it can get confusing. We put them into the major category.

Also see this Frequently Asked Question:
http://www.whalercentral.com/faq.php?...p?cat_id=5

Edited by Joe Kriz on 04/04/12 - 12:40 PM

Posted by Joe Kriz on 04/04/12 - 12:45 PM

#44

Correct...

That is why we show the different Smirkless and Smirked models...
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...cle_id=100

We also show the different consoles.
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=58

We also have information in our "OEM Part Photos and Info" link on the left sidebar for parts...
Here is the Casting or Forward fiberglass platform with info on what it fits.
http://www.whalercentral.com/photogal...oto_id=362

They are all Montauks..... but not Montauk 170 models.....

Edited by Joe Kriz on 04/04/12 - 1:00 PM

Posted by Tom W Clark on 04/04/12 - 7:04 PM

#46

Joe has his hands full classifying things around here, but let's get a few things straight.

It is actually incorrect to say an unsmirked hull is a 16 footer and a smirked hull is a 17 footer.

The designation for the 16'-7" hull models changed with the 1976 model year.

The smirked hull was introduced as a mid-year model change. As weird as it may seem that mid-year model change came in the fall of 1975 and it is a mid-year model change because back then the model year began August 1st.

The designation from 16 footer to 17 footer was not juts a marketing gimmick, it was a sensible change to accommodate the then new 15 footer. In model yar 1975 Whaler had 9', 11', 13', 16', 19', and 21' models; 16' nicely spaced between the original 13 footer and the 19 footer introduced the year before.

When they brought out the Sport 15 for 1976, it just made sense to change the name of he 16'-7" models from 16 to 17 so the line-up became 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21 footers.

Posted by Joe Kriz on 04/04/12 - 8:17 PM

#47

From all the information I have gathered, and reports and verification from Boston Whaler, there are very, very, few Smirkless 1976 Montauks, regardless of what month or what year they were built.

As also mentioned above, these very few models that made it through being 1976 and Smirkless, never had the Montauk 17' decal name on the side. Even though the catalog name changed to Montauk 17 instead of Montauk 16, these 1976 Smirkless models being produced were identical to the Montauk 16 production line. Again, only the 1976 Montauk 17 with the Smirked hull had the new decal on the side..

I only know of 2 Smirkless Montauks that have an actual HIN plate stating they are actually a 1976 year model.....

I invite anyone to submit their 1976 HIN numbers and photos of their Smirkless hull..........
Anyone?
I don't think there will be any but you never know....

Here is a list of hull numbers we have been looking for........
http://www.whalercentral.com/forum/vi...rowstart=0

We also have a list showing the last of the Smirkless Montauk hulls and the beginning of the Smirked Montauk hulls...
http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=17

In our list above, there are only 2 1976 hulls that made it through the production line that are Smirkless... Neither one have the 17' designation on the side as they followed the 16 model format....

So, for this site, I am staying by what I have researched and found.
You can be 99.9% sure, if it is Smirkless 16' 7" hull, it is a 1975 year model or below...
We have the data input to back those statements up.

As we anything else we know about Whalers, there are always some variations.

We are always looking for more info like the link I show above...
We are looking for 11 more 16' 7" stencil numbers....
As you all can see, we have narrowed this search down to eleven (11) hulls.............
I think that is fairly remarkable considering the amount of 16' 7" hulls made......
3B0352 = Last Smirkless hull (for now this is ChelseaFish)
3B0364 = First Smirked hull (for now this is Paulsv)

Posted by Joe Kriz on 04/04/12 - 8:41 PM

#48

Here is a little more info on how many 1976 Smirkless 16'7" hulls were possibly produced....

The last 1975 Smirkless hull that we have listed is:
BWCB5761M75K
3B0073

And the last 1976 Smirkless hull that we have listed is:
BWCB6046M76C
3B0352

0073 minus 0352 = 279 Smirkless hulls for 1976 models that could have been made plus possibly the other elven we are still searching for....
This total number of 290 is most likely less than that as all the info isn't in yet...

There cold not have been anymore than 290 16' 7" hulls that are Smirkless....
That isn't very many.......... and I would guess at probably less than half of that is more accurate....
My best guess = About 150 16'7" Smirkless 1976 year models were actually produced....

Those are the facts....
If anyone has any other facts to add, we are listening....

Edited by Joe Kriz on 04/04/12 - 8:45 PM

Posted by Joe Kriz on 04/04/12 - 9:07 PM

#49

The above threads were getting kind of lengthy but I think it is time for some acknowledgements here.

We couldn't have done this without help from many sources...

I want to thank all the members who submitted their information numbers for the Montauk list.

Also a big thank you to Chuck Bennett at Boston Whaler and Tom W Clark for always keeping me on my toes......

I have been collecting and researching this information for at least 12 years now and couldn't have done it without the help from all of you...

Now, let's try and narrow those last few boats down..........
They could be any 16'7" model of 1975 or 1976 with the stencil numbers we are looking for shown in the posts above......

Posted by kamie on 04/05/12 - 10:35 AM

#53

I think the part that confuses everyone, is whaler never made neat end of calendar year shifts for some of the longest running boats and significant hull changes such as the change from non-smirk to smirk hulls took place over time with no specific date for the change. This is especially confusing when we discuss calendar year vs model year, when the 1976 model year, actually started August 1, 1975.

As for my marketing ploy comment, I agree that the new 17 designation allowed Whaler to round out their size offerings nice and neat but it originated in the marketing and sales department. The one change it did bring about was the actual hull size was no longer larger than the name implied. Prior to the 1976 model year, all hulls were physically larger than their name implied, after 1976 model year that was no longer the case.

Name | Hull Size
13 Sport | 13' 4"
15 Sport | 15' 3"
Montauk 16 | 16' 7"
Montauk 17 | 16' 7"
18 Outrage | 18' 6"
20 Outrage | 19' 10"

Posted by Joe Kriz on 05/04/12 - 1:55 PM

#54

With all the information we have here, far too many people are not listing their boat model correctly...

I guess this is a losing battle for people to read any information here before posting the incorrect model of boat they have....

Any members have any ideas?
Everyone thinks they have a 1990 Outrage 190... There is not such thing.
Others think they have a 1980 Montauk 170... There is no such thing...

Many people don't even seem to look at the name on the side of their boat.
If it says Outrage 19', then it is an Outrage 19', not a 190 as the 190 did not start until 2002 like all the rest of the 3 digit naming scheme....

My boat says Outrage 18' on the side...
What boat do I have?
An Outrage 180............. NO.........
Should be simple to know that if it says Outrage 18', then that's what it is.....

I am starting to loose my patience and may have to shut down the "Members Boat Info" section......
I am spending way too much of my time correcting their incorrect entry.

ALSO NOTE:
WhalerCentral reserves the right to correct any misinformation posted by members whether knowingly or mistakenly......

We have all the information that most people need here on our site but don't seem to read it....
Again, any ideas on how to educate the members that don't have a clue what Whaler model they have?

Posted by Derwd24 on 05/05/12 - 12:06 PM

#55

Hi Joe,

Just a thought... Not sure how difficult it would be, but how about making the first pull down in the boat listing info the year, and then based on that selection by the member, the next pull down below that for Model would be limited to the actual models available within that year span and no others?

Or if the second pull down was hull length, then then third pull down would be limited to the names available within both that year span and length of the hull... This might prevent what's been going on if it's possible?

Posted by Joe Kriz on 04/11/14 - 4:42 PM

#59

Tom W Clark wrote:
It is actually incorrect to say an unsmirked hull is a 16 footer and a smirked hull is a 17 footer.

Just came across this older thread and saw that it doesn't show the correct designation and the difference between a 16 foot model without the Smirk, and the 17 model that does have the smirk.

According to Boston Whaler, all 16' 7" models with the small bow locker (which is a smirkless hulls) is called a 16' model.
See this official Whaler designation.
http://www.whalercentral.com/forum/at...cation.jpg

Also see this article which describes why a Smirkless 16 model has the 16 designation according to Whaler.
http://www.whalercentral.com/faq.php?...p?cat_id=5

So, according to Boston Whaler, all 16' 7" hulls with the small bow locker, and Smirkless , are called 16' models regardless of what year they might be.

Posted by Joe Kriz on 04/11/14 - 5:20 PM

#60

One more thing I would like to add and food for thought for some of you.

I have never seen a 16' 7" Montauk 16, with the small bow locker and smirkless hull, with factory decals on the side MONTAUK-17'

From all the photos we have and all the Montauks I have personally seen, none of the smirkless models ever had that Montauk 17' decal.
I have only seen them on the Smirked hulls with the larger bow locker which is actually when Whaler started calling them 17' models.

Anyone have any photos of something different?
Yes, it could be possible that someone added those decals so we couldn't be certain they are factory unless someone purchased that boat new.

Let us know if you have anything to add.

Edited by Joe Kriz on 04/11/14 - 5:23 PM

Posted by Tom W Clark on 04/11/14 - 7:53 PM

#61

Joe -- I think this horse is dead.

I've never seen a non-smirked, rectangular bow locker Montauk with a decal that said MONTAUK-17' on it just I have never seen a non-smirked, rectangular bow locker Montauk with a decal that said MONTAUK-16' on it. Whaler didn't start using those remodel identifier decals until 1977, so they are irrelevant to this thread.

I think, as a practical matter, it is fine to use the 16-footer/17-footer designations to distinguish the two hulls. That is simply what Whaler was doing with the doodle note you linked to above (from the Mills installation instructions) but the fact remains, the 16'/17' distinction came not with the change of hull, but when the 15 footer was introduced, in the year before the 16'-7" hull was changed.

When the Sport 15 came along Whaler had the 13, 16, 19 and 21 in production. It was only logical that they changed the name of 16'-7" hull to 17'.

One need only look at the 1976 Boston Whaler catalog to see the non-smirked, rectangular bow locker MONTAUK 17', BASS BOAT 17', SAKONNET 17', SPORT 17' & NEWPORT 17' models.

Posted by Joe Kriz on 04/11/14 - 8:14 PM

#62

Tom, I think you know as well as I do, that many times they used older photos in their catalogs.

No, the 1976 Montauk 17' with Smirk had the decals on the stern side.
1976 Montauk 17' with the Montauk-17' decals on the side.
http://www.whalercentral.com/infusion...er_id=6410

Dead, I don't think so, not yet. The information in this thread was not finished or accurate.
New information pops up from time to time and reopens the investigation.

1. I have seen several 1976 Smirked hulls with the MONTAUK-17' decals on the side.
These decals started with some smirked models in the 1976 17' models that I have seen.
I have never seen that on any 16' smirkless hull.

2. I have never seen a Smirkless 16 hull with any decals on the side for Nauset, Eastport, Sakonnet, etc.
I have never seen a decal on either hull, smirkless or smirked with the name of Sakonnet on it.

3. I have not researched the Newport that much but again, have never seen Newport on a 16 Smirkless hull.
Not sure about the 1976 Newport 17'.

So, I will ask everyone the question again.
Anyone see anything different?

Edited by Joe Kriz on 04/11/14 - 10:19 PM

Posted by WillVan on 01/15/21 - 9:25 AM

#64

Hey, I like these discussions to try to get these details straight. So, just a few notes from an old guy who was working at a Maine Whaler dealer at the time of the new hulls.

--as has been pointed out, BW wanted to clearly distinguish the new hulls from the original designs (even though the same length), because they were distinctively different and PERFORMED SO MUCH BETTER. I wonder if the folks who spend so much restoring the older flatter-bottomed hulls (or places like Metan Marine who reproduce them) really understand that.

--Whaler designers called the 'smirk' the HYDROFUBAB, or 'fubab' for short around the factory floor. Really. I had the chance to meet the guy who designed it.

--if I am not mistaken, a limited number of the OLD 16s used the Desert Tan/white gelcoat scheme of the originals. Just for one year if I recall correctly. Sorry if that has been discussed and I missed it.

--for several models and years, the hulls were Desert Tan interior and White exterior. We only had 2 cans of official BW gelcoat to do gelcoat repairs. When I attended factory training school around 1978 I learned how to match faded interior tan by mixing in a little white. Same story with blue on the older hulls. But this was just for small repairs. For larger sections, sprayed the entire area (up to some kind of dividing crease) in the color and then sanded and polished that area down. Just like in auto body work.

Posted by WillVan on 04/11/21 - 7:46 AM

#66

On the subject of OLD THREADS--Seems to me that expecially since large portions of this site are tuned to those devoted to classic, TIMELESS Whalers, that there will always be new users of all types and special interests, all around the diverse subjects of "All Things Boston Whaler".

Since folks getting into Whalers and forums is a continuous, never-ending flow, and we have both first-timers, returning members and old hands here, bringing up (not 'bringing back') older threads might be seen as a rather normal event, looking at it that way.

With all the valuable, interesting info on this site, I wonder if some sort of quicker, more efficient search tool would be good, so potential contributors would not worry so much about posting stuff already fully hashed-over. Really, there has to be a lot of hesitation about that, especially with so many old experts sharing here.

Old threads deserve respect and are almost always as relevant as newer ones. Sometimes better.

BTW, still looking at more precise facts about the old question of gelcoat colors on the 16/17 hulls as they made the transition to the new hull in 1976.