Thread subject: Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos :: Whaler Insights Please!!

Posted by ClevelandBill on 08/06/17 - 7:17 AM
#8

Steve & Janis: my boat is a newer model (2015), but a far cry from what you're looking at. I had a few issues with my boat, but they're so small ... they shouldn't dissuade anyone from BW.

My boat is a 150 Super Sport. $23k of boat.

Here's my few complaints:

Cheap, shallow plastic cupholders (which I priced at $1.39 each online). I replaced with deeper stainless cupholders with drains ... about $5 each on Amazon.

The rubber trim around my console wasn't glued on properly. Cost me about $1.00 in 3M 5200, and now it will never, ever come off.

Nuts on the trailer towing eye came loose, first season. Free to fix. In retrospect, I think there's a lot of "curing" the hull goes through and a lot of shakedown stuff that could happen, so I do not consider this a fault. Just thought it was weird at first.

I can't think of anything else. Hull is perfect, flawless. Motor and rigging is perfect, flawless. Everything else is perfect, flawless.

So, really, no actual complaints or problems.

This is why a Whaler fanboy might buy a new Whaler. It is so perfect. And if they make perfect at the 15' level ... they put a lot more into the larger boats like yours will be.

If I ever buy another new Whaler, I'm going to sit on that boat for hours in the dealership and just make a list. Anything I find cheap, I'm going to deduct from the price I pay, whatever it costs to replace it. If it is just cupholders ... wow. Some boats, you find real problems. I don't think I'll find much.

Finally, everybody knows the math about the used Whalers. Evaluate the motors ... and if they need to go, add the price of new motors to the used boat price. Too often, you'll find a brand new boat is less expensive. The real bargain is if you can do your own motor maintenance, and all the other usual boat maintenance tasks. Then used is the way to go ... like was suggested above about letting the other guy take the depreciation hit. Honestly, a lot of boats do a lot of sitting at the marina ... low engine hours.

Good luck, and you will never regret having the best. It's cheaper in the long run. (I'm thinking of the recent boat sinkings here in Lake Erie, watching good boats from reputable makers take a dive.)