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Being new to Whaler Central, I thought it would be appropriate for my first post to express my sincere thanks to the wide spectrum of Whaler lovers for the valuable information contained within these pages. The interest and technical support available has helped me clarify my desires for my next restoration project. I have begun a patient search for an older Whaler in the 18 foot range in need of adoption and have found a gold mine of information here to help me in my search. My hope is that an 18 foot Whaler would be light enough to handle by myself on inland lakes, yet big enough to provide a degree of safety and control should I venture out into nearby Lake Erie. I would love to hear comments from the Whaler community about my assumptions regarding an 18 to 19 foot Whaler. Again, thanks for providing this great resource- I’m looking forward to posting project pictures once I find an “orphan” and get started bringing her back to her old glory.

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Bob -

Welcome.

There are a dozen or more members who frequent the great lakes and may offer specific advice in your selection of your next boat.

In the interim, you may want to use the site search with search words like "great lakes" or "Lake Erie" to look at previous discusions. Remember to use the feature "match words" to get specific threads versus all discussions with one or more words found.

Some say the search for a whaler is second best to owning one.

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I became frustrated in my search because I wanted one so bad!!

Seriously though I trailer my montauk up to Port Huron and Lake Sinclair every year. Although it is only 17 feet, I take it about 10-15 miles offshore in Lake Huron no problem. (albeit it is not the smoothest ride!) I would have no doubt an 18-19 foot would handle it as good or better most likely. After all its a whaler!!

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Thanks for the good advice and comments. I might just open my search to include 17 ft. boats if they are that stable in open water. I have already noticed there are many more 17’s than 18’s. available. That would certainly give me more candidates. I just wish Boston Whaler had made more 17’s with a built-in gas tank under the floor. Space gets to be a premium on the smaller fishing-style boats. I think you’re right- searching is half the fun. Almost half- not quite. Owning one would be better than half!

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You will notice the differences in the hulls are often talked about. The montauk not having a deep v design is often a little rougher and wetter (not bad to me though). They changed this design I believe in 2002 or 2003 to give it a better ride. I for one like the ride, and I don't find it awful. In fact it is much smoother than my old ski boat which was a v hull. That is obviously up to whoever drives the boat though!

The storage on the montauk is definitely at a premium. A lot of members use their coolers to aid in storage of various items. The gas tanks are under the seat. I usually go out with about 4 people and I store the life jackets in the console as well as a safety kit. I use the cooler for a cooler, and I find I have plenty of space for my things. When I fish, it is with 2 other people at the most. While it is not the roomiest boat, I can deal with 2 others in the boat when I fish. We have plenty of space for tackle boxes and rods. I have to be a little creative with rod storage, but it is not bad.

In regards to stability, I always tell this story when people tell me my boat is too small. I too had reservations about a 17 foot boat. It seems way to small to go more than a mile offshore. I have heard my brother in law tell me he takes his 35 miles offshore in Charleston when he picks his days. Either way, I don't have the guts to go that far out in the ocean! Regarding Lake Huron, I know it usually is only rough in the winter, so I went far offshore. I didn't realize how much of a wake those freighters put out. I wanted to get really close, so I did. By the time I realized we were too close, there was a mountain of a wave headed straight for us. Although I acted cool, I was scared out of my mind. I fired up the boat and tried to get away. By the time the wave hit us, it was so big I thought for sure we would capsize. The boat took them no problem and just went up and over them no big deal. When it was all said and done my passengers wouldn't stop talking about how stable the boat was. I am not one to brag about my boat, and I realize there was probably some divine intervention as well, but I couldn't believe how the boat performed that day. I have never felt more safe in a smaller boat before. I know now that this was the perfect choice for me since it is a shallow boat that can handle bigger water as well. All these whalers are cool boats. If you aren't planning on going too far offshore, I would definitely recommend a 17 to be included in your search. They can also fit in garages!! Good luck in your decision and post plenty of pics. If you need one looked at in GA I will be glad to help.

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Thanks Terry- I have a great deal of respect for Lake Erie- it can change personalities in an instant. By the way- I looked at your pics- that is one beautiful boat. Does it have a live well? I assume you do some "catchin'" as well as "fishin'. What do you do with fish if you use the cooler as a cooler?

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Thanks for the comments. I spent what the boat was worth restoring it, but it was well worth it. I can imagine Erie has a mind of its own. Even being that far out in Huron was scary since it changes so quickly from 20-200 feet.

I always practice caatch and release much to the shigrin of many people. I prescribe to the let em go let em grow theory! The boat doesn''t have a livewell. I have heard of people adding them though, If you do a search on here you can see many examples. There are portable ones that would fit fine in the stern or where ever you decide to put it. I do a lot of trolling and skinny water casting in my boat. Bass, smallmouth, musky, trout, striper are all targets!!

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I am not familiar with boating on the Great Lakes but do understand about rougher and larger bodies of water.

Every boat has its place and purpose.
I think I would lean towards these models for the water you describe.

1996-1999 Outrage 17' II (or equivalent)
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...album_id=4

2002 or newer Montauk 170
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...lbum_id=34

Any 18' model or larger...

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I have a good deal of time on both Lake Ontario and the Atlantic in fairly small crafts. Where most of the problems enter the picture is in how quickly things can change on the big inland lakes and just how drastic the changes can be. In particular, the lakes that tend to be west to east such as Erie and Ontario can change faster than you can see it coming and make some major changes for sure. 1-3 foot rollers can change to 6-8 foot white caps in an instant. There were times I was out in my 30 footer and wish I had stayed home BUT my 17' Montauk would have been just as well suited to get me home and possibly even better because they are corks in the water.

You must watch the wind report because 40 - 80 miles of easterly winds hitting all of a sudden in the Great Lakes can be a serious issue and not good for any navigation.

On the right days I would think nothing of taking my Montauk 10-15 miles out chasing Salmon on Ontario and the freighters would not bother me in the least. If the winds were predicted to come out of the south and I went out from Rochester, I stayed closer to the shore. The standard saying in the Rochester/Lake Ontario area was if the weather looks good right now, give it a half an hour and it will change. There are a lot of big boats on the bottoms of those lakes but not very many Whalers at all.

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All the big water comments above are great- thanks. Having lived on the Niagara River for several years, I've experienced both Erie and Ontario in non-Whaler boats, so I can relate. I'm still leaning toward an 18' hull unless I find they are hard to handle launching with one person. I do that often on inland lakes. Any comments on that? Is an 18 ft. light enough to launch solo? I'm guessing it is.

Just a short side story- When I lived on the upper Niagara River, a neighbor had a 13 ft. Whaler that vandals cut loose and let drift one night. The next day the own got a call from the Coast Guard, who found their boat- floating in the LOWER Niagara. The boat went over the american falls. It was still floating and only had a couple of scratches. The owner called Boston Whaler to tell them about it, but they just said, yes- we know we build strong boats. Enough said.

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I have an 18 outrage that launching by myself is easy. The trailer is made by sportsman in sante fe texas (out of business last year). The trailer has a lever which raises rollers under the keel. Sometimes its too easy and will flat roll off depending on ramp angle and speed. Did I tie off that bow rope ??? My problem has been getting it back on the trailer going to add some side bunks to get me centered better especially with the wind or current pushing me around. If you want I can take a pix and post it.