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Hey guys,

I'm wondering if any of the Whalers are good ocean boats. Sorry for showing my ignorance but I'm a new boat owner and I only have a 1966 13'. I use it in the Great South Bay - Long Island on calm days. But some day I would like to venture out past the islands that protect us from the ocean.
Do you guys think I should get another Whaler? Or would I be better off getting a boat with a deeper hull like a Striper?
I will be having a blast with my little whaler this summer, but I'm thinking about getting something bigger over the winter for next year.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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Arthur,

I think the boat you should be looking for is an Outrage 25'....

Maybe a 22' but why not just go for the 25'..... ????
The 25' will handle real snotty water.....

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Arthur,

You will want a 17 Montauk or 17 - 19 Outrage if you are planning to stay with in site of land. If you want to run into big open water you will want at least a 20' Outrage But I would look for a 22' - 25'.

Twins would also be a must in my book if you are wanting to make 20+ mile runs out in to open water. Also with twins you would want to make sure the Hull loaded with gear could plan off on one of the motors. Just in case you ever lose one offshore you will want piece of mind that you can get home in a reasonable amount of time on one motor if you need to.

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Arthur,

I'm a Long Islander as well (boat out of Freeport) and currently own a Conquest 23. I've owned a Sport 15 and a classic Montauk and been out on a neighbor's 13'. Since you have to go through either Fire Island or Jones Inlets to get to the ocean, I would recommend at least a Montauk if you want to venture outside.

Even on the nicest days the inlets can get bad very quickly. I routinely went 3-5 miles offshore with my Montauk (on nice days of course), and fished the inlet with my Sport 15.

I saw a couple of Montauks for sale in Newsday this week.

Regards,

Bill

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Thanks a lot for the info. I'm real happy to hear that you guys use Whalers in the ocean. I haven't been out in the ocean that many times but when I have, it was either on a big cattle boat or on Pangas in Mexico on the Pacific side.
I'm also new to the east coast, but I get the feeling storms sneak up more often here. Anyway, I will be keeping my eyes open for a 25' Outrage.
I will also be keeping watch on this thread for more info.

Hey Bill, I live in Babylon but my girlfriend grew up in Freeport. In fact, she is the one that bought the 13' Whaler. Her parents owned a marina in Freeport and they rented 13' Whalers.
I spend time on the Nautical Mile often. Maybe I'll see you around one day. B)

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Arthur,

I dock at the municipal dock on the Nautical Mile quite often. If you see a Conquest without any engines on the back, it's me. (I have an I/O and don't think there are any others around).

The Outrage 25 is a really nice ocean-going boat, but a Montauk would be good interim choice if you can't find an Outrage at the right price.

Good luck!


Bill

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I bought my 25 Outrage specifically for offshore fishing. I've been as far as 70-75 miles out but typically run 30-60+ miles...Its an awesome hull and dry as a bone. The center console design allows for a smoother ride vs. a walk-around type design, where the steering is closer to the bow. Its a great offshore boat and fits my needs well. If your serious about going offshore, go on a 25 Outrage. Good luck.

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Like Homewood, I also have a 25' Outrage with twin 150 opti max's. Homewood has the closed transom with the whaler drive, where as I have the open transon version. There is a difference between the two boats, and there are somedays that I wish I had the closed transom. The ride on both the closed and open transom boats are very dry. I have fished on Homewoods boat, and have to say she is one hell of a beast. Thus his boat is really nice if you are fighting a big fish, the closed transom gives area in the pit where you can mount your knees against the transom wall to gain more leverage, where on the open transom you will have to bear down on your own. Both versions are great boats and the ride is uncomparable to many of the newer style fishing boats availble on the market today.

Hey Homewood, you need to get some new power there buddy. I need a wing-man, that can keep up with White-Lighting. :D:D:D We will be heading Offshore within two weeks, the warm water is starting to move in!!!!

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New power? These old dogs still have some life. Keep up? The bay is one thing but offshore will have to see about that. :p Yes, you can help me steak up my big Tunas this year. :D:D I'll see you out in the bluewater!!

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I checked out your personal page Mike and that's a beauty you have. Is there any chance of seeing pics of yours msl?

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buy the best, buy a large deep v boston whaler. It will out live and out perform the striper. The boat will also keep its re-sale value. How many times a year do you plan to venture out into the ocean? If not many hook up with someone who would like a fishing partner on their bid boston whaler or just charter a big nice fishing boat once or twice a year. I had a 20 foot whaler and I used to take out out in the Hawaiian channels, on rough days it was not very confortable, but it did perform well. Since i'm about 15 years older I pick the calmer days to go out. The boat will take the beating, but I can't any more. Good Luck

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I looked at a 1987 22' Outrage over the weekend. It is in very good shape.
The wood all has been powerwashed so it looks clean, but unfinished. It even has wood gunwales. :D It has a 1999 Johnson 200 hp 2 stroke, carberated engine. Asking price is $20,500. The trailer is super heavy duty. Probably made for a bigger boat.
My girlfriend is really pushing me to get one with a cuddy. Hopefully I'll find a 25' to look at soon. It is hard for me to take my time. I've got the itch.

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arthureld,

I have seen a 25 Outrage/cuddy on boat trader, I think its priced around 14,900 and located in Ohio? You'll have to do a search...The Outrage/cuddy is nice because the females can use the porta-pot in privacy. Your girlfriend will enjoy boating more if she has a place of privacy and that counts in the long run. Its also great for storage etc. I know its hard but take your time when looking for one of these boats. They pop up from time to time. It took me a year before I settled on mine....Check the whaler tales section and you'll see some photos of msl's 25 Outrage (fishing on the Chesapeake)....Good luck.

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I did see that one in Ohio. Actually, I saw 2 in the midwest for about that price. The midwest might be a good place to buy since the boats may not have seen saltwater.
I found one here on Long Island too. The price is high, but at least I can get a look at one soon.

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I went as far as NJ to seatrial a 25 Outrage with open transom. The hull was decent but the boat was dirty and the owner didn't seem honest. After seatrial, I offered $4,000 below his asking price. The broker wanted my offer on paper but I refused when the owner wouldn't accept and walked out. A couple months later the broker called me back and said my offer was accepted...."Too late" I said, I found my current 25 at a lower price with all the options, trailer and at a lower price!

There are some nice "classic" 25 Outrage's on the market. Make a low offer, you can always go up...They clean up easily and always draw looks. I've recieved many compliments and enjoy tinkering on it when I'm not on the water. I like the 22 but the 25 is a boat you can take several friends out without feeling cramped. Keep us posted on your search.

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Mike, is it hard to find that full transom like you have?

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Full transom whalers are the hardest to find, especially if you want the forward cuddy. I saw that you mentioned that your girlfriend favors the foward cuddy. My wife and I looked at several boats with the forward cuddy and decided against. For once we agreed on something!!! The forward cuddy takes away room for fishing and in my eyes, and could be a real pain for setting an anchor in rough conditions. Do you plan on sleeping on the boat several times a year? The hide away potty thing is a bunch of crap, thats what five gallon buckets and beach towels where made for. There are plenty of place around the super consoles to post up against. As for fishing off of the bow, the cuddy will take away alot of plat form and restrict your fishing in this area (plus it could be hard to fish off of during rough seas), besides adding more weight to the bow (I think the cuddy adds a good 300 to 400 pounds of weight to the boat). Instead of having the cuddy there are other options. We have the foward dodger (mills) with the extension which takes the forward dodger all the way back to the super console. Then to top it off we have custom cushions to fill the bow area in, which are 5 inches thick. I will try and dig some pictures up with the dodger extended. The cuddy is great for storage, having the potty, and offshore drilling:o:o. It is all personal preference when it comes down to it, what purpose will the cuddy provide your girlfriend and you? I'm sure Homewood will chime in for the cuddies usefulness, besides the extra weight and drag it provides as I do my fly bys at 54mph:D:D:D

I would definitly look for the closed transom outrage, in either the 22 or the 25. My father just picked up a 22 closed transom over the winter. The only big difference betwwen the two is the over all lenght and the beam, both are suited to head offshore.

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Typically if the boat has a full transom on it it should have whalerdrive with it. If it does not then it was either a Sea Drive or I/O hull converted to bracket outboard power.

However, most of the Guardian models have the standard Notched open transom with a splash door. My father has this set up on his Guardian and I do like it...especially when fishing in large rolling following seas.

my fathers 22 Guardian

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Thanks for the detailed explainations Jeff and msl. And thanks for the pics Jeff.
I've been trying to dig up pics of all the options so I can make an educated decision. Here's one I found of a boat I will look at.
[img]http://www.huronlagoons.com/25%20bw%207.23.06%20001.jpg[/img]
It has a seat in the back that I guess would work as a splash guard, but it doesn't look water tight.
I like your boat a lot too msl and I would enjoy seeing more pics if you have them.

I think these are the cushions you are talking about msl.
[img]http://www.biggame.it/annunci/barche/Boston-Whaler-outrage-25-04a.jpg[/img]

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arthureld,

msl has given some good advice and his boat is fast. I have never seen two 25's that look alike, I guess because so many options were available over the years and some have custom upgrades.

There are clear positives and negatives with the Outrage cuddy models. When I purchased mine my girlfriend wanted a cuddy for the pottie privacy. It was important to me to keep her happy and figured I would have more time on the water if she felt comfortable on the boat etc. The positives of the cuddy, it does make a nice casting platform in calm-moderate seas. Also a nice place to catch a power nap when trolling far offshore. dry storage for fishing rods, and pottie privacy. The negatives, difficult to fish from in heavy seas and a pain to anchor unless it has a bow pulpit with anchor. I suspect the added weight forward can improve the ride through heavier seas....I've fished from msl's outrage and I also like the open bow.

When I found my boat it was rigged for offshore with a custom fiberglass t-top, modified console with flush mounted electronics, outriggers, Stamoid custom cover and whalerdrive bracket (all features I was looking for).

The closed transom/whalerdrive is probably the best option because it creates alot more storage, in my case (4) batteries, (2) oil tanks, removeable fish/storage box and dry feet. However a notched transom can be modified to a semi-closed transom with starboard mounted on the transom as a shield. I've seen several Outrages where people have done this and it works and looks pretty good. The Outrage in the top picture you posted looks pretty nice.

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Thanks again for the info Mike. The asking price for that boat in the pic is $15,000. I'm sure yours is worth twice that if not more. If you have any suggestions about finding a WD, please let me know.
I'm going to look at a 25' with a cuddy this weekend. :D

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Here you go right near you:

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/014002.html

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You are amazing msl. I've been searching all over. Those two are less than 5 miles from me.

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After a lot of thought and shopping, I'm leaning toward a 22' Outrage. The 25' although only a little more than 2 feet longer is soo much bigger. My dock is on a shallow canal. My tow vehicle isn't that big either. Also, my exerience operating a boat is limited. It just seems like a 22' is a happy medium for now. I have convinced my gf that a cuddy isn't necessary right now either.
I looked at a 91 22' today. The price was right, but I'm going to keep shopping. I really want one from the 80s with the wood gunwales. :D