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I am a proud Whaler owner but am having a tough time convincing my brother to buy one for himself. He seems to believe that an 18' Parker center console is the best boat he can buy. I suggested to him to buy a nice classic 18 Outrage but he is leaning towards the Parker. Does anyone have any experience with these boats? I noticed when we were out fishing this past weekend that here on Long Island quite a few people have Parkers. They look like a good sturdy boat but I need someone with personal experience to let us know whats up with these boats. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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I've had much experience on a friend's Parker. I've fished on it several times on the Chesapeake bay and offshore. Its a 2003 25SE (center console, no frills boat). It has a t-top and Yamaha 225 fourstroke on a bracket. The boat is very strong and appears to be well built with decent hardware. The wiring is good too. Having said that, it does have some drawbacks. Its a wet boat! The ride is rough too in anything more then a 2-3 chop. The deck is impossible to keep clean for some reason the deck gelcoat holds stains (I believe this is a problem with the Parkers). The deck gelcoat does not have the finished look of Whaler gelcoat. It looks very utilitarian...No way to access or replace the fuel tank without cutting up the deck. The fishbox is not insulated and won't hold ice for any length of time. Its a good boat but seems very pricey for a utility boat.

I've also fished on another friend's 18 Outrage. It does have a bone dry ride like my 25. I believe the deadrise on the 18 Outrage is 18 degrees vs. the Parker's 14 degrees. For me and probably many others here the 18 Outrage is the only choice between those two. Good luck in convincing your brother.B)

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Jrepp,

It sounds like your brother already has his mind made up...

The only question I would ask him is:

How much does he value the lives of his family and friends, or his own life for that matter?
The Whaler will NOT sink....

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I have owned three whalers in the past, and currently own a Parker 2520 for myself, as well as a Boston Whaler 110 Tender. I love my Parker, and it is seaworthy as well as "overbuilt". Their reputation is justified. On another forum devoted to Parker enthusiasts, I see the same high concentration of owners who are extremely meticulous and "seaworthy" themselves, as I do here, so that again says something for the Parkers.

No small vessel is unsinkable and designed like Boston Whalers, and that point is hard to get away from. It means that the boat allows for a margin of error, that other boats simply do not allow for. This margin of error can be because of a faulty livewell, poor installation of some marine professional's install on your boat, bad weather, or simply your own shortcomings. Again I love my Parker 2520, but I still wonder two years later if I should have stayed with a smaller Whaler. I miss the simplicity of my old 190 Nantucket. If Boston Whaler made a pilothouse boat in a size suitable to my needs and wallet, I'd have been there in a second. They do not. They do, however, make plenty of center console boats in the 17-22 foot range, and give them all a good look. If your brother likes the 1800 Parker, he will also like the 190 Outrage, and he will certainly like a classic 18' Outrage.

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Jrepp,
Once you own a classic Outrage 18, you understand why people rave about them... I don't think I've ever heard a derogatory word spoken about a Classic Outrage 18 and there is one very important reason, no other 18 foot boat has the combined ride and stabilty of the Classic Outrage 18. While the Parker is a fine boat, well built, good resale, it will not have the ride of the Classic Outrage 18. Its difficult to describe the quality of the ride of the Outrage 18, but imagine a boat that cuts through waves almost as well as the best deep-vee 18 but is at the same time rock solid stable and barely rolls. The classic Outrage 18 inspires confidence and makes you wonder why you ever thought any other boat would do.

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I live in NC not far from where Pakers are made so i see tons of them and have lots of friends who own them. Some of the complaints i hear is that they just do not hold up over time. Many floors have been replaced due to rotten wood in boats less than 10 years old, they ride like a big flat bottom boat, wet, and many gel coat problems. Local state government uses mostly parkers and while gov. boats don't get proper treatment they still constantly have work done to their boats. Look at the pictures of old whalers that have been used as gov boats and there is nothing that needed to be worked on. just my 2 pennies.

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You might add to the facts already mentioned that a Boston Whaler has a very high resale value.

I've owned three Whales. The one I sold, after three years, brought more than I paid!

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I am not sure I agree with the comments that Parkers do not hold up over time, as well as the implication that Parkers don't have great resale value. Whalers and Parkers both exhibit both of those mentioned attributes.

Old taken care of Whalers hold up well. Parkers have a rep of being overbuilt, and also hold up well. Not trying to stir the pot; I actually gave a thumbs up to the 18 Outrage, but if someone is looking for factual information to aid in choosing a good 18 footer, I think both manufacturers make outstanding, well riding, 18 footers that have great resale value. I think the one attribute that tips to Whalers favor is a higher degree of "unsinkability" or swamped capacity.

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Sorry it sounded like i ran parker in the dirt. They really are good boats. Id put them in the top 10 for quality. And they do hold up well over time compared to the general boating competition. But compared to classic whaler they just don't hold a candle. Then again, if were talkin new boats, im not sure whaler is where it should be. They are floating on the name they made in the classic days. I think about 30 years from now, the classics will still be going while the upper 90s boats will be replaced. same for mako. i think we may see a new front runner in quality such as grady-white or regulator. what about bob daugherty's other ventures? edgewaters any decent?