Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by Binkie on 06/15/08 - 11:24 AM

My ex-brother-in-law and close friend, is not a Classic Whaler fan. His only crisitism of them is because of the shape of the bottom, they need too much power to run competitively with other small boats. Because of this he says they are overrated, and the reason Whaler changed the bottom shape on the newer hulls. He has several boats among which is a 20` flats boat with a 70 Yamaha, that will outrun a classic Montauk with the same power. I tell him the 13` and the 17` Classic whalers are very stable boats, but actually not as stable as his flats boat which has more beam, and draws less water. He has more boating and boat building experience than anyone I know. He is 78 years old, has owned numerous boats and built and rebuilt many boats in his lifetime. He owned and operated his own charter boat, a 38 ft. Mathews Sport Fisherman when he was 19 years old, back in the 1940`s. He knows just about every commercial boat builder personally from Maine to Florida. He is a professional boat carpenter, and has taught me a lot in the 50 years I ve known him. When he usually tell me something about boats I believe its true.
I don`t have an answer to counter his criticism of Classic Whalers. I`ve seen 13 footers with 50hp, 15 footers with 70`s and 17 footers with 115s. This is not a big factor with me, as I believe in overpowering boats anyway, except for the 13 footer.
What do others think about this.

rich

Posted by CES on 06/15/08 - 12:52 PM

Honestly? Who really cares what your ex-brother in-law thinks about Whalers, to each is own. That's why he is driving other boats. This site is for people who love Whalers.....and want to help out other Whaler owners. If what he says about Whalers is true...so what? What can we do about it now? Classic Whalers are just that, Classic Whalers.

Posted by Grady95 on 06/15/08 - 1:38 PM

Thank your relative for the valuable input. Variety is the spice of life and without controversial discussion, we'd all just end up being exactly alike. Someday, I hope to meet him, share a cigar and a good bourbon and talk about boats. Strong opinion is a gift many wish they had. Sounds like this is a man who was well endowed with it! God bless him.
I also restore automobiles. I have done many British Leyland cars, german cars, and am now into American muscle. There's a 1969 Mustang in the driveway right now with an engine so big, it almost is undrivable! Big time show car, race ready, this thing makes the hair on your neck stand up. A Ford lovers wet dream. I've had Chevy enthusiasts actually badmouth the vehicle, just because it's not "one of theirs." It has taught me to accept summary judgement with restraint. I KNOW what's sitting on those wheels and what purrs under that hood. Acceptance by others is simply not needed or sought out.
I also know that Classic Whalers are a boutique subset of the market, adored by many, ridiculed by some. There is, in fact no universally loved boat any more than there is only one flavor of ice cream. These little Whalers satisfy my personal needs, both functionally and esthetically. In the end, it's just a personal preference. The key to all this is learning to accept the differences among us and respect each other, even in the presence of them. One is never too old or too well informed to hone those skills.
Be Well and Happy Father's Day,
Grady

Posted by Phil T on 06/15/08 - 2:23 PM

With boats in general, there are design elements/features that some like and others don't. There are elements on the classic designed and newer whalers that I don't prefer. The opposite is also true.

For designer/builders, there is the design perspective as well as the build perspective.

Personally, I look at features some would not consider as important. I like the low weights of the classics versus the new designs. I like the interior dimensions and high sides of the newer designs over the old. I sat in a 210 on Saturday and loved the beam, high sides, room around the console and bow area. I am not a fan of how heavy the boat is.

It's not about right or wrong, an opinion is it's own. :)

Posted by Joe Kriz on 06/15/08 - 2:48 PM

Boston Whaler boats in general aren't for everyone.

Besides what we like about our Whalers, there is one major factor that lead me to purchasing my first 13' Whaler.
Whalers DO NOT sink. You can't sink them. You can cut them into tiny little pieces and you still can't sink them. You can blow them up, shoot them full of holes and they still won't sink.
PERIOD..... They do NOT sink...

Now we have the others that will try and downgrade the above statement by telling us they will still turn over... Duh.... Almost all boats will turn over. We weren't talking about that in the above statement. We said the boat will NOT sink.... Some people just won't accept that fact.
Even if a Whaler flips over, it still floats and you can use the upturned boat as a floating device.

You've all heard my statement and maybe read it on the Boston Whaler E-magazine along with Mike's statement about how we both ended up buying our first Whalers. You can read the article on the Boston Whaler Owners Club site.

There are a lot of other well made boats out there but not a lot of well made boats that won't sink.
I prefer to keep my Whaler in Joe's locker.... NOT Davy Jones' locker....

Posted by Fishmore on 06/16/08 - 5:34 PM

#16

There are a lot of good boats out there and they fit many needs of boaters but, when I needed one boat that could run out in the ocean from San Francisco or go tubing on a big lake with my teen or be just as at home in a small lake fishing with my toddler my thoughts immediatly turned to a classic Montauk. Over many decades it has just proven itself to be an extremely safe, long lasting, versatile and economical boat. Not too many other boats out there that you can say that about.

Posted by kikibee on 06/16/08 - 5:54 PM

#19

Anybody who gets to be 78 and still has a boat can say whatever they please! My hubby and I are in the process of rebuilding the console on a 1961 Nauset and this past weekend I myself was "not a whaler fan"! I will say that I would like to see the flats boat that draws a crowd at the boat ramp... For me (and this may be a Mars-Venus thing), it's not the width of the hull or the size of the motor (ha ha!), but the overall aesthetics and pride gained from preserving a little bit of boat-building history.

I'd love to drown some worms with your brother-in-law just hear the stories he must have...

Posted by Binkie on 06/16/08 - 6:16 PM

#20

Bob K. I don`t think there are any new boats built with wood stringers and floors nowadays, everything is composites. Rotted floors and stringers won`t be an issue in 30 years. Back in the day whaler and everyone else used wood for structural members, because they had no idea fiberglass boats would last 40 years or more. The thing about whalers is they are worth restoring where most others brands are not.

renoduckman, people who own and like Bayliners usually don`t know enough about boats to recognize one brand from another, or have an opinion on any boat. or even how to operate a boat. LOL

Kiki If you want to meet my ex-brother in law to discuss fishing or boats, he is down in the keys for the past two months living on his 25` Albin fishing and taking it easy. I`m sure he would love the company. He says he`s sick of eating dolphin. He wants me to come down and spend a week with him, but it getting hot down there now, and besides I`m not as salty as he is. He catches more fish than anyone I know also. Actually 78 isn`t that old anymore. It just seems old to 40 year old kids.

rich

Posted by MW on 06/16/08 - 6:31 PM

#21

I dunno, my 15' track's pretty damn well in a tight turn, not to mention that it's design in 1976 was pretty far out there, as far as "Mustang's" go, I'm pumpin 850 Hp out of mine, now back to "Whaler's", I think that some valid points are made, I also feel that my need's are met with the boat, I think I speak for most on "W/C" when I say "We're just damn glad we were able to get our Whalers into our lives", for most of us, these boat's did NOT just fall into our hands, we REALLY went out of our way to make sure we got what we wanted. I hear "Whaler Bashing" all the time, most of it is just jelousy, I just nod and say "Uh huh, sure, yep, yea, ya right", then I ask "What kind of boat do you own", then I say "What kind" ? no matter what kind they say...then I say "Sorry, I don't remember that kind going through the CHAIN SAW TEST". The little 13' sport has probably rescued more people than any other boat in the world, and "THAT" you can take to the bank !
mw

Posted by Binkie on 06/16/08 - 6:56 PM

#22

MW you ought to get into drag boating,and combine two hobbies into one. Not sure a Whaler would work though. Whaler bashers don`t even deserve the time it takes to discuss boats. My ex- b-in-l is not a Whaler basher, and most people who know boats know about their high resale value, and there military service.
[ur]http://www.dragboats.com/video/video.php[/url]
rich

Posted by Bob Kemmler JR on 06/16/08 - 7:18 PM

#24

During my short stint working for the offshore boat builder,I got to see a few repair projects he had going on. One was a mid to late 90's pathfinder, what a pile of junk. I think I still have the pictures of this "famous high quality" boat brand. It had one layer sloppily layed around the wooden stringers with all kinds of air voids and bare wooden spots, then they just chopper gunned all around it. As far as a Whaler being a waste of HP, just take a good look at other boats speeds with the same sized motors. I'm not knocking any brands, but I see guys with 17 Makos with 115's on them that barely get over 40 mph. A 17 Whaler will be damn near 10 mph faster. Look at the 19/21 Banana hulls, they can plane easily with 50-70 hp, don't think you'll see many other boats able to do that and still be ready for offshore duty. I get very tired of hearing how rough and wet Whalers ride, but when I ask for a smooth and dry riding example of a 13-17 ft boat I never get a reply. :D I think the fact Whalers cost more (hold their value better) then other same sized boats makes some guys feel like they only have second best. I guess the truth hurts lmao

Posted by Fishmore on 06/16/08 - 8:37 PM

#25

I could not let the Bayliner comment go by without saying something about it. I had a Bayliner Trophy for six years and that boat was great for it's intended purpose. When I sold the boat I got a fair price and the marine surveyor spent three hours going over the whole thing top to bottom and all he found was a little bit of moisture around one scupper (to repair he recommended remove it and recaulk and reinstall), one light bulb burned out (which I should have caught) and he found one dime size repair job I did on a chip in the gelcoat. I had a lot of guys joke about Bayliner until they fished out of mine and I always got compliments on what a great boat it was afterwards. No disrespect intended my experience with that boat was very positive. I ran through big seas (where it was breaking on the SF Bar), fished up to eighty miles offshore and had several long days where we had 200 plus miles of running. That boat never let me down and we caught lots of fish.

Edited by Fishmore on 06/16/08 - 8:44 PM

Posted by PJHarold on 06/17/08 - 7:05 AM

#26

Read this story from the Port San Luis - Morro Bay Fishing Forum, California.

http://www.fishreports.net/fishing/me...16781.html

Look for post authored by Max Sconyers.

Title:

Posted on Sunday, June 15, 2008 - 10:57 am:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A story about Fathers Day … Survival

Not only a good reason for choosing a Whaler for safety reasons but also the ensuing liabilities Max may face as result of the sinking.

Paul Harold
Hollywood Hills, California

Edited by PJHarold on 07/07/08 - 8:58 PM

Posted by alohajim on 06/19/08 - 2:48 AM

#27

Joe Kriz wrote:
Boston Whaler boats in general aren't for everyone.

Besides what we like about our Whalers, there is one major factor that lead me to purchasing my first 13' Whaler.
Whalers DO NOT sink. You can't sink them. You can cut them into tiny little pieces and you still can't sink them. You can blow them up, shoot them full of holes and they still won't sink.
PERIOD..... They do NOT sink...

Now we have the others that will try and downgrade the above statement by telling us they will still turn over... Duh.... Almost all boats will turn over. We weren't talking about that in the above statement. We said the boat will NOT sink.... Some people just won't accept that fact.
Even if a Whaler flips over, it still floats and you can use the upturned boat as a floating device.

You've all heard my statement and maybe read it on the Boston Whaler E-magazine along with Mike's statement about how we both ended up buying our first Whalers. You can read the article on the Boston Whaler Owners Club site.

There are a lot of other well made boats out there but not a lot of well made boats that won't sink.
I prefer to keep my Whaler in Joe's locker.... NOT Davy Jones' locker....

Well said. In Hawaii, most all boating, whether bay or coastal, is in the Pacific Ocean. There's always a cross current or nasty seas that can come up quickly. And, because of all that, there's nothing like the confidence that a Boston Whaler will not sink. Period. In fact, like a foam ball, most of it will still be above water no matter how much it fills up. I wouldn't want to depend on a bilge pump to keep a boat above water in sloppy seas.
mahalo
alohajimB)

Posted by CES on 06/19/08 - 9:46 AM

#28

McAekho wrote:
Read this story from the Port San Luis - Morro Bay Fishing Forum, California.

http://www.fishreports.net/fishing/me...3/284.html

Look for post authored by Max Sconyers.

Title:

Posted on Sunday, June 15, 2008 - 10:57 am:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A story about Fathers Day … Survival

Not only a good reason for choosing a Whaler for safety reasons but also the ensuing liabilities Max may face as result of the sinking.

Paul Harold
Hollywood Hills, California

That was an incredible story. If he would have had a Whaler.......

Posted by rcmickey on 07/12/08 - 11:41 AM

#34

Well each one of us has something inside us that drove us to a Whaler. No amount of logic will ever change that. I wish I understood that better before I sold my 13Ft twin 25Hp Whaler. I got me a bigger boat (not much bigger) because it made more sense. Well guess what not one day goes by that I dont MISS MY BOSTON WHALER.......

Posted by MW on 07/13/08 - 4:41 AM

#36

When the USCG Zodiac had trouble getting into the shallow's to perform a "rescue", they could have asked ANY other boat there to help, they pointed at my little 15 foot "Whaler" and asked ME, they boarded my boat and we got the rescue done in a very short time, back board and all, I got an "Atta Boy" from the USCG, and a GREAT "Whaler memory" knowing that MY LITTLE Whaler, helped save a life ! It performed flawlessly when called to duty...for ME there's only 2 types of boats, "Boston Whaler's" and then there's "Everything else".
mw

Posted by zach_gaucher on 07/14/08 - 8:15 AM

#38

I'm sixteen years old and over the last eleven years my family has owned six boats. Our 18 Outrage that we sold last winter outperformed our 17' Four Winns and our 21' Four Winns Coast Runner with ese. We never once took water over our bow and with a 150 HP Johnson that boat clocked in at 52.6. After buying a 24' Pursuit and being whalerless for nearly 5 months we are now picking up our 1982 13' SS tonight.