Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by dirk109 on 09/01/08 - 4:36 AM

As some of you know I have a 1969 13 Whaler. I love it. But the wife and I added a 2nd son to our famliy this June and I soon relized the boat is WAY TO SMALL. I would love to get a 16' Whaler (Blue Int), But the wife has had it with the "Hard Ride" in a chop. So I have been thinking of a 1980's Montauk. My question is Do I need a 90hp to waterski and hve more than 2 people in the boat? and the bigger is what is the weight? Right now I tow the boat with my Subaru Outback. It has a max tow of 2000lbs. What do people tow their Montauk with??

Thanks.....

Posted by kamie on 09/01/08 - 5:41 AM

I would get a 90 if you can find it. I am sure when the boys are small you could get by with less, but when they want to ski, and all of you want to be on the boat it could get a little challenging. You can always find a good hull with a late model outboard and save for a repower when they get older. As for towing, depending on the outboard weight and how much extra you tow in the boat you should be around 1500#.

Posted by cyclops on 09/01/08 - 5:56 AM

I agree with Kamie. I repowered my Eastport last year and after looking at all the options I went with a 90hp. A year later I'm glad I did,

Posted by joninnj on 09/01/08 - 6:05 AM

Hi Dirk,

You will get a much better ride going from a 13 to a 16/17 but the 17s still have a hard ride in chop at planning speeds...

Definitely stick with a 90HP, I can pull slalom skiers and large wake boarder with mine. Pulled a 230 pounder few weeks back... With load you will not be able to do this with a 70...

As far as trailering, the 17s are about a 1000 LBS (give or take 100), engine and gear 500 LBS, and then the trailer another 400 LBS. You will be right at the limit. You should be fine with the Outback though.

Good luck

Edited by joninnj on 09/01/08 - 6:24 AM

Posted by wrangler on 09/01/08 - 6:54 AM

I have a 1979 17 montauk with a 90 4 stroke yamaha. In 2005 I bought the 90 up from a 2 stroke 70 johnson. Big and better difference. Uses Less gas and more power.
I tow it with a 2000 pd rated Jeep Wrangler. It pulls it OK but 70 mph highway with wind and hills slows it down. 2000 pd rated vehicle OK but do not expect rapid starts and expect longer stops. It will do the job, but brakes last less and will loose about 2 mpg. I have had the jeep since 2001 and it works OK. Boat/trailer weighs 2400 pounds fully loaded when I weighed it on trailer at truck stop scales.

Posted by seajbee on 09/01/08 - 1:08 PM

I have a 17' Montauk with a Suzuki 70 4stroke. She does about 28 knots with 2 or 3 onboard. I haven't tried to pull any skiers, so I'm not sure whether the 70 is enough power. I will say that it's still a pretty rough ride in chop as well.

Posted by Fishmore on 09/01/08 - 6:41 PM

I tow with either a F150 Crewcab or a Suburban. I barely feel the Montauk behind either truck. My boat has a 1994 75HP Mercury 2-stroke. It gets up and goes with 3-4 people. Cruises around 28-30mph tops out at 38mph. So far I am happy with this motor and I cruise side by side with my buddy who has a 90hp Ocean Pro on his Montauk. I have not tried any watersports yet.