Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by Certif658 on 04/22/09 - 7:40 AM

I am looking for a whaler for my kids. The state where I live limits children to 10hp. I have a Johnson 9.9 which I modified to be closer to 15hp. The question is which boat is better, the 13' or 11' foot Whaler? I have been told the 13' is heavy for the engine and the boat will have a tough time planing with more than one person aboard. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Posted by whalersal on 04/22/09 - 7:56 AM

Certif658 wrote:
I am looking for a whaler for my kids. The state where I live limits children to 10hp. I have a Johnson 9.9 which I modified to be closer to 15hp. The question is which boat is better, the 13' or 11' foot Whaler? I have been told the 13' is heavy for the engine and the boat will have a tough time planing with more than one person aboard. Does anyone have any thoughts?

I have had both. See my personal page for pictures. My 110 Tender had a Mercury 9.9 4 stroke with a tiller. It barely planed, even with a doel fin, with 250lbs of persons (1 adult and 1 kid). It was a great boat to teach the basics to my boys, but they now have a 130 Sport with a 40hp. I would not think of the 110 Tender as more than a put put to taxi you around and sight see. You will sell it as soon as you can.

I boat in Barnegat Bay, and I do not want to get into a discussion on rule following, risk taking, etc. I will say this. I have a 16 yr old and a 14 yr old. Both have their licenses. We have a 130 Sport. The 16 yr old can operate it alone legally, and the 14 yr old can if an adult is in the boat. If you are in my neck of the woods, and your kids are puttering around the bay or canals, I really don't think they will get stopped.

Now six teens in a 130 Sport whooping it up might very well get stoped on the other hand...

Posted by Certif658 on 04/22/09 - 12:31 PM

I would love to buy a 13' rather than 11'. However, the feedback I've gotten so far is that a 13' requires at least 25hp. I friend of mine had a 15hp on a 13' and said it was underpowered, he had a tough time getting it on plane, etc. In addition, this engine started out as a 9.9hp which my cousin "upgraded" to the 15hp configuration, so I'm guessing it's not quite 15hp.

Posted by DaveL on 04/22/09 - 1:06 PM

I've had both also. I started with a 15hp on the 11'. It was OK with one person, but any more than that and she was underpowered. I then put a 20 on it, and it was a rocket ship. The hull was a little small though.
I've had a 35 and a 30 on the 13'. I'm not a speed demon (too old), but either one has adequate power. The extra two feet makes a big difference over the 11' space wise.
My suggestion: if you want comfort and room to move around, get the 13. Understand that it will be a real dog. If you want a little less space and more speed, get the 11'.

Posted by captleisure on 04/22/09 - 9:30 PM

I have both a 11' for my 9 year old and 13 for my 12; When I bought my 11 it was set up with a center console and 25hp, it was still a dog with an adult in it. I gutted it and bought an 8hp tiller, it will plane out with 3 kids in and run almost 20mph granted not a lot of weight and balanced. My 13 is a super sport with a 35hp 4stroke Honda, I can run 4 adults up on plane and probably pull a skier. My opinion is stay away from the 11' as it just isnt somthing you can grow into it's better suited as a tender. The 13' you can use the rest of your life, as I have no plans of ever selling it.

Posted by macjr67 on 04/23/09 - 4:35 AM

#10

I agree, the 11 is a bit small. I have a 13 now and really wouldn't find any benefit to an 11, much more room in the 13. Take a look at the two boats side by side. I would also feel much safer with the stability of the 13. But the biggest benefit here is that when its time to upgrade, you only have to upgrade the engine, not the whole rig. Hope this helps and enjoy your next boat whatever you choose.

Posted by Certif658 on 04/23/09 - 5:05 AM

#11

Thanks for all the advice! I agree the 13' is better for the long haul. Hopefully 15hp will do it for the next couple of years until the kids are old enough to have a larger engine. I would like to simply scrape off the decals on a 25hp, but the local "cops" are too smart for that I'm afraid. It's not worth risking my drivers license over!