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I saw a video on whaler.tv that interviewed Jim Keris about a 13 foot whaler and how Boston Whaler wanted to see it and then they restored the hull (at seemingly no cost). I noticed that Jim has posted on here a few times and was curious why Boston Whaler did a complete restore of the hull? There has got to be more to the story? It seemed to elude to this boat being a pre-production model that Dick Fisher built himself?

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I meet Jim and his Whaler at the Miami boat show last year.
http://www.whalercentral.com/userphot...hoto_id=33

From what he told me, the boat was restored by Boston Whaler so they could use it in boat shows around the country. The last time I heard, the boat still belonged to Jim but he wasn't sure what he was going to eventually do with the boat.
Maybe he can elaborate more on the subject if he reads this.

A beautiful example of one of the oldest Whalers out there I have seen.

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After the boat shows and hoopla settled down I sat down with the folks at Boston Whaler and worked out a deal.I won,t elaborate on exactly what the deal was, but just let me say that boston whaler corp.has possesion of hull # fp56.To get the boat in Bristol condition for showing they had to add so much glass and resin that the boat would be way too heavy to be practical. this boat was very heavy to begin with and it would not be practical for continuous use. I thought the best place for the boat would be in the hands of Boston Whaler. They will be showing it around the country and displaying it at various dealerships. I felt this was the place for the piece of Whaler history. and it deserved a well earned rest. Seeing Boston Whaler was not interested in the motor, trailer, or wood. I found a 1960 hull and am in the process of restoring it. Same motor, same trailer, same wood So I'm back into a 13' again. Right now it,s winter. Get going on those boats! Spring will be here before you know it!

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Hope to see it this year at miami show.

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Great story Jim, Thanks for sharing.

Regards,

Norm

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Jim - Having owned 13 Sport Hull #110 for three years, from 1968-1971, which I had thought was the 11th BW ever made, beginning with hull #100, I'm curious as to how your hull #fp56 fits into the early boat sequence. I had thought the the very first prototype would have been #100. Guess i was wrong.

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All the research I have come across also shows the first one as being #100

What does the FP stand for?

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FP stands for Fisher Pierce the company that Owned boston whaler. so in reality the boat is a Fisher Pierce.
After lengthy discussions with Chuck Bennett of Boston Whaler and searching through the archives No one was able to come up with a definitive answer. When I bought the boat it was registered as a 1957. I tried to contact the previous owner but unfortunatly he had passed away. Again this is just speculation but I believe that the "56" stands for 1956. If Boston Whaler can't find the info i guess we will never know. Or maybe boston Whaler knows and isn't telling uhmmmm...... the plot thickens!








fisher pierce

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Yes, I think Jim understands it correctly. This boat was a prototype. It was very close to the production model but did have some slight variations, like the drain tube that descended through the bottom of the hull instead of through the transom.

I am sure that Whaler #100 was the first production Whaler.

FP certainly stands for Fisher Pierce (Dick Fisher's company, which still exists, by the way). "56" remains more of a mystery.

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Great info and thanks for the response it was bugging me after reading the brief information on the BW video.

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FP?
I was thinking it was some secret code like First Prototype (FP) or Final Prototype (FP)

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Joe - Here's another bit of information I just remembered, but couldn't figure out at the time.

On my 1971 Ribside 21, which was manufactured in December 1970, I noticed all of the original teak components had "FP70" stamped into the wood on the back sides.

I could never figure out what it meant. Now I can. Produced by Fisher Pierce, probably in their own wood shop, in 1970.

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Larry,

Yes, on many of the wood drawings, there are initials of who made the wood parts and FP did stand for Fischer-Pierce.

It just didn't jump out at me when looking at the Stencil number as I had never seen FP on a stencil. I assumed it was some deep dark secret code.....

I guess I gotta stop watching all those spy and detective movies.... :-)

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And to think that today Fisher-Price is better known for childrens toys. You guys never ceast to amaze with your knowledge and insite into these boats. Keep it coming

George Corbin

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Do not confuse Fisher-Price (the toy maker) with Fisher Pierce.

Fisher Pierce makes (and always did make) electrical components.

Today Fisher Pierce is a brand owned by Sunrise Technologies, Inc.

http://www.fisherpierce.com/