Anyone have or had a boston whaler? I am looking at a 2 year old 150 sport that might come up for sale. Seems like a good compromise between a lightweight boat, and a small run about. Easy to trailer, but big enough for most water in Iowa and Minnesota.
(http://cdn-5.psndealer.com/e2/dealersite/images/NewVehicles/nv57709_4_400.jpg)
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e160/acman2323/DSCN0435.jpg)
Way back....
a buddy and I pulled 100 lobster traps a day with a 17' Whaler...it was a double V type.
Fantastic boats.
Haven't had one personally, but I've spent even years workin the boats-Boston Whaler does make a good product. I would prefer if their gunwales were higher though....
when I was 12 my 9 year old brother and I jacked my uncle's 12 footer and drove it across a remote bay (Uganik for anyone who might know) on the south side of Kodiak Island. Several times we traveled all the way from our fishing site in Uganik back to Kodiak proper in a larger version, I wanna say it was a 20-22 footer, which was some ridiculous 12 hour ride if I recall. Awesome boats, easy to use, withstand the serious stuff.
awesome boats, well made. worth the money
Quote from: turtherlips on August 05, 2008, 06:44:35 AM
They say they're un-sinkable...
(http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/images/54/chainSawWhaler585x389.jpeg)
actually all boats made in like the last 20 years are unsinkable - federal regulations...
just now some float more than others.
mitt
no federal regs about boats being unsinkable. perhaps boats of a certain class. most will go to the bottom if holed. foam cored glass wont, but show me a steal or aluminum boat that floats when full of water.
monohull sailboats have large amounts of lead both holding them upright and trying to pull them to the bottom too.
Quote from: Statler on August 05, 2008, 12:31:41 PM
no federal regs about boats being unsinkable. perhaps boats of a certain class. most will go to the bottom if holed. foam cored glass wont, but show me a steal or aluminum boat that floats when full of water.
monohull sailboats have large amounts of lead both holding them upright and trying to pull them to the bottom too.
I filled 'em full a lead partner...... now dance!
[roll] Sorry nothing to contribute but I want a boat so it's useful. TY
Quote from: Statler on August 05, 2008, 12:31:41 PM
no federal regs about boats being unsinkable. perhaps boats of a certain class. most will go to the bottom if holed. foam cored glass wont, but show me a steal or aluminum boat that floats when full of water.
monohull sailboats have large amounts of lead both holding them upright and trying to pull them to the bottom too.
I swear I read that. For example, the aluminum run abouts and fishing boats today have foam cells to keep it floating even if filled with water. I will have to do some interweb digging.
mitt
Quote from: mitt on August 05, 2008, 07:15:39 PM
I swear I read that. For example, the aluminum run abouts and fishing boats today have foam cells to keep it floating even if filled with water. I will have to do some interweb digging.
mitt
Found it:
"Today this "unsinkable" attribute is not exclusive to Boston Whalers. All modern boats under twenty five feet manufactured for sale in the United States are required by law to have positive flotation so that a completely swamped boat will still float.[4] "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Whaler#cite_note-3
http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/boatbuilder/flotation/183-202-0.htm
mitt
what are your plans for said boat? fishing? skiing? drinking?
Quote from: mitt on August 06, 2008, 06:31:30 AM
Found it:
"Today this "unsinkable" attribute is not exclusive to Boston Whalers. All modern boats under twenty five feet manufactured for sale in the United States are required by law to have positive flotation so that a completely swamped boat will still float.[4] "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Whaler#cite_note-3
http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/boatbuilder/flotation/183-202-0.htm
mitt
Small consolation. Water is cold-it's best on the outside of the boat.
Have you considered taking the coast guard small boating safety courses?
Quote from: motogpfan on August 06, 2008, 07:46:57 AM
what are your plans for said boat? fishing? skiing? drinking?
Cruising and fishing, small lakes and rivers. My girl is only 2, so a little young for skiing or tubing.
mitt
Quote from: someguy on August 06, 2008, 08:00:42 AM
Small consolation. Water is cold-it's best on the outside of the boat.
I don't plan on sinking it! ;D I grew up on a lake, and have a fair bit of fresh water run-a-bout and small sail boat experience.
mitt
ah. under twenty feet. gotcha.
thanks.
that class makes sense.
Quote from: mitt on August 06, 2008, 08:56:20 AM
Cruising and fishing, small lakes and rivers. My girl is only 2, so a little young for skiing or tubing.
mitt
get an inboard ski boat, you never know if she'll turn out to be pro skiier. you can do all the other things on it too.
My first boat was a 15 foot whaler with a 70hp two stroke evinrude on it. It did 46 mph but would chime walk in anything but flat calm.
For your intended purpose of fishing/cruising this boat is going to be a little tight for a family of three and any type of gear. The freeboard is also non-existent which makes it somewhat difficult to operate in anything but optimal conditions.
It is also going to be very difficult to fish out of something like that unless you strictly want to troll or fish from a seated position as the boat will list badly and be somewhat unsettling.
If I were you I would look for something a little bigger like a 17ft montauk as it will allow you to grow with it a little longer.
There is also no point in buying a "newer" whaler vs. an older one as the design is functionally the same other than the inclusion of fiberglass seats and consoles which in my opinion eliminate any configuration flexibility.
It is still a fun boat for TWO people who just want to go cruising.
One of the constraints I didn't mention (besides cost) is trailering. I have a 4.0L xterra, that is fairly short, and softly suspended. I noticed how light the whalers were compared to other comparable sized boats. I thought with a 15.5' boat, it would trailer easy, store easy, and would not use too much gas getting to where I want to go (about a 4hr drive to get to my folks house).
mitt
get a set of airbags under the leaf springs. you can tow way bigger toys with then a 15ft boat.
I'm the president of a sailing organization and we run a 20 foot whaler outrage as a chase boat. Its a 1986 and since the club is mostly college students it sees alot of abuse. Its built like a brick shithouse.
(http://home.comcast.net/~tomwclark/18outrage200dpi.jpeg)
I wouldnt think twice about doing that in it. She'll hold together.
I just took her 15 miles offshore last month. I don't really ever worry about anything going wrong with the whaler but more so the engine.
The great thing about the whalers and especially the smaller girl you're looking at is that the design is timeless. Like I said the one I run is a 1986 and i recently got the club to drop some money upgrading the electronics and put on a new leaning post and you'd swear she was close to new. Whalers hold their values well because of this should you want to sell it.
They are also easy to clean. I have a gallon jug of simple green marine that i pour on the deck, scrub, powerwash and house it out and it sparkles. [thumbsup]