"Boston Whalers"

Dear Everybody,

Are there any Boston Whaler experts or owners on this Tacoma site?

Take it easy,
Paul

 

I am not an expert, but I know more than many about some of the smaller BW boats.

I regret passing on an Etec repowered Duantless last year. I have been passively looking at them since.

 

I've owned 4 over the years on Lake Erie... 17,19, and 2 13's.

 

My '85 Montauk. Second owner, I've kept it up pretty good it for about 16 years now.

 

Whalers are great. Thank you all for responding. I will write more later.

 

Here is my Whaler.

 

I am current in the process of redesigning the starboard side steering console.

 

On which hull/model?

 

Great thread idea. I’ve always wanted a BW, like a mid 70s Montauk. Looked for one, kept upping my want list, then bought a 1948 27’ Chris Craft pocket cruiser. One of my worst decisions. Loved it but it was a 24/7 needy bitch. Sold it, more than lost my ass. Shoulda stuck with the BW search. And so it begins again.

 

In the mid 70s I bought a '62 14' w/a '72 40hp manual Johnson.

Paid $600 including trailer. There was a receipt showing that's what the owner had paid for the motor.

Worked w/a friend at a HS wood shop at night and replaced all the wood.

Awesome boat for its size and price.

Similar quality at a lower price was the same size McKee. Both were standard Coast Guard service craft, at least in this area.

 

My family's whaler is a 1984 BW Classic Sport 15.

 

Dear Everybody,

Thank all of you for responding to my request to speak with Whaler experts on Tacoma World.

Here is the story of my Whaler. I bought it seven years ago from a guy on Craig’s List. Craig's List and eBay are scary places because everything you wanted as a kid, you will eventually find on one of these two places. The scary part is that it doesn't even take that much patience.

Our little Whaler is a 1984 Classic Sport that originally came with a 1984 Johnson 70 Horsepower mounted on its transom. The guy I bought it from needed money really badly, and he took my offer right away so he could get rid of it quickly. Unfortunately for me, his two teenage boys were responsible for its upkeep, and it was badly hammered. The hull was in good shape, but the Johnson 70 horsepower that came with the Whaler was a complete basket case. It ran so poorly that I got rid of it after owning the Whaler for a year.


After we got rid of the Johnson, the labor of love with the little Whaler began. Please keep in mind when reading this article that I am married, and we own an home, and I have the baggage that go with the two items that I just mentioned. As a result, I only have the time and money to do one big project on the little Whaler a year. The rest of the time it sits in our garage, and we work on it as time and money permit. As I stated earlier, we make a conscious effort to do one big project a year on it.


The first big thing that we did to it was the bottom paint. We completely stripped the bottom, and applied multiple coats of primer as well as bottom paint. Then we moved on to the inner hull, which was a little beat up. We stripped everything out of the inner hull, and had the entire inside of the hull coated with white Line-X. After that was completed, we then replaced the rub rail. This past year we replaced the mahogany supporting planks with Teak as well as the seating planks with Teak. We are now in the process of redesigning the starboard side steering console.

This little Whaler project has far exceeded my engineering and craftsperson ability, which has made this project quite exciting, and the learning curve steep to say the least. It has also forced me to buy some shop tools that I can't afford. Do I have any regrets about our little Whaler? Hell No! I have enjoyed every minute of it, and learned a great deal at the same time. My family's fixer upper house also has major issues so none of the shop tools are going to be hung out to waste.

When we get done with the starboard steering console, which will probably be some time in early spring, we are going to be looking for outboard motors. The outboards that I am considering are listed below the body of this article. Please let me know what you think of these selections.

Take it easy,
Paul

Yamaha F60

Yamaha F70

Evinrude E.T.E.C. 60

Honda BF60