Boston Whaler

[Regular Joe]

For salt water application. Any of you guys who owns this brand can comment on theses boats.Would you buy another one?

[FastActionRodTip]

I drool over a BW...one day when I win the lottery

[snit]

I literally grew up in a '76 Montauk (17'). We had that boat EVERYWHERE from the lakes/resevoirs of the northwest (my dad was a tournament bass fisherman for several years) to Westport, Swiftshure, and all the way across the Straits of Juan De Fuca. Dad had that boat 20 years and sold it for more cash than he bought it new! Not the most "comfotable" boat (no top, etc) but for all out saltwater application, a small one works like a large glass boat. The 17's are still a two man boat IMO for most applications, but for safety they're awesome!!!

[Eagle Eye]

Wonderful boats!
check out http://continouswave.com/whaler/

very cool background and photos from all over and many years.
A very good site if you have any interest at all in BWs

Enjoy
Lynn :cool:

[BigWaterBigFish]

Dad has one, 17' ... the old joke is there is more room on the outside of a whaler than the inside ... while I trust that boat everywhere and it will run just about any depth of water, I have found it offshore to be a wet ride, rough, it wanders horribly when anchored unless you have drogues on both sides and the lack of freeboard gets a little hairy when you are out in the blue, leaning to net one.
Other than that, we have the same kind of stories you read about, took sneaker waves over the back, scooted out just like a surfboard, took dump over the front, swamped, kept right up on top ...

[jimh]

I've fished in the 17' one in the classifieds quite a bit. Like others have said, it is a safe boat. The Montauk is great for crabbing etc and since it has a rail around most of the boat, I've never felt like I was going to fall out. It is similar to an open sled for room to fight fish. Boston Whalers are also one of the boats with full floatation, so they float even cut in half.

[tomictime]

what Snit said, I ran a 17' Newtauk for 7 years from Willipa to Port hardy and most of the outside of WCVI. I had a full canvas w front dodger for winter BM fishing. Great boat if you want to fish 2,
3 in great weather AND..(like all boats!) IF you know your and the boats limitations.



JD

[Mister G.]

I owned two BWs when I lived in CA. First was a 13' skiff that I ran a 20HP Merc 2-stroke on. Not real roomy but they will float a jeep if necessary. Had it out over Humboldt bar, Trinidad, and Crescent City on a number of occasions for salmon and Lings. Three trips to Baja, Sea of Cortez and Mag Bay, Never once felt unsafe in it. Replaced it with a 15 (like a little Montauk, with rails all around) and a Honda 45. Yes, the smaller ones like I had are not too roomy, and they tend to run wet, but when it's 110 degrees that splashing feels real good, and if you get a bunch of water on board, just get up on plane and pull the plug and she self-bails in almost no time. I only changed to an enclosed aluminum sled when I moved to OR beause I knew about the cold and wet up here. If I were back in a sunnier clime, I'd go back to a Whaler in a minute.

DB

[SilverFly]

Never been in one, but I love the lines of Whaler's. The legacy and following behind these boats prove that sheer size and lots of freeboard alone do not determine what makes a boat "seaworthy".

The only thing I don't like about classic BW's is the lack of flare to the sides. I think, the nearly vertical sides would explain the a lot of the "wet ride" complaints.

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[Salty Walty]

I have a 91 Outrage 19. I fished out of a 17 Montauk for years. I really enjoy the Brand. They are no nonsense fishing boats. The ride in my boat is dry. My favorite question is "Do you go out in the Ocean in that?" from the fellows in the flat bottomed jet sleds. They are great boats.

[shaggy357]

Tomic Time and I, in our younger years, had his BW in some pretty rough water in PS. One night after work we decided to do a little BM fishing. Launched out of Redondo. Started getting a little rough. TT was hitting those waves while standing at that center console. I was hanging on to the handles on the seat back. Like a carnival ride. We were having a blast. Wahoo!! Wind picked up, started to
get dark. We got to Redondo ramp right at dark. Dock was going up and down about 3 feet at a time. I got up on front of the boat and TT carefully nosed in. When timing was right, I jumped to the dock and ran to get the Jeep and trailer. Backed the trailer into the water and then tried to get the boat on the trailer. Boat was trying to slam up and down on the trailer. Then it would blow sideways. The fun was over. We finally got the boat on the trailer, but we were both up to our wastes or better in the water trying to hold boat in place while trying to tie it down before it could blow sideways again. By the time we left, the waves were hitting the seawall and splashing over the road. Was never afraid of that boat until standing beside it trying to get it on the trailer. Good times in that boat. Great friends.

One year we did the Discovery Bay Derby. TT and Brian H went out in the BW. Another Jim and I took a 14 or 15 foot Highlaker. We all left John Wayne marina out of Sequim Bay. Needless to say, after about the 20 something wave going over top of the Highlaker, Jim E and I headed back for Sequim Bay. TT and Brian went fishing in the BW out by the island between Sequim Bay and Discovery Bay. They caught fish. We caught colds.

Yeh, great boat!!

Steve

[tomictime]

Steve: I have "repressed" that memory...

:smile:

[BrionLutz]

Yes..and yes.

The ultimate boat. Had a 17' Newport model on East Coast and took it 20 miles offshore with compass and no kicker. Coastguard were using the Montauk version of same boat.

They'll hold value (a bit pricey, I sold mine for what I paid for it 5 years later lost about 25% via inflation but that's excellent for a boat).

Super tough, quality construction. Safest boat you will ever fish in...anything happens...stay with the boat and you'll make it...the boat will definitely make it.

Next boat is the Ventura 20 or SeaSwirl 21 Dual Console. Seaswirl competes due to Diesel option plus Oregon made. If I go outboard, I'll probably go the Whaler.

There's a great deal at Steven's right now on a 1999 20' Ventura.

[treebutcher]

spent a couple years on a 27 foot whaler in alaska...they are awesome! had twim hondas on the back..the list goes on..... i hear ya Brion!