Buying 150 SPORT that was used as a tender

A conversation among Whalers
sjp2
Posts: 18
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2016 4:12 pm

Buying 150 SPORT that was used as a tender

Postby sjp2 » Fri Jun 02, 2017 5:47 am

[A] 2004 [Boston Whaler] 150 [SPORT] has come up for sale with a three-year-old replacement outboard engine with very low hours. This [boat] has been a tender for a 50-footer, but, as it was a bit heavy to be carried on the stern, it was towed behind on most cruises. [The hull bottom has] anti-fouling [paint] and [the boat] actually looks quite good above the waterline. As with most tenders, ship-to-shore is about the most use they seem to get.

To anybody with big boat experience: does a tender suffer greatly from being dragged behind a cruiser?

Or, doesn't it?

Jefecinco
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Location: Gulf Shores, AL

Re: Buying 150 SPORT that was used as a tender

Postby Jefecinco » Fri Jun 02, 2017 8:31 am

A concern would be the bow eye and any other deck hardware that was used to attach the towing bridle to the tender. Towing can exert some strong forces on a tender. It should be easy to carefully inspect the hardware for mounting integrity. I would pay special attention to the bow eye penetration into the forward locker. It wouldn't hurt to remove, inspect, recaulk and reinstall the eye.
Butch

sjp2
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Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2016 4:12 pm

Re: Buying 150 SPORT that was used as a tender

Postby sjp2 » Fri Jun 02, 2017 4:40 pm

[T]he 150 is a fair distance away. [I] was just trying to find possible problems before looking at it. [I] did notice that the 50-footer would probably make 10-nautical-miles-per-hour at best. Also, the tender would be in the water for a few months at a time. [I]t does have a trailer, so [I] guess it is not a complete water baby.

Jefecinco
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Location: Gulf Shores, AL

Re: Buying 150 SPORT that was used as a tender

Postby Jefecinco » Fri Jun 02, 2017 7:07 pm

There are many Boston Whaler boats that spend virtually their entire time in the water. That's the environment for which they are designed. As long as the correct barrier and antifouling paints are correctly applied and maintained a lifetime in the water should not be a problem. Only a careful bottom inspection can determine if that has been the case.

Any problems with the parts of the boat not kept in the water are pretty easy to detect and some reference articles probably discuss how best to proceed.
Butch

jimh
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Re: Buying 150 SPORT that was used as a tender

Postby jimh » Sat Jun 03, 2017 8:12 am

A careful, in-person, visual inspection is necessary before buying any used boat. I would not accept the seller's opinion of a boat's condition--their standards of what is good or excellent may not match yours.

Being towed at 11-MPH maximum does not sound too stressful for the 150 SPORT-type boat. However, 11-MPH is above the displacement mode speed for a 15-foot hull. One would hope that when towing a tender the length of the towing line would be tuned to move the tender to a location on the towing-boat's wake so that the tender hull was riding nicely and easily. Of course, there is no way to know what was done in actual practice. As JEFE' wisely suggests, give the towing eye on the 150 SPORT a very careful inspection for signs of wear and enlargement of the hole in the hull.