180 Dauntless In Following Seas

A conversation among Whalers
sjp2
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180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby sjp2 » Sun Jun 18, 2017 5:54 am

I came across a 1998 180 DAUNTLESS. Because it has antifouling paint, I noticed that at the stern the waterline mark seems to show that the boat has very little freeboard. How good is a 18-foot DAUNTLESS in following seas?

Or even backing up to some small waves?

[I] realize a DAUNTLESS is not a deep-sea boat. Inshore chop can be quite high. [I] already have a 13-foot Boston Whaler--which also seems low in the stern--and [lack of sufficient freeboard at the stern] seems like a trait of Boston Whaler boats.

jimh
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby jimh » Sun Jun 18, 2017 7:27 am

I do not think a proper characterization of all Boston Whaler boats is to have insufficient freeboard at the stern. Very old 13-foot boats have a notched transom and are designed for outboard engines of 15-inch shaft length. Most all other Boston Whaler boats are designed for 20-inch outboard engine shaft length in the small boats and 25-inch-shaft length in the larger boats. Those transom heights are very normal.

The DAUNTLESS boats have distinctly lower freeboard than other models.

Older Boston Whaler boats are sometimes re-powered with early-generation four-stroke-power-cycle outboard engines whose weight is much greater than the outboard engines in use at the time of their design, and this results in some re-powered boats having a static trim that is down by the stern.

The best indicator of the position of the waterline at the transom for a Boston Whaler boat is provided by the engine splashwell drains. If when at rest the engine splashwell drains are submerged below the water line at the transom, the boat is sitting too low.

Masbama
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby Masbama » Sun Jun 18, 2017 10:24 am

I have a 1999 Dauntless 18. I have no problem going in reverse in chop. Any water coming in is soon dispersed through the splashwell drains.

sjp2
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby sjp2 » Sun Jun 18, 2017 5:23 pm

[The boat that is mentioned in the initial article in this thread and which is now being discussed as an individual example of a Boston Whaler 180 DAUNTLESS] is fitted with a [made in 2013 Mercury] OptiMax 150 [ProXs], which [I] don't think is too heavy.

What concerned me was the line of the anti-fouling was 1-inch below the top drain tubes from the splash well--[I] assume as I am only looking at picture of the boat at this stage.

[I] quite like the setup of the 180 DAUNTLESS, even though have read conflicting reports about the ride compared to others. There is not much choice in Australia and the price is in my bracket.

The 13 [I] have is a [1998] model so has a full transom.

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Phil T
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby Phil T » Mon Jun 19, 2017 11:57 am

I have seen many slipped and anchored boats that are left with dead bilge pumps and filled with rain water for long periods of time. This includes 13-22' Boston Whaler boats of all models. Under deck areas full of water will cause a low stern.

The low waterline is indicative of that boat you saw rather than the model itself. It could be it has blown through hulls and lots of water in the stern.
If considering it for purchase, I would pass due to the obvious lack of care by its owner.
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jimh
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby jimh » Mon Jun 19, 2017 12:41 pm

If--as you seem to me to have described above--the static waterline (as marked by some discoloration on the hull or the hull bottom paint) is located BELOW the outlet of the engine splashwell drains, then that means the static waterline is proper. The only concern would be if the static waterline were ABOVE the drains, that is, if the drain outlets were underwater when the boat was at rest. As long as the outlets of the splashwell drains are ABOVE the waterline at rest, you should not have any reason to be concerned about the boat's trim at rest.

I would not expect that the weight of a recently made Mercury 150 ProXS (which is the same engine as an OptiMax 150 but Mercury changed the branding to just use ProXS most of the time instead of OptiMax, or maybe that particular production year they were still using both OptiMax and ProXS branding for the engine) to NOT be excessive for a 180 DAUNTLESS.

sjp2
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby sjp2 » Mon Jun 19, 2017 5:33 pm

Jimh--the waterline mark is proper from comparing the other Boston Whaler boats seen on the Internet.

[I] guess, because [I] like the setup, [I] was looking for some feedback regarding my concerns that--even with a lower transom--the DAUNTLESS is not just a calm water boat and can handle a bit of chop.

[M]y present boat is aluminum, which is great for these waters, but it is a wet riding boat, and [I] am over driving blind with all the salt spray on my glasses.

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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby jimh » Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:30 pm

I, myself, have also always liked the lower-freeboard look of the DAUNTLESS, particularly the 220 DAUNTLESS, but I have never been out in one. How it would handle rough seas I could not say, but I think there is a reason that Boston Whaler characterizes the DAUNTLESS as an inshore or calmer water boat. But, let us be realistic: we are talking about an 18-foot boat. There is no 18-foot boat in the world that is particularly comfortable in rough seas.

Masbama
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby Masbama » Tue Jun 20, 2017 9:52 am

I have been caught in a pop up storm that produced 3-4 foot white cap chop. We made it back to the dock. I never felt un-safe. The secret is keeping the bow down and speed appropriate. The boat handled like a champ.

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Todd
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby Todd » Tue Jun 20, 2017 2:26 pm

Masbama, forgive my lack of knowledge but what do you mean by "bow down" in rough seas? I have a 160 Dauntless and haven't had occasion to be in such conditions so I'd like to be prepared to maneuver safely. I had 11 years with a 38' Sea Ray Sundancer, in following seas I always tried to keep the bow in a upward attitude to ride the back of waves and keep from plowing into the trough. Thanks.

number9
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby number9 » Tue Jun 20, 2017 4:45 pm

what do you mean by "bow down" in rough seas?

Generally you do want to keep your bow up in rough seas particularly when meeting waves head-on. One can usually be safe to lower the bow some when in a following sea and when you crest a following wave your stern is likely to ride a bit higher riding the wave down.
......

apetty
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Re: 180 Dauntless In Following Seas

Postby apetty » Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:37 pm

Hi Sjp2--I recently bought a 2006 180 Dauntless and went whale watching off Botany Bay on a reasonably calm sea. [The 180 DAUNTLESS] performed quite well for an 18-foot boat and [there was] no concern with following seas.

My 180 DAUNTLESS has anti-fouling bottom paint. I did not notice the line being short on freeboard. It lives in water so if you are in Sydney and want to check it out let me know.

Andrew