This morning I came across an old discussion from the OLD FORUM. I probably read this before, but something in the discussion sunk in this morning when reading it.
The appearance of the bow of the classic Boston Whaler boat evolved around 1971 to 1972, and the change was often referred to as "The Smirk." This is a reference to the resemblance of the bow's chine line to human lips that are expressing a frown or smirk. However, in some technical drawings that were created at that same epoch, the term "Sourpuss" is used. That term is also associated with a particular model of 13-foot boat, but perhaps there is actually a relationship between the change in the hull appearance at the bow and "Sourpuss." Certainly one could also describe the bow chine line as resembling a sourpuss expression, that is, "sour" as in unhappy or frowning, and "puss" as in face.
The drawing with the "Sourpuss" title is seen at
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... s-wood.pdf
It clearly reflects the new hull design, as can be seen by the change in the engine splashwell to the "sink" type design. Compare that drawing to the earlier 13-footer shown in a 1966 drawing at
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... 3-wood.pdf
On that basis, I suspect that at some point the term "Sourpuss" may have been used internally at Boston Whaler to describe the change in hull design that we have been referring to as "The Smirk."