BACKSTORY: I grew up in Atlantic Beach North Carolina. We lived on a canal. When I was 6-to-8-years-old I got a little 12-foot john boat with a Sears 2.5-HP outboard engine with no reverse slide throttles. A few years later I got my first real boat: a brand new Boston Whaler 13-footer. I’ll never forget my first time seeing it at the dock. It was the coolest thing ever, and had a Suzuki 30. I must have put a billion hours on that boat until dad got a 17 Montauk. Again I remember going to the dealer and looking at the showroom. I had never seen anything so cool. The waxed hull, polished stainless, and varnished wood glistened. The light would glint off these, and I was smitten.
Fast forward 35 years and many boats later: I have a rigid-bottom inflatable boat and was looking for a runabout for our Bertram and something my son could roil around in. I just bought a pre-1972 13-foot Boston Whaler. The gelcoat crazing is terrible, and a few small repairs are needed on the run rails. The hull is not waterlogged. My 16-year-old and I can pick it up and load on a trailer.
NOW: we are are doing a slight re-do, glass repairs, new rub rail, and engine. I am sanding down the gelcoat and filling the remaining crazing with gluvit epoxy.
FUTURE: We will fair and paint with some lpu. Can’t wait.
Y’all about wicked nostalgia.
Back in the club
Re: Back in the club
I'm using epoxy for repairs only and flaring compounds for the cosmetic stuff. For the stuff I have to grid out, I'm using the glass filled stuff.
Re: Back in the club
YARDPRO--welcome to ownership of a classic Boston Whaler boat. The 13-footer is a great skiff, probably the best really small boat ever made.