Hull Identification

[Soundchaser]

Hello. I'm new to this forum. I bought a Boston Whaler and need help with year, identification, and such. Thanks for any help you can give me.

Fig. 1. Please write a caption for this image

bos4.jpeg (75.12 KiB) Viewed 5035 times

[Phil T]

The 16'7 and 17' hulls had model names based on the interior features.

What you have is a 16'7 hull with an aftermarket console. It can be best described as a 16'7 Custom.

[Soundchaser]

Q1: Is it safe to call it a Montauk?

Q2: It seems Montauk is the boat itself. Right?

Q3: Are there Mahogany console kits available for these?

Q4: And how can I date this without numbers? I haven't found any numbers as of yet.

[jimh]

Q1: Is it safe to call [the boat seen above in Fig. 1 a Montauk?

A1: No. The hull seen above in Fig. 1 is a "16" hull. This is clear from the design at the bow; there is no "smirk." To to call the boat a MONTAUK would be misleading. As Phil mentioned, it is an older 16-foot hull with a non-OEM console added, and also with a lot of dirt and mildew on the gel coat and without bow railing.

Boston Whaler used the designator "16" for their 16-foot 7-inch hull until c.1976. After that the hull was slightly changed but remained 16-foot 7-inch, but Boston Whaler used the designator "17" for the hull. The reason for this change was an overall hull designator scheme in which hulls with odd numbers had rounded bottoms and hulls with even numbers had v-bottoms. This, and many other aspects of the hull and model designators, is explained in the REFERENCE article on the 16/17 hull. The reference articles are carefully researched, concisely written, and have a high information content.

Q2: It seems Montauk is the boat itself. Right?

A2: A Boston Whaler MONTAUK is a particular model. The most common MONTAUK boats were on the 16/17-foot hull. Without the OEM Boston Whaler small center console and the iconic Reversible Pilot Seat, you cannot have a MONTAUK. See the REFERENCE section:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/16-17/models.html

Q3: Are there Mahogany console kits available...?

A3: Some boutique suppliers offer wooden components. See the REFERENCE section:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/OEM.html#wood

Q4: And how can I date [the boat shown in Fig 1] without numbers?

A4: Without a federal HIN or Stencil Number, the age of the hull cannot be determined other than being in a particular epoch. See FAQ and REFERENCE sections:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/16-17/

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q1

[Soundchaser]

what year would a 36655 be?

[jimh]

what year would a 36655 be?

The year 36655 is a year about 34,636 years in the future.

If the number 36655 is a stencil number from a "16" Boston Whaler hull, you are in luck. Identification to a particular year from a Stencil number is only possible for certain hulls, and the REFERENCE article on the 16/17 hull has a listing of stencil numbers and corresponding years. See the REFERENCE article on the 16/17. See the listing of hull number ranges and the years that correspond to those ranges; find the range of hull numbers that the number you are asking about would be contained in: the year associated with that range will be given.

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/16-17/

A good way to acquire information about a Boston Whaler boat that is believed to be a "16" hull will be to read the entire REFERENCE article about that hull. If you read the entire article you will probably answer questions you have not yet formulated.