Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

A conversation among Whalers
MartinDupre
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Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby MartinDupre » Thu Feb 18, 2021 9:07 pm

At 72-years-old I finally realized a nearly lifelong ambition, and I am now the owner of a Boston Whaler 13-foot bare hull. I want to configure it as a Standard tiller-steering model.

I know [this particular Boston Whaler 13-foot hull] was originally one of the steering wheel models because it has a capacity sticker with 40 HP maximum.

The hull number indicates it was made in 1973. [This boat] has the smirked bow, the [sink-style] engine well, and a [notched] 15-inch-height transom. The deck and interior have been painted a pale blue, but underneath I can see beige gel coat.

From what I read on continuousWave, the only post-1971 model still with 15-inch transom was the Sourpuss. All the pictures I can find of a Sourpuss show blue interior.

jimh
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby jimh » Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:36 am

Because the boat no longer has its original interior, the original model cannot be deduced from the appearance of the bare hull. Your inference of a wheel steering from the 40-HP capacity plate is interesting.

If you must know the exact model the boat hull was finished at the factory, you need to contact Boston Whaler customer service . Inquire with them if they can provide that information for you.

Information about the 13-foot hull production history is available in the REFERENCE section at

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/13/

and at

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... tions.html

This information was obtained primarily from Boston Whaler's own records and published information. It is certainly possible that among the several hundred thousand hulls made by Boston Whaler there are some hulls that deviate slightly from the information on the history of 13-foot hull production presented in the two sources linked above.

Among the 13-foot models, the hull itself was not a differentiating feature. The difference among models was in the interior finish, that is, what components such as seats or consoles or railings were added and where they were located.

If you have a hull that has a notched transom for a 15-inch-shaft outboard engine, but has the newer hull style with the smirk bow, then the hull was probably molded c.1971.

If the boat were made in 1972 or later it should have a Federal Hull Identification Number (HIN) in addition to the Boston Whaler hull stencil number. That the boat has a capacity plate that specified the maximum horsepower is probably an indicator the hull was made after 1972 or after. If the boat has a Federal HIN, then you can know the model year or production year with some certainty.

That the hull liner was molded in Desert Tan is a good indicator the boat was made in 1972 or after.

All of the elements of the hull that you describe tend to indicate the boat was made after 1972.

If the boat has a Federal HIN, that is an additional confirmation the boat was made after 1972, and the HIN encodes the year of production and model year. The FAQ explains how to decode the HIN.

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

jimh
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby jimh » Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:56 am

MartinDupre wrote:All the pictures I can find of a Sourpuss show blue interior.

I don't think you can make a precisely accurate deduction based only on the pictures available to you. There could be other hulls that have not been photographed and thus not seen by you.

The SOURPUSS model is characterized by the interior arrangement of seating, console, and railings, and not by the transom height, the bow shape, the hull gel coat color, or the deck gel coat color.

jimh
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby jimh » Fri Feb 19, 2021 6:07 am

MartinDupre wrote:At 72-year-old I finally realized a nearly lifelong ambition, and I am now the owner of a Boston Whaler 13-foot bare hull. I want to configure it as a Standard tiller-steering model.


I don't think there is any element of the boat's original interior that would prevent you from restoring the boat to be a tiller steering model. The discovery of the original model won't prevent restoration to a different model. Note that the aft thwart seat for tiller-steering models would be located closer to the transom so the boat operator could more easily reach the outboard engine tiller.

jimh
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby jimh » Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:56 am

MartinDupre wrote:The hull number indicates it was made in 1973.

Give us the number. You may be interpreting the number incorrectly.

MartinDupre
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby MartinDupre » Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:17 pm

OK, first, thanks to everyone who posted a reply. But it seems I posted my question prematurely.

I had been working off of the hull number on the title, which was mailed to me. I bought the boat over the phone, based on an in-person inspection by a friend and photos he sent, including the capacity plate.

I took delivery of the boat just yesterday, and was able to observe the color in person. After I posted my question, I took a closer look at the capacity plate, and lo and behold, it states right on the plate "Model: Standard".

What threw me is that I had previously read that the tiller-steering Standards were always 20 HP Max, and yet this one clearly states 40 HP, even though a Standard.

So I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The hull number is BWCA22730473. There is another number stenciled inside the transom: 2B1212.

jimh
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby jimh » Sat Feb 20, 2021 7:36 am

MartinDupre wrote:OK, first, thanks to everyone who posted a reply.
On behalf of everyone who replied, let me say from all of us that you are most welcome.

MartinDupre wrote:What threw me is that I had previously read that the tiller-steering Standard models were always 20 HP Max...
Your comment prompted me to some further research on the horsepower rating of the early 13-foot hulls. In 1958 the maximum tiller steering was suggested as 25-HP, but then the horsepower rating declined to 22-HP in c.1963 and to 20-HP by c.1966 and afterward. This is now detailed in the REFERENCE article on the 13-foot hull

MartinDupre wrote:The [federal] hull [identification] number is BWCA22730473.
The federal HIN decodes as follows:
    BWC = Boston Whaler
    A2273 = production sequence ID
    04 = month of production is April
    73 = year of production is 1973

MartinDupre wrote: There is another number stenciled inside the transom: 2B1212.
This is known as the stencil number. All Boston Whaler boats have a stencil number. For 13-foot hulls there is a rough index to stencil numbers in the REFERENCE article on the 13-foot hull. That index suggests that a stencil number 2B1212 would indicate a 13-foot hull made in 1973.

The deck gel coat color being Desert Tan is another indicator that the boat was made in c.1973

Since there are two very clear indications and one very good inference the boat was made in 1973, the most curious element of your initial sight-unseen description is now the notion that the boat has a notched transom cut down for 15-inch-shaft engines. Please review the transom now that you have the boat on hand.

Does this clearly 1973 boat have a notched transom?

Also, regarding the horsepower rating, what is the actual horsepower rating on the federally-required capacity plate on your 1973 boat that was indicated to have been a STANDARD 13 model?

MartinDupre
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby MartinDupre » Sat Feb 20, 2021 9:36 am

Thank you again, Jimh for your detailed response.

Yes, it definitely has a factory notched transom.
notchedTransom_.jpg
Fig. 1 Notched transom of 13-footer
notchedTransom_.jpg (30.68 KiB) Viewed 5129 times


Definitely 40 HP.

capacityPlate.jpg
Fig. 2. Capacity plate of 13-footer
capacityPlate.jpg (32.15 KiB) Viewed 5129 times

I remember reading in the Reference section something like "The Standard model was not always listed in the catalog, but could be special ordered." So perhaps my boat was special ordered and this would explain the 15" transom in 1973.

jimh
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby jimh » Sat Feb 20, 2021 10:05 am

MartinDupre wrote:...it definitely has a factory notched transom


Based on Figure 1 (above) my inference is someone cut down the transom from the original configuration. The notch at the transom line appears to be an almost square cut or right angle. This is quite distinct from catalogue photographs of the original 13-foot hull with notched transom which show a rounded notch at that point. See Figure 3 below:

original13NotchedTransom.jpg
Fig. 3. A view of the 13-foot hull with notched transom from a Boston Whaler catalogue page. Note the rounded transition to the notch in the transom.
original13NotchedTransom.jpg (18.59 KiB) Viewed 5128 times


Perhaps the original buyer wanted a 15-inch transom height, and asked the boat be modified. The modification could have been done by the dealer or by the original owner. It is hard to know for certain.

I don't recall seeing any other 13-footers with a sink-style engine splash well and a notched transom. In the Boston Whaler catalogue for 1973 a 13-foot STANDARD model is shown. It does NOT have a notched transom.

A further element in support of the boating being modified after original joining of the hull and deck molds is the re-painting of the deck to blue from its original Desert Tan gel coat.

Another clear clue is the color of the stencil number as seen in Figure 1 and enlarged below:

stencilNumber.jpg
Fig. 4. Enlargement of stencil number.
stencilNumber.jpg (1.92 KiB) Viewed 5123 times


This clearly shows the boat was originally molded with a Desert Tan interior. I cannot imagine that Boston Whaler would have molded the boat in Desert Tan and then painted the interior blue at the factory. That seems extremely unlikely.

That blue paint top coat could be concealing scars from the rework of the transom height beneath.

When the blue paint is removed, you should be able to see the joint line between the hull and liner laminates. This joint line should be a green line joint, a unique feature of smaller classic Boston Whaler hulls. If the green line joint is there, the transom cut-down to 15-inch may have been made at the factory. If there is no green line joint, then the cut-down was most likely not made at the factory.

The boat under discussion does seem to be an anomaly.

MartinDupre
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby MartinDupre » Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:40 pm

Well, I do see your point about the rounded corners. The notch just looked like it was factory because I saw no evidence of modification. Perhaps I will know more after I remove the blue paint. The paint is peeling, so I don't think it was a professional job.

jimh
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby jimh » Sat Feb 20, 2021 1:31 pm

A corollary question:

Do you plan to reconstruct the transom to be a 20-inch-shaft height transom?

MartinDupre
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby MartinDupre » Sat Feb 20, 2021 2:06 pm

I actually wanted a 15-inch transom since I have a 1981 Evinrude 25-HP Worktwin with tiller and low hours that I plan to use on the boat. The Evinrude has a 15-inch shaft. It should be a good match both in terms of power and vintage.

Regarding the green line, I will perhaps find that when restoring.

Another observation: the 13-footer has a Perko [combined sidelight lamp at the bow, shown in Figure 6] which is obviously wired internally, and a Perko electrical box near the transom [shown in Figure 7].

combinedSidelightLamp_.jpg
Fig. 6. A combined sidelights navigation lamp at the bow.
combinedSidelightLamp_.jpg (12.32 KiB) Viewed 5034 times


electricalBox_.jpg
Fig. 7. An electrical box found near the transom of a 1973 13-footer
electricalBox_.jpg (12.2 KiB) Viewed 5034 times


Would [either the lamp or the box] be common on a Standard?

Did the Standard come with embedded wiring so you could add [navigation lighting] later?

jimh
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby jimh » Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:28 am

The box seen in Figure 7 is not something Boston Whaler installed.

The combined sidelight lamp seen in Figure 6 is similar to OEM equipment, but the mounting hardware does not look OEM.

The 1973 catalogue notes the STANDARD 13 included "wiring for lights."

MartinDupre
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Re: Identify Boston Whaler 13-foot Hull

Postby MartinDupre » Wed Feb 24, 2021 11:06 am

I contacted Boston Whaler customer service, and posed questions about my boat. They were very courteous and willing to help. However, I do not believe the rep was completely familiar with the 13-footer history. Over several emails, I got some mixed answers.

At first, the rep said he could not find the HIN in their records, and requested the stenciled number. With that number he stated the boat was configured as a Sport model. I then sent him a photo of the capacity plate with both Standard and 40 HP on it. There was no comment about that.

I also sent a picture of the notched transom, and he stated it appeared to be a factory transom.

In the end, I am more or less back to where I started, with a mystery of how it says Standard model and 40 HP on the capacity plate, and has a 15" transom when by date it should be 20".

In any case, I am going to restore it as a Standard (already ordered the wood), and consider myself lucky that I am not limited to 20 HP in motor choices.

[After a rather lengthy and detailed discussion of the initial question that began this discussion, the originator of the thread has declared the discussion has gone in a circle and he is "back to where [he] started." Thus the only rational action is to close the thread.--Moderator]