Boston Whaler models under 20 feet.

A conversation among Whalers
Masbama
Posts: 355
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:33 pm
Location: Mobile, Al

Boston Whaler models under 20 feet.

Postby Masbama » Sat May 21, 2016 12:22 pm

Interesting (to me anyway)

11'-two
13'-one
15'-two
17'-three
18'-one
19'-two.

Seems there may be a market for another 18 footer (or not)

LCnSac
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:42 pm

Re: Boston Whaler models under 20 feet.

Postby LCnSac » Sun May 22, 2016 11:35 am

I'm sure there's a plan, but I don't know where Boston Whaler is going with its small boat line. It seems as they've jettisoned the sport fishing market in favor of the youth 18-35 market for the Super Sport line--a line in which I have zero interest because they look more like a small Sea Ray than a Boston Whaler, and have lost the intimacy with the water. Jimh once stated that these boats now appeal as alternative to the waverunner buyer--an astute, spot-on observation. Have they decided that the inshore fishing market is no longer a priority? It seems that their current focus is more on the offshore boats, which retain a more traditional Boston Whaler design and look.

Masbama
Posts: 355
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2015 8:33 pm
Location: Mobile, Al

Re: Boston Whaler models under 20 feet.

Postby Masbama » Sun May 22, 2016 1:22 pm

I have heard talk of a remodel of the 170 Montauk. It will be interesting to see if that happens.

Hoosier
Posts: 149
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:04 pm
Location: Indiana and Eastern UP

Re: Boston Whaler models under 20 feet.

Postby Hoosier » Mon May 23, 2016 8:09 am

We just spent five weeks down on Weeks Bay in the Mobile Bay area and covered the water from the mouth of the bay at Fort Morgan through the Atlantic Intracoastal Water Way (AIWW) to Perdido Pass. The only boat style we saw in the under 25' class were center console Whaler copies. That was a lot of boats, some with a lot of $$ hanging on the transoms. There is a big market for the traditional classic Whaler style.
1978 Outrage V20 with 2004 Suzuki DF-115. 1992 23 Walkaround with two 2010 Yamaha F-150s.

Jeff
Posts: 138
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2015 3:27 pm
Location: Detroit Area
Contact:

Re: Boston Whaler models under 20 feet.

Postby Jeff » Sat Jun 04, 2016 9:52 am

I assume you are referring to only the current line-up.

The reason the small boat line up is limited and not growing is because there is little ROI/Profit Margin in those boats for a company the size of Boston Whaler. Their margins grow as the hull size grows.
1993 23 Walkaround Whaler Drive - 1988 190 Grady White Tournament- 1981 15' Striper (under restsoration) - Curator of Everything Boston Whaler on Instagram

LCnSac
Posts: 38
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 7:42 pm

Re: Boston Whaler models under 20 feet.

Postby LCnSac » Sat Jun 04, 2016 11:14 am

Jeff wrote:I assume you are referring to only the current line-up.

The reason the small boat line up is limited and not growing is because there is little ROI/Profit Margin in those boats for a company the size of Boston Whaler. Their margins grow as the hull size grows.
Of course, but as the hull size grows, the universe of buyers shrinks. Unless you are in the eastern part of the country, there are very few builders for small fiberglass skiffs. They are much more expensive to ship than tin, and in most Western states the environmental regulations are prohibitive for fiberglass manufacturing. California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho are now predominately tin boat markets. They are cheaper to build and ship. Small glass boats are still being built in the Carolinas and Florida, but there are no dealers west of Texas for the most part, and shipping is expensive. We have few choices here, and it's sad to see the demise of the small glass skiff.