The Boston Whaler 15-foot Hull

[Albert Jr.]

Good day. I'm interested in finding more information about the Boston Whaler 15-foot hull. I've seen a very detailed description of origins of the 13-foot hull and how it was designed, but I haven't seen anything similar on the Boston Whaler 15-foot hull. Does anyone have more details of the Boston Whaler 15-foot hull?

[jimh]

Have you read the REFERENCE section article on the Boston Whaler 15-foot hull?

Have you read the section of that article under the subheadings "Dimensions and History" and "Description" ?

That article first appeared in 1999. I don't know that I have any other information on the classic 15-foot hull, except to say that I think it the best small boat hull ever made. To this day I still have some regret about selling mine.

[Albert Jr.]

Have you read the REFERENCE section article on the Boston Whaler 15-foot hull?

Have you read the section of that article under the subheadings "Dimensions and History" and "Description" ?

That article first appeared in 1999. I don't know that I have any other information on the classic 15-foot hull, except to say that I think it the best small boat hull ever made. To this day I still have some regret about selling mine.

Yes I've read [the cited articles] but [they] still don't really explain how the design came to be. I noticed that Bob Dougherty was the designer. Maybe he can tell us more. I am not sure if he's still alive. I've seen his 27-footer named Whaler--yes that 27--in person but besides that and his other brands, it is all I know about him.

I too think the Whaler 15 is hands down the best smaller boat ever made. Hopefully I'll own one someday. It's a fast and timeless classic and its style will never die. I fell in love with it ever since I first rode my uncle's 15.

[jimh]

If you find out "how the design came to be," please let us know.

[macfam]

The classic 15' is "for sure" a remarkable hull.
However, one should test drive the newer Montauk 150. Nothing short of "amazing"!

[Albert Jr.]

The classic 15' is "for sure" a remarkable hull.
However, one should test drive the newer Montauk 150. Nothing short of "amazing"!

The montauk is a nice boat for sure but it's a heavier boat.
I don't have any experience with the newer 15 but I don't think it'll be as lively as the classic 15.
Aside from that, I do think the it's a nice practical boat.

[PJMSport15MY1984]

My wife Shannon and I have a 1984 Boston Whaler Sport 15, which we are restoring. It is a great hull. It does not have a lot of room, but it is fast and handles well. It has a small freeboard, though, which make it a boat that has to slow down to idle if things get really choppy.

[This participant encouraged moving the discussion to a private basis, but I strongly discourage that sort of change. If everyone sent each other private messages, there wouldn't be anything to read in the public forum.--jimh]

[flymo]

The classic 15' is "for sure" a remarkable hull.
However, one should test drive the newer Montauk 150. Nothing short of "amazing"!

I like the new-style Montauks in general, and would consider buying one if you were allowed to choose your own motor. Even then, the horsepower ratings seem to have more to do with steering you to one vendor's product than they have to do with safety. The 150 Montauk seems to suffer from that policy more than the larger boats - maxes out at 35 MPH, really?

[macfam]

Yes, I Understand your points of motor brand selection.

For our purposes, the 150 is ideal. Hardly ever run wide open in our particular waters, and when I have opened her up, 35-MPH suits me fine. It's the dry, comfortable ride that sold me!

As for engine selection: over the years I've owned Johnson, Evinrude, Mercury, Yamaha, Evinrude E-TEC, and Honda outboards. Maintained properly they've all been dependable, but, I'm really impressed with E-TEC. But, the Mercury 60 EFI BIgFoot runs ultra smooth, and surprisingly quiet. Actually, I expected a lag in acceleration. With my wife and I aboard, the 150 with a 14" Vengeance prop performed just great. The 150 is only 4" narrower than the 170, and only a foot and an half shorter, and weighs in at 950 lbs. dry. With the new design, and weight, it's no wonder why it rides so well, and remains astonishingly dry.

[Dutchman]

macfam
I could write the same down as you. Yes I haven't been in a old 15(sport or CC) for at least 12 years but I think my 150 does the job well and fast enough. When do you have glass like conditions that you can run these smaller 13 and 15 safely at top speed?
I had last night while testing after a minor repair and I hit my 36 to 37 mph and if the small lake was longer could probably have gotten a mile or two more out of her with extra trimming time which is plenty fast.
Our boat is used for putting around/touring and she can handle anything I throw at her.

I recommend Albert if he is looking for a smaller type Boston Whaler, for the waters he'll be whalering in, to consider the heavier Montauk 150 or even better the 170 and the Mercury outboards really aren't that bad an engine. That said it would be nice to have a choice of outboard.

My only complaint is that with 5 or 6 people it takes a while to get the 150 onto plane and requires moving the passengers around a little to do so, but with two on board I can pull a 2 person tube through 1 footers without much problem.
Love the 150 like macfam said and she will be a classic.

[dgoodhue]

When do you have glass like conditions that you can run these smaller 13 and 15 safely at top speed?

It doesn't need to be glass like conditions to do 45mph in a 15-footer. Where I boat I could probably do top speed on 50% of days in the summer. If it's that windy it's usually not a boating day anyways. I boat in an salt water inlet, the relatively small bodies of water help keep the waves from building up.

I rarely drive over-40 in my boat. I do like cruise speed: in my boat, at 4000-ROM the boat is at 31-MPH. It is nice if I run into weather or running late to bump up to fast cruise. A 150 top speed is within my cruise range. I can fully load my 15-footer to capacity and still have a top speed of over 40-MPH.

The 150 has more useable deck space than my 15-footer. I am jealous of the 150 Montauk seating position. It would be a nice boat with a 75 or 90-HP E-TEC. I am not anti-Mercury; it's just the Mercury motors larger than 60 are too heavy for the 150.

[Dutchman]

dgoodhue--man, that must be nice running at those speeds with a full load. Yes, I too would love to have a 75-HP on my 150 and it probably would be an E-TEC--but try to convince the Admiral of replacing a perfectly good-running engine with an higher horsepower one.