1982 13-foot SPORT BOAT Inflatable

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
tk3rd45@gmail.com
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 6:22 pm

1982 13-foot SPORT BOAT Inflatable

Postby tk3rd45@gmail.com » Thu Apr 11, 2019 6:55 pm

I've been restoring [a 1982 Boston Whaler inflatable] boat, but haven't been able to find much information or pictures. The HIN is BWC7A264M82L, which I believe means it was produced in 1982.

Point me to a data source or a person who might be familiar with Boston Whaler inflatables.

I got this boat from some serious duck hunters who spray painted a weird camouflage pattern.

Suggest a paint to hide that. If anyone has advice, please let me know.

Thank you--Tom

frontier
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Re: 1982 13-foot SPORT BOAT Inflatable

Postby frontier » Thu Apr 11, 2019 9:56 pm

Boston Whaler inflatables were only made for a few years. A dealer told me they were not up to Boston Whaler quality standards. Customers were used to a Boston Whaler fiberglass dinghy lasting for decades not just a few years. And some seam problems if I remember right. They made Inflatable dinghies in 9 and 10 foot sizes and Sport models in 10, 11, 13 and 14 foot sizes. Be glad to send you a color copy of the model page in the brochure - send me an e-mail.

jimh
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Re: 1982 13-foot SPORT BOAT Inflatable

Postby jimh » Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:38 am

The early 1980's were an interesting time for Boston Whaler. In addition to their usual outboard engine fiberglass boats, they were also making centerboard monohull HARPOON sailboats, SUPERCAT catamaran sailboats, and SPORTBOAT inflatable boats.

I doubt it will be possible to remove the camouflage paint from the fabric of the hull. For repainting you probably will need some sort of paint that can tolerate a flexing surface without cracking--if such a paint exists. The original hull colors were a off-white hull with a medium red-brown cove stripe along the tubes at their maximum beam. The foredeck was also the medium red-brown color.

sportBoat.jpg
Fig. 1. Boston Whaler inflatable SPORTBOAT. A flare from the sunlight makes the foredeck look white, but it was usually the same medium-red-brown color as the cove stripe. From a 1984 Boston Whaler catalogue.
sportBoat.jpg (20.86 KiB) Viewed 5339 times

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: 1982 13-foot SPORT BOAT Inflatable

Postby jimh » Mon Apr 15, 2019 10:58 am

tk3rd45@gmail.com wrote:The HIN is BWC7A264M82L...


For advice on how to interpret the HIN see the FAQ at

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q2

BWC7A264M82L is interpreted as follows

BWC=manufacturer identification code (MIC) for Boston Whaler
7A264= five-character sequential production code.
M=model year method of dating
82=model year was 1982
L=month production was JULY

With Boston Whaler boats, the first two letters of the five-character production code usually identify a particular boat model and length. In this instance the prefix 7A does not appear in any of the production code tables I have collected. It was probably specific to the SPORTBOAT series. The suffix 264 likely means the 264th hull in the series.

tk3rd45@gmail.com
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Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 6:22 pm

Re: 1982 13-foot SPORT BOAT Inflatable

Postby tk3rd45@gmail.com » Tue Apr 16, 2019 2:15 pm

Hi jimh
Thank you, very much for your reply.

I'm searching for a paint to cover the cammo spray. Nothing outstanding so far. I had the exterior bottom and floor boards urethane coated, added lights, and found a fuel tank shaped to sit in the bow under the cover.

thanks again for the info and picture.

I'll post a picture of mine sometime soon.

stay safe,
tom

rhiker3
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Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:23 pm

Re: 1982 13-foot SPORT BOAT Inflatable

Postby rhiker3 » Mon Apr 29, 2019 6:30 pm

I never thought I would see a recent post about the Boston Whaler Inflatable. I have a c.1985 11 Sportboat stored away. I need to dig out the 11 Sportboat and see if the tubes still holds air.

I have a Honda outboard engine for use with the 11 Sportboat.

I remember needing to replace an oar lock. I need to buy an extra.