Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

A conversation among Whalers
Whalerdog
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Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby Whalerdog » Sat Jun 17, 2017 9:53 pm

I was about 15 years old (1967) and I rode in a friend's 13-foot Boston Whaler with a 33 Johnson in the Great South Bay of Long Island. It was thrilling. It was a rough day with four-foot breaking waves. Every time I thought the boat was going to bury the open bow, it made it over the wave. It was an unreal experience.

I have raced offshore boats in past years and love rough water. I have owned some Skater catamarans and race many of them from 24 to 40-feet. Now when things are calmer in life I just want a classic Whaler. I bought a 190 Montauk in 2007 for the bays of Long Island and love the boat. I still get a thrill of running in rough water and watching the bow escape the next wave. I still think back to my first ride in Bob's Boston Whaler boat, sitting on the flat wood seat, and hanging on. I always feel safe, even though I push the limit at times for what most people would deem normal.

superdave_gv
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby superdave_gv » Wed Jul 19, 2017 12:33 am

I am a little surprised this post has not gotten more activity. I have so many immensely distinct memories related to Whalers that I can't let this go without reply. All of my boating knowledge can be attributed to this website. My brother in-law has told me about being alongside his two brothers looking over the bow of a Whaler with their dad at the helm. What an amazing image and I think we can all relate. My Whaler memories are mostly about learning boating, trailering and sharing it with family, friends and other Whaler owners. My grandfather had a small boat shop and sold Chris-Crafts long ago but my dad and I were never on a boat together.

So in the interest of first Whaler memories-- a 1974 13 sport with pulley steering. I will never ever ever forget my first trip. A solo cruise on plane across a calm spot of Lake Lanier simultaneously feeling the horizontal stability of the boat steering with my left hand on the wheel and my right hand hovering over the water capturing some of the hull spray. The complexity of getting to this point was completely erased by the absolute escapist joy of boating. I think in some way I will forever chase that moment.

Wweez
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby Wweez » Wed Jul 19, 2017 10:28 pm

1969 courtesy of the navy.

andrey320
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby andrey320 » Fri Jul 21, 2017 11:48 am

Working as a lifeguard on a local lake. It was an old commercial 17 with a couple of benches and a gas tank. I hated it because it would barely plane with a 25 (I think). The little aluminum boat we had was much better.

About six years later, I decided to get a boat and stepped onto my 15 Dauntless to never look back....

shooten
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby shooten » Mon Jul 31, 2017 7:51 pm

I was 8 or 9 and my Grandpa had a 17 foot center console. We went shrimping and fishing in that thing for years in the Lake Charles LA area for years. Great times and great memories.

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Dutchman
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby Dutchman » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:01 pm

1965 on the 'Loosdrechtse Plassen" in the Netherlands a friend's father's 13' with 25HP Evinrude a blast for us 13 year olds.
EJO
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jcdawg83
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby jcdawg83 » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:44 pm

My first time IN a Whaler was when I was about 15 in a 13' with a 35 hp Evinrude, that would have been about 1976. I remember how light the boat felt skimming along the water at Clark Hill Lake and how it seemed to skip across the top of the waves. I also remember how stable it was and how I could stand on the bow and it remained fairly level.

My first memory of seeing a Whaler was in about 1972 in Beufort, SC at the city marina downtown. A man came in from fishing on a very cold day in what I know now was a '13 Whaler, probably a mid 60s vintage with the blue interior. He had the plug out of the boat and the floor had a few inches of water in the center of the hull and there were about 8 or 9 nice sea trout lying in those few inches of water. He used the hull as a sort of live well.

Whiplash
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby Whiplash » Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:14 pm

My first time was as a trainee in the state Marine Police. That was in 1982 and the Montauk had a blue deck and a 115 Johnson. I spent five years with Montauks as my main patrol boat (most were far newer than that first one). My patrol area included the back bays and coastal rivers of New Jersey. We occasionally went out on the ocean running between inlets when it wasn't too rough. Actually, pretty regularly in the summer. I can't imagine a better boat for the job. Today they run RHIs of varying sizes but that little Whaler could go anywhere. I liked it so much that I bought a 1982 Montauk a few years ago. I now live in my old patrol area and go where my friends can't or won't with their larger rides. A plus is that I get a lot of compliments on a true classic.

mikegcny
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby mikegcny » Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:45 pm

My first time was in my 1988 Montauk. My dad always had Sea Rays and would always point out Whalers, Gradys and Wellcrafts to my brother and I. When I was 12 my dad upgraded to a larger Sea Ray that we could no longer ski off of.

One day in the fall of 1988 he took my brother an I "for a ride" to Bayville, New York. We stopped at a boat dealer for some reason. When we got there the guy who worked there said something like "so are you guys excited about your new Whaler?" My brother and I were a bit puzzled at first. Then when it hit we felt like the luckiest kids on the planet. We drove the boat to the marina where my dad's boat was and then it went into drydock for winter.

That winter my dad made us both take boating courses before he allowed us to use the boat alone. I was 13 that next summer, my brother was 19. Over the next few years we used the hell out of that boat. It was docked on the north shore of Long Island but we regularly took it to Throggs Neck. We even took it down the East River into NY Harbor quite a few times.

There are so many memories on that boat. When my brother got married he decided to move to Florida and the Montauk went with him. About 12 months later he decided to move back to NY, so my dad and I flew down to Florida and drove my brother back with the Whaler in tow. In the mid 2000's the old 90 Johnson was in bad shape. My brother did what he could, even trying a used Craigslist outboard, but could not afford to re-power it.

It sat up in his yard for a few years and then about a month ago he had it repowered with a 90 Merc. He told me that he was going to come into my harbor and visit me one afternoon. I was waiting on my outrage 22. Then I saw it coming around the Nassau Point buoy. As it got closer there was almost a tear in my eye. The Whaler was back!

I got to take my daughter's and wife for a ride on it. We even took them tubing. It was quite magical towing my daughters around behind the same boat that my brother and I skied off of as kids. I love my Outrage, but the Montauk really is the perfect bay boat.

This was the photo I snapped of it as he got close. The hull is in great shape - the teak and seat cushions not so much. My phone died so I could not get a photo of our boats together. Next Wednesday we are planning another outing.
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Dutchman
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby Dutchman » Tue Aug 08, 2017 12:14 pm

Mike that is great having the boat still in the same family.
We all buy and sell so many boats and wonder how they are doing so it is nice to have it 30 years later still in the family.
EJO
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50th edition 2008 Montauk 150, w/60HP Mercury Bigfoot

Oldslowandugly
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby Oldslowandugly » Wed Aug 16, 2017 8:48 pm

I had always watched Whalers from afar and longed for a ride. They just looked like the perfect fishing boat to me. So early one morning back in the 80's I was going out on a friend's 19 foot heap he docked in Freeport. Of course the battery was stone cold dead. To add insult to injury, when we climbed back into my car, the horn stuck "ON"! I panicked as all the dock squatters woke up shaking fists and howling at us so we jumped in and took off out of the marina to fix it elsewhere. We drove to the bait shop/gas dock to get some killies and just fish off the docks since we were there with tackle. As I bought bait my buddy talked it up with a guy gassing up a new 17 foot Montauk. The guy like our story and offered to take us out Fluking. We said "YES!" and I finally got to ride in a Whaler. He had about a 100 hp Merc on it. I sat on the cooler seat in front of the console and they sat on the helm seat. When the guy opened it up I thought my eyeballs were going to get pushed out the back of my head. That thing was FAST and SMOOTH. I was in love! I knew I would get one- some day- and now that I have one I am still eternally grateful to that compassionate Whaler owner who took pity on us that day.

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Dutchman
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby Dutchman » Thu Aug 17, 2017 8:35 am

Oldslowandugly I still do that when I put in on a local lake and I'm alone and some people on the DNR dock standing there drooling and saying "what a great boat". I like to take them for a spin, especially if it is a dad with his son or daughter fishing. I keep a child's PFD on board especially for that. I don't take them fishing (as I don't have the patience for that) but I run them around the lake and those 10 to 15 minutes will never be forgotten by those kids (and parent) seeing their big smile. Especially when I let them steer.
Fun time when that happens.
EJO
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Oldslowandugly
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby Oldslowandugly » Thu Aug 17, 2017 11:43 am

Dutchman- you are a fine person to do that. That's all it takes to introduce someone to the wonderful world of boating. As for kids- when the fish won't bite and they get antsy- I move to a different spot and let them run the boat to get there. Works every time!

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Dutchman
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Re: Recall Your First Time In a Boston Whaler

Postby Dutchman » Fri Aug 18, 2017 8:50 am

Oldslowandugly wrote: As for kids- when the fish won't bite and they get antsy- I move to a different spot and let them run the boat to get there. Works every time!


Good idea, smart move!
EJO
"Clumsy Cleat"look up what it means
50th edition 2008 Montauk 150, w/60HP Mercury Bigfoot