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Author Topic:   Looking to own Whaler for first time

tous posted 03-12-2003 08:13 PM ET (US)
New to boating and have been told by many that a Whaler is a great buy. Only problem, which Whaler to buy. I intend to use the boat for recreational purposes in the Long Island Sound (north of Old Saybrook). Thanks for the help.
diamondjj posted 03-12-2003 08:25 PM ET (US)
Welcome to continuous wave ! You will get alot of different options from a group who are extremely knowledgable about Boston Whalers and which many consider the best source of information on whalers available on the internet. As far as the whaler for you, it depends on what your use is going to be and what you can afford. I own an 18 foot Outrage and never regretted the purchase. They are all fine boats whatever you decide.
jimh posted 03-12-2003 09:22 PM ET (US)
You might want to consider that Boston Whaler boats sell from about $50 used to $350,000 new, and range in length from 9-feet to 34-feet. It could be more informative for you if you indicated approximately what size and price range you are thinking about.
Are you comfortable with a used boat, or do you want only a new boat?
GeneNJ posted 03-12-2003 09:33 PM ET (US)
will the boat be on a trailer or docked in a slip? Do you fish, water ski or just motor? Once you start using a boat you will find that your original thoughts on how it will be used will change with time. So your needs at that time may be very different and the boat may not get it done. Look for one that can accomodate all the possible uses on the sound.
tous posted 03-13-2003 07:36 AM ET (US)
Looking for a either a 15 or 17 ft to use with my kids to fish along the coast and water ski/tube. I would prefer to purchase a used boat for the first time, but it appears that whalers hold their value so well it might make sense to spend the extra money and purchase new. My price range is under $20k.
My concern is what size boat (15 or 17) can best handle the sea and weather conditions in New England.
mustang7nh posted 03-13-2003 08:04 AM ET (US)
I live right across the Sound from you on LI. I boat in the bays and also on the Sound making numerous runs to New London. I've had a 15 and currently own a 20. The 15 is a blast and as a kid I would take it out in the ocean, etc. As an adult, I wouldn't want a 15 as my primary boat and not on the Sound if you value your back. I've never owned an 18 but I've been on them. Great boats and great performance, but my guess is they get crowded real fast with skis, tubes, etc for the family. I know of a 20 Outrage that might be for sale in your price range. If interested email me and I'll get the details.
diamondjj posted 03-13-2003 08:20 AM ET (US)
tous,
You might want to consider looking into the Outrage series, starting with the 18 foot outrage and going up. I have the 18 and it handles rough ocean conditions off Boston pretty well. With the addition of a full Mills canvas set, you have the ability to get out of the bad weather or having a dryer ride when the seas kick up.
alkar posted 03-13-2003 08:26 AM ET (US)
Tous, given your intended use, I'd buy a 17' Montauk. It's big enough to do everything you describe, and it'll have enough horsepower to tube and ski. They're also easy to handle, so they're great for little kids to learn boat handling on, and they're well within your price range. They're also light and very easy to trailer and they fit in most garages. I think they're they best 17' boat ever built. (I sold mine and I've been kicking myself ever since. If I could find the boat I'd buy it back.)
ShrimpBurrito posted 03-13-2003 10:57 AM ET (US)
tous - You can get a brand new well-equipped 170 Montauk for low $20's. With used, there are alot of variables, but you can get a 10-15 year old Montauk for ~$10k and an 18-Outrage around the same age for $10-$15k.
If you find a well-cared Montauk or Outrage (which you can do), and even repower a few years later, you'd have a like-new boat for several thousand less than what you'd spend new.
TightPenny posted 03-13-2003 02:57 PM ET (US)
I'll put in a vote for the Montauk.
I use mine in Barnegat Bay in NJ and as far out as 15 miles into the Atlantic.
The model is perfect for the use you describe.
Taylor posted 03-13-2003 05:54 PM ET (US)
I was going through the same choice process when I joined the forum two years ago. I started looking for 15's and eventually realized 15 was going to be too small. I finally choose a Montauk 17. Mine was a 1988, and I spent between $8-9K, although its difficult to say where the intial purchase ended and the outfitting began.
The 17 has turned out to be a great choice. It has rails to help people feel safe on board, it has a center console which allows me stand, and it has full canvas which keeps my kids warm while dad takes to boat out on a cool day. It feels like a real boat, even when I pull up to the dock next to the megayachts.
Make sure you look over the Cetecea photo section, particularly the Montauk vacation page http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage43.html That page came out just after I bought my boat, and it certainly validated my decision.
So get a Montauk 17, you won't regret it, and there is a ready market for them if you decide to trade up.
JustinAndersen posted 03-13-2003 08:12 PM ET (US)
I too would vote for the Montauk. I admit I'm biased (I own one) but for all round versatility, fishability, trailerability and fun to drive you can't beat it as an entry Whaler. I moved up to the Montauk from a BW 13.5' Super Sport and although I regret selling the little one the Montauk is a k**k-a*s boat. Besides, once you own one you can invent your own grammar.
Lars Simonsen posted 03-13-2003 08:29 PM ET (US)
I vote for the Montauk. It's a great all around boat and there are plenty of used ones out there to choose from. I had one and it served me and my family of 5 extremely well. We fished, cruised, tubed, skiied and just generally had a great time on it. We sort of outgrew it, but I plan to have another one some day. It's rated for 7 adults. I had 5 adults (several of which were on the extra large size), two large inner tubes, lots of batteries and other flounder gigging equipment on it one night and it still got right up on plane with the old 90 hp Evinrude. It's a boat that will take just about any kind of water. You can't go wrong with a Montauk.
GuyNole posted 03-13-2003 09:57 PM ET (US)
I vote for the Montauk. I own one and me and my two boys, 8 & 11 love it. We fish, cruse, tube and soon will ski. You can not wrong. I keep it in my garage and it still looks like new 2 years later. Go for it.
prxmid posted 03-14-2003 08:40 AM ET (US)
For the life of me, I can't understand why if one has the choice between a Montauk and an 18 Outrage, and they were boating in the ocean or an open rough bay, why anyone would prefer a Montauk.
Louie Kokinis posted 03-14-2003 08:54 AM ET (US)
I'm with prxmid on this one.
The 18 outrage will keep up with your growing family, will handle more water, and is still small enough to function as an excellent trailer/garage boat.
hooter posted 03-14-2003 09:39 AM ET (US)
Tell you what; a Montauk is flat perfect for a first time boater. Simple layout, cheap to own and operate, fits a young family of 4 just fine, easy to trailer and it fits comfortably in most garages. Downsides are the tiny beam (not good if yer butt's older and wider, like mine) and the pounding that butt's gonna take in anything over a 18" chop. Still, for a young family, the Montauk's hard to beat. The Outrage series has a deeper V entry to the hull, is heavier, wider and a whole lot more boat in ever' respect. The ride is far superior to a Montauk without sacrificing more than a couple inches of additional draft. The O/R 17' or 18' could both serve as awesome first-time boats, as well, but the ticket for a used hull will be 50% to 100% more than a used Montauk. Both will fit in a garage, as well. All three boats can be had used and re-powered with brand new motor for under $20 grand. Given a desire to do big water like the Atlantic, I�d steer you toward an Outrage, as you'll just be happier, is mah opinion.
Nice thing is when you decide to move up, you can usually get at least what you paid for the hull when you sell it. New motors, electronics, engine repairs and the like are mostly on you, though, as the market doesn�t pay up much for this stuff. Been mah experience anyway.
Do your homework, buy smart and you'll love whatever Whaler hull you decide on.
DaveS posted 03-14-2003 11:18 AM ET (US)
It's a can't miss proposition. With either the Montauk or the Outrage, you'll get your money's worth and then some. I guess it will all depend on how much you are willing to spend. If you are willing to spend the extra $, then go bigger, I don't think you will be unhappy.
That being said, Hooter, are you feeling OK? I actually understood every word you said!
elaelap posted 03-14-2003 12:38 PM ET (US)
DaveS: I'm worried about hooter also...I can't believe he didn't comment on this post from Dakota at Steve Leone's "Fish Stories--Tall Tales in a Whaler" topic a week or so ago:
"Steve your "topic" made me remmember fishing with ol' Hooter many years ago when he cought this huge mud cat on a scaulding summer day out on the Atchafalaya, with a throw line and a treble hook baited thick with nutria guts. The catfish must have weighed 35 lbs and when ol' Hoot wrapped the throw line around his big forarm wit the tattoe HONNEY, that cord cut into his veins like a tournequet, and he had to use a club accross that fishs spine to get it over the gunwale.
After he driven an ice pick into its brane and pinned it flat on the deck of his fine whaler, skined it and cut it into stakes, he sawed the head loose from the sckeleton and burried it in a ant hill under a log. Them ants boiled on the impacted meat and ate the bone and eye soccets clean, and now Hooter uses the old shinny grey skull for fishen voodoo, I think. He showed me that when you hold the skull verticly it looks like a crucified man from the front and when you reverse it it looks like a pope or prist or someone giving a benidiction to the faithfull. If you shake it in your hand, you can here peices of bone claterring inside Hooter told me that these were the 30 peices of silver that Judas had takin to betray Jesus. Them cat stakes sure was good I can stil taste them stakes."
C'mon, hoot...what the hell's a "nutria" when it's at home, anyway?
Tony
mustang7nh posted 03-14-2003 02:37 PM ET (US)
A Montauk 17 on the LI Sound? Safe..sure. Comfortable, no way. I hope you like solitude because your wife, kids,and friends won't go. IMO. Good luck!
Dr T posted 03-14-2003 04:05 PM ET (US)
Tony,
A nutria is an interesting aquatic rodent that has much in common with both muskrats and beavers.
I also believe that it has played an important role in the development of detective fiction. I believe that a nutria was Sherlock Holmes' famous Giant Rat of Sumatra. If you are ever out on a quiet stretch of water in the middle of the night and one starts climbing on board your boat, it can be a might unsettling....
andygere posted 03-14-2003 04:35 PM ET (US)
Checking my geography, the Montauk was named for Montauk Point, on the tip of Long Island....
The sound is a big place and sees everything from smooth glass to downright nasty, which can be said about a lot of other places as well. I also endorse the Montauk, for all the reasons listed above, plus ease of handling for a new boater. They are nimble and light, easy to launch, land, beach and handle in close quarters. There are lots of them around, they use low horsepower (which means less fuel), and are extremely versatile. They also tend to sell for quite a bit less than similar vintage Outrage 18's, and will leave a lot of change in your pocket on the $20K for fitting it out. Another advantage is that for a much newer Montauk can be had for your budget, since they were made up until a year or so ago (and the Outrage 18/19 has been out of production for around 10 years). Newer boat, power and trailer = more fun and less work. Go get one!
hooter posted 03-14-2003 06:59 PM ET (US)
This'll prob'ly load one string more than its back can bear, but here goes. 1) Mah sec'tary takes dictation an' types it up f'newbies like young tous, here. That helps avoid a Cool Hand Luke problem, "What we gots here is a FAILure excommuniCAtion". 2) Ah never did read that admitted liar's thread 'cause o'mah uncompromizin' devotion to the truth. 3) Nutria rat looks ugly on the hoof, tastes pretty good on the spit; a big one'll go 10 pounds and ruin a good night's sleep in the marsh with the chattery racket two of'em'll keep up. And 4) That dakota feller SAID he wasn't the type to go an' tell a feller's secrets. Gonna have t'use that fish haid on'im next full moon.
elaelap posted 03-14-2003 08:51 PM ET (US)
DrT: Don't you go giving me more bad dreams, doc...your profession [he's not an M.D., guys] has already ruined many a night's sleep, especially in these crazy times. Anyway, I always thought the Giant Rat of Sumatra was a dogfish that DIDN'T bark.
hooter: Talking about professions, check out ol' Dakota's! Now I know that some folks say there's a dumbing down of America going on, but this has gotta be an extreme example, even for LaLaLand.
Tony

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Author	Topic: Looking to own Whaler for first time
tous	posted 03-12-2003 08:13 PM ET (US) New to boating and have been told by many that a Whaler is a great buy. Only problem, which Whaler to buy. I intend to use the boat for recreational purposes in the Long Island Sound (north of Old Saybrook). Thanks for the help.
diamondjj	posted 03-12-2003 08:25 PM ET (US) Welcome to continuous wave ! You will get alot of different options from a group who are extremely knowledgable about Boston Whalers and which many consider the best source of information on whalers available on the internet. As far as the whaler for you, it depends on what your use is going to be and what you can afford. I own an 18 foot Outrage and never regretted the purchase. They are all fine boats whatever you decide.
jimh	posted 03-12-2003 09:22 PM ET (US) You might want to consider that Boston Whaler boats sell from about $50 used to $350,000 new, and range in length from 9-feet to 34-feet. It could be more informative for you if you indicated approximately what size and price range you are thinking about. Are you comfortable with a used boat, or do you want only a new boat?
GeneNJ	posted 03-12-2003 09:33 PM ET (US) will the boat be on a trailer or docked in a slip? Do you fish, water ski or just motor? Once you start using a boat you will find that your original thoughts on how it will be used will change with time. So your needs at that time may be very different and the boat may not get it done. Look for one that can accomodate all the possible uses on the sound.
tous	posted 03-13-2003 07:36 AM ET (US) Looking for a either a 15 or 17 ft to use with my kids to fish along the coast and water ski/tube. I would prefer to purchase a used boat for the first time, but it appears that whalers hold their value so well it might make sense to spend the extra money and purchase new. My price range is under $20k. My concern is what size boat (15 or 17) can best handle the sea and weather conditions in New England.
mustang7nh	posted 03-13-2003 08:04 AM ET (US) I live right across the Sound from you on LI. I boat in the bays and also on the Sound making numerous runs to New London. I've had a 15 and currently own a 20. The 15 is a blast and as a kid I would take it out in the ocean, etc. As an adult, I wouldn't want a 15 as my primary boat and not on the Sound if you value your back. I've never owned an 18 but I've been on them. Great boats and great performance, but my guess is they get crowded real fast with skis, tubes, etc for the family. I know of a 20 Outrage that might be for sale in your price range. If interested email me and I'll get the details.
diamondjj	posted 03-13-2003 08:20 AM ET (US) tous, You might want to consider looking into the Outrage series, starting with the 18 foot outrage and going up. I have the 18 and it handles rough ocean conditions off Boston pretty well. With the addition of a full Mills canvas set, you have the ability to get out of the bad weather or having a dryer ride when the seas kick up.
alkar	posted 03-13-2003 08:26 AM ET (US) Tous, given your intended use, I'd buy a 17' Montauk. It's big enough to do everything you describe, and it'll have enough horsepower to tube and ski. They're also easy to handle, so they're great for little kids to learn boat handling on, and they're well within your price range. They're also light and very easy to trailer and they fit in most garages. I think they're they best 17' boat ever built. (I sold mine and I've been kicking myself ever since. If I could find the boat I'd buy it back.)
ShrimpBurrito	posted 03-13-2003 10:57 AM ET (US) tous - You can get a brand new well-equipped 170 Montauk for low $20's. With used, there are alot of variables, but you can get a 10-15 year old Montauk for ~$10k and an 18-Outrage around the same age for $10-$15k. If you find a well-cared Montauk or Outrage (which you can do), and even repower a few years later, you'd have a like-new boat for several thousand less than what you'd spend new.
TightPenny	posted 03-13-2003 02:57 PM ET (US) I'll put in a vote for the Montauk. I use mine in Barnegat Bay in NJ and as far out as 15 miles into the Atlantic. The model is perfect for the use you describe.
Taylor	posted 03-13-2003 05:54 PM ET (US) I was going through the same choice process when I joined the forum two years ago. I started looking for 15's and eventually realized 15 was going to be too small. I finally choose a Montauk 17. Mine was a 1988, and I spent between $8-9K, although its difficult to say where the intial purchase ended and the outfitting began. The 17 has turned out to be a great choice. It has rails to help people feel safe on board, it has a center console which allows me stand, and it has full canvas which keeps my kids warm while dad takes to boat out on a cool day. It feels like a real boat, even when I pull up to the dock next to the megayachts. Make sure you look over the Cetecea photo section, particularly the Montauk vacation page http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetacea/cetaceaPage43.html That page came out just after I bought my boat, and it certainly validated my decision. So get a Montauk 17, you won't regret it, and there is a ready market for them if you decide to trade up.
JustinAndersen	posted 03-13-2003 08:12 PM ET (US) I too would vote for the Montauk. I admit I'm biased (I own one) but for all round versatility, fishability, trailerability and fun to drive you can't beat it as an entry Whaler. I moved up to the Montauk from a BW 13.5' Super Sport and although I regret selling the little one the Montauk is a k*k-as boat. Besides, once you own one you can invent your own grammar.
Lars Simonsen	posted 03-13-2003 08:29 PM ET (US) I vote for the Montauk. It's a great all around boat and there are plenty of used ones out there to choose from. I had one and it served me and my family of 5 extremely well. We fished, cruised, tubed, skiied and just generally had a great time on it. We sort of outgrew it, but I plan to have another one some day. It's rated for 7 adults. I had 5 adults (several of which were on the extra large size), two large inner tubes, lots of batteries and other flounder gigging equipment on it one night and it still got right up on plane with the old 90 hp Evinrude. It's a boat that will take just about any kind of water. You can't go wrong with a Montauk.
GuyNole	posted 03-13-2003 09:57 PM ET (US) I vote for the Montauk. I own one and me and my two boys, 8 & 11 love it. We fish, cruse, tube and soon will ski. You can not wrong. I keep it in my garage and it still looks like new 2 years later. Go for it.
prxmid	posted 03-14-2003 08:40 AM ET (US) For the life of me, I can't understand why if one has the choice between a Montauk and an 18 Outrage, and they were boating in the ocean or an open rough bay, why anyone would prefer a Montauk.
Louie Kokinis	posted 03-14-2003 08:54 AM ET (US) I'm with prxmid on this one. The 18 outrage will keep up with your growing family, will handle more water, and is still small enough to function as an excellent trailer/garage boat.
hooter	posted 03-14-2003 09:39 AM ET (US) Tell you what; a Montauk is flat perfect for a first time boater. Simple layout, cheap to own and operate, fits a young family of 4 just fine, easy to trailer and it fits comfortably in most garages. Downsides are the tiny beam (not good if yer butt's older and wider, like mine) and the pounding that butt's gonna take in anything over a 18" chop. Still, for a young family, the Montauk's hard to beat. The Outrage series has a deeper V entry to the hull, is heavier, wider and a whole lot more boat in ever' respect. The ride is far superior to a Montauk without sacrificing more than a couple inches of additional draft. The O/R 17' or 18' could both serve as awesome first-time boats, as well, but the ticket for a used hull will be 50% to 100% more than a used Montauk. Both will fit in a garage, as well. All three boats can be had used and re-powered with brand new motor for under $20 grand. Given a desire to do big water like the Atlantic, I�d steer you toward an Outrage, as you'll just be happier, is mah opinion. Nice thing is when you decide to move up, you can usually get at least what you paid for the hull when you sell it. New motors, electronics, engine repairs and the like are mostly on you, though, as the market doesn�t pay up much for this stuff. Been mah experience anyway. Do your homework, buy smart and you'll love whatever Whaler hull you decide on.
DaveS	posted 03-14-2003 11:18 AM ET (US) It's a can't miss proposition. With either the Montauk or the Outrage, you'll get your money's worth and then some. I guess it will all depend on how much you are willing to spend. If you are willing to spend the extra $, then go bigger, I don't think you will be unhappy. That being said, Hooter, are you feeling OK? I actually understood every word you said!
elaelap	posted 03-14-2003 12:38 PM ET (US) DaveS: I'm worried about hooter also...I can't believe he didn't comment on this post from Dakota at Steve Leone's "Fish Stories--Tall Tales in a Whaler" topic a week or so ago: "Steve your "topic" made me remmember fishing with ol' Hooter many years ago when he cought this huge mud cat on a scaulding summer day out on the Atchafalaya, with a throw line and a treble hook baited thick with nutria guts. The catfish must have weighed 35 lbs and when ol' Hoot wrapped the throw line around his big forarm wit the tattoe HONNEY, that cord cut into his veins like a tournequet, and he had to use a club accross that fishs spine to get it over the gunwale. After he driven an ice pick into its brane and pinned it flat on the deck of his fine whaler, skined it and cut it into stakes, he sawed the head loose from the sckeleton and burried it in a ant hill under a log. Them ants boiled on the impacted meat and ate the bone and eye soccets clean, and now Hooter uses the old shinny grey skull for fishen voodoo, I think. He showed me that when you hold the skull verticly it looks like a crucified man from the front and when you reverse it it looks like a pope or prist or someone giving a benidiction to the faithfull. If you shake it in your hand, you can here peices of bone claterring inside Hooter told me that these were the 30 peices of silver that Judas had takin to betray Jesus. Them cat stakes sure was good I can stil taste them stakes." C'mon, hoot...what the hell's a "nutria" when it's at home, anyway? Tony
mustang7nh	posted 03-14-2003 02:37 PM ET (US) A Montauk 17 on the LI Sound? Safe..sure. Comfortable, no way. I hope you like solitude because your wife, kids,and friends won't go. IMO. Good luck!
Dr T	posted 03-14-2003 04:05 PM ET (US) Tony, A nutria is an interesting aquatic rodent that has much in common with both muskrats and beavers. I also believe that it has played an important role in the development of detective fiction. I believe that a nutria was Sherlock Holmes' famous Giant Rat of Sumatra. If you are ever out on a quiet stretch of water in the middle of the night and one starts climbing on board your boat, it can be a might unsettling....
andygere	posted 03-14-2003 04:35 PM ET (US) Checking my geography, the Montauk was named for Montauk Point, on the tip of Long Island.... The sound is a big place and sees everything from smooth glass to downright nasty, which can be said about a lot of other places as well. I also endorse the Montauk, for all the reasons listed above, plus ease of handling for a new boater. They are nimble and light, easy to launch, land, beach and handle in close quarters. There are lots of them around, they use low horsepower (which means less fuel), and are extremely versatile. They also tend to sell for quite a bit less than similar vintage Outrage 18's, and will leave a lot of change in your pocket on the $20K for fitting it out. Another advantage is that for a much newer Montauk can be had for your budget, since they were made up until a year or so ago (and the Outrage 18/19 has been out of production for around 10 years). Newer boat, power and trailer = more fun and less work. Go get one!
hooter	posted 03-14-2003 06:59 PM ET (US) This'll prob'ly load one string more than its back can bear, but here goes. 1) Mah sec'tary takes dictation an' types it up f'newbies like young tous, here. That helps avoid a Cool Hand Luke problem, "What we gots here is a FAILure excommuniCAtion". 2) Ah never did read that admitted liar's thread 'cause o'mah uncompromizin' devotion to the truth. 3) Nutria rat looks ugly on the hoof, tastes pretty good on the spit; a big one'll go 10 pounds and ruin a good night's sleep in the marsh with the chattery racket two of'em'll keep up. And 4) That dakota feller SAID he wasn't the type to go an' tell a feller's secrets. Gonna have t'use that fish haid on'im next full moon.
elaelap	posted 03-14-2003 08:51 PM ET (US) DrT: Don't you go giving me more bad dreams, doc...your profession [he's not an M.D., guys] has already ruined many a night's sleep, especially in these crazy times. Anyway, I always thought the Giant Rat of Sumatra was a dogfish that DIDN'T bark. hooter: Talking about professions, check out ol' Dakota's! Now I know that some folks say there's a dumbing down of America going on, but this has gotta be an extreme example, even for LaLaLand. Tony