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  30-foot Aluminum Hull Boston Whaler with Jet Drives

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Author Topic:   30-foot Aluminum Hull Boston Whaler with Jet Drives
AK153 posted 07-05-2010 05:11 PM ET (US)   Profile for AK153   Send Email to AK153  
A boat listed on boatquest.com [is described as a 30-foot aluminum Boston Whaler]. It is labeled as a crew boat and has twin inboards. It appears to have jet drives. I think I remember people discussing [a 30-foot aluminum Boston Whaler] before. Anyone have any information on this Whaler? Mel
Jeff posted 07-05-2010 08:47 PM ET (US)     Profile for Jeff  Send Email to Jeff     
Whaler's 30' and 36' Defiance were the only aluminum-hulled Whalers.
AK153 posted 07-05-2010 09:39 PM ET (US)     Profile for AK153  Send Email to AK153     
Jeff,
Check out the boat. This doesn't look like a Defiance hull to me and I was under the assumption that Rage's were the only jet driven boats. This hull looks like an accutrack style hull and it has Hamilton jet drives. It would be neat to find out more information since it may be a rare and unique hull.
ECTR posted 07-05-2010 10:27 PM ET (US)     Profile for ECTR  Send Email to ECTR     
AK153,

I believe Whaler had six 30' aluminum hulls built in the early 90s by Vector marine which the CPD outfitted. Four were powerd by outboards, one had twin Detroit diesels and one had twin gas inboards with jet drives. The jet drive boat you referenced was owned by the state of Utah and used on the great salt lake. It was auctioned last year. I don't know how many of the 36' boats were built but they were stretched versions of the 30' and I have only seen them with inboards.

Craig

Jeff posted 07-05-2010 11:57 PM ET (US)     Profile for Jeff  Send Email to Jeff     
It looks like the 30' Defiance Outboard style hull and walk around pilot house with jet drives instead of outboards. The 30' Defiance inboard had a different deck, pilothouse and transom design.

http://www.boatquest.com/photos/195409115452_97955_1.jpg
http://www.boatquest.com/photos/195409115452_97955_2.jpg
http://www.boatquest.com/photos/195409115453_97955_5.jpg
http://www.boatquest.com/photos%5C2BoatImage97955.Jpg

This is the one from Utah as it still shows the UT REG #'s

AK153 posted 07-06-2010 12:24 AM ET (US)     Profile for AK153  Send Email to AK153     
Jeff,
Thanks for posting links to the pictures. It would be a plus If Jim could get in depth pictures for CW. It also would be interesting to know full performance and hull specifications.

Craig,
Thank you also for the information. Jeff is correct, it would be the Model built for Utah. I guess it's safe to say that it's a fairly rare model. Maybe someone on the board will buy it.

Thanks, Mel

ECTR posted 07-06-2010 10:36 AM ET (US)     Profile for ECTR  Send Email to ECTR     
Mel/Jeff,

It is amazing how different these boats are configured. The walkaround outboard versions have duel bunks under the cabin and a small galley forward. Some were straight transoms and at least one has a forward sloped transom, dive door was also an option. The jet version must eliminate the bunks and be setup similar to 32'fiberglass Defiance. The 30' inboard has a flush deck and a wider and longer pilot house with 4 seats, there is a v berth forward with galley and an enclosed head. All of the aluminum boats share the Ray Hunt designed hull. Any one considering the Utah boat should do a thorough corrosion survey and get an extra gas card, fuel burn at WOT is probably in the 60 to 70gph range.

Craig

AK153 posted 07-06-2010 09:07 PM ET (US)     Profile for AK153  Send Email to AK153     
Craig,
Thanks again for the information. I looked on your profile and see you own one. Maybe you can take some pictures for Jim's Cetecea page. I don't know if the fuel consumption is that bad without knowing the speed and weight of the hull. It definately wouldn't be a cheap boat to operate. Thanks again, Mel.
JayR posted 07-07-2010 04:38 PM ET (US)     Profile for JayR  Send Email to JayR     
I would give my left arm for that boat :drool:
[img]http://www.boatquest.com/photos/195409115452_97955_4.jpg[/img]

Seats 5 or 6? Are those Stidd seats by chance?

JayR posted 07-07-2010 04:39 PM ET (US)     Profile for JayR  Send Email to JayR     
I've been away too long

http://www.boatquest.com/photos/195409115452_97955_4.jpg

RLwhaler posted 07-07-2010 06:50 PM ET (US)     Profile for RLwhaler  Send Email to RLwhaler     
Craig,Would you kindly post some pictures of your beast please?Just curious..the boat above,could one slaps some outboards on this rig?

RL

ECTR posted 07-07-2010 10:27 PM ET (US)     Profile for ECTR  Send Email to ECTR     
RL,

Here are a few pictures of the Defiance at it's dock on the Milwaukee River and being sea trialed after conversion to 30" shafts last fall.

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/Defiancenewshaftsnightshots002.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/Defiancenewshaftsnightshots007.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/Defiancenewshaftsnightshots008.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/Defiancenewshaftsnightshots013.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/Defiancenewshaftsnightshots015.jpg

Jeff posted 07-07-2010 11:03 PM ET (US)     Profile for Jeff  Send Email to Jeff     
http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/ Defiancenewshaftsnightshots002.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/ Defiancenewshaftsnightshots007.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/ Defiancenewshaftsnightshots008.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/ Defiancenewshaftsnightshots013.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/b465/ectr/Defiance/ Defiancenewshaftsnightshots015.jpg

Jeff posted 07-07-2010 11:06 PM ET (US)     Profile for Jeff  Send Email to Jeff     
Ah, how I love commercial duty boats. She really looks great. How did you come about getting it?
ECTR posted 07-07-2010 11:59 PM ET (US)     Profile for ECTR  Send Email to ECTR     
Jeff,

Thanks for fixing the links, what's the trick to making them active?

My boat was one of three owned by the Wisconsin DNR. I saw it for the first time 10 years ago in the parking lot of a local dealer when it was in for service. I had never seen an outboard powered boat that large. I never thought I would run across it again and at the time did not realize it was a Whaler. A few years ago I helped a freind aquire the 30' inboard Defiance from the DC police department and two years ago a neighbor aquired one of the Wisconsin DNRs boats from lake Superior. Last year Wisconsin auctioned off a second boat which I was able to purchase. While not a true Whaler in the foam hull sense they are built with the same quality and purposful design inherent in most Whalers.

I am hoping to make some Rendezvous with it.

Craig

Jeff posted 07-08-2010 12:24 AM ET (US)     Profile for Jeff  Send Email to Jeff     
Craig,

The ubb code is this. [ u r l ]www.addresshere.com[ / u r l ] minus the spaces in between the brackets.

Do you still have the boat in Milwaukee? I am heading there for business the next two days. I drive over tomorrow.

ECTR posted 07-08-2010 12:32 AM ET (US)     Profile for ECTR  Send Email to ECTR     
Jeff,

The boats on the river, I will be down there towmorow after 4:00, you are welcome to stop by if your in the area. Drop me an email and I will give you a cell #.

Craig

RLwhaler posted 07-08-2010 03:24 AM ET (US)     Profile for RLwhaler  Send Email to RLwhaler     
Craig,She's a beauty!! loved the LED.What kind of Numbers are you getting with those Merc?Thank you for sharing those pictures.

Jeff-It was GREAT visiting with you today.No documentation on those motors per your request.Looks like your gonna have good trip to Wis. Be safe bro!

Richard

prj posted 07-13-2010 11:22 AM ET (US)     Profile for prj  Send Email to prj     
The boat looks great, Craig. I check on her anytime I run up the Milwaukee with my Outrage. If you recall, we met briefly last summer when the Michigan crew crossed the Lake and we cruised the river system. I'm the architect with the 18 footer.

I'm heading out on the Big Pond tomorrow morning, predawn, to try and put my Northern California cousin on some of our freshwater salmon. We'll take a run up the river and see if you're in.

Patrick

ECTR posted 07-13-2010 11:11 PM ET (US)     Profile for ECTR  Send Email to ECTR     
Pat,

I remember meeting you and I believe my freind talked to Kevin, I had just picked up the boat the day the group from Michigan came over. Your Outrage is a great looking rig in fantastic condition.

I pulled the Defiance last Saturday to do some maintenace and try out a load distribution hitch and an electric brake conversion i recently completed on it's trailer. I am seriously looking at the Isle Royale trip if I can get comfortable with the tow setup.

I set the boat up last year for salmon fishing and managed to catch a couple after striking out a few times. Things have realy been hopping this past week close in off the breakwater and in the main and north gap. There must have been 20 boats fishing the main gap on Friday afternoon.

Good luck tomorrow, we should hook up on the river some time.

Craig

atlasmarine posted 08-02-2010 09:16 PM ET (US)     Profile for atlasmarine  Send Email to atlasmarine     
I own the 30 with detroits.
atlasmarine posted 08-02-2010 09:23 PM ET (US)     Profile for atlasmarine  Send Email to atlasmarine     
Craig,

I did not see your earlier postings. I just stumbled on this site.

Dave

prj posted 08-02-2010 10:18 PM ET (US)     Profile for prj  Send Email to prj     
Coincidentally, I saw yet another Defiance 30 powered by twin Verados that the WI DNR conservation warden has berthed in Sturgeon Bay.

Several boating companions and I made the run up to Fish Creek for dinner on Saturday, atlasmarine, though we didn't see your boat. I have seen it in past years though, its a fairly memorable craft, eh?

And Craig, I see that your boat hasn't been in its berth for a few weeks now. I hope your getting her prepped for the Isle Royale trip, thats a good bunch of fellas attending. Perhaps you and I will get a chance to chat again yet this summer.

Patrick

prj posted 08-16-2010 11:36 AM ET (US)     Profile for prj  Send Email to prj     
I was fortunate enough to spend a long weekend up in Door County at Fish Creek. While there, I spotted a few more aluminum hulled Whalers, 2 of them Defiance 30s and another that needs identification.

Based upon the number of these boats up in Door Co., there must be something that makes this relatively uncommon Whaler model perfect for our waters. Perhaps one of you owners can comment on that.

Atlasmarine's beautiful and well equipped inboard Defiance 30 at Fish Creek Municipal Dock:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25169902@N00/4898167582/lightbox/

Nauti Girl, another inboard Defiance 30 at Alibi Docks here, but also spotted at Chambers Island Marina:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25169902@N00/4898165750/lightbox/

An outboard version of what appears to be the same hull, though the superstructure is different. I saw this at the Fish Creek transient dock Saturday evening, but photographed it at the Chambers Island Marina Sunday morning. Perhaps Craig can tell us a little about this boat?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25169902@N00/4897574191/lightbox/

Finally, Whaler 1, a fine vessel featured in an early Cetacea page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25169902@N00/4897576243/lightbox/

ECTR posted 08-17-2010 11:57 AM ET (US)     Profile for ECTR  Send Email to ECTR     
Patrick,

The Atlas is the former DC Police Defiance owned by Dave Harris who had posted earlier (ATLASMARINE). It is probably the most highly optioned of the six 30' Defiance boats. Nauti-Girl is one of the three outboard equipped boats, including mine that was owned by the Wisconsin DNR, it was in service on Lake Superior. The Verado equipped boat you saw in Sturgeon Bay is still in service with the DNR and was repowered this spring so I assume they plan to keep it. The boat at Chambers Island is an aluminum 25’ SeaArk Commander previously owned by the US Customs and Border Patrol. The last photo you took is of Whaler 1 and was recently donated to the Fish Creek/Gibraltar fire department by a local citizen. As to your question of why the concentration I believe that the owners of these boats find their durability and functionality a comfort when regularly traveling the waters of Green Bay and the fact that three of the original six were in service in Wisconsin made it a little more likley that they would stay here.

Craig

prj posted 08-19-2010 03:38 PM ET (US)     Profile for prj  Send Email to prj     
Very thorough and detailed response on this fine group of boats, Craig. I thought you might have some info on that SeaArk as well, a hull that looks quite similar to the commercial duty Whalers.

hauptjm posted 08-20-2010 01:12 PM ET (US)     Profile for hauptjm    
They sound like sound vessels. I wounder why Whaler made so few??
yagalove posted 08-24-2010 11:03 AM ET (US)     Profile for yagalove  Send Email to yagalove     
This site was great to find out where these boats originated. I recently purchased the 30 Defiance with the jet drives that first started this topic. The boat has the inboards Mercs with Hamilton Jets. I am the process of repowering to Yanmars deisels.

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