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Author Topic:   Bahamas Whalers

Dave Sutton posted 12-31-2014 09:10 PM ET (US)
Just back in the USA for three weeks before I head back to the Bahamas for the rest of the winter. I'm cruising the islands on my Grand Banks trawler, and enjoying seeing Whalers EVERYWHERE in the Bahamas.
Observations: I have never in my life seen so many Whalers. MANY 17 foot ones, and loads of classic Outrages. Many new ones as well, up to 32 feet. MANY beat up old boats being used as commercial fishing boats. Conch divers use these in huge numbers. Many nice newer ones as well. They outnumber all other brqnds by a huge margin. I'm truly amazed.
The most interesting thing is that 100% of them are Yamaha powered. That makes sense for the repowered `classics, but I also see brand new boats ranging from 15's thru 32's, all with Yamaha power. There's obviously no requirement to package sales with Mercury power in the Islands. I kid you not, there is never another engine but Yamaha installed on anything, new or repowered.
I'm taking many pics and will put up a library when I can.

Dave
.

dfmcintyre posted 01-01-2015 10:28 AM ET (US)
Dave -
When Gail and I married in 1977, we were given the title to the family Nauset that had in the family since 1968. We promptly traded her in for a Montauk with a 90 Merc and spent the winter rigging her; fabricated a forward sleeping platform, custom canvas, VHF, etc.
The following two summers, spent two weeks in the North Channel and Georgian Bay region of Ontario, essentially camping on it.
With our firstborn enroute (what went on under the canvas, stays under there too....) We decided to upgrade to the 22 Outrage in '80.
Sold the Montauk to a guy that was having it shipped over to the Bahamas, to his vacation home. Often wondered what ever happened to her.
Nice report, and will look forward to the images!
Regards - Don
Binkster posted 01-01-2015 11:23 AM ET (US)
We were in Nassau, Bahamas a couple of weeks ago. I only saw one 13 footer, an old and beat up one, and a newer 18 foot Outrage that was used as a tender for a mega-yacht of which there are many. As far as outboards I don't recall seeing anything but Yamahas on any boat in the Bahamas or anywhere I've been in the Caribbean.
There is a Whaler dealer on Nassau. He is also a Yamaha dealer, and also sells other high end boats. Whaler has alot of competition, folks over there that can afford boats are also well off financially. The Bahamas are the land of the rich of which there are many and of the poor of which there are more.
Unlike Dave, we are only able to explore the Bahamas via cruise ships so there are many islands out there I have never seen. I have a late friend who would spend a year at a time cruising and living on the hook in his 42' sailboat all through the Bahamas. Its an easy trip by private boat from South Florida. there is a youtube video out there of a couple who made the crossing both ways in their 15' Whaler. I worked with a guy years ago who when he lived in Miami, would take his 18' Mako over to somewhere in the Bahamas regularly to poach tropical fish and bring them back and sell them to dealers.
Here is a link to the the Whaler dealer in Nassau
http://hbsmarine.com/
rich
Dave Sutton posted 01-02-2015 09:39 AM ET (US)
What struck me is that althougb we don't nowadays generally associate Whalers with absolutely hard core indistrial use, in the Bahamas I am seeing dozens upon dozens of Whalers being used by what appear to be absolutely poverty stricken commercial fishermen. They have figured out what boat works best, and take the time to purchase Whalers for commercial use. Most of the bioatd have been stripped of EVERYTHING original other than the hulls, have new locally made consoles installed, and are beat up to the point where they are barely identifiable as a Whaler. Filthy and worn doesn't describe them. But they keep on running... I've seen Montauks, several Guardians, and other Whalers of all sorts. There's most definately a market for used Whalers here, a local friend pointed out a very beat up 'Tauk stripped of everything, powered with a 2 stroke Yamaha of 80's vintage, and told me that it was a $15K boat there. He wants one himself, and so next season I will tow one across the Gulfstream behind my trawler for him. I'll get to use it as my own when I am in the islands, so it's a win-win for everyone. Need to find an 80's vintage 'Tauk for him over the next year but that won't be too hard.
There are also many "recreational" Whalers around, both privately owned and rentals, in condistions ranging from utility to yacht-like. Saw a beautiful 322 a few days ago, spanking new. Power? A pair of brand new Yahamas. So... BW installs Yahahas, they just don't do it for the USA. My guess is that if they tried to pawn off Mercury engines in the Bahamas, they would lose most of their sales. Nobody here wants a Mercury.
Minns in Grand Exuma is a Whaler and Yamaha dealer and sells them as a package. They also rent a fairly large fleet of them to visitors. Many are classic Montauks with custom consoles and Yamaha power.
My read is that if you want a Whaler without a Mercury, you can arrange purchase of a new one with a Yamaha by purchase in the Bahamas. Shipping is cheap if you don't want to run it across the Gulfstream: A buddy here just had a large Contender center comsole in the high 20 foot range size with it's triple axle trailer shipped on the mailboat from Miami. Roll-on, Roll-off. Cost? About $1000.
I notably also see a mix of Yamaha 4 stroke and 2 stroke engines, noting that the classic 2 stroke engines are still available here. Many of the small inflatable tenders used by visiting yachtsmen are newer 2 stroke Yamahas in the 15-25 HP range. Weight counts when you are dismounting an engine and hauling it onto the deck of a sailboat or hanging an inflatable from davits.
I guess the most striking thing to me is that the Bahamians simply won't buy Mercury engines. They insist on Yamaha power. Brunswick meets their demand. Now if only the USA market would come to the same decision, we would have better Whalers to buy new.
Dave
.
Whaler27 posted 01-02-2015 10:43 AM ET (US)
In my opinion the mercury on the transom package has hurt Whaler sales for years and killed any chance of selling more boats in CA.
When Schock boats packaged Yamahas their dealership was rockin the west coast. Since then they wouldn't be around if they didn't own the land for generations.
If you head south to MX you will find the majority of commercial fisherman running Yamaha Enduros will carbs. Bullet proof, my old Whaler25 is still running a pair of 1984 175's with over 6000 hours.
Binkster posted 01-02-2015 12:39 PM ET (US)
When Brunswick bought Mercury Marine from Carl back in the seventies, Mercury kept Brunswick afloat as the bowling industry was in a nose dive. Maybe they feel indebted, or boats and Mercury Marine are still their mainstay. The bowling industry never really recovered to their pre 70's heyday.
rich
contender posted 01-05-2015 10:01 PM ET (US)
I travel to the Bahamas 2-3 times a year, I go to different out islands (I stay away from Bimini and Nassau) I have stated this before that the out island have more whalers per area than any other place on this earth, except maybe the factory. The whalers I see have mostly old/new Evinrudes, Yamaha and now Suzuki...
jcdawg83 posted 01-06-2015 09:36 AM ET (US)
The lock in with Mercury engines is probably costing Whaler a fair number of sales in the US. I know quite a few people who simply refuse to own a Mercury engine.
martyn1075 posted 01-06-2015 11:46 AM ET (US)
I think there is some truth to that statement when it comes to the smaller Whalers but its not the only reason why Whaler is not selling them in huge numbers. Design and pricing are the big factors. Those two problems are solely on Boston Whaler. The big whalers are mainly on back order most dealers can't keep them in stock and they all have the big black beasts hanging off the sterns.

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Author	Topic: Bahamas Whalers
Dave Sutton	posted 12-31-2014 09:10 PM ET (US) Just back in the USA for three weeks before I head back to the Bahamas for the rest of the winter. I'm cruising the islands on my Grand Banks trawler, and enjoying seeing Whalers EVERYWHERE in the Bahamas. Observations: I have never in my life seen so many Whalers. MANY 17 foot ones, and loads of classic Outrages. Many new ones as well, up to 32 feet. MANY beat up old boats being used as commercial fishing boats. Conch divers use these in huge numbers. Many nice newer ones as well. They outnumber all other brqnds by a huge margin. I'm truly amazed. The most interesting thing is that 100% of them are Yamaha powered. That makes sense for the repowered `classics, but I also see brand new boats ranging from 15's thru 32's, all with Yamaha power. There's obviously no requirement to package sales with Mercury power in the Islands. I kid you not, there is never another engine but Yamaha installed on anything, new or repowered. I'm taking many pics and will put up a library when I can. Dave .
dfmcintyre	posted 01-01-2015 10:28 AM ET (US) Dave - When Gail and I married in 1977, we were given the title to the family Nauset that had in the family since 1968. We promptly traded her in for a Montauk with a 90 Merc and spent the winter rigging her; fabricated a forward sleeping platform, custom canvas, VHF, etc. The following two summers, spent two weeks in the North Channel and Georgian Bay region of Ontario, essentially camping on it. With our firstborn enroute (what went on under the canvas, stays under there too....) We decided to upgrade to the 22 Outrage in '80. Sold the Montauk to a guy that was having it shipped over to the Bahamas, to his vacation home. Often wondered what ever happened to her. Nice report, and will look forward to the images! Regards - Don
Binkster	posted 01-01-2015 11:23 AM ET (US) We were in Nassau, Bahamas a couple of weeks ago. I only saw one 13 footer, an old and beat up one, and a newer 18 foot Outrage that was used as a tender for a mega-yacht of which there are many. As far as outboards I don't recall seeing anything but Yamahas on any boat in the Bahamas or anywhere I've been in the Caribbean. There is a Whaler dealer on Nassau. He is also a Yamaha dealer, and also sells other high end boats. Whaler has alot of competition, folks over there that can afford boats are also well off financially. The Bahamas are the land of the rich of which there are many and of the poor of which there are more. Unlike Dave, we are only able to explore the Bahamas via cruise ships so there are many islands out there I have never seen. I have a late friend who would spend a year at a time cruising and living on the hook in his 42' sailboat all through the Bahamas. Its an easy trip by private boat from South Florida. there is a youtube video out there of a couple who made the crossing both ways in their 15' Whaler. I worked with a guy years ago who when he lived in Miami, would take his 18' Mako over to somewhere in the Bahamas regularly to poach tropical fish and bring them back and sell them to dealers. Here is a link to the the Whaler dealer in Nassau http://hbsmarine.com/ rich
Dave Sutton	posted 01-02-2015 09:39 AM ET (US) What struck me is that althougb we don't nowadays generally associate Whalers with absolutely hard core indistrial use, in the Bahamas I am seeing dozens upon dozens of Whalers being used by what appear to be absolutely poverty stricken commercial fishermen. They have figured out what boat works best, and take the time to purchase Whalers for commercial use. Most of the bioatd have been stripped of EVERYTHING original other than the hulls, have new locally made consoles installed, and are beat up to the point where they are barely identifiable as a Whaler. Filthy and worn doesn't describe them. But they keep on running... I've seen Montauks, several Guardians, and other Whalers of all sorts. There's most definately a market for used Whalers here, a local friend pointed out a very beat up 'Tauk stripped of everything, powered with a 2 stroke Yamaha of 80's vintage, and told me that it was a $15K boat there. He wants one himself, and so next season I will tow one across the Gulfstream behind my trawler for him. I'll get to use it as my own when I am in the islands, so it's a win-win for everyone. Need to find an 80's vintage 'Tauk for him over the next year but that won't be too hard. There are also many "recreational" Whalers around, both privately owned and rentals, in condistions ranging from utility to yacht-like. Saw a beautiful 322 a few days ago, spanking new. Power? A pair of brand new Yahamas. So... BW installs Yahahas, they just don't do it for the USA. My guess is that if they tried to pawn off Mercury engines in the Bahamas, they would lose most of their sales. Nobody here wants a Mercury. Minns in Grand Exuma is a Whaler and Yamaha dealer and sells them as a package. They also rent a fairly large fleet of them to visitors. Many are classic Montauks with custom consoles and Yamaha power. My read is that if you want a Whaler without a Mercury, you can arrange purchase of a new one with a Yamaha by purchase in the Bahamas. Shipping is cheap if you don't want to run it across the Gulfstream: A buddy here just had a large Contender center comsole in the high 20 foot range size with it's triple axle trailer shipped on the mailboat from Miami. Roll-on, Roll-off. Cost? About $1000. I notably also see a mix of Yamaha 4 stroke and 2 stroke engines, noting that the classic 2 stroke engines are still available here. Many of the small inflatable tenders used by visiting yachtsmen are newer 2 stroke Yamahas in the 15-25 HP range. Weight counts when you are dismounting an engine and hauling it onto the deck of a sailboat or hanging an inflatable from davits. I guess the most striking thing to me is that the Bahamians simply won't buy Mercury engines. They insist on Yamaha power. Brunswick meets their demand. Now if only the USA market would come to the same decision, we would have better Whalers to buy new. Dave .
Whaler27	posted 01-02-2015 10:43 AM ET (US) In my opinion the mercury on the transom package has hurt Whaler sales for years and killed any chance of selling more boats in CA. When Schock boats packaged Yamahas their dealership was rockin the west coast. Since then they wouldn't be around if they didn't own the land for generations. If you head south to MX you will find the majority of commercial fisherman running Yamaha Enduros will carbs. Bullet proof, my old Whaler25 is still running a pair of 1984 175's with over 6000 hours.
Binkster	posted 01-02-2015 12:39 PM ET (US) When Brunswick bought Mercury Marine from Carl back in the seventies, Mercury kept Brunswick afloat as the bowling industry was in a nose dive. Maybe they feel indebted, or boats and Mercury Marine are still their mainstay. The bowling industry never really recovered to their pre 70's heyday. rich
contender	posted 01-05-2015 10:01 PM ET (US) I travel to the Bahamas 2-3 times a year, I go to different out islands (I stay away from Bimini and Nassau) I have stated this before that the out island have more whalers per area than any other place on this earth, except maybe the factory. The whalers I see have mostly old/new Evinrudes, Yamaha and now Suzuki...
jcdawg83	posted 01-06-2015 09:36 AM ET (US) The lock in with Mercury engines is probably costing Whaler a fair number of sales in the US. I know quite a few people who simply refuse to own a Mercury engine.
martyn1075	posted 01-06-2015 11:46 AM ET (US) I think there is some truth to that statement when it comes to the smaller Whalers but its not the only reason why Whaler is not selling them in huge numbers. Design and pricing are the big factors. Those two problems are solely on Boston Whaler. The big whalers are mainly on back order most dealers can't keep them in stock and they all have the big black beasts hanging off the sterns.