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Author Topic:   Older Whaler

OT posted 04-27-2009 09:51 PM ET (US)
Hello to all. This is my first post and I just have a few questions. I apologize if this has been covered before.
I have been a sailboat person all my life and like older fiberglass boats with graceful lines and character but my current situation is not conducive to a sailboat. I've always liked the look and reputation of Boston Whaler boats, so, when I ran across my current boat for what I thought was a good price, I couldn't pass it up.
I think I bought a NAUSET. It matches the pictures from the reference section on this site and has the number 3746 painted in white in the well in the bow of the boat. It has the center [console] made of wood with the windshield, but it is shot and the engine controls have been changed. It has a 1981 Evinrude 60-HP that I think will run, and it's on an older but decent trailer. The paint in the interior is original but there are lots of stress cracks, chips and holes from random hardware mounts. The outside of the hull has quite a few dents, stress cracks and has been painted but overall the boat seems to be sound and I haven't found any soft spots.
I would like a boat [that] is reliable and sound and above all functional. I have done plenty of fiberglass work in the past and will get out the grinder and sander soon, but I don't want to de-value this boat or ruin the chances for the next owner to possibly restore it if they want. I realize that boats are meant to be used and enjoyed and I usually do all the functional work and then get on the water as soon as possible, but I thought I'd check in with you all first. Thanks for any thoughts.
jimh posted 04-28-2009 12:28 AM ET (US)

quote:
"...I just have a few questions."
I read your article twice, but I could not find any questions. How can we help?
sundowner posted 04-28-2009 12:30 AM ET (US)
OT,
don't get your panties in a bunch like I did. My console was shot, interior shot, exterior shot etc. Things aren't usually as shot as they seem on these older beauts. I went crazy thinking i had to wet sand for the next 3 months starting at 600 grit up to 2200. What I discovered (after erroneously sanding half the inside with 400) was that the rust stains and others can be wet sanded with 600 keeping the working area as small as possible, and then purchase the porter cable 97336 (best buy ever!) and follow this thread because the recs are dead on!
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000680.html
all you really need are a few white and orange polisher pads that you can by on Meguire's or other sites and the hook and loop merely means velcro backed for easy to use velcro polishing pads. The white one actually doesn't need the backing pad as it comes with one that is "integral" or built in to the pad.
Then follow threads on gel coat repair with the kits etc. My take is that it's easy..and at times fun to get carried away but try to keep it in perspective and take one bite at a time. Don't feel the need to start tearing up every crack with a can opener when you might find a lot of them disappearing from view with the detailing recs.
Heres a bunch of threads I've been saving up that have helped me...hope they make it easier for you. Good luck amigo....I'm still working on mine and hoping to launch her in a month.
By the way...there are a lot of great people on this site with very friendly and helpful advice....utilize them! They would like nothing more than to see another classic resurrected!
http://www.twincitiesmarine.com/
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001666.html
http://www.bimi-teetop.com/index.html
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000568.html electric
http://www.defender.com/
www.boatfix.com
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/003475.html rps z legs
http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/Above_Deck_Fuel_Tanks-TEMPO_11_GALLON_BOSTON_WHALER_FUEL_TANK.html
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000680.html
http://www.spectrumcolor.com/catalog.htm
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000985.html
http://continuouswave.com/maintenance-logs/epoxy/
OT posted 04-28-2009 08:37 AM ET (US)
Sorry for not being clear. After reading a number of posts about water in the hull i guess that i am most worried about preserving the hull if it is still dry inside and then making the boat functional as soon as possible without ruining all the charm. The reference page said that the hull should weigh about 500 lbs empty, so i guess I need to weigh it and find out what I'm dealing with. I plan on repairing the cracks and dents on the outside with the west system and then spot painting the repairs with epoxy paint. The more I read on this site I realize that everything depends on what an owner wants out of the boat and how much he/ she is willing to put into it. I guess that my question was if this boat that I bought is especially rare or special because of the early hull number and if I should be worried about ruining the restoration potential of the boat, but i guess that anything can be restored and if someone wants to do it later it can be done regardless of what I do. Thanks for the opinions and I'm sure I'll be inn touch with further repair questions if I can't find answers in older posts. Thanks-
jimh posted 04-28-2009 08:58 AM ET (US)
No one really has a good figure for the weight of these older boats. The lightest 16-foot hull ever molded might have come in at 500-lbs, but there is no telling what your hull weighed when it was new.
A stencil number of 3746 does appear to indicate a very old boat, possibly a 1961 or 1962 boat. Boston Whaler has records and can tell you the precise day it was manufactured. It might be interesting to have that information.
There is only a limited market for restorations of very old Boston Whaler boats. Some time ago a restoration was made of a very old boat like yours, however in that case just about every component of the original boat, motor, and trailer was intact. The overall condition was good, and the boat, motor, and trailer were restored to like-new showroom condition. The restored boat was sold to a dealer who wanted it for use as a display on the showroom of his dealership. As I recall the price was reported at over $10,000. Having everything original contributed to the value of the restoration.
The Boston Whaler company itself recently performed a very extensive restoration of a 13-foot hull it located which was from the initial years of manufacture, 1959 or 1960. This was in celebration of the 50th year of the company. You might contact them to see if they had any interest in acquiring a very old 16-footer.
My general feeling is that archival or museum-like restorations of older Boston Whaler boats will not find a huge market awaiting them when completed.
Many older boats are just repaired and used as boats.
There was no paint used in the original NAUSET, except perhaps for certain wooden components which might have been painted. If the hull or deck of your boat has been painted, the original gel coat finish has been covered and lies beneath the paint.
I suggest you begin by reading more of the REFERENCE material about the Boston Whaler boats. There are excellent articles that demonstrate repair methods and include illustrations and photographs.

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Author	Topic: Older Whaler
OT	posted 04-27-2009 09:51 PM ET (US) Hello to all. This is my first post and I just have a few questions. I apologize if this has been covered before. I have been a sailboat person all my life and like older fiberglass boats with graceful lines and character but my current situation is not conducive to a sailboat. I've always liked the look and reputation of Boston Whaler boats, so, when I ran across my current boat for what I thought was a good price, I couldn't pass it up. I think I bought a NAUSET. It matches the pictures from the reference section on this site and has the number 3746 painted in white in the well in the bow of the boat. It has the center [console] made of wood with the windshield, but it is shot and the engine controls have been changed. It has a 1981 Evinrude 60-HP that I think will run, and it's on an older but decent trailer. The paint in the interior is original but there are lots of stress cracks, chips and holes from random hardware mounts. The outside of the hull has quite a few dents, stress cracks and has been painted but overall the boat seems to be sound and I haven't found any soft spots. I would like a boat [that] is reliable and sound and above all functional. I have done plenty of fiberglass work in the past and will get out the grinder and sander soon, but I don't want to de-value this boat or ruin the chances for the next owner to possibly restore it if they want. I realize that boats are meant to be used and enjoyed and I usually do all the functional work and then get on the water as soon as possible, but I thought I'd check in with you all first. Thanks for any thoughts.
jimh	posted 04-28-2009 12:28 AM ET (US) quote: "...I just have a few questions." I read your article twice, but I could not find any questions. How can we help?
sundowner	posted 04-28-2009 12:30 AM ET (US) OT, don't get your panties in a bunch like I did. My console was shot, interior shot, exterior shot etc. Things aren't usually as shot as they seem on these older beauts. I went crazy thinking i had to wet sand for the next 3 months starting at 600 grit up to 2200. What I discovered (after erroneously sanding half the inside with 400) was that the rust stains and others can be wet sanded with 600 keeping the working area as small as possible, and then purchase the porter cable 97336 (best buy ever!) and follow this thread because the recs are dead on! http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000680.html all you really need are a few white and orange polisher pads that you can by on Meguire's or other sites and the hook and loop merely means velcro backed for easy to use velcro polishing pads. The white one actually doesn't need the backing pad as it comes with one that is "integral" or built in to the pad. Then follow threads on gel coat repair with the kits etc. My take is that it's easy..and at times fun to get carried away but try to keep it in perspective and take one bite at a time. Don't feel the need to start tearing up every crack with a can opener when you might find a lot of them disappearing from view with the detailing recs. Heres a bunch of threads I've been saving up that have helped me...hope they make it easier for you. Good luck amigo....I'm still working on mine and hoping to launch her in a month. By the way...there are a lot of great people on this site with very friendly and helpful advice....utilize them! They would like nothing more than to see another classic resurrected! http://www.twincitiesmarine.com/ http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001666.html http://www.bimi-teetop.com/index.html http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000568.html electric http://www.defender.com/ www.boatfix.com http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/003475.html rps z legs http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/Above_Deck_Fuel_Tanks-TEMPO_11_GALLON_BOSTON_WHALER_FUEL_TANK.html http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000680.html http://www.spectrumcolor.com/catalog.htm http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000985.html http://continuouswave.com/maintenance-logs/epoxy/
OT	posted 04-28-2009 08:37 AM ET (US) Sorry for not being clear. After reading a number of posts about water in the hull i guess that i am most worried about preserving the hull if it is still dry inside and then making the boat functional as soon as possible without ruining all the charm. The reference page said that the hull should weigh about 500 lbs empty, so i guess I need to weigh it and find out what I'm dealing with. I plan on repairing the cracks and dents on the outside with the west system and then spot painting the repairs with epoxy paint. The more I read on this site I realize that everything depends on what an owner wants out of the boat and how much he/ she is willing to put into it. I guess that my question was if this boat that I bought is especially rare or special because of the early hull number and if I should be worried about ruining the restoration potential of the boat, but i guess that anything can be restored and if someone wants to do it later it can be done regardless of what I do. Thanks for the opinions and I'm sure I'll be inn touch with further repair questions if I can't find answers in older posts. Thanks-
jimh	posted 04-28-2009 08:58 AM ET (US) No one really has a good figure for the weight of these older boats. The lightest 16-foot hull ever molded might have come in at 500-lbs, but there is no telling what your hull weighed when it was new. A stencil number of 3746 does appear to indicate a very old boat, possibly a 1961 or 1962 boat. Boston Whaler has records and can tell you the precise day it was manufactured. It might be interesting to have that information. There is only a limited market for restorations of very old Boston Whaler boats. Some time ago a restoration was made of a very old boat like yours, however in that case just about every component of the original boat, motor, and trailer was intact. The overall condition was good, and the boat, motor, and trailer were restored to like-new showroom condition. The restored boat was sold to a dealer who wanted it for use as a display on the showroom of his dealership. As I recall the price was reported at over $10,000. Having everything original contributed to the value of the restoration. The Boston Whaler company itself recently performed a very extensive restoration of a 13-foot hull it located which was from the initial years of manufacture, 1959 or 1960. This was in celebration of the 50th year of the company. You might contact them to see if they had any interest in acquiring a very old 16-footer. My general feeling is that archival or museum-like restorations of older Boston Whaler boats will not find a huge market awaiting them when completed. Many older boats are just repaired and used as boats. There was no paint used in the original NAUSET, except perhaps for certain wooden components which might have been painted. If the hull or deck of your boat has been painted, the original gel coat finish has been covered and lies beneath the paint. I suggest you begin by reading more of the REFERENCE material about the Boston Whaler boats. There are excellent articles that demonstrate repair methods and include illustrations and photographs.