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Author Topic:   Whalerdrive

Lewis posted 06-27-2002 05:49 PM ET (US)
This subject has probably been beat to death before, but are there any disadvantages to a Whalerdrive?
David Ratusnik posted 06-27-2002 06:48 PM ET (US)
Observation from a distance, ie., never ridden in Whaler with the Drive. Strikes me s heavy (adds weight) in comparison to other available brackets that can handle a twin setup. 2nd, they get in the way of trim tabs if your inclined in this direction. Frankly, if I wanted to run twins, I'd add a light aluminum bracket with powder coating and keep my tabs. The ability to run 300 hp (22'OR) appeals to me. .03 David
John from Madison CT posted 06-27-2002 07:18 PM ET (US)
Lewis,
My boat, a 22' Outrage, has the Whaler Drive. I think it's a great great feature to have on a boat. It makes the boat way bigger than a regular 22' Outrage, it also works as a great swim platform. The ride is also quieter and you have the advantage of the big back deck to sit on, lay on, or whatever.
Honestly, I am so glad I waited as long as I did for this new boat of mine. I had thought of some 22's w/o the WhalerDrive but it was well worth the wait.
Regards,
John
Barry posted 06-28-2002 04:56 PM ET (US)
I think the disadvantages would be those associated with any larger boat. The boat is longer and weighs more. You have more boat to store, haul, and run. So the main disadvantage is increased costs including purchase, storage, and operating.
If you can afford it I believe it would be well worth it. You get:
bigger boat with a better ride,
quieter boat,
full transom with more storage,
swim platform,
ability to handle more horsepower,
etc.
Some will argue that with the full transom you can't dump water if you take a wave over the bow. However in my years of boating I've taken much less water over the bow than I have from the stern due to following seas and backing down.
David Ratusnik posted 06-28-2002 06:29 PM ET (US)
Maybe one of the experts will follow on my remark. I believe the Whaler Drive is old fashion technology- too heavy and bulky. It was an early bracket. Today we have lighter more refined brackets to handle a twin set up. I'm a bracket fan- I have a single and like the top end increase in speed plus the engine (V6 225 carb) out as far from my family as possible. Whaler Drive doesn't handle tabs well either. My .03 cents, I think a person is smarter to buy an Outrage without a bracket, then add a modern one. David
SSCH posted 06-28-2002 07:13 PM ET (US)
I had a friend with a 22OR w/whaledrive. We fished the boat offshore. At that time, I had a 22 OR without the drive. We both had 200 hp Yamahas. The Whaledrive rode a little better, was a little slower, and had a big boat feel inside the cockpit. The full transom really did make for a quieter boat. It had a bait prep station, of sorts, that was nice. We never got the transom mounted transducer on his sounder to work as well as mine, probably due to the step up from the hull running surface to the bottom of the Whalerdrive. From a standstill, the Whalerdrive added stern lift as it is full of flotation. My boat could get her bow in the air when taking off; his would get on a plane fairly flat. The drive made a nice platform to enter the water to wade fish inshore. With the extra capacity fuel option in the 22 OR (122 gal), the Whaledrive would keep the engine head out of the water in a following sea. I had the 88 gal standard tank and never had a problem.
I never liked the look of the 22 Whalerdrive boat on a trailer. The real transom was 2 or more feet in from the engine making a lot of overhang behind the trailer. Fishing offshore around the engine was a pain compared to my standard transom 22. Short offshore rods required you to leave the boat and get onto the Whaledrive to chase a fish around the engine. Since we did a fair amount of snapper fishing tied to a rig this was not too uncommon.
The full transom 22 OR with Whaledrive sure is a pretty boat, but in summary, I wouldn't have traded.
Barry posted 06-28-2002 07:26 PM ET (US)
The WhalerDrive models weigh an additional 250 lbs. That includes the full transom. They add significant buoyancy which may be one reason they are rated for higher HP (300 vs 240 on the 22 and 450 vs 300 on the 25). Of course the design also adds drag.
The "modern" brackets, like the Armstrong, provide the same functionality. Probably not as much buoyancy but also less drag. The big plus I see with the WD is the BW built-up full transom.
The best of both worlds would be LHG's rig. You could take David's advice and buy a non-WD model, much easier to find and less expensive, and then add a bracket to it. Then you could also have the transom built-up like Fishcop's new rig. But how much would that cost vs a WD model?
Barry (with a Montauk, suffering big time from larger Whaler with WD envy)
pist2348 posted 06-30-2002 03:21 AM ET (US)

Barry,
I have a 1988 22' OR Whaler drive the specifications plate says it will hold 450 hp?
Is this a mistake? Mine has twin 130's, which is plenty.
Nick
Tom W Clark posted 06-30-2002 03:59 AM ET (US)
pist2348,
No, that's not a mistake. Whaler did rate the 22 WD at 450 hp for a while but then reduced it to 300 hp then back up to 400 hp. This inconsistency causes much confusion.
Well, perhaps a pair of 225's on a 22' Outrage would be a mistake....
bigz posted 07-01-2002 03:53 PM ET (US)
As mentioned it has advantages but not in the area of performance enhancement actually detracts and the same with handling.
The newer bracket designs are far superior.
BW experimented with the Salt Shaker Marine bracket on the early 90's 23WA and the 27WA this offered better performance and handling than the old original Whaler Drive. Ironically the 27 Offshore was only made/offered with the standard outboard well set up -- Hmmm -- is that telling us something.
I have also been told by BW folks that the plain Jane outboard version is and was the best handling and performance set up.
I think just using 10" offset hydraulic jack plates would offer you many more advantages than any flotation type bracket --- if you want to really tweak handling and performance.
Just a few thoughts on the subject --- Z
Eagleman posted 07-01-2002 04:10 PM ET (US)
I recently purchased a 1990 25' W/T Revenge with Whaler Drive w/200hp C/R Mercury's. Had it out this past weekend and I really like the Whaler drive system. Had previous Whalers before without Whaler Drive, I'd choose the Whaler Drive System rather than a regular motor mounted on the transom. Sweet Revenge----
John from Madison CT posted 07-01-2002 07:22 PM ET (US)
Hmm, I don't know guys, but I love my Whaler Drive. I'm being redundent, I know that, but I was on my boat today, standing on that huge Whaler Drive, just lovin' it.
I think the boat handles much better than a 22' Outrage w/o the Whaler Drive. Maybe I'm just still starstruck about being so darn thrilled about actually owning my dream boat.

John
David Ratusnik posted 07-03-2002 02:49 PM ET (US)
John- You're happy. Sounds like one heck of a quality boat and set up. Enjoy the holiday on the water. Good luck David

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Author	Topic: Whalerdrive
Lewis	posted 06-27-2002 05:49 PM ET (US) This subject has probably been beat to death before, but are there any disadvantages to a Whalerdrive?
David Ratusnik	posted 06-27-2002 06:48 PM ET (US) Observation from a distance, ie., never ridden in Whaler with the Drive. Strikes me s heavy (adds weight) in comparison to other available brackets that can handle a twin setup. 2nd, they get in the way of trim tabs if your inclined in this direction. Frankly, if I wanted to run twins, I'd add a light aluminum bracket with powder coating and keep my tabs. The ability to run 300 hp (22'OR) appeals to me. .03 David
John from Madison CT	posted 06-27-2002 07:18 PM ET (US) Lewis, My boat, a 22' Outrage, has the Whaler Drive. I think it's a great great feature to have on a boat. It makes the boat way bigger than a regular 22' Outrage, it also works as a great swim platform. The ride is also quieter and you have the advantage of the big back deck to sit on, lay on, or whatever. Honestly, I am so glad I waited as long as I did for this new boat of mine. I had thought of some 22's w/o the WhalerDrive but it was well worth the wait. Regards, John
Barry	posted 06-28-2002 04:56 PM ET (US) I think the disadvantages would be those associated with any larger boat. The boat is longer and weighs more. You have more boat to store, haul, and run. So the main disadvantage is increased costs including purchase, storage, and operating. If you can afford it I believe it would be well worth it. You get: bigger boat with a better ride, quieter boat, full transom with more storage, swim platform, ability to handle more horsepower, etc. Some will argue that with the full transom you can't dump water if you take a wave over the bow. However in my years of boating I've taken much less water over the bow than I have from the stern due to following seas and backing down.
David Ratusnik	posted 06-28-2002 06:29 PM ET (US) Maybe one of the experts will follow on my remark. I believe the Whaler Drive is old fashion technology- too heavy and bulky. It was an early bracket. Today we have lighter more refined brackets to handle a twin set up. I'm a bracket fan- I have a single and like the top end increase in speed plus the engine (V6 225 carb) out as far from my family as possible. Whaler Drive doesn't handle tabs well either. My .03 cents, I think a person is smarter to buy an Outrage without a bracket, then add a modern one. David
SSCH	posted 06-28-2002 07:13 PM ET (US) I had a friend with a 22OR w/whaledrive. We fished the boat offshore. At that time, I had a 22 OR without the drive. We both had 200 hp Yamahas. The Whaledrive rode a little better, was a little slower, and had a big boat feel inside the cockpit. The full transom really did make for a quieter boat. It had a bait prep station, of sorts, that was nice. We never got the transom mounted transducer on his sounder to work as well as mine, probably due to the step up from the hull running surface to the bottom of the Whalerdrive. From a standstill, the Whalerdrive added stern lift as it is full of flotation. My boat could get her bow in the air when taking off; his would get on a plane fairly flat. The drive made a nice platform to enter the water to wade fish inshore. With the extra capacity fuel option in the 22 OR (122 gal), the Whaledrive would keep the engine head out of the water in a following sea. I had the 88 gal standard tank and never had a problem. I never liked the look of the 22 Whalerdrive boat on a trailer. The real transom was 2 or more feet in from the engine making a lot of overhang behind the trailer. Fishing offshore around the engine was a pain compared to my standard transom 22. Short offshore rods required you to leave the boat and get onto the Whaledrive to chase a fish around the engine. Since we did a fair amount of snapper fishing tied to a rig this was not too uncommon. The full transom 22 OR with Whaledrive sure is a pretty boat, but in summary, I wouldn't have traded.
Barry	posted 06-28-2002 07:26 PM ET (US) The WhalerDrive models weigh an additional 250 lbs. That includes the full transom. They add significant buoyancy which may be one reason they are rated for higher HP (300 vs 240 on the 22 and 450 vs 300 on the 25). Of course the design also adds drag. The "modern" brackets, like the Armstrong, provide the same functionality. Probably not as much buoyancy but also less drag. The big plus I see with the WD is the BW built-up full transom. The best of both worlds would be LHG's rig. You could take David's advice and buy a non-WD model, much easier to find and less expensive, and then add a bracket to it. Then you could also have the transom built-up like Fishcop's new rig. But how much would that cost vs a WD model? Barry (with a Montauk, suffering big time from larger Whaler with WD envy)
pist2348	posted 06-30-2002 03:21 AM ET (US) Barry, I have a 1988 22' OR Whaler drive the specifications plate says it will hold 450 hp? Is this a mistake? Mine has twin 130's, which is plenty. Nick
Tom W Clark	posted 06-30-2002 03:59 AM ET (US) pist2348, No, that's not a mistake. Whaler did rate the 22 WD at 450 hp for a while but then reduced it to 300 hp then back up to 400 hp. This inconsistency causes much confusion. Well, perhaps a pair of 225's on a 22' Outrage would be a mistake....
bigz	posted 07-01-2002 03:53 PM ET (US) As mentioned it has advantages but not in the area of performance enhancement actually detracts and the same with handling. The newer bracket designs are far superior. BW experimented with the Salt Shaker Marine bracket on the early 90's 23WA and the 27WA this offered better performance and handling than the old original Whaler Drive. Ironically the 27 Offshore was only made/offered with the standard outboard well set up -- Hmmm -- is that telling us something. I have also been told by BW folks that the plain Jane outboard version is and was the best handling and performance set up. I think just using 10" offset hydraulic jack plates would offer you many more advantages than any flotation type bracket --- if you want to really tweak handling and performance. Just a few thoughts on the subject --- Z
Eagleman	posted 07-01-2002 04:10 PM ET (US) I recently purchased a 1990 25' W/T Revenge with Whaler Drive w/200hp C/R Mercury's. Had it out this past weekend and I really like the Whaler drive system. Had previous Whalers before without Whaler Drive, I'd choose the Whaler Drive System rather than a regular motor mounted on the transom. Sweet Revenge----
John from Madison CT	posted 07-01-2002 07:22 PM ET (US) Hmm, I don't know guys, but I love my Whaler Drive. I'm being redundent, I know that, but I was on my boat today, standing on that huge Whaler Drive, just lovin' it. I think the boat handles much better than a 22' Outrage w/o the Whaler Drive. Maybe I'm just still starstruck about being so darn thrilled about actually owning my dream boat. John
David Ratusnik	posted 07-03-2002 02:49 PM ET (US) John- You're happy. Sounds like one heck of a quality boat and set up. Enjoy the holiday on the water. Good luck David