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Author Topic:   Rage 15

skookum point posted 12-07-2000 06:59 PM ET (US)
As I search the classifieds for a nice 15 foot BW classic I can't help but notice a lot of BW Rage 15 jets for sale. Sould I consider one of these as a viable alternative to the classic?
kingfish posted 12-07-2000 07:36 PM ET (US)
No.
Clark Roberts posted 12-07-2000 08:03 PM ET (US)
Never!
CDN posted 12-07-2000 09:31 PM ET (US)
That's why you see a lot of them for sale!
dscew posted 12-07-2000 11:43 PM ET (US)
ditto
lhg posted 12-09-2000 04:47 PM ET (US)
Before coming across this thread, I just posted a msessage in the Meta-Forum section. I was thinking that maybe I'd been a little hard on the Rage. So thanks for the pre-posted, but unknown to me, support!
skookum point posted 12-14-2000 04:30 PM ET (US)
Thanks for the unanimous feedback. I was particularly enlightened by lhg's editorial on the BW corporate marketing history. Aside from the jet drive drawbacks, I suppose the Rage 15 appeals to a different boating demographic than the classic BW's. Can I at least assume that the quality of the hull is equal to other BW models?
Whaletosh posted 12-15-2000 03:56 PM ET (US)
I can't comment on the quality of the Rage jetboats. I suspect that the hulls were well built, but can’t prove that.
If you decide to get one shop around on the internet and locally; there are lot of used Rages out there.
Keep in mind that maintenance will be more abundant and difficult on a Rage. All of the mini jets boats are classified as inboards by the Coast Guard because the motor is enclosed in the stern engine compartment. That means you will need to maintain a flame arrestor, blower, and ventilation systems. Any work on the engine will need to be made inside of the cramped engine compartment. Plus since mini jet boats have basically run their course parts will become harder to find. Repowering may become almost impossible in a few short years. Certainly you won’t be able to put on a four stroke if needed. Don’t think that Lake Tahoe will be the only target for emmision based boat bans.
My opinion is that you should stay away from the Rage. If you want a good small lake boat I would suggest that you get a Montauk, Classic 15, Classic 13, Dauntless 15, Dauntless 14, Dauntless 16, or Ventura 16. Some would advise you to stay away from the Dauntless 15 or 14, but I think they would be just fine on inland lakes. If you look around the web or locally you could probably find a Montauk, Classic 13/15, or Dauntless 15/14 for around the same price as a Rage.
If your interest is for larger water boating you really should consider a Montauk or an Outrage, with the Outrage being the better choice.
Sean Bashaw
skookum point posted 12-16-2000 02:12 AM ET (US)
Thanks Sean! Very helpful. It is now becoming clear to me why Classic Whalers have such a loyal following of true believers.
Outstanding web site, Jim. No fluff, real content, meticulously organized.
jimh posted 12-16-2000 04:54 PM ET (US)
Thanks very much for the kind comments on the website.
Throughout the site, I try to emphasize content above needless glitz and gimmicks.
--jimh
mjd65 posted 05-01-2001 09:51 AM ET (US)
I have a 95 rage with the 115 OMC motor. Same powerhead as the 115 outboard so parts have not been a problem yet. Other than sucking up weeds every so often I love it. If you are in the market for a jet boat this would be the one.
I fish Lake Erie in any weather. I have had it out in 6 ft waves just for fun. Its great to watch others try to follow me into the shallows and I skim across 10" of water as they wack their lower units. I have jumped sand bars and tires with no damage to hull or motor (just turn motor off before you hit the sandbar).
I believe it is constructed with the same standards as other whalers. My only disapointment has been some of the hardware such as the center console latch and the railing screws backing out, but all these things have been solve with new higher quality parts and glueing the scews in.
I know all you Whaler fans dont think much of the Rage. It may be a jet boat but it is still a Whaler and thats what important.
My daughters who are 6 and 4 cant wait for the day when they can take it out by themselves. It is the safest boat on the water unsinkable and no meat grinder hanging off the back.
oh yea you do have to remember that you lose your steering when you decrease your power to idle but once the momentom slows you down you do have good control at idle speed.
Lake Breeze Rage
Anyone who lives in southeast MI and would like to go for a ride E-mail me at lasaligne@hotmail.com
jimh posted 05-01-2001 12:18 PM ET (US)
Hey, good to hear from the other side on this question. Since I'm just north of Detroit, I may take you up on that offer of a ride sometime--when the water gets a bit warmer.
I have heard that the higher-power model RAGE was the way to go. Didn't Mercury also make a jet drive for some of them?
Also, for a really ambitious project, could you buy an old RAGE with a blown engine, tear it out, add an outboard bracket and jackplate and strap a lightweight 2-stroke on one of them?
mjd65 posted 05-01-2001 07:52 PM ET (US)
The 96 came with the 175 merc sport jet I was told it would go about 45mph the 115 tops out at about 30mph. I bought mine one year to early.
I dont see why you couldn't bracket an outboard on you may want to put a good backer on the transom but it should work. That is what I will do if the motor ever get beyond repairing.
Water warm up I have been on the water since March. Never to cold to go boating!
Lake Breeze Rage
B Bear posted 05-01-2001 11:59 PM ET (US)
If I remember right, the intake and plate back to the jet (impeller for the engine) is about 6" wide and about 2' long, that would be a pretty big hull repair job. Also the intake acts like a big vaccum cleaner so the manual should state that you should maintain at least 2 feet of water under you at all times (although I went into less at very low speed or idle in gear). I had a 115 OMC turbojet once, I wanted to try it out thinking about the kids and pulling a tube, it has it's benefits as you noted. Also that the boat will turn on in it's own length (able to spin like a top), it also has some shortcomings, loss of manuverability when not making way under power, mine could never go astern very well and it seemed always in one direction. I had to work on it once and I felt like a pretzel.
I am delighted that you are happy with the jet drive, I should also say that the Hinkley Picnic Boat (about $500,000) which has beautiful classic lines is a Yammar jet drive.
It turned out that I never pulled the kids and so took a different route, I traded it in on my 16 Dauntless and never looked back.
Over all the jet was ok, but for me the outboard is king! (had an 5.7 ltr Mercruser I/O also ... once).
Here is wishing you many years of whaler fun, glad to see you! I always wondered what happened to the Rage owners on the Forum.
Bear
lhg posted 06-21-2001 02:23 PM ET (US)
For the person considering a Rage.

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Author	Topic: Rage 15
skookum point	posted 12-07-2000 06:59 PM ET (US) As I search the classifieds for a nice 15 foot BW classic I can't help but notice a lot of BW Rage 15 jets for sale. Sould I consider one of these as a viable alternative to the classic?
kingfish	posted 12-07-2000 07:36 PM ET (US) No.
Clark Roberts	posted 12-07-2000 08:03 PM ET (US) Never!
CDN	posted 12-07-2000 09:31 PM ET (US) That's why you see a lot of them for sale!
dscew	posted 12-07-2000 11:43 PM ET (US) ditto
lhg	posted 12-09-2000 04:47 PM ET (US) Before coming across this thread, I just posted a msessage in the Meta-Forum section. I was thinking that maybe I'd been a little hard on the Rage. So thanks for the pre-posted, but unknown to me, support!
skookum point	posted 12-14-2000 04:30 PM ET (US) Thanks for the unanimous feedback. I was particularly enlightened by lhg's editorial on the BW corporate marketing history. Aside from the jet drive drawbacks, I suppose the Rage 15 appeals to a different boating demographic than the classic BW's. Can I at least assume that the quality of the hull is equal to other BW models?
Whaletosh	posted 12-15-2000 03:56 PM ET (US) I can't comment on the quality of the Rage jetboats. I suspect that the hulls were well built, but can’t prove that. If you decide to get one shop around on the internet and locally; there are lot of used Rages out there. Keep in mind that maintenance will be more abundant and difficult on a Rage. All of the mini jets boats are classified as inboards by the Coast Guard because the motor is enclosed in the stern engine compartment. That means you will need to maintain a flame arrestor, blower, and ventilation systems. Any work on the engine will need to be made inside of the cramped engine compartment. Plus since mini jet boats have basically run their course parts will become harder to find. Repowering may become almost impossible in a few short years. Certainly you won’t be able to put on a four stroke if needed. Don’t think that Lake Tahoe will be the only target for emmision based boat bans. My opinion is that you should stay away from the Rage. If you want a good small lake boat I would suggest that you get a Montauk, Classic 15, Classic 13, Dauntless 15, Dauntless 14, Dauntless 16, or Ventura 16. Some would advise you to stay away from the Dauntless 15 or 14, but I think they would be just fine on inland lakes. If you look around the web or locally you could probably find a Montauk, Classic 13/15, or Dauntless 15/14 for around the same price as a Rage. If your interest is for larger water boating you really should consider a Montauk or an Outrage, with the Outrage being the better choice. Sean Bashaw
skookum point	posted 12-16-2000 02:12 AM ET (US) Thanks Sean! Very helpful. It is now becoming clear to me why Classic Whalers have such a loyal following of true believers. Outstanding web site, Jim. No fluff, real content, meticulously organized.
jimh	posted 12-16-2000 04:54 PM ET (US) Thanks very much for the kind comments on the website. Throughout the site, I try to emphasize content above needless glitz and gimmicks. --jimh
mjd65	posted 05-01-2001 09:51 AM ET (US) I have a 95 rage with the 115 OMC motor. Same powerhead as the 115 outboard so parts have not been a problem yet. Other than sucking up weeds every so often I love it. If you are in the market for a jet boat this would be the one. I fish Lake Erie in any weather. I have had it out in 6 ft waves just for fun. Its great to watch others try to follow me into the shallows and I skim across 10" of water as they wack their lower units. I have jumped sand bars and tires with no damage to hull or motor (just turn motor off before you hit the sandbar). I believe it is constructed with the same standards as other whalers. My only disapointment has been some of the hardware such as the center console latch and the railing screws backing out, but all these things have been solve with new higher quality parts and glueing the scews in. I know all you Whaler fans dont think much of the Rage. It may be a jet boat but it is still a Whaler and thats what important. My daughters who are 6 and 4 cant wait for the day when they can take it out by themselves. It is the safest boat on the water unsinkable and no meat grinder hanging off the back. oh yea you do have to remember that you lose your steering when you decrease your power to idle but once the momentom slows you down you do have good control at idle speed. Lake Breeze Rage Anyone who lives in southeast MI and would like to go for a ride E-mail me at lasaligne@hotmail.com
jimh	posted 05-01-2001 12:18 PM ET (US) Hey, good to hear from the other side on this question. Since I'm just north of Detroit, I may take you up on that offer of a ride sometime--when the water gets a bit warmer. I have heard that the higher-power model RAGE was the way to go. Didn't Mercury also make a jet drive for some of them? Also, for a really ambitious project, could you buy an old RAGE with a blown engine, tear it out, add an outboard bracket and jackplate and strap a lightweight 2-stroke on one of them?
mjd65	posted 05-01-2001 07:52 PM ET (US) The 96 came with the 175 merc sport jet I was told it would go about 45mph the 115 tops out at about 30mph. I bought mine one year to early. I dont see why you couldn't bracket an outboard on you may want to put a good backer on the transom but it should work. That is what I will do if the motor ever get beyond repairing. Water warm up I have been on the water since March. Never to cold to go boating! Lake Breeze Rage
B Bear	posted 05-01-2001 11:59 PM ET (US) If I remember right, the intake and plate back to the jet (impeller for the engine) is about 6" wide and about 2' long, that would be a pretty big hull repair job. Also the intake acts like a big vaccum cleaner so the manual should state that you should maintain at least 2 feet of water under you at all times (although I went into less at very low speed or idle in gear). I had a 115 OMC turbojet once, I wanted to try it out thinking about the kids and pulling a tube, it has it's benefits as you noted. Also that the boat will turn on in it's own length (able to spin like a top), it also has some shortcomings, loss of manuverability when not making way under power, mine could never go astern very well and it seemed always in one direction. I had to work on it once and I felt like a pretzel. I am delighted that you are happy with the jet drive, I should also say that the Hinkley Picnic Boat (about $500,000) which has beautiful classic lines is a Yammar jet drive. It turned out that I never pulled the kids and so took a different route, I traded it in on my 16 Dauntless and never looked back. Over all the jet was ok, but for me the outboard is king! (had an 5.7 ltr Mercruser I/O also ... once). Here is wishing you many years of whaler fun, glad to see you! I always wondered what happened to the Rage owners on the Forum. Bear
lhg	posted 06-21-2001 02:23 PM ET (US) For the person considering a Rage.