posted 03-19-2008 12:06 PM ET (US)            

I wound up with an unsold '07 200 Dauntless which was introduced that year. It also has a lot of the standard multipurpose Dauntless features like seating and storage. And they seem to have gone to more of a V hull and back to a flat transom. I've only put about 2 hours on it so far but it seems great.

I hope to post some performance figures and photos soon.

posted 03-20-2008 01:56 AM ET (US)            

The 180 Dauntless is indeed pure joy, especially with the 150 Optimax engine.

Erik

posted 03-20-2008 07:46 PM ET (US)            

I really liked the 190 Montauk because of the huge amount of interior deck space.

The Dauntless 18 is a little shorter overall than the 190 Outrage and that wonderful full width fold down seating in the stern takes up a lot of floor space. It's worth the trade off if carrying people is more important to you than fishing.

Now, the previous 18 Dauntless has been discontinued and for 2008 Whaler has introduced a new version, called the 180 Dauntless. I don't know about the bottom shape on this new one, but I just bought a 200 Dauntless, newly introduced in 2007, and it has much more of a modified deep V hull than the previous Dauntless series.

So now, with the newly introduced Dauntless hulls, the gap in ride quality between the 190 Outrage and Dauntless series is probably less than with the 18 ft Dauntlesses up to and including 2007..

Just to show you how subjective the issue of ride quality is, I'll quote my local Boston Whaler Dealer on San Francisco Bay, a dealer for over 20 years, and now a Master Dealer. He says that the customer favorite of recent model Whalers in this size range for a good ride in bay chop is................guess what? No, not any of the Outrage series. It is the "old" just discontinued 22 ft Dauntless, which did not have much of a V bottom. I told him I was surprised. He said "So am I." And, no, he was not trying to sell me one of those.

posted 03-20-2008 08:26 PM ET (US)            

The Dauntless was a great boat but the Eastport is a FAR btter ride in choppy conditions. The Eastport deadrise is more similar to the Outrage.

The Dauntless 18 is very seaworthy and for an 18 footer, it handles rough water well.

I have not owned an Outrage, but I suspect for rougher conditions, it may be a more comfortable ride. If you want more of an offshore hull, I think the Outrage series design may give you a softer ride. The Dauntless may be a more stable fishing platform.

posted 03-21-2008 09:24 AM ET (US)            

When Whaler authorized a $3,000 rebate on unsold 2007 models the dealer called me and I put down a deposit over the phone. I quickly learned that this one had not been ordered with a livewell option. The dealer thought he could retro fit, but was told by the factory that would involve removing the seating assembly and it might crack. With the livewell option, the intake pump is aft under the motorwell area (no problem), but getting the seawater to and from the well under the seat with no hoses showing above deck would have required all this extra work.

So I had to choose another boat. I really, really liked the 190 Montauk (I still wonder if I should have bought it) for its traditional style and cavernous interior but in the end I chose a 200 Dauntless because of its porta potti in the console and extra seating and low freeboard and no bowrail (it does have foreword side rails ) for beachcombing which we do almost every outing. It has less floor space that the 190 Montauk because of all the space allocated to seating in the bow and stern, but way, way more than my classic Montauk..

This dealer orderss 190 Outrages equipped like this one to sell to commercial users, for example oil spill removal companies and refineries which operate tanker ports on San Francisco Bay.

posted 03-21-2008 02:04 PM ET (US)            

Now that I own a Dauntless I can better understand the premium price Whaler ask for them. All these interior features do cost more to manufacture than the models with more simple interiors.

Regarding trim tabs, my dealer said that for several years they have not ordered trim tabs on Dauntlesses and it is unusual for a Dauntless buyer to return for installation of trim tabs.

posted 03-24-2008 06:19 PM ET (US)            

Our dealer is also a Master Dealer and told me about the same favorable traits of the Dauntless line from 2002-2007. He also sang their praises regarding a bay chop.

Last year I was at the shop for service with our 2006 180 Dauntless. The service manager was asking me how I liked the boat, and what other Whaler models I had considered. I explained that I loved the boat and had considered the 190 Outrage also. Actually, I had agonized over the decision. He walked me over to a 190 Outrage to show me that the keel of the Outrage was much more round, in comparison to the sharp keel of the Dauntless. This was especially noticeable near the transom when viewed from behind. In his opinion this was the reason for the favorable ride of the Dauntless. I knew the Dauntless had only one degree less deadrise, but honestly, in all my consideration of these two boats I had never noticed this difference in keel shape.

He told me a story of an in water boat show where they had the 190 Outrage right next to the 180 Dauntless. He stated that the stability of the Dauntless was noticeably far superior. The side by side position allowed easy comparison while boarding and walking around on both boats. He was telling me that most people found much more roll in the 190 Outrage. I suspect the large reverse chines of the Dauntless may be in some manner responsible for this, as one degree of greater deadrise should not make that much of a difference. The manager again mentioned that, in his opinion, the keel shape may also be contributing to this difference in stability.

The owners and certain employees of the dealership have the ability to take the smaller easily trailerable demo models out on the water on weekends. They tell me that they suction cup mount their handheld GPS to the console and go. They also tell me that their favorite model to take out is the 180 Dauntless.(The new 2008 180 Dauntless had not been released)

Last week I was had my 2006 Dauntless in for service and it was parked near the new 2008 180 Dauntless. The 2008 gave the impression of a much smaller boat with a much more shallow hull. I was chatting with two of the dealership owners who had the same impression. After seeing the two boats near each other it would seem that the 2008 180 Dauntless is really not very comparable to either the 2002-2007 180 Dauntless or the 190 Outrage. The 2008 seems to be much more bay specific.

posted 04-02-2008 08:37 PM ET (US)            

Very solid and capable when it gets snotty. I do admit the ride is a bit harsh in the snot however with the added tabs and more than 7+ years of use I can usually drop the tabs and reduce the speed and the ride improves.

That being said the wife has been after me for the larger 22 foot model that includes the head.