The classic Boston Whaler boat has always been characterized by the high quality of the parts and accessories supplied with it. Many of the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and vendors who supplied these components are still in business. They can supply replacement parts of the same design and quality as the original.
Below is a list of many of the OEM suppliers who are still making replacement parts. In cases where the original supplier is no longer in business, recommended alternatives are shown.
Please note that many of the sources mentioned here were gathered in 2004, and you may find that their contact information might be incorrectly shown. If you discover any bad information in this list, please contact the author to suggest corrections. The links are periodically checked to see if the resources they point to are still available.
Until 1997, Wm. J. Mills & Co. was the sole supplier of canvas for Boston Whaler boats. This family business has been making boat canvas for five generations (since 1880) in the United States, and prior to that were sailmakers in England. I interviewed Jamie Mills in Whaler Radio.
WM. J. MILLS & CO. 74100 W. Front Street Greenport, NY 11944 Telephone: 800-477-1535 (USA) Telephone: 631-477-1500 (outside USA) Fax: 631-477-1504 Website: http://www.millscanvas.com/
The Mills company has patterns for almost every model of Boston Whaler and can supply replacement canvas which will fit with existing Mills canvas.
The Barbour Plastics Company made the plastic moldings and vinyl inserts of the classic Boston Whaler rub rail. They are located at:
BARBOUR PLASTICS, INC 1001 N. Montello Street, PO Box 2158 Brockton MA 02405 Telephone:508-583-8200 Fax: 508-583-4113 Website: http://barbourplastics.com/ Re-directs to https://www.integritymarinecorp.com/rigid-rubrails-with-flexible-inserts
A separate article gives more details about replacing rub rails. You can obtain the rub rail replacement kit from your local Boston Whaler dealer. In 2007 the price was about $125 (for a 13-foot boat)
The original white one-piece rub rail which was used on the early Boston Whaler 13-foot boats and which is applied by using an adhesive is still available from CMI Marine. See below for contact information. In 2007 the price was about $165 (for a 13-foot boat).
The Boston Whaler Company made the original stainless steel railings on classic Boston Whaler boats, but later CMI Marine obtained all of the factory bending jigs and can now supply replacement parts. They can also supply the various other rail components like bases, T-joints, and fasteners. They are located at:
CMI MARINE 55 Woodrock Rd. Weymouth, MA 02189 Telephone: 781-337-0733 Fax: 781-337-0734 Email: cmimarine@comcast.net
[Call them on telephone--much better than email.]
Talk with Fred Caldwell; he can supply excellent replacement railings for most all classic Boston Whaler boats.
Your Boston Whaler dealer can supply many decals. For decals not available from the dealer, MAGIC BRUSH is the authorized supplier of replacement decals for Boston Whaler. They are located at:
MAGIC BRUSH 1190 Jackson Ranch Rd. DeLand, Florida, 32724 Telephone: 386-736-1142 Email:info@magicbrushsigns.com Website: www.magicbrushsigns.com
There are many homemade, low quality, unauthorized forgeries of Boston Whaler decals being sold on e-Bay. Instead of doing business with these forgers, it is very strongly recommended that the high quality, authorized, and exact replacement decals be obtained from Magic Brush. Janis will also be able to make additional custom decals to dress up your registration numbers and boat name.
MAGIC BRUSH can also supply replacement plaques for the 40th Anniversary models. Replica capacity plate decals are also available.
The wrap-around stern seats found on many Outrage and Revenge models are believed to have been made by:
Art's Auto & Marine Inc. 736 Warren Avenue Brockton, MA 02301 Telephone: 508-586-2137
Art's are still in business and can make seats to order on a reasonable cost basis.
The original vinyl used by Boston Whaler was believed to be "Parchment" and had a faux leather grain. The piping used was generally brown, although some reports of black piping have been made. Generally the replacement vendors offer vinyl material in an "Oyster" color, a good match, and the material is smooth grained without the faux leather pattern. This is reported to make cleaning easier. Specify the piping color if you are trying to match other cushions.
Replacement cushions and some seating components can be now obtained from Anderson Manufacturing and Upholstery, Inc. They use the original materials and patterns. Their seats have aluminum interior reinforcements and Proboard plastic components which are stronger and more durable than the original wood.
Previously, but now no longer in business, another recommended source wasAnderson Manufacturing and Upholstery, Inc. 2770 Highway US 1 Mims, FL 32754 Telephone: 321-267-7028 [Best method to contact them.] Fax: 321-267-9855 Email: amui.tena@gmail.com Website: http://amfg.us
Hall's Nautical Upholstery 4555 W. Field Street Homosassa, FL 34446
Hall's made replacement cushions from 1986 to c.2013, then closed.
The navigation lamps used on classic Boston Whaler boats were extremely high quality fixtures. The red and green sidelight lamps used on many OUTRAGE models were made by Wilcox-Crittenden and had Marinium covers. These are no longer in production. Some older Boston Whaler dealers may have old stock of these on their shelves. There is no known alternative supplier.
A suggested alternative is the PERKO horizontal mount bi-color sidelight lamp from their model 0972 series. See http://www.perko.com/ for more details.
The bi-color red-green navigation combined sidelight lamp which sits atop a dual chock fitting and was used on many smaller classic Boston Whaler boats has been re-introduced by Boston Whaler in some recent LEGEND models. This part can be supplied by authorized Boston Whaler dealers.
Some knock-off duplicates of the bi-color red-green navigation sidelight lamp and chock fixture have been appearing on e-Bay, but buyers report these are not of the same quality as the original and appear to be made from steel which is magnetic, suggesting some concern about the stainless steel used.
Replacement of the red-green lens in the some bi-color combined sidelight lamps in some classic Boston Whaler boats can be accomplished with the Perko part 0296DP0LNS-Lens, Old Style Open Top (Red/Green). (See pages 28/204 and 68/204 in linked PDF.) The PERKO model 0972 combined sidelight bi-color lamp may also be a useful replacement for some lamps.
Alternative lamps with LED illumination are discussed in an archived thread from the Old forum.
The white vinyl gasket material used as a glazing to hold the glass in the NAUSET windshield was made by:
Petro Plastics 450 South Ave. Garwood, NJ 07027 Bill Gathercole 800-486-4738
The cost is $3 per foot, plus shipping. Be careful when installing the material not to stretch it or it will creep back and leave a gap. About 15-feet is needed. The material is still available from this source.
The many wooden components of Boston Whaler were originally made by Boston Whaler, but no inventory is available from them. Over the last decade or longer there have been several people who were providing replacement wood parts on a small scale and part-time basis, however there was often quite an uneven history and widely varying accounts of dealing with those vendors, and all of them have left the business of supply wood parts for Boston Whaler boats. A current source of wood parts for Boston Whaler has received some notable criticism about the quality of the parts being sold. For that reasons that source is not listed here. The result is at this moment I do not have a recommended source for replacement wood parts.
One of coolest features ever seen in a small boat was the use of a stainless steel destroyer-style steering wheel at the helm of a Boston Whaler, even in a little 13-footer. Initially the stainless steel wheel was an option, but it proved so popular that it became standard equipment. Prior to c.1983 a five spoke design was used. A wooden teak center cap was typical. From c.1983 until c.1997 a six spoke design was used and the center cap was often black plastic. In some cases a Boston Whaler logotype was added to the center cap. After c.1997 the steering wheel reverted to a five spoke design.
These high-quality steering wheels were believed to be supplied by Grant Marine in California. A typical wheel was 16-inches in diameter and had a 25-degree dish angle to the hub. It appears that Grant still manufactures these wheels, but it has been difficult to establish any decent source of supply of them. Even direct contact with the product manager was unable to turn up a retailer with the six-spoke wheel in stock. One person who recently did obtain a Grant wheel noted that there was loose metal in the tubing of the wheel rim, and the wheel had an annoying rattle when turned. Grant acknowledged that this is a problem that occurs from time to time with their current product.
A very suitable replacement is available from Schmitt. Although the six spoke model is seldom shown in most catalogues, it can still be obtained. The Schmitt model is 15.5-inch diameter and has a dish angle of 22-degrees. The tubing on the main part of the Schmitt wheel is circular; the Grant wheel used a slightly oval tubing. Overall the Schmitt wheel is just slightly smaller and lighter than the Grant. The Schmitt wheel is completely welded together, whereas the Grant has the spokes attached to the hub by threads which can loosen with age and use. The Schmitt part number for the six spoke wheel is 152-16-2-1.
These wheels fit helms with the standard 3/4-inch tapered shaft with keyway.
The magnetically coupled fuel tank level used on almost all Boston Whaler boats with internal fuel tanks is believed to be made by Rochester Gauge using the Series 6500 sender and dial. It has been reported that replacements can be ordered easily via e-Components. You can also get the sender unit from them. A device called a "Twinsight" dial can provide a visual indicator and an electrical rheostat for a remote electrical fuel tank level gauge.
The welded aluminum fuel tank used on almost all Boston Whaler boats with internal fuel tanks is believed to be made by Florida Marine Tanks. They can supply replacement tanks.
The unusual fastener often seen securing hinges to hatches is a barrel nut. These are available from your Boston Whaler dealer, from West Marine, or directly from a manufacturer, Beckson. Stainless steel components are described in this excellent article on "sex bolts."
Many of the helm electrical panels on classic Boston Whaler boats were made by:
Ultra-Panel Marine Inc. 6891 NW 73rd Ct. Miami, FL 33166 Tel.: 305-888-7709 Contact: Evett or Ivo
Most of the aluminum framed windshields used on Boston Whaler boats were made by the Taylor Made Products company as custom products for Boston Whaler. Some of the individual components and accessories of those windshields are available as off-the-shelf items.
The curved Plexiglass windscreens often seen on the center consoles of many Boston Whaler boats can be purchased directly from the OEM. UPD Plastics have an execellent website describing the many models they can supply.
UPD PLASTICS 2255 SW 70th Avenue Davie, FL 33317 Tel.: 954-476-1194 Website: www.updplastics.com
The small black opening deck hatches used on many REVENGE models were originally made by Gray. They are still available from Pompanette as their G900 series. See an archived article for more information. Also browse their catalogue at page 11.
The circular Desert Tan color molded pry-out deck access plates used on many models were originally made by Beckson and are still available. The smaller, clear deck plate that covers the fuel tank level gauge, the larger, 10-inch diameter, non-skid surfaced deck plate usually in the center of cockpit, and the smaller, 7.5-inch diameter, non-skid surfaced deck plate usually offset to one side, are still available directly from Beckson or from authorized dealers. More details can be found in an archived article.
Suggestions for additions or corrections to this list are welcome. Contact the author by email.
DISCLAIMER: This information is believed to be accurate but there is no guarantee. We do our best!
Copyright © 2004 by James W. Hebert. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited!
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Author: James W. Hebert
This article first appeared October 23, 2004.
