CONTINUOUSWAVE

Around October 2024 I bought a 1979 OUTRAGE V-20 which had been stored outside in San Diego, California, for ten years. [The climate in San Diego] is rather dry. There is a small soft spot on the gunwale near the fuel inlet.

HULL WEIGHTS
According to JD POWER, a 1979 OUTRAGE V-20 hull should weight 1,500-lbs. The scale-measured weight of [my] 1979 OUTRAGE V-20 is 3,200-lbs.

ALLOWANCES
[Subtracting from the 3,200-lbs the weight of] a Yamaha F115 engine [said to] to weigh 380-lbs, [the adjusted hull weight would be] 2,820-lbs. Also, [I have allowed for the weight of the] following gear [in my calculation of hull weight;]

• battery,
• anchor
• rigging
• 12-gallon fuel tank with 8-gallons of fuel

WATER IN BOAT
If [the hull weight I have used from] JD Power is right [then from the data above I have calculated that the] hull [is overweight and therefore] contains 1,000 to 1,200-lbs of water.

Give me your thoughts about this information.

[Moderator's note: this topic has been moved to THE GAM for discussion, and the text rewritten.]

Boats always weigh more than you think they would. For a fully-rigged boat with engine, gear, and fuel, the total weight is often about twice the weight of the bare hull. In this case, your scale weight of 3,200-lbs is about double the factory listed hull weight of 1,500-lbs.

For dimensions of the OUTRAGE V-20, see the REFERENCE section article at

1978–1985 Outrage V–20
Dimensions & History
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/V20Outrage/

I would consider the above reference as more reliable than something from J. D. Power.

Concerns about water entrapped in the Unibond hull of older Boston Whaler boats are common. See the FAQ at

Q3: Is there water in a Unibond hull?
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q3

I am breathing a little easier. I'll be checking how she sits in the water.

I have a 1978 Outrage V-20 with a 2002 Suzuki DF-115, and I have had the same concerns about water in the hull. My boat has a BIG full tank, and that'll really effect the way the boat sits in the water. Earlier this month I had her out in fresh water for the Mullet Lake Whaler G2G and with about 3/4-tank of fuel she was sitting with the transom drains an inch below the water. I have a couple of transom repair plugs below the splash well drain that are seeping brown drips. I figure that the plywood in my transom is waterlogged and that's where the seeping through the repair plugs is coming from. Let’s do some math: 1978 to 2000 is 22 years, then 2000 to 2025 is 25 years, so the boat is 22 + 25 = 47-years-old! It's amazing that she still floats.