I plan to buy a Sport 13. I saw two c.1970 SPORT 13 boats. One boat had a white four-spoke steering wheel and the other boat had a five-spoke stainless steel steering wheel.
Q1: Between a white four-spoke steering wheel and a stainless steel five-spoke steering, which is correct for a c.1970 SPORT 13 boat?
My opinion is a white four-spoke steering wheel with twin two-spokes is correct on Boston Whaler boats made before c.1970.
Q2: was 1970 a transition year for the steering wheels?
All information I receive about my inquiry will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
ASIDE: I'm new to posting here and have a Revenge 25.
Correct Steering Wheel for c.1970 SPORT 13
Re: Correct Steering Wheel for c.1970 SPORT 13
I don't think there is a particular mandate to have concern about which steering wheel is on a boat you might buy. I would buy the SPORT 13 boat in the best condition, and ignore the steering wheel as an important consideration in making a decision on which boat to buy. I would not obsess over the steering wheel. You can easily replace the steering wheel. You might have to replace all the steering if you buy a 1970 boat, considering that the steering mechanism will be 52-years-old.
If you prefer one type of steering wheel over the other, that is the steering wheel you should use on your SPORT 13 when you buy a SPORT 13.
I think that finding a replacement four-spoke white steering wheel will be hard to find. In 2022 to find a stainless steel steering wheel to use as a replacement steering wheel will be much easier.
See the
If you prefer one type of steering wheel over the other, that is the steering wheel you should use on your SPORT 13 when you buy a SPORT 13.
I think that finding a replacement four-spoke white steering wheel will be hard to find. In 2022 to find a stainless steel steering wheel to use as a replacement steering wheel will be much easier.
See the
- Original Equipment Manufacturers and
Recommended Vendors
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/OEM.html#SSwheel
Re: Correct Steering Wheel for c.1970 SPORT 13
I do not think that 1970 was the year in which Boston Whaler began to use only stainless steel five-spoke or six-spoke steering wheels as the standard equipment on their small boats instead of plastic steering wheels.JHBSport wrote:Q2: was 1970 a transition year for the steering wheels?
I bought a 1976 SPORT 15 and it had the OEM steering wheel. The steering wheel was NOT a stainless steel steering wheel. See below in Figure 1.
I cannot imagine that in 1976, six years after your proposed start of the epoch for the introduction of stainless steel steering wheels on 13-foot Boston Whaler boats, that Boston Whaler would be selling a 15-foot boat without a stainless steel steering wheel as standard equipment, but selling 13-foot boat with them as standard equipment. That makes no sense.
Re: Correct Steering Wheel for c.1970 SPORT 13
Thank you for the answers and significant editing [to enumerate the questions].