Buying Used Boston Whaler Boats

A conversation among Whalers
partskenn
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Buying Used Boston Whaler Boats

Postby partskenn » Tue May 03, 2022 8:15 am

Q1: when I look at a prospective used [Boston Whaler] boat, what should I look for?

Q2: do leaking drain tubes--which I hear mentioned frequently---get bad enough that you can see their condition by looking in with a flashlight, or sticking my finger in and feeling around?

Q3: what can be done to find water-soaked foam?

BACK STORY
I expect to have to do minor repairs to anything I buy, but I am not looking for a major project. My past boating history has always been on larger, marina docked boats. When looking at potential boats I knew enough to look at waterlogged stringers in the engine compartment among other things. We now want a smaller. trailer able boat for day use. With limitations on weight that I can safely tow with a small SUV. I am chiefly interested in 15 to 17 foot Super Sport, Dauntless, or Montauk boats made in 1980 to 2000.

Stories about water-soaked foam worry me.

I looked at one 15 Dauntless where the owner had opened holes in the glass and never sealed them up, and I was very concerned about the foam inside.

jimh
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Re: Buying Used Boston Whaler Boats

Postby jimh » Tue May 03, 2022 9:35 am

partskenn wrote:Q1: when I look at a prospective used [Boston Whaler] boat, what should I look for?

Advice is given in a REFERENCE section article. See

Buying a Classic
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/buying.html

jimh
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Re: Buying Used Boston Whaler Boats

Postby jimh » Tue May 03, 2022 9:37 am

partskenn wrote:Q2: do leaking drain tubes--which I hear mentioned frequently---get bad enough that you can see their condition by looking in with a flashlight, or sticking my finger in and feeling around?
Yes.

For advice on repair of drain tubes see the answer in FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS in the REFERENCE section at

Q12: How are drain tubes replaced?
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q12

jimh
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Re: Buying Used Boston Whaler Boats

Postby jimh » Tue May 03, 2022 9:39 am

partskenn wrote:Q3: what can be done to find water-soaked foam?...Stories about water-soaked foam worry me.

For advice on methods to located water-saturated foam in a Boston Whaler Unibond hull, see the REFERENCE section article on FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q3: Is There Water in a Hull?
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q3

For advice on making repairs to a Unibond hull, see the FAQ article at

Q1: How are repairs made to a Unibond Hull?
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q5

If new to Boston Whaler boats, read the entire FAQ article.

jimh
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Re: Buying Used Boston Whaler Boats

Postby jimh » Tue May 03, 2022 9:43 am

partskenn wrote: I looked at one 15 Dauntless where the owner had opened holes in the glass and never sealed them up, and I was very concerned about the foam inside.
Your concern about the foam interior of a Boston Whaler Unibond hull that was poorly repaired by the owner was completely justified. Boston Whaler Unibond-hull boats with serious problems that owners tried to fix with poor methods should be avoided, unless the price asked is essentially scrap value and you want to undertake a massive project.

jimh
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Re: Buying Used Boston Whaler Boats

Postby jimh » Tue May 03, 2022 9:47 am

If new to Boston Whaler boats, read the Frequently Asked Questions article in the REFERENCE section at

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/

If interested in a particular model, see the REFERENCE section articles on the classic 13, 15, and 16/17 foot models at

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/13/

and

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/15/

and

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/16-17/

For dimensions and production epochs of all models made prior to c.1997, see

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... tions.html

MarkCz
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Re: Buying Used Boston Whaler Boats

Postby MarkCz » Tue May 03, 2022 11:49 am

If you are looking for a boat to buy. I would highly consider finding one that was stored on the trailer on land and not wet slipped. While on land storing the boat under either a cover or garage would also minimize the amount of water sitting in the boat if the plug was left in.

partskenn
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Joined: Tue May 03, 2022 7:58 am

Re: Buying Used Boston Whaler Boats

Postby partskenn » Tue May 03, 2022 5:56 pm

Thank you for pointing me in the right directions. Those articles answered several questions.