How Old is my Boston Whaler 17-footer

A conversation among Whalers
freddie
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri May 06, 2022 9:59 am

How Old is my Boston Whaler 17-footer

Postby freddie » Fri May 06, 2022 10:06 am

How old is my Boston Whaler boat?

I bought a [Boston Whaler described only as] a 17 with no HIN only 5 digit numbers no letters inside the spash well.

The previous registration is mixed up as they have the trailer as the boat name. [The registration] says the trailer is 1975 and the boat is a 1981.

I have friends that own Boston Whaler boats from 1969 through 1975.

This hull looks exactly the same. On that basis the hull cannot be a 1981 hull.

How do I [determine the model year of my boat] without calling Boston Whaler?



Any advice is appreciated.

jimh
Posts: 11672
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: How Old is my Boston Whaler 17-footer

Postby jimh » Fri May 06, 2022 10:50 am

You are asking a frequently asked question. A comprehensive answer has been prepared. Read the answer in the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS article in the REFERENCE section of the website. Here is how to navigate to the FAQ:

The website is organized hierarchically. The top page is at

https://continuouswave.com/

The section on Boston Whaler begins at

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/

Long form articles with illustrations and carefully researched information are in the REFERENCE section. See

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

The first article in the REFERENCE section is the article on Frequently Asked Questions:

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

The first question in the FAQ is

Q1: How old is my Boston Whaler Boat?

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q1

If you read the article carefully for comprehension, you will learn how to determine the age of your boat.

In as much all the information you have provided so far is mostly to describe what information you do not have, about all you have provided readers with is three statements:

--you think you bought a Boston Whaler boat
--you think it is 17-feet long
--there are five-digit numbers on the inside of the transom

If the boat is a Boston Whaler boat and it is about 17-feet long, you should also read the articles in the REFERENCE section on the 16/17 hulls. See

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

If you want some help here in the forum, you will have to provide more information. For example, you might show a photo image of all the "[five]-digit numbers" you mention, or just give us all those five-digit numbers in a reply.

How many five-digit numbers are there on the transom?

jimh
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Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: How Old is my Boston Whaler 17-footer

Postby jimh » Fri May 06, 2022 10:55 am

freddie wrote:How do I [determine the model year of my boat] without calling Boston Whaler?
If you give Boston Whaler only the same information that you have given in your post, I don't think Boston Whaler will be able to identify the model and year of your boat. They will need more information, as I explained above.

freddie
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri May 06, 2022 9:59 am

Re: How Old is my Boston Whaler 17-footer

Postby freddie » Fri May 13, 2022 10:06 am

The [single five-digit number] in the splashwell [is] 36242 [as there are not multiple five-digit numbers as previously described].

unIdentifiedBoat.jpg
Fig. 1. A boat to be identified from these pictures.
unIdentifiedBoat.jpg (34.37 KiB) Viewed 711 times


[Moderator's note: cropped three images to show just the boat that is to be identified; created a new image with the three views.]

jimh
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Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: How Old is my Boston Whaler 17-footer

Postby jimh » Fri May 13, 2022 11:53 am

freddie wrote:How old is my Boston Whaler boat?
The boat is 55-years old.

The boat shown in Figure 1 has a Boston Whaler 16-foot hull that pre-dates 1972. From the stencil number 36242 in the splashwell and from reading the REFERENCE article about this hull at

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

you can deduce the approximate year of manufacture to be 1967 by comparing the five-digit number to the range of stencil numbers according to year of production that are listed in a table in the article.

The original interior seems to be completely missing, so this boat has lost any identity as a particular Boston Whaler model. This boat is classified as a c.1967 pre-Smirk 16-foot hull that has been converted into a custom center console by some unknown fabricator. About all that remains of the original boat are the hull and the bow railing. The side railings are NOT original to the boat. The boat is no longer in its original configuration.