1971outrage wrote:How many rib-sided 21 OUTRAGE hulls were produced?
At least 172, based on your boat's hull number. You may get anecdotal comments that report higher hull numbers.
Here is a bit of background on the 21 OUTRAGE Rib-sided hull:
The 21 OUTRAGE with the rib-sided upper hull sides was the initial production version. The often-repeated story about this model, which I will now repeat here, is the separation of production laminated pieces from the mold for the rib-side structure was difficult. The inference is that the mold was not producing enough good output. To remedy the problem a plug for the upper hull side component was made without the ribs and a new mold created from that plug. This mold apparently produced better production output, that is a higher percentage of good parts, than the original rib-side mold.
I don't have a verifiable source at Boston Whaler for that story, but I have heard it retold by a person or two who were Boston Whaler enthusiasts in that era. The guy who would really have known more about the ribside was Bob Dougherty, but unfortunately he has passed away.
Your questions is a variation on a common questions, and the Boston Whaler FAQ has an answer that may give you more information. See
Q15: How many boats like mine were made?https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q15