posted 10-20-2003 03:04 PM ET (US)            

The Whaler catalog CD clearly shows a number of un-plated bronze (Brass would quickly bend into a pretzel) pins on various hulls over the years.

posted 10-20-2003 06:55 PM ET (US)            

Chrome Norman pin is the way I bought it earlier this year.

posted 10-21-2003 08:36 AM ET (US)            

While some/many Norman Pins came chromed - I just have never come across one. It would be interesting to know the percentage bronze vs. chrome plated.

posted 10-22-2003 12:25 PM ET (US)            

But reading through this thread I see a number of owners of the 16'-7" models reporting chromed pins on their 1967 to 1971 boats. Perhaps Whaler tried this on their (at that time) Flagship models and then, for whatever reason, went back to the plain bronze pins.

I do know that starting in the mid 1980's all the pins were chromed which has always struck me as somewhat sacrilegious, but that's only because I grew up in the 1970's and all the Whalers at that time had bronze pins so that how I formed my impression of what a Whaler should be like.

I also think it is entirely possible that the chrome pins reported on the older models are replacements from a later date or maybe even a former owner simply decided the pin would look better if it was chromed and just dropped it off at the local chrome shop. Either way I think it would be difficult to prove a chrome pin were original unless it belonged to the original owner.

On the other hand, I think there are too many reports of chromed pins here from 1967 to 1971 to dismiss them as none original.

White Bear,

posted 10-22-2003 06:35 PM ET (US)            

For the record, of the Whalers I've owned that were equipped with norman pins, all were plain bronze. These include:

1976 Sport 13 Center Steer

1979 Striper 15

1980 Montauk

posted 10-23-2003 11:55 AM ET (US)            

I was looking at the old catalogs last night and while it is hard to tell (Whaler almost makes a piont of not giving a clear view of the normn pin) it looks as though many of the norman pins on the early Whalers were chrome. Check it out and let me know what you think.

I would be curious to find out when in the mid 1980's the change came to chrome.

John,

Is your Montauk a 1982 or a 1984 as you told me in an email this morning? If the latter we would have an idea that at least as late as 1984 they were still bronze.

posted 10-23-2003 01:59 PM ET (US)         

How do a termometer know what temp'ature it is? Ah mean, really.

Or take a Termous bottle. It keep hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold, but HOW DO IT KNOW?

Mebbe even discover, does Dolly Parton wear a truss when she's off camera?

It's all more than Ah can hold, that one, way too much f' me.

posted 10-23-2003 02:13 PM ET (US)            

Tom,

posted 10-25-2003 01:34 PM ET (US)            

1985 Outrage 18 = Marinium

posted 10-25-2003 08:01 PM ET (US)            

Let's not confuse the issue here. We're talking about the norman pins in the small Whalers i.e. the 9, 11, 13, 15 and 16/17 footers. This pin is totally different than the pin found in the bow bitt on the larger boats which is not chrome at all but rather Marinium, a proprietary aluminum alloy.

Actually I suspect the pin itself is not Marinium but rather a piece of stainless steel press fit into the cast Marinium bow bitt, but at any rate NOT chromed.

frostbite,