Boston Whaler, or just "Whaler," is a brand of
motorboatAn outboard motor is installed on the rear of a boat and contains the internal combustion engine, the gearbox, and the propeller.An inboard/outboard contains a hybrid of a powerplant and an outboard, where the internal combustion engine is installed inside the boat, and the gearbox and propeller...
manufactured in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Classically, a Whaler is characterized by a foam-cored fiberglass hull (often of modified vee
cathedral hullA cathedral hull is a hull shape used in modern boats, usually power-driven. It can be thought of as a kind of vestigial trimaran in which the center hull has two smaller side hulls which are so close to the main hull that there is no longer any open space. In fact a cathedral hull is a...
form), with an
outboard motorAn outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom and are the most common motorized method of propelling small watercraft...
and center steering console. They are manufactured by Boston Whaler, Inc.
The original 13 foot (4 m) Whaler hull was produced in 1956 by Richard T. "Dick" Fisher and C. Raymond Hunt.
Boston Whaler, or just "Whaler," is a brand of
motorboatAn outboard motor is installed on the rear of a boat and contains the internal combustion engine, the gearbox, and the propeller.An inboard/outboard contains a hybrid of a powerplant and an outboard, where the internal combustion engine is installed inside the boat, and the gearbox and propeller...
manufactured in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Classically, a Whaler is characterized by a foam-cored fiberglass hull (often of modified vee
cathedral hullA cathedral hull is a hull shape used in modern boats, usually power-driven. It can be thought of as a kind of vestigial trimaran in which the center hull has two smaller side hulls which are so close to the main hull that there is no longer any open space. In fact a cathedral hull is a...
form), with an
outboard motorAn outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom and are the most common motorized method of propelling small watercraft...
and center steering console. They are manufactured by Boston Whaler, Inc.
The original 13 foot (4 m) Whaler hull was produced in 1956 by Richard T. "Dick" Fisher and C. Raymond Hunt. The hull geometry was a modification of the
Hickman sea sledThe Hickman sea sled is an inverted vee planing hull invented by Albert Hickman. The Sea Sled is a direct forefather of the modern high speed catamaran or tunnel hull....
hull. The hull used the then new
polyurethaneA polyurethane, IUPAC abbreviation PUR, but commonly abbreviated PU, is any polymer consisting of a chain of organic units joined by urethane links...
foam to completely fill a fiberglass skin. This design is now also used by some other manufacturers and provides strength, buoyancy, and sound deadening when compared to traditionally constructed fiberglass boats.
While most Boston Whaler boats have been sold to the recreational market, many Boston Whalers have been purchased by
coast guardA coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries.-Role:...
and naval units worldwide. "The unique Boston Whaler boat has attracted an intensely loyal group of owners and fans." It is used for sport fishing, water skiing, as a
runaboutA runabout is any small motorboat holding between four and eight people, well suited to moving about on the water. Runabouts can be used for racing, for pleasure activities like fishing and water skiing, or as a ship's tender for larger vessels...
, and as a
tenderA ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship used to service a ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies to and from shore or another ship...
on larger yachts.
Although originally Boston Whaler boats were manufactured in
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
, the current manufacturing facility is in
EdgewaterEdgewater is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Florida:*Edgewater, Broward County, Florida*Edgewater, Volusia County, Florida*Edgewater, Miami, Florida, a district within the City of Miami...
,
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
. Boston Whaler is currently operated as a subsidiary of the
Brunswick Boat GroupHeadquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, the Brunswick Boat Group is the largest maker of pleasure boats in the world. 2008 net sales were $1.7 billion...
, a Division of the
Brunswick CorporationThe Brunswick Corporation , formerly known as the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is a United States-based corporation that has been involved in manufacturing a wide variety of products since 1845. Brunswick's global headquarters is in the Northern Chicago suburb of Lake Forest, Illinois...
, located in
Lake ForestLake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and is one of the most affluent communities in the United States, and ranked within the top three communities of the Central United States along with Winnetka, Illinois. The population was 20,059 at the 2000 census...
,
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
. Brunswick also owns
Mercury MarineMercury Marine, founded in 1939, is a division of Brunswick Corporation of Lake Forest, Illinois, in the United States. Mercury provides engines for private, commercial and government sales. Mercury even has its own line of racing engines with less fuel efficiency and more focus at power and speed....
; as a result, new Boston Whalers, like all other Brunswick boats, ship from the factory pre-powered with Mercury engines.
Current recreational models
Current recreational production models range in length from 9 to 32 feet (2.7 to 9.8 meters). Models include:
- Tender (11 feet [5-15 hp outboard] (Stick Driven))
- Super Sport (13 [Mercury 40 hp outboard]http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BostonWhaler130SS2009_1.jpg or 15 [60 hp outboard] feet)
- Montauk (15 [40-60 hp outboard, ideally a high torque like Mercury BigFoot], 17 [60-90 hp outboard], or 19 [90-135 hp outboard] feet)
- Dauntless (18 [135-150 hp outboard], 20 [150-200 hp outboard], or 23 [225-250 hp outboard] feet)
- Ventura (18 [115-150 hp outboard] or 21 [135-250 hp outboard] feet)
- Outrage (32 foot model has a cabin)(19 [115-150 hp outboard], 21 [135-225 hp outboard], 24 [225-400 hp outboard], 27 [400-450 hp outboards], or 32 [400-600 hp outboards] feet)37 FT OUTRAGE GOT TRIPPLE 300 MERKS
- Conquest (all with cabins) (20 [135-200 hp outboard], 23 [175-250 hp outboard], 25 [250-450 hp outboard], 28 [300-450 hp outboard], 30 [400-600 hp outboards], or 34 [550-750 hp outboard] feet)
Unsinkable claims
Boston Whaler has, for years, sawn boats in half to illustrate their rugged durability, performance, smooth ride and "unsinkability". The original 1961 Life magazine ad pictured Dick Fisher sitting in a floating 13' Whaler with a
crosscut sawA crosscut saw is a saw that is specially designed for making crosscuts. A crosscut is a cut made horizontally through the trunk of a standing tree, but the term also applies to cutting free lumber....
half way through the hull. After the cut was completed, Dick used the stern section to tow the bow section back to shore. Modern Whaler advertising uses a chain saw. Due to the foam core construction, the Whaler will remain afloat when sawn completely in half. Boston Whaler boats would also remain afloat when completely swamped (full of water). Because of these attributes, Boston Whaler's trademarked sales line was and is "the unsinkable legend."
Today this "unsinkable" attribute is not exclusive to Boston Whalers. All motorboats (and certain other boat types) under twenty (20) feet manufactured for sale in the United States are required by law to have positive flotation so that a completely swamped boat will still float. This is accomplished by the use of closed cell foam or other non-permeable material. Boston Whaler does claim to exceed the Coast Guard requirements.
Further tests have been done to prove how unsinkable the boats are. In March 2007 a 19' Guardian was shot with 1000 rounds from a Barrett .50 caliber rifle. The boat, though full of holes, did not sink. The engine was unable to start due to being destroyed during the test.