Buying an old Whaler 13

[Willyclay]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

Have a bud with the same rig (BW15 & Yammy70) and IMHO it is a real jewel. Condition is everything and, if you pass, please PM the location/contact info. Good luck!

 

[tazrig]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

The 17 is by far the better of the 2. Boston Whalers are and always have been about as bullet a proof boat as you can buy. My only concern is the damage to the stern corners on both sides. (possible water intrusion) They can be easily fixed with a little of this: (assuming it's just a little gel coat scuffing)

Marine Tex Rapid Set 2 Oz Kit - ITW Philadelphia Resins RM320K - iboats

The Yamaha is head and shoulders above the Mariner on the 13. For a couple of hundred dollars or maybe even less if it's all you're going to have them check I would suggest you have a marine surveyor use a "moisture meter" on the hull. They can tell you if there any moisture problems without having to drill any holes. As others have suggested you might want to look at the 17 as well. It might be more of what you're used to and will be happiest with. Either way happy hunting!

 

[rockstar55667]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

Ok, here is an update. The seller for the 15 with the yamaha never called me back to set up a time to meet. I have found another boat, a 15' with a 40 HP Evinrude (1989). I will mainly be using for lake and calm waters. Here are some pictures of the boat. I am supposed to look at it on Tuesday. He says it will be in the water then so I will be able to take it for a ride.

My main concern is if the boat would be underpowered from the 40 HP motor.

The asking price is $4500.

Thoughts?

Thanks

 

[JB]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

Ordinarily I would call the 40 underpowered. It is less than 60% of the rated (70) HP.

Because of the extraordinary rigidity and light weight of Whaler hulls, they are usually rated for more HP than other boats the same size. I have been in Whalers that were powered at 50% of the rated HP. They performed well, but offered no margin for emergency power.

I preferred a 25HP on my Whaler Sport13, which is about 62% of the rated (40) HP.

The 15 you are looking at appears to be a GLS15 model.

That 40 might perform adequately on the 15, but I would prefer a 50 or better. My 15 used a 48SPL, which is really 50HP, and would cruise at 30mph.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

go for it

 

[tazrig]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

Ordinarily I would call the 40 underpowered. It is less than 60% of the rated (70) HP.

Because of the extraordinary rigidity and light weight of Whaler hulls, they are usually rated for more HP than other boats the same size. I have been in Whalers that were powered at 50% of the rated HP. They performed well, but offered no margin for emergency power.

^^^+1 You'll find out if it's fast enough for you when out you sea trial it Tuesday. It obviously won't be as fast as the 70hp but because you will be in a smaller boat than you are used to and sitting much closer to the water than you are used to it will seem as though you are going faster you are. For example cruising in my 23' Formula at 40+mph feels like we're moving right along. Going at the same speed up in the tuna tower of a 60+ foot sports fish feels much slower. The extra reserve power from the 70 would be nice but you may find the 40 is just this side of OK. Either way this last Whaler you presented, at least from the pics, seems like a much cleaner boat with no remarkable fiberglass or hull issues. Good luck on Tuesday and let us know how it goes.

 

[rockstar55667]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

I'm back from looking at the boat. I could use everyone's help here. The boat has some minor cracks around the hull. One that I thought I got a picture of but I guess I didn't. Its on the bow, it has a about 1" diameter circle that is missing from the bow section on the floor (looks like someone dropped an anchor or something) The hole is down to the fibreglass, but the fiberglass is still looks clean. Also on the bow by the rub rail it looks like someone came in too fast and dinged something, not terrible though.

There are a few cracks by the transom. I have pictures of them I will post. The motor (40 HP) does not have power trim/tilt. It also did not start. It was not getting any gas from the tank. He believes it is a bad primer bulb (its brand new, he says he just replaced it today). So he is going to swap it out and I can take the boat for a spin Thursday. In conversation I asked if he had ever checked the speed using GPS, he claims with 1 person the boat will do 36 mph. This seems high to me. The motor looked like it had a hydro foil on it too, couldn't tell for sure though.

Also, when I opened the storage compartment in the bow, it was full of water. Should this drain, or is this normal? (Pictures attached) There were also a few cracks in this area, a couple small areas where the fibreglass was exposed. I'm guessing this is from someone throwing the anchor in there. You can't really see these in the pictures

Please let me know what you guys think of this one. I like the 15' design, the extra 2 feet make a big difference.

Thanks!




This was full of water. There looks to be some sort of drain at the bottom?





This is the bow light.

 

[saumon]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

There's a drain hole in the bottom of the bow locker, that should be left unplugged

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

It's not so much that there was water in the anchor locker; it's that the owner let water accumulate there and didn't bother with it when someone came to look at the boat. And he didn't get the motor running. he left exposed fiberglass in a hole in the deck (I assume you are seeing the foam core?
Whalers are almost bulletproof and handle a lot of benign neglect and hard use, but a careless and neglectful owner's sins will show up everywhere else--electrical, fuel system, etc.
And that's coming from a boat owner who expects his boats to be work horses and handle outdoor storage and hosing off.

All boats will have some spider cracks but those on the transom look like they need the opinion of a whaler guy; they are more than I would want to see.

 

[JB]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

Sounds like a couple of flaws in the gelcoat, which are easy to repair. If the boat is moored in the water there will be water in the anchor locker; that is normal.

If he didn't have her running for an on-the-water demo with a potential buyer coming there may be a serious flaw in the seller.

That is a very light boat, but without power trim I really doubt the 36mph claim. My 15 with 50hp and power trim would only do about 30mph with 2 aboard.

 

[rockstar55667]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

So you guys think that transom is OK? Even with those cracks? The owner said he had it running this morning, and then the primer bulb went on him, it deflated. So he bought and installed a new one and never tried it. So when I got there he pumped it up but it did not start.

My main concern is these cracks. Are they normal or an older whaler? Also, how can they be fixed, and how can I tell (without drilling) if water has gotten into the hull or into the transom? Notice the cracks around the side of the stern in my third picture...should that be an area of concern, or normal stress cracks?

The hole in the bow floor was not down to the foam, it was down to the fiber glass, I could see and feel the actual fibers, but they were not covered by resin. I am thinking that under that is the foam. How is this repairable? I know a fiberglass repair will not look great.

Yes, the boat has been in the water, docked actually for at least a few days, so the water collected in the bow storage area is normal? How does it drain out/how does it get in like that?

Again, thank you very much!

 

[saumon]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

I've run a search with searchtempest within a 200 miles radius of Hartford, CT and found a few:

Here's one in you ballpark:
BOSTON WHALER 15' Super Sport 50 hp w trailer

A bit more money but a lot more boat:
Boston Whaler Montauk

And this one:
Boston Whaler Sport 15' 70 hp

JB will like this one, a Striper 17 with a JohnnyRude 70hp:
1990 Boston Whaler Striper 17

Seems priced right but no pics:
boston whaler

 

[JB]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

I think those cracks are in the gelcoat. rockstar, Not into the hull/transom structure. Normal. You can sand over them and seal with gelcoat.

There is a drain (pluggable) in the anchor locker. I use to plug mine and fill it with water to use as a temporary livewell and to hold the bow down when I was alone.

That is not a very old Whaler. It is a GLS model which wasn't produced until the '80s/'90s. An "old" Whaler would be from the early '60s

 

[rockstar55667]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

Alright thanks, so cracks in the gelcoat, I googled how to fix those it doesn't seem hard.

The seller called me, he said he fixed the problem. I guess it was the fuel line. I could see yesterday that the motor wasn't getting gas. I'm suppose to go look at it tomorrow; and run it down the river. Is there anything I should be looking for when I go?

He now says he had it running today and clocked it at 30 MPH with one person on and a 3 gallon tank.

 

[JB]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

Looking better for being the right Whaler, rockstar. I am sure you will be in love right away.

 

[rockstar55667]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

I test drove the whaler, it topped out at 23 mph with two people on board. I feel that it is underpowered, so I think I'm going to pass on the boat.

I found a 13', 1972 with a 1995 40 HP. Asking price $3500. I took pictures of it when I saw it today. It looks good, there are the usual cracks in the gelcoat. I pressed on the motor, it doesn't look like there is any flex.

Please take a look at these pictures, I need to let the seller know by tomorrow, or someone else is going to look at it.

It has the old cable steering system, which seems to work well. The seller said that he would keep it in a slip every summer. He has had it for 10 years, and claims there has not been any major issues.

It does have the usual dings and whatnot. There are no lights, It comes with some battery powered lights.





These are wires, with some type of puddy that has hardened over it. Must be the old light wires. There is the same on the bow.

 

[rockstar55667]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13







Closeup of how the motor is mounted. It has been on the boat for at least 10 years.

 

[rockstar55667]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

The search is over. I found a Whaler 13. I went to see it, it hadn't started in 3 years, but I decided to look at it anyway. I brought some gas and a battery with me. I was able to get the motor to crank over, and actually run for about 10 seconds. The kid said I could take it for $2000, because he needed a new car and he had no money (he had just bought the boat the week before).

I changed the fuel line, and now the motor starts, idles and seems to run great. The boat is a 1973, and the motor is a 1984 Johnson 35 HP. The boat feels really light, so that's good. The wood is in great shape too.

The front lights don't work, so I'm getting the cable replaced next week, and the copper tubing that runs inside the stern drains has corroded, those will also be replaced next week. Other than that the boat seems ready to go.

Here's some pics:

 

[JB]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

The 13 with the smirked bow ('73 and later) was the best 13 ever, rockstar. My '73 13 Sport would do 25mph with three aboard using a 25HP Johnny. She looks good.

 

[rockstar55667]

Re: Buying an old Whaler 13

Cheers! Thank you for all your help!