Boston whaler

[irwinsailor]

I am thinking of buying a 11' Boston Whaler to use as a dingy instead of a RIB. Is there anything that anyone think of that would make this a bad choice?

[Gallivanters]

I'm certainly no expert, but...

I've been using a classic 13 ft Boston Whaler as primary tender on my boss' Bertram 58' for the past five years. Console steering - 40 hp Yamaha. It has proven to be a real workhorse and it tows well.

However - I would be reluctant to have one as a primary tender on a sailing yacht as all of them are quite heavy and difficult (if not impossible) to stow on deck. And if water infiltrates the foam core - you cannot even pull it up on the beach!

I find the ride a bit uncomfortable in any degree of choppy water, too.

Yet - a Whaler is hard to beat as a harbour tender when living on a mooring in your home port. They're un-sinkable and will last forever with reasonable care.

As with all boats... there is no "Perfect" tender, either.

Kirk

[Vasco]

I'd certainly give one a good run in choppy seas to check it out. One of these (I think it's the 11 footer) is very wet. A friend had one and cursed it regularly. If you want a hard dink have you looked at catamaran hulls around 13 ft that aren't whalers? They are lighter and from what I've seen handle the chop better.

[irwinsailor]

I want something fast. And I want something that holds a value and that is durable. A whaler seems like a good way to go. My davits can easily take the weight and they have winches. I do beleive that a whaler can be a wet ride.

I am waiting for Elusive to chime in here, he is a die hard Whaler fan My experience with them is the cleats are not as strong as hawser towing them, but they float forever. They are very stable, and if you are stuck landing along a rock shore, they are far superior to an inflatable. There is nothing worse than an unstable dinghy, so as hard dinghies go, these are a good choice. They hold their value well. They are heavy, and the temptation to tow them rather than hoisting them on deck could lead to problems.

[irwinsailor]

I think it would be fun to trailer the whaler to Florida this winter if I get a chance to go. Amanda Faye faces at least one more winter before she can get down there, but maybe we can get a warm winter break.

A trailer sailor whaler. Whoda thunk

[S/V Elusive]

Alright Scott ... I'll chime in ... I have the 9' 4" sailing Boston Whaler ( once again). The first I lost because I was towing it (too far astern). As Scott pointed out, the bow cleat failed, rather than my towing line.

I have since figured out how to (more) easily get the boat on board. It sails reasonably well (I changed from the lanteen rig to a marconi rig, sans jib). It rows well and motors very well. As an all-around dinghy, I think it is an excellent choice. For those with more specific uses, then I'm sure there are other viable options.

[irwinsailor]

If anyone has any ideas where to find one let me know. I am looking for a used one. I have made some bids on ebay and have been checking Craigs list.

[S/V Elusive]

Well... I'm pretty sure there is a damn good used one floating about ... somewhere ... it IS missing a cleat, but I do have clear title to it, and will be happy to sell it to you very inexpensively.

You must mean the title, because I know the cleat isn't for sale

[Jon D]

Gunnar

Whaler is fine for all the reasons you stated however I would still not get one as a tender as you do not want the whaler sitting on davits off shore, the loads can be very different than ones experienced while day or coastal sailing. Even when we are coastal off shore and I 'know' the weather is settled I do not leave the motor on the dink even if I leave the dink on the davits. [mine can each hold over 400lbs] so I have lots of safety margin. If we are off shore for more than 3 days [longest I feel weather is safely predictable] I'll put the dink on the foredeck.

[Joli]

We ended up towing a 13' or 15' whaler home the other day. It towed fine but it is heavy. Wind 20 knots, seas 3-4 foot, boat speed 10+. The only problems was shearing the chocks of the deck when the whaler spun ont he top of the waves.

I don't think we could lift it to put it on deck and I think it could have been problematic towing it if we had the kite up doing 13-14 knots.

I is a rib for us.

[S/V Elusive]

The Whalers ARE heavy - which was why I had been towing the one I lost. I have since figured out a (relatively) easy way to put it on the foredeck.

Joli - obviously you have a cat or tri?

[Joli]

Originally Posted by S/V Elusive

Joli - obviously you have a cat or tri?

No, we are a mono.