On the subject of Boston Whalers, I have owned a 15' and presently have a 17' Montauk. The 15' was easy to load and in protected waters worked OK for two people, but the 17' is a lot more boat. I have a new 90 hp Yamaha on it and it is pretty fuel efficient. The oil injection system on the 90 Yamaha is under the motor lid and not in a oil tank on the deck. With a wet deck boat like the Whaler you need to be very careful not to get water into the oil tank so having it in the motor solves that. The 17' will go just about anywhere you want and in any weather. I have found that in high seas you need to drop it off plane and put the bow up in the air. It will run this way at about 12-14 knots through most anything. The big drawback for me is weight. I have installed a power winch on my trailor so that I don't have to back the trailor into the saltwater over the wheel bearings. It is still heavy to load.
I also have a 12' short shaft Livingston with a 15 hp Evinrude. I find myself using the Livingston most of the time as it will take all but the worst seas and is easy to load and tow. You can also row it. Two people can stand and fish well from it. The tiller steering is OK for short distances, but the center console steering wheel is the way to go if you plan to travel any distance. I hope this helps in your decision. It is hard to find one boat that will do everything. BAERT SIMMONS Freeland -----Original Message----- From: Rob Blomquist <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Friday, November 30, 2001 6:50 PM Subject: Re: Boat advice - Boston Whaler or... >On Friday 30 November 2001 11:01 am, Willy Gevers spoke: >> After the phenomenal silver season we just experienced, I have been thinking >> about getting a small runaround to better chase salmon in. An ideal boat >> would be stable, able to carry 3 people, (2 flyfishing and one driving), low >> profile but relatively seaworthy for close to shore salmon fishing, and fast >> enough to cover miles of shoreline. >> >> With no input or advice, I would pick a 15' Boston Whaler. Does anyone have >> any input? > >Boston Whalers are great boats, I was just today out on Lake Washington >working, and there were 2 of us in the bow of the 17' boat, and there was no >problem. I have also had 3 people in close proximity while hoisting equipment >over the side. In short it is a very strong, stable boat. > >The problem that I have found with BWs are in rougher water, where they >bounce and bash the waves due to the tri hull that gives them such stability. >While they are a fine boat to fish in calm weather, I would hate to be 10 >miles away in a storm. You might get there fine, but it will be slow. > >At work we also have a 5 meter Zodiac, which is a much kinder boat in rough >water, due to the V-hull, and some attenuation due to the air bladders. I'm >not crazy about fishing out of this boat due to the height of the bladders >over the deck, and the small floor space of this boat due to the bladders. > >I have been considering buying a boat for sound use in the next couple of >years, I am seeking an open bow and a semi-V or V-hull for rough water >performance and stability. Rather than get into something as fancy as the >Arimas, I have considered something like the Lund Alaskan Series >(www.lundboats.com/html/alaskan.htm), and at this time, I think I lean toward >tiller control. Not having a console opens up the boat to having more room >for fishing. > >I first saw these boats on a fishing show about a Walleye tournament in South >Dakota, where the lake was quite wild with waves. These guys had >boats similar to the Alaskan with tiller control, and were in full control on >this lake and able to fish easily. Now most of the fishing was trolling, so >it had little to do with fly fishing, but the boats look quite adaptable. > >Rob > >-- >Rob Blomquist >Kirkland, WA > >
