New To Me 150 Sport Boston Whaler

[JAWallace]

I bought this 2005 model in the spring, spent about 90 days doing glass work, filling holes (30 to date), cleaning, rewiring, and adding some components in an attempt to make this a close to perfect fly fishing skiff.



It's minimalist for sure, but mostly clear of fly line catchers and now with plenty of room to move around as needed. it fishes two easily, and can hold four for cruising, messing around, swimming, tubing etc.

The iPilot addition is just too cool with the anchor feature. I had to swallow to put that much into a trolling motor, but now I understand why everyone says it's worth it.



This is the first generation post-classic 15' Whaler. The previous 15' version is arguably the coolest Whaler ever built, looks better than mine, too, but unlike the 13 and 17 Whalers, the hull is designed to cut through chop and has rounded chines and pad with a much greater deadrise, rending the boat quite unstable at rest which of course is not what we fly flingers are looking for.

I've only had her out 3 times--once on Lake Washington in very calm conditions for the water trial, and twice on Folsom. This is my 4th Whaler. I've had a 13' non-smirked 1967, a Dauntless 13, and a 2008 170 Montauk. The 13s were either too rough or too small. The 170 Montauk was a mistake. WAY too big for most freshwater fishing, and the intimacy with the water has been lost with the new hull--the classic Montauks are much better for our use, in my opinion. This hull and boat quickly became my easy favorite of the Whalers I've owned.

The new 2009 and later Whaler hulls are a disaster for most fly fishermen. They look more like a Sea Ray and are clearly targeted towards the youth sport market first, fishing secondary. they have been described as a new option for waverunner buyers, and I think that's accurate. They are much better than the previous hulls for a family all arounder though, and will certain work--you just won't be very close to the water and there's no room aft of the pilot thwart in the 13' model. I would not buy one, and I'm a Whaler fanatic.

This 2003-2008 generation of 15' hulls is the best Whaler has ever built, in my opinion. They are exceptionally smooth even in moderate chop, totally stable, and will give you either side of 35 mph--my top speed to date is 36.7 mph, solo, 34.5 mph with two. It sips gas too. I have yet to refill the 6 gallon tank as it's still over half full.

While I still miss Bill Kiene's old 12' Olympian which was a highly soulful and fun skiff, this one gives me more room and the needed speed to move around. So far, I could not ask for anything more, and it didn't break the bank.

The 2003 and newer 15' hulls have not been a big seller. New, as equipped, this boat would be near $25K. That's a lot of dough for a 15' skiff. The 13s are around $13K--the 17s will top $30K, so this one looks expensive in comparison. Still, if you can find one, I would highly recommend taking a strong look for larger freshwater lakes, deeper rivers, the Delta, and mild salt.

[FRSam]

I've certainly been pleased with my 2006' 150 Montauk, I've been able to do all of the things I've had on my list. The Boston Whaler is hard to beat.

[Mark Kranhold]

Congrats! You can't go wrong with a whaler!! Nice skiff.

[flyfish62]

What horsepower motor are you running? I'm looking for a Whaler for the Delta and lakes. Hard to find them in decent condition.

[JAWallace]

I have a 60 Merc 4S, which was and remains the stock motor for the 2003 to current 15' hull. I would not want less than 50 HP, and if I were to repower I'd either replace the Merc or bolt on a Yamaha F70.

A post 1973 through 1999 13' Whaler is smaller than the current hull, but safe and appropriate for the Delta and lakes for one person fly fishing, two if you watch your casts. That boat came with a 40 HP 2S--you will be fine with a 25 HP 4S. You can buy a new one for $13K too. You'll spend that or more on a used 17 with a 4S, so that's worth a look. For the newer hulls, post 2000 I believe, you NEED 40 HP; the 25 HP is way underpowered.

As stated above, I'd avoid the classic 15' hull (pre 2003) due to primary stability concerns. The new 15' hulls run low to mid 20s.

A classic 17' Montauk hull, produced roughly from 1973 - 2001, weighs 900 lbs. which is the same as my 15' post classic Whaler. This may be the most ideal setup for your needs, depending on pricing. I would have gladly bought one repowered with a 4S or done that myself had I not found the 2003 15' hull which is about the same net size inside. You can get away with a 50 HP 4S on those, too; I've been on one and it was fine, mid to upper 20s top speed. The new 170 Montauks will be north of $30K now.

The two obvious considerations for buying older hulls is the condition of the hull and the power. Most Montauks still come with two strokes, and eventually you'll want to repower with a 4S. Some Montauks have been repowered; expect to pay around $10K -$14K for those in California. I would consider travelling up to 1000 miles to find one though; CA Whalers are notoriously expensive.

As far as decent condition, I'd suggest than many are, but will need some work. How much work can depend on your own bar, and the extent of the actual problems vs. aesthetics. Unless you can get the boat for nothing, avoid hulls with water intrusion. If you're not willing to learn fiberglass work, then you might want to consider spending more for a late model. You just can't give it to a shop and have them do it and come out--ever. I find restoring boats fun and relaxing, but not everyone will. Plus, I know my hull and wiring so well I can probably identify problems and fixes much easier than had I jobbed it out. I spent less than $1000 in epoxy, wiring, hardware, caulking, etc. for mine, and it did need some work. YouTube and various boat sites are your friend. It's not rocket science, but it's not exact, either.

The great thing about Whalers is there is always a market, and in most cases if you plan and budget accordingly, you will not lose money on a used boat, given a few years of your use. It's hard to find many boats where that is the case. Compounding that with the general disappointment of the new "Sea Ray" type Whaler Super Sport hulls by Whaler fans, these boats do not depreciate much after 5-6 years or so. I bought my 2008 170 Montauk new, had it for less than 4 years, and broke even, as an example. Essentially, a rent free boat, not bad.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I have seen Boston Whalers all over the world.......especially the first generation older ones.

[OceanSunfish]

Great thread. I remember when the "first generation" new Whalers came on the market. I didn't care for the new 170 at all. Like you said, it is HUGE and lacked the charm of the original Montauk. I surmise the hull for the 170 was redesigned to accommodate the 4S 90 Merc.

The 150 Sport appealed to me most as a FF skiff. That hull seemed to be the perfect size and combined with the new Yamaha 70, which is very light in weight...... what a skiff!

Congrats on the find and reconditioning.

[joseph28]

Congrats! I have a 1999 170 montauk and love it but how did you fill the hole in the fiberglass. You picked a good choice with the ipliot, i have the copilot and has been an amazing trolling motor. We even have taken ours out to cataliana twice.

[JAWallace]

I don't think you have a 1999 170 Montauk as the first model year of the 170 was 2002. Could it be a Montauk 17, the classic hull?

There are two ways to properly fill holes, and one cheat way; I used all three. For anything small (3/8" or less) below the waterline, I only use Marine Tex, which is an epoxy putty. For anything larger, epoxy resin is the best choice. Once dry, you can grind it down slightly then apply gelcoat if you wish, then sand 80-200-1200, polish and wax. Marine Tex is a pretty good match for Whaler white though. Topsides, if I have to create a fastening surface and have nothing under the deck to hold the fasteners, I'll create a larger cavity below the deck to adhere to the foam, fill with epoxy resin, then drill pilot holes and use only stainless sheet metal screws.

For non critical holes above the waterline that have no chance of allowing water intrusion into the core, especially if I'm feeling lazy, I'll sometimes do a temporary fix with 3M 4200 which is a polyurethane sealant. I have several of those that will get replaced with epoxy resin and gelcoat later. After about 30 holes, I got burned out filling them and wanted to get on the water for awhile. For any fasteners, like for the trolling motor which I had to lag into the foredeck, I always coat them with 4200. I rarely use 5200 which is permanent; 4200 is removable.

NEVER, EVER, use silicone for anything on a boat! The previous owners did, and it took me nearly a month to remove it. There's only one chemical that works, and it's expensive and needs repeated applications. Silicone is miserable stuff, and not a proper sealant for marine use.

I could write an entire thread on the iPilot, and I'm still learning it. One of the reasons I have always preferred a pontoon over a boat when feasible is the ability to hold your position while casting to a target. The iPilot is just as good with the anchor feature which, with the push of a button, tells your motor to use the built in GPS and hold the boat in position. It is perfect for bass fishing or hovering over structure or an underground spring. You can also tell the motor to follow a course, and it will allow for wind drift while doing that, and correct. The wireless remote allows you to control the motor from anywhere in the boat. It's so worth the cost, one of the most helpful accessories I've ever had. I would call it essential for our type of fishing. Because of that motor, I'll use the skiff more than the pontoon now. I love the simplicity of the pontoon, but love having tunes, beer, food, gear, rods, room to laze out for a break or a swim, and the ability to scoot when I want to.

[FRSam]

I know I had a difficult time finding my Whaler...I almost bought a 17 Montauk I located in San Jose, asking price $8000 but it was pretty beat up so I passed. When the 150 Montauk was introduced it was the perfect fit for my needs. Small enough to fit in my garage during the winter snows, able to get into the skinny water for fishing, excellent stability and plenty of power for the big water with the 60 4S Merc. The only fault I've found is on deck storage, it's somewhat limited. But for a fly fishing skiff it's hard to beat!