Improvements on My 1986 15' Whaler

Larry Eckart

Well-known member
Guys (and Dani),

I have made some modifications to my 1986 15? Boston Whaler Sport. This boat has a hull configuration affectionately called a ?smirk.? It is designed to take waves in a much smoother and effective fashion than the classic 13? Whaler.

The problem with that hull configuration is that it cuts down on usable space in front of the console. Here is a pic of the boat in its ?natural? condition. Space is always tight in boats this size.

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In this photo, you can see how the uneven deck would not make for an easy fishing/walking space. I decided to make a casting platform to cover up the area where the hull configuration makes fishing and walking around the boat difficult. As you see in the photo, the boat has a natural lip around the front area that begs for a casting platform or deck.
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I used ?? foam board as my template. That was easy to work with and easy to reshape.

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For the deck itself I chose full 1? marine plywood. Since I live on an island, you would think that marine plywood would be available locally. No such luck. I had to special order it through a old lumber yard in downtown Savannah. That in itself turned out to be a pleasure. What fun it is to be in the presence of heavily used, fifty year-old saws and planers and crusty older men who have the tips of their fingers gashed and marred by years of commercial wood working.

I have been wanting to buy a new sabre saw/jig saw but every time I start to do it, nostalgia kicks in. I?m still using the old aluminum 1/5 hp Craftsman sabre saw my father bought me as a Christmas present in seventh grade.

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That old saw labored through 1? plywood, but the end product turned out fine.

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I put three coats of exterior varnish on it, added a locker. Wonder of wonders, due to that foam pattern, the deck fit snugly on the first try. I elected not to put a non-skid coating on the casting platform. We will see if I have to change that in the future.

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I added two stainless steel strap eyes to hold down my Yeti knock off. I still can?t justify $250 and up for a cooler.

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At the stern I attached a rod holder to a nicely varnished 2x4. I ratchet this down and it works fine. I wanted to avoid putting holes in the boat.

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Here is a pic of friend Bruce sitting on the throne. His conclusion: ?comfortable!?

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And here is a picture of the stern with the new rod rack.

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That particular day we got skunked but the previous trip we caught 6 reds, kept 3, a stellar day in anyone?s book.

Larry
 
Very nice, Larry! As the founder of Continuous Wave, Jim Hebert, stated when Yeti came out with their coolers: Two hundred and sixty dollars buys a lot of ice...and I have never had my cooler attacked by a bear!

That's the only thing I've never been fond of for the Dougherty era BWs, the many interior work deck bevels. I worked out of an 18' and a 20' that were Dougherty designed hulls...the foredeck areas were largely useless, particularly when working at night.
 
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That's pretty cool Larry. You did a nice job. Do you use that boat to hunt out of too?
 
Dani,
Nah, no hunting out of it. It's too white.

Although, that's not technically true. For buffies here on the coast I draped two regular boat tarps over it and sat on top of the tarps. Buffies didn't mind having two camo dudes sitting on top of a tarp.

Puddlers would object however,
Larry
 
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