copycat for boston whaler

Hi folks
first time here

was considering buying this boat, thought it is a whaler. in other forum told me it is a copycat for boston whaler.
the boat is in Israel, also not looking that good due to neglectance and maybe other things.

Does any one have a clue about origin this boat?
I live in Israel, did not see the lisence of the boat but could it be manfactured in Israel differently under supervision of boston and with boston'
s approval?

could this copycat design be close to the performance of the real whalers? what is known about copycats?

how can i know if inside the hull it is built as a whaler foam inside and other criteria?

your help will be appreciated..

best regards
sameh

Re: copycat for boston whaler



forgot the pictures

Re: copycat for boston whaler

The boston whaler design is very popular, so there is no way of knowing who copied it, and how they did it. Its easy and cheap to replicate the look, its the details under your foot so to speak that are more expensive.

Without taking a core sample, you have no idea... I doubt it is a true whaler if the HIN doesn't make it one, and they probably didn't license it out to a different manufacturer. There have been literally thousands of different boat manufacturers world wide, so its anyone's guess.

Re: copycat for boston whaler

Hard to tell from the pictures what it is. Since you wouldn't buy it without a title, why not check the title?

Copy or not, it's been used as a work boat, which is fine; they are durable hulls.

The main problem is water getting in the inner hull and soaking the foam, which compromises floatation and adds some weight. Look for chips in the outer hull or unsealed screw holes in the deck and sidewalls. Look for large cracks at the transom corners. Inspect the drain plug area(s).

Generally the clones performed as well as the real ones; some would say quality was lacking somewhat, which means it might not be as durable over time. But when a boat is old and beat, brand is no longer important.

A true clone like McKee's used the same molds. Other companies tried to imitate the hull. The latter might not perform as well but for a beater work boat you'll never know the difference.

Re: copycat for boston whaler

sameh said:

Hi folks
first time here

was considering buying this boat, thought it is a whaler. in other forum told me it is a copycat for boston whaler.
the boat is in Israel, also not looking that good due to neglectance and maybe other things.

Does any one have a clue about origin this boat?
I live in Israel, did not see the lisence of the boat but could it be manfactured in Israel differently under supervision of boston and with boston'
s approval?

could this copycat design be close to the performance of the real whalers? what is known about copycats?

how can i know if inside the hull it is built as a whaler foam inside and other criteria?

your help will be appreciated..

best regards
sameh

Click to expand...

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,... Fiberglass copycat hulls can be built by anybody with access to the materials, 'n the ambition to splash an original...

Once the mold is built, as many hulls as they please can be built...

The quality of the work, of course varies widely...

'bout the only way to tell the true condition of a beat up hull is usually invasive in nature...

Re: copycat for boston whaler

Almost looks like a late 70's McKee. You would have to take a pic of the bow out of the water. Mckees have a very distinct bows.

Re: copycat for boston whaler

hi folks
now being clear it is not a whaler, remains to check what is the boat condition, what repair does it need and what is recommended to do for it in the future.
yesterday, I went and had photoes frurl=httom different angle. see photoes in this link:
Sameh_darawshi's Library | Photobucket
please have alook and tell me what you think.
I am a ware it is not a piece of work. It is an affordable low price boat though. took many fishing trips in the past with previous owners. currently boat been sitting with the last owner in the marine without moving for a year.
need opinion about condition and demanded repairs...and any other comments will be welcomed!:joyous:

Re: copycat for boston whaler

Blake0912 said:

Almost looks like a late 70's McKee. You would have to take a pic of the bow out of the water. Mckees have a very distinct bows.

Click to expand...

I understood that someone used to build them here in Israel locally. I assume it is one of his. I don't expect people here will bring copycats from abroad so probably this one is homemade. other boats I know of, including this one, could do a fine work in the deep sea. I have added photoes in the reply above, hope I could get more opinions rearding the condition of the boat.

sameh

Re: copycat for boston whaler

Well it looks like she is going to need a transom in the near future and I can bet that the foam is pretty wet inside the hull, due to the breach you show in the top of the hull wall in one of the pictures. I would do a couple of core samples on the hull to see what condition the wood is in.

How much are they asking for it? The motor looks pretty good and of course if maintained that is a very good brand.

Re: copycat for boston whaler

MTboatguy said:

Well it looks like she is going to need a transom in the near future and I can bet that the foam is pretty wet inside the hull, due to the breach you show in the top of the hull wall in one of the pictures. I would do a couple of core samples on the hull to see what condition the wood is in.

How much are they asking for it? The motor looks pretty good and of course if maintained that is a very good brand.

Click to expand...

thanks for the advice. with my poor knowledge in this area I thought that the transom (where the motor is mounted) to be fine. did not see any cracks in it. can you describe more in details please so i can learn.

As for the price: it is about 3 thousand dollars. yes, here in Israel it is considered a cheap price. you would not find a boat, motor and parking in marine with this price. the motor when brand new is a bout 8-9 thousand dollars. in case this specific honda motor is in good condition then it is alone worth this buy.
the same boat was bought a year and a half ago by current owner with 4.5 thousand dollars.

Re: copycat for boston whaler

Does this boat have a bilge below-decks? Boston Whalers are solid foam between the hull and the deck, so no true bilge area at all.

Whalers are really like a giant surf board shaped like a boat.

Some of the Whaler clones followed this design, but many had a normal bilge area between the deck and hull.

If there's a drain plug very low on the transom (that drains water that collected in the bilge beneath the deck), the boat is not the solid foam hull like a Whaler.

Some Whaler clones have a drain plug that drains water from ABOVE the deck, to give the boat a self-bailing deck.

If the drain plug is below the deck. it most likely has a normal non-Whaler bilge. If the plug is at or above the deck, it is probably a self-bailing deck drain, and the boat may have a solid foam bilge (like the Whaler)

Re: copycat for boston whaler

jdlough said:

Does this boat have a bilge below-decks? Boston Whalers are solid foam between the hull and the deck, so no true bilge area at all.

Whalers are really like a giant surf board shaped like a boat.

Some of the Whaler clones followed this design, but many had a normal bilge area between the deck and hull.

If there's a drain plug very low on the transom (that drains water that collected in the bilge beneath the deck), the boat is not the solid foam hull like a Whaler.

Some Whaler clones have a drain plug that drains water from ABOVE the deck, to give the boat a self-bailing deck.

If the drain plug is below the deck. it most likely has a normal non-Whaler bilge. If the plug is at or above the deck, it is probably a self-bailing deck drain, and the boat may have a solid foam bilge (like the Whaler)

Click to expand...

good point. I was informed by the owner it has a drain plug below the deck. I could not look at it because it is located under the driver seat and seat is locked. the owner was not there to operate the motor,. open the locks and show me the bilge area.

So, in this case, where it is not as whalers, and has a bilge and there is water sitting inside, is this case would be easier to fix rather than case where it is like whalers and water soaks the foam?

ofcourse, third examination will be with the owner, checking the engine and the bilge area.