Mounting a Boston Whaler on the foredeck / bow

An old 13' whaler with just two bench seats (setup for a tiller engine) is light enough that 2 guys can pick it up and carry, at least my friends from the 60's with the straight across transom.

The 9' weighs 165lbs. Here is a website with all the specs for all of the classic whalers.
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/specifications.html

Tank and motor can both be removed if you'd like to and weight depends on which ones you go with.

See how the boat rides with the extra weigh before you do the final drilling & fastening? Will you be installing a heavy davit also?

Mounting a 11ft dinghy like this, is much easier in my opinion!

Hughdunlop,

how about, using the hull of the whaler to make a plug for an untra light carbon fiber version

Why not just find a new(ish)9' whaler or 11'?

We had a 9' Rib with a Brower Davit on our old 46 Post. The davit was secure to a standpipe in the closet of the stbd stateroom. Never had any issues with it. It sat on 2 x SS Rails just high enough to clear the deck. Used good ss ratchet type straps for hold downs. I would personally prefer a RIB unless you have some sharp rocks to deal with all the time, as they have better characteristics than the small 9' whaler. Less sensitive to weight distribution, softer ride, won't gouge the hull when secured alongside on anchor.

yup, agree, its hard to beat the stability and safety of a RIB.

I had a 13 whaler (actually several), as I remember they were very stable, you could stand on the gunnel.
My last one absorbed so much water it was almost too heavy for 4 guys to get on a landscaping trailer!

Was it cracked some where or the transom separated ? Where'd all the water come from ?

I'm not really sure, I think it came from the floor because the floor was cracked and crazed in a bunch of spots.

Ive had three 13 Whalers.
All of them were from the late 60s as far as I could tell.

All were former pleasure boats that I abused and used commercially 12 months a year.
In the winter they often saw service as ice breakers.

They would all easily break 1 inch ice or ride up on the ice and break it with its weight.
when the ice was too thick to break the whaler would ride up on the ice sheet.

when I got them, all three had cracked transoms that I easily repaired with some epoxy and biaxial glass.

these boats were also very stable and capable of carrying a lot of weight.
I remember one time loading one with plywood, lumber, a generator and power tools to build a duck blind.

Funny thing, I got all three Whalers for free.
When I was done with them I passed them along to the next owners for free. (without the cracked transoms)

I like the 13 whaler too, it is a great all-purpose boat. The 9' whaler does not quite have the same attributes, but is ok for 2 people in real practicality.

If you're going RIB with a tiller outboard, you don't even need a davit if you're willing to remove the engine and fuel tank, they're easy enough to lift onto the deck with 2 guys and just lash them right to the deck upside down......or get one with a folding floor and deflate and stow it in the cockpit. I don't think the RIB's last as long in really cold area's as the glue tends to unglue itself.

Another thought if you go the inflatable route and removing the motor/gas tank. You could put a re-inforced eye on the brow and use a block and tackle to lift it up there to save the weight of a davit on the bow.

I am set up like Capt J recommends.
My 46 Post has no davit and I have an inflatable floor zodiac up front on a lightweight aluminum cradle.

I remove the outboard and fuel tank from the inflatable.
I am able to pull the inflatable up on the bow myself, but usually have help.

with this set up, I estimate boat and cradle is around 100 pounds.

I don't have the lifting eye, but that's a great suggestion.

Hugh

If I had a choice, I would rather go with a light inflatable with a removable tiller steered outboard. It's a much sinpler setup without the winch ( which is a another item to maintain ). Also that way it is easy to store the rib at home and keep the bow looking clean when not using it for a trip. If you do want want to keep the rib on the bow, a simple cradle will be good and that way you could Store spare fenders in the rib.