Boston Whaler 13

Why it matters

The company demonstrated their boats by cutting them in half — and both halves floated. That's not marketing, that's engineering. The foam-core construction made these boats genuinely unsinkable. The 13-footer became the utility boat that did everything: tender, fishing platform, runabout. Dick Fisher's design changed what small boats could be.

Specifications

Patina notes

Old Whalers don't die — they just get passed down. The foam never rots, the hull never sinks. Patina on a Whaler is purely cosmetic: faded gel coat, worn nonskid, hardware that's seen thirty years of salt. The bones are always good.

Preservation reality

Whalers hold value because they last forever. A 1970s 13 with a good motor is still a working boat. Restoration means cosmetics and mechanicals, not structural work. The parts network is extensive. Finding a cheap one means finding someone who doesn't know what they have — increasingly rare.