Boston Whaler

Boston Whaler started in 1958 when Dick Fisher patented a foam injected hull process and built a 13 foot boat to prove it worked. The company took root in Massachusetts, then spent decades changing hands, from Fisher himself to the CML Group in 1969, to Reebok in 1989, to Meridian in 1993, before Brunswick Corporation bought it in 1996 and moved production and the head office to Edgewater, Florida, where it has stayed since.

Today the lineup runs from small skiffs and Super Sport boats up through the Montauk, Dauntless, and Outrage families to larger dual console and offshore fishing boats. Every hull still uses the foam filled construction the company patented at the start, and every boat leaves the factory rigged exclusively with Mercury Marine outboards, Brunswick's own engine brand, so there is no choice of a different make at the dealer.

Owners bring up the foam filled hull first, because it really does keep a swamped Whaler afloat, and that reputation has carried the brand for decades. The tradeoff shows up in the price tag and in the engine question, since buyers who want a Yamaha or Suzuki on the transom have to look elsewhere, and some longtime owners say newer competitors have closed the fit and finish gap that used to be Whaler's alone. What keeps people loyal is resale value and parts support: a well kept Whaler tends to hold its price better than most rivals, Brunswick's dealer network keeps OEM parts easy to find even on older hulls, and a lot of owners who start with a small Whaler end up trading up to a bigger one rather than switching brands.