Boston Whaler 13' Pilot House Build Story
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- Опубліковано 2 лип 2021
- This is the story of how my whaler 13 pilot house came to be. The journey that took me to building the pilot house to make spearfishing more comfortable and warmer in the boat and many of the things I have learned along the way about boating and trailering since I did not grow up with boats or trailers. From jet skis, to skiffs, to boats, to lithium iron batteries vs lead acid, weight distribution, to learning new construction materials and how polyethylene (PE) foam bonds to fiberglass and polyurethane resin and using marine grade materials (like 316 stainless steel hardware). It's been fun and the fish, lobster, and crab have been delicious. Always striving for more though and to make this small boat even better than it already is. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for everyone who helped me with this especially my dad who helped with almost everything along the way, mom for allowing me to keep the boat on the driveway and always being supportive, Joey for being my dive buddy as well as helping with sea trials and teaching me how to drive/navigate better, Justin for being there since the start and my first dive buddy, Cosgrove for all the constructive criticism no matter how mad it sometimes made me (bolts hahaha), Mike for the awesome photos (check him out at www.surflifeimages.com) and bouncing ideas off each other especially when surfing and 4AM texts, and most of all my beautiful fiancé Megan for dealing with all my boat stuff (more to come)! lol!!!
I always add resin to the surface I am adding fiberglass to before laying the glass down. Makes it way easier to saturate the fiberglass and will make fiberglass to bond to just about anything when wet
Yeah for sure. Good tip!
Ive never seen someone get so much out of so little. Im impressed 👏
I have had this very same experience. Learned along the way to repair, wire and install all types of items after getting an older 19’ center console skiff
Great to learn on a smaller boat first before buying that expensive dream boat
Awesome.
Dude, I grew up directly on the bay in Newport Beach CA...I had that exact 13' old school blue BW with a Johnson 50 on it!! I always dreamed of doing what you've just done!!! It would look cool if you put a couple of outriggers on it as well. I'm impressed!!! IF U CAN THINK IT YOU CAN BUILD IT!!!! RIGHT ON!!! ..
P.S. the most fun was following my dad's big boat to Catalina!!! If you ever get stumped??? I've got many ideas!!! Good luck 👍
That's right love the enthusiasm! Will defintely get stumped im sure lol
I have been looking at a lot of Boston whaler videos and this is the coolest 13-foot whaler I have seen on UA-cam. I like how you didn't let problems stop you and kept Finding solutions. I think the most interesting one for me was assembling the aluminum tubing with the bolts instead of welding. I need to try that.
I subscribed.
Thanks man! Truth is, I bolted because I’ve never welded and bolting was a pain because you’d tighten one section and it would alter another section. Just keep going slow though and it worked out pretty well! Still standing strong
Sweet
Cool video about the evolution of your boat! Its nice to see how it came along and making it work for you.
Thanks man! I recently lowered the pilot house about a foot to fit into my new garage. Now I can stand in the back and see over the roof. Also added a roof rack to the roof
There is just something so simple yet amazing about seeing a small boat with a pilothouse setup, great build!!!
Thanks man! Well worth the work
@@DanDanFleek how much total did it cost you so far for the boat plus modifications done?$
@@thesolojourney8955 with the motor, it came out to about $1300. Only because I was able to get my hands on the foam sheets from someone getting rid of them. Plus I didn’t pay for labor haha
Super entertaining video. Following the journey and seeing how it turned out was cool. In the middle of hooking up my 15 whaler right now
Thanks man! Pilothouse is definitely a game changer
Dude sick build video
Thanks man! Just saw your inflatable video. Maybe I’ll see you out of Long Beach sometime
great job bud ! we love our whalers, customize all we want and they still won't sink !
Haha exactly. Now that I put a 70hp on her it is zooming around
How is the stability does it feel too heavy at all and how much would you say the pilot house weighs, by the way Great build!!!
@@lmaxwell9751 it weighs about 90 pounds. And the stability has been just fine. No issues with wind or anything. In fact, it’s pretty nice because usually when anchoring, the wind will twist the boat around so the pilot house blocks the wind once the anchor is set. I ended up putting a 70hp though because with three people, dive gear, and lobster/crab pots, it would take awhile to get on plane. Now it’s a rocket lol and is riding great
I subscribed to the channel. Cool Build!!!
Thanks man! I’ll check out your channel too.
Looks amazing! I bet it is much more comfortable on a colder night ride.
It most definitely is. Great for going out for lobsters now. The cold was my main motivation for doing this haha
@@DanDanFleek Lol, it can get a little bit uncomfortable in a 13’ whaler on a cold night. I know, especially with a lot of chop and water blowing in your face😅
@@mchalegentile1371 it definitely can get real uncomfortable lol
Oh my god that’s a silver matrix you were using to tow! That was the first car my father bought me almost 20 years ago!
Still using the Matrix to tow my boat around 🤣
@@DanDanFleek my father and I did many things with that silver matrix, traveling to SF the fist time, sleeping in the car, but never thought it’s capable of towing. When I sold her to my shipmate in the navy at 220k miles, she drove it to Taxes with no problem, he told me that it will run forever. It has such a sentimental value to me.
I had a 13 when i was a kid with a Johnson 50. I always wanted to fix it up like this. Try doing this with the 16 footer. Much more room
Yesvtyere is kess iunding
Interesting, I think I saw your boat and that enclosure near Los Alamitos area, and now here again on YT. I have a 13 also with a 25 and use it for fishing and diving in the same areas, including MDR. I bet that catches a lot of wind
Nice man next time you see me say what’s up. I was worried about the wind as well and It definitely catches some wind but I’ve been using it for a bit over 2 years and it hasn’t caused me issues. yet…
$20 moving dolly’s Lowes
Badass man, just badass! What part of the world are you from?
Thanks man! I’m in southern California. Had to pass the time during Covid restrictions lol
Amazing build for a 13fter!! I run the same boat on the ocean 11 miles offshore (see my channel) and often wish I had a pilot house!! I take quite a bit of spray. Where did you get the blue cover you were using? I use one made for a bass style boat but the sides don’t account for the railings. Anyways, thanks for the great build video and story!! I often get people that talk down my boat and it’s capabilities because everyone thinks you need a 20ft half million dollar boat but that’s not a reality for everyone and these boats are more than capable! Great video! Also, how did the transom do with the 5hp kicker? I have a 2.3hp but I would prefer a 5hp. I was nervous to put the 5hp on due to the extra weight but I have had to use my kicker to get back from 4 miles out and it only gets me to about 4mph with a following tide.
Nice man you understand lol. I was worried about weight io but I think be cause the transom is curved, adds lots of strength and have had no issues. Probably don’t need it with my new motor though. Not sure what blue cover you are referring to.
2.3 3 4 5 hp ektric proline out bard betrr kertin then just gas or disel
Dan what’s the best outboard for a 13 footer? I’m thinking of a 15hp
I’d recommend at least a 25hp. Thats what I had on before I added the pilot house and it worked pretty well with three guys and our diving gear. It was a 2 stroke Mariner.
@@DanDanFleek awesome brother thanks. Thats what I'm looking at now
15 HP is OK for one person or two lightweight adults. I get up to 22 MPH on 13 Whaler.
Good idea. Hi I have a 25 Honda 4 stroke and it is nice but heavy to manage lowering in and out and with pull start. I think a 15 would be a better match of weight, usability and cost. The 13 foot whaler with the 18-hp Mercury 2 stroke was always a classic. Generally 2 cycles weigh less than 4 cycle motors of the same size. Electric start adds battery's dead weight.
I Really enjoyed your video....Great idea and follow through with your hands and tools. Craftsman award to you and your dad !
With 3 divers ... all that gear....lobster pots ....plus your lovely girlfriend.....fishing poles....MAN IT IS TIME FOR YOU ALL TO POOL YOUR $$$ and look for a 17 Whaler.....just my 2 cents
Learn to sail bro , you will never miss your power boat , believe me .
I have been on both, even fishing offshore on a sail boat. But when feeding fish came up straight off our port--and the wind did not allow us to go that way, in straight line, or in fact, ever got us over there before the fish were one--yeah, I missed the engine.
sailboaters are like the vegans of the boating world... go touch grass, man
Here’s a suggestion get yourself a bigger boat Jhc
Thanks for your opinion and suggestion. Hope you have a nice day.
We never signed up for this kind of ship!
I would say the boat is too small to make the crossing safely! I hope his cellfone is waterproof...if you get caught in afternoon chop of 5 feet with any wind, it would make for a miserable crossing, especially returning to the mainland. Dangerous thing to do, I would never try it in a small boat, fer sure!
Looks like a dangerous pos amazing the coast guard doesn’t haul u in