CONTINUOUSWAVE

Hello,

I own a Whaler 27 Half Cabin (model type OBO) make 1989 with whaler drive.

I purchased the boat 3 years ago with small cracks on each side of the bracket's transom, which seemed as stress cracks. After letting ther boat in the water for 2 years the bracket only, seems to have osmosis.

I plan to replace it in the next year and since i am located in Greece where knowledge for these boats is very limited I would like to buy the best option from the States. I am either looking for a used whaler drive in a very good condition, (or a new one!!) or a very reliable after market option from an experienced maker.

Any help/knowledge is more that welcome!

Thanks in advance,

Fotis
Athens-Greece

Yasou Fotis!! I'm a Greek-American with family roots in Kefalonia.

Finding a used Whaler Drive is very very hard. I don't think you'll find one. Are you sure the stress cracks aren't just cosmetic?

Efxharisto,

Yianni Metaxas

Yes, I doubt you could locate a replacement Whaler Drive, particularly one sized for a 27-foot hull.

There might be an option to get some other set back bracket, something like an Armstrong bracket. The problem with most of the aftermarket engine set-back brackets is they do not have much of a buoyancy box. A buoyancy box refers to the portion of the set back bracket that remains in the water, particularly at rest, that offsets the added weight of the bracket itself and the added leverage of the engine weight that is moved farther aft. The Whaler Drive has plenty of buoyancy, and even on plane some of the drive is still in the water, creating hull lift and perhaps some drag, too.

The Whaler Drive construction is much like the hull, so if there is a crack that is structural, you should be able to repair it using the methods discussed by Boston Whaler in their repair literature.