Help with new buy

[Zee Captain]

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone can guide me on this.
Just a few points to consider my situation.

Wanting to buy my first Boston Whaler. I currently don't live in the states. Residing in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
Meaning I have to import the boat, including trailer. Will likely re-power before I do, as I won't find new outboards here or any reliable mechanics. So new is my best option. Looking for a boat without too many things to repair. For the right price, I'd even hand the boat to a certified mechanic to repair any problems and rewire before importing.
Currently own a Grady White 272 sailfish and want to switch back to center console and a smaller size boat. Save on fuel, easier to launch and generally take care of. The sailfish has been a hassle, no use for cabin and too many things to take care of, and it's HEAVY.
I mainly want to use it for fishing and on occasion take the family out to the near by beaches.
I own a Ford F150 limited to 8500 LB tow capacity so needs to be below that to tow up the steep ramp and park in my shed. No road driving.
I fish inshore, 1-8 miles out, and offshore 75 miles out on good days. Which we usually do as a group of boats and rarely seldom.
I've been eyeing the Montauk 21, Outrage 22-24-26. I don't care too much about top speed as much as fuel consumption and comfort. Im 40 and have had enough days riding canoes, pangas, and tippy boats. A friend owns a Justice 24 at the marina and have used it a few times which I quite liked, but can't convince him to sell it.
I want something I can easily maintain, use and clean.
Any tips on which one to look for.

THANKS in advance for any advise

[jimh]

I doubt anyone here can offer you assistance in arranging the purchase of a boat in the USA and shipping it to you in Western Africa. Such a transaction would require experience with ocean shipping, customs, regulations, and so on.

If you are seriously thinking about buying a new Boston Whaler boat in the USA and having it shipped to Sierra Leone, you should contact the Boston Whaler headquarters and ask them to recommend an authorized dealer who can conduct such a purchase and delivery.

Here is some advice:

As for what qualities the boat you are going to buy must have, from reading your long narrative I see the following:

• must be capable of going into the open ocean for 70-miles, operating there for some time, and returning without refueling;
• must have a total weight when on the trailer of less than 8,000-lbs, including the trailer and all gear.

The fuel endurance seems like the most difficult criterion to satisfy. Surely you want to be able to operate on-plane for the 70-miles out and back, so you need to look carefully at the fuel consumption rates of various boats and their fuel capacity.

The 230 OUTRAGE with twin 150-HP engines--and here I assume you want twin engines in order to have redundancy for ocean trips of 70-miles to seaward--has an optimum fuel range when on plane at 30-MPH of 285-miles. That should be sufficient for your planned trips. The boat will get 2.88-MPG, so the 140-mile trip will consume about 50-gallons of fuel. The tank capacity is 110-gallons. That should leave you enough fuel to do whatever it is you want to do at 70-miles offshore, and get back with an appropriate volume of fuel in reserve.

Cf.: https://www.bostonwhaler.com/boat-model ... erformance

Remaining under 8,000-lbs total towed weight on the trailer will eliminated larger hulls. A simple metric is to consider that the bare hull weight will increase by a factor of two when the boat is rigged and on a trailer. So you need a bare hull weight well under 4,000-lbs.

Even a 230 OUTRAGE will weigh 5,550-lbs with engines and fuel. Add at least 1,300-lbs for the trailer. Now your towed trailer weight is going to be approaching 7,000-lbs. That is realistic limit for a tow vehicle rated "8,000-lbs" as the rated tow capacity is reduced by any weight added to the tow vehicle in gear and people. Any Boston Whaler OUTRAGE larger than the 230 model will probably be too heavy for towing.

[fno]

He could also consider a 210 Outrage if his offshore trip is 70 miles total. 70 out then 70 back is pushing it. And that is in consideration of having a relatively new four stroke engine on the transom.

[Zee Captain]

Thank you for your replies. Just to clarify Im not looking for someone to help with shipping. I only mentioned that as a means to say im not using it locally and not trying to buy anything too big for fuel consumption and shipping reasons. Keeping it simple

[Zee Captain]

I need some expert opinions from [experienced owners of Boston Whaler boats] on which models can achieve what I need.

I don't mind the classics either. I know they’re worth every penny, and timeless. I actually prefer older models as long as [I] can find one that has already been maintained--[particularly regarding the below deck] fuel tank.

I am just not sure which model can comfortably handle the distance i want to go to get to the blue water for big game [fish].

[jimh]

The largest classic-era Boston Whaler boat you could handle on a trailer with a tow vehicle rated for 8,000-lbs is an OUTRAGE 25. It has the deepest V-hull of the classic era OUTRAGE boats. Many of these 25-footers have 140-gallon fuel tanks.