Cetacea Page 20

These photographs first appeared October 6, 2000.

This week we reach a milestone, our twentieth page of Classic Boston Whalers in their natural habitat. To mark the occassion: A new boat in our family, the recently purchased 1987 Revenge-20 Walk Through.

jimh's Revenge-20 continuouswave

We somewhat impulsively bought this boat in July and with a borrowed truck trailered her home 150 miles with wheel bearings smoking! I watched it rain for ten days straight while she sat in my driveway, took a week off to go to the Rendezvous, and came home to find the neighborhood association demanding I remove the boat!

I rented a van, trailered her down to Grosse Isle, and stashed her for two weeks in the water at a friend's seawall while the trailer was overhauled. In the interim I bought a used truck to enable me to trailer her myself.

In late August, we yanked her from the lower Detroit River and hauled her 250 miles up north for a week on big Lake Charlevoix. She romped around there, Round Lake, and Lake Michigan for seven glorious days, then came home. Three weeks were wasted while she sat waiting at the Yamaha dealer to get one of her tachometers fixed.

Finally I got her back, just in time to quickly install (in about three hours) some of the new canvas I was so fortunate to receive. That weekend she got to go overland 200 miles to Lake Michigan for two days in the water, then back home again.

1987 Boston Whaler Revenge-20 Walk Through Your author proudly presents the new boat! We are preparing to launch at Montague, Michigan, on White Lake, which is connected to Lake Michigan about three miles away. On the transom are compact 70-HP Yamaha engines. That's the new tow vehicle, too, a used 1995 GMC Suburban. The all-up weight with the trailer and full fuel tank is approaching 4,500 pounds (estimated); the boat itself only weighs 2,150 pounds. PhotoCredit: LHG

Bottom Paint Removal Master Cetologist Larry Goltz said, "The first thing I'd do to this boat is get rid of that bottom paint." It only took an hour in PhotoShop to remove it here; it may be more labor intensive in real life. The complex curved lines of the boat look much better when not cut by the straight edge of the bottom paint. For a trailered boat, no bottom paint is the way to go. PhotoCredit: LHG

Factory Fresh Canvas Although the last Revenge was made in 1990, Wm. J. Mills & Co. still has all the patterns for these classic Whalers. This thirteen year old boat gets up on plane with her new Flying Top and Windshield set. The Revenge is built on the classic Outrage hull, but with an additional molded superstructure fastened over the forward half of the boat. In the cuddy are 7-foot vee berths. PhotoCredit: LHG

Whaler in Waves With the wind from the southwest for two days and blowing steady at 20 knots, the eastern shore of Lake Michigan developed some waves to test our new boat and canvas. Here, in a lull, Larry has a chance to take a photo. On the horizon to the right are a couple of bigger waves, some of them reaching over eight feet. They were the biggest I'd been in aboard an outboard-powered boat. The behavior of the Whaler hull was excellent; there were no surprise motions or lurches. PhotoCredit: LHG

Safe in the Harbor Making the ten miles upwind to Muskegeon from White Lake took over an hour. Getting on plane was out of the question in the sea that was running out there. At the inlet, the rollers swelled up and crashed against the breakwall, throwing spray 20 feet or more into the air. Once we made the harbor, I sat down for a break while First Officer Chris took over. The rear bench seat is a home-made addition of the previous owner, which is very comfortable but just a touch out of the classic motif of the boat. It may, however, be an instance of comfort trumping esthetics. I think the seat is going to stay. PhotoCredit: LHG

Dockside in Muskegeon With the big wind and waves on the lake, we had the courtesy dock at a local restaurant all to ourselves. The low afternoon September sun has come back to warm us on the trip home. PhotoCredit: Lynn Holaday

Downwind Run After lunch shoreside in Muskegeon, the sun made a brief appearance, giving us a comfortable late afternoon run back to White Lake. This time it was downwind and with a following sea, where the tracking of the classic Whaler hull really shines. By the way, these are not the waves; this is the chop in the troughs between the waves. We ran back on plane all the way, making about 24 MPH. Just as we entered the inlet at White Lake, the sun dissappeared again. PhotoCredit: LHG

Whalers in Waves Finally, a photograph that catches the size of the waves! Lynn got this shot from WHALE LURE upwind of BACKLASH, as a big wave rolled toward shore between the two boats. Larry Goltz says, "Even this shot doesn't catch a really big wave. I noticed we were often completely loosing sight of the other boats when we were both in the troughs and a big one was between us." PhotoCredit: Lynn Holaday

Whitehall Landing Marina The Revenge enjoyed a night afloat at Whitehall Landing Marina, an excellent facility, while we stayed shoreside at the Ramada Inn down the road. Next summer we hope to enjoy many nights of cruising and sleeping aboard, made more comfortable by the generousity of everyone who contributed to the "recognition fund" which bought our canvas. Again, to all who participated, Chris and I send our thanks! PhotoCredit: LHG

Certificate I was also honored to receive this very nice certificate, which we plan to frame and display prominently in our home. It includes the names of all contributors. Click image to see full-size version.

DISCLAIMER: This information is believed to be accurate but there is no guarantee. We do our best!

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Copyright © 1999, 2000 by James W. Hebert. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited!

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