2022. Boston Whaler, Truly American

Welcome to the special section “BAM 35 Years.” We are presenting “cult” articles from the Motor Boats archive, starting in 1990. A journey through time among stories unobtainable today, even in the great sea of the internet! A dive into the world of epic moments in motor boating. Here is one of the stories we were most passionate about.

Truly American

From Boats by Motor 2022, no. 29, December-March, pp. 76-85.

Symbol of a nation, a way of going to sea and a passion that has deep origins. The true story, to date, of the most “pop” boats in the U.S.: the Boston Whaler.

“If I say strong, resilient, ready for anything, what comes to mind?” “Mmm. The boats that catch whales!” Whalers, indeed. Legend has it that in this conversation with his daughter a young Massachusetts entrepreneur, Richard “Dick” Fisher, found the second part of a name destined to make boating history. What about Boston? A significant reference, geographically speaking, to the America from which it came. This anecdote told to me by Alessandro Lorenzon, Boston ‘s manager for the EMEAA mercao, under the usual apocalypse rain that punctually hits the Genoa boat show for at least one day, marks the beginning of my journey inside the history of one of America’s most famous shipyards. If we look at Boston Whaler, from its genesis to what it represents today, it is clear that it could not have been born anywhere else but in the United States. It is not so much the type of boat itself, but the value of this brand itself over time. Those described by Fisher and summarized by his daughter in “whaler” are concepts that a certain kind of American proudly reflects in and puts at the center of his culture. Boating in America, even high-end boating, often has a tendency not to be exclusive, or rather, not to have its center of gravity there. To get into the order of ideas, let’s think about cars. In our country, a sports car symbolic of “made in Italy” probably brings to mind two brands such as Ferrari and Lamborghini. Great machines, but for very few people. In the U.S., the same success in terms of fame is found in a Ford Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro, within the reach, potentially, of hundreds of thousands of people. The basic idea is that overseas, observed from the Old World, a “top” brand is often also “pop,” that is, popular.

A symbol around the world

So even a boat like a Boston Whaler is not for a niche, but rather a goal that an average Joe with commitment and dedication can achieve. Fatigue for an important result. Maybe in that “whaler” in the beginning we could put that in there as well. The fact remains that Boston Whaler is a symbol of the United States and with this philosophy it has come to the whole world. Speaking of philosophy, that was the discipline in which the multifaceted Richard Fisher graduated from Harvard in 1936 before founding Fisher-Pierce three years later with his childhood friend, Robert Pierce. The company specialized in relay switches for traffic lights and as a reality still exists today. As a passion Fisher went fishing and did so on rivers where rocks might suddenly appear. So in 1943, he had tried building small boats out of balsa wood with the goal of combining lightness and strength, but he soon realized that it didn’t work. He had to wait until 1954 when a press release about polyurethane foam came under his eyes. Mindful of his youthful endeavors, thanks to that providential insert Fisher ‘s enthusiasm was rekindled and before long he was making a sailboat, a kind of scow for America’s inland lakes. At this point it becomes necessary to introduce another key player in the birth of Boston Whaler: the legendary Raymond “Ray” Hunt, inventor of the deep-V hull, the Moppie and the very first Bertrams, but above all Fisher‘s friend. When he saw the sailboat he was surprised, in a positive way, but he made an argument that hasn’t aged a day in sixty years: “Nice, but the sailing market is limited. Why don’t you motor it with outboards?”

The story begins

At this point Hunt brought up an old project, the Sea Sled. Developed in the 1920s by Canadian William Hickman, it differed from a regular boat in having two distinctly separate hulls and a “beveled” bow. Hunt wanted the Sea Sled as the basis for what would become the first Boston Whaler and talked to Hickman himself about it, showing him some modifications to improve it, but the Canadian did not get involved. Hunt then went ahead on his own and added a central element to the Sea Sled from which the design of the first legendary “13 foot” Boston Whaler was born. It actually took several months of trial and error and testing on the water with Fisher to get the shape of the living work right, but not much was changed from then on. The momentous breakthrough that this boat brought was not just about the hull. In fact, the basis of everything was precisely polyurethane foam. It was a pioneering time for fiberglass, the first mass-produced boat was yet to come, and it would be a sailboat. It was already clear, however, that that type of laminate with the knowledge of the time would not work for small, lightweight outboard boats. II problem was circumvented upstream by Fisher, who created a hull made primarily of foam enclosed in a lighter, thinner layer of laminates and gelcoat. The result was a unit that was rigid, strong, fast and extremely buoyant. Even “too much.” We used to talk about a “multifaceted Fisher.” In addition to being an entrepreneur, the Boston founder also had a keen talent for marketing. How to raise awareness of a boat that was aesthetically referred to as a “soapbox”? By focusing on different, unique qualities, such as the one that has become proverbial: the Boston‘s unsinkability. To do so, Fisher donned a tweed coat, bow tie and hat and had himself portrayed in a series of shots as he sat quietly aboard the 13-footer while a large saw cut the boat in two. As a lock he added more shots in which he could be seen smoothly walking away with the remaining half. These photos appeared in Life, one of the most widely read magazines at the time, and with this stunt, which became cult, the Boston Whaler name took off.

A rapid rise

It was, clearly, not the first time Fisher had one of his hulls cut in two. It is likely that as early as the spring of ’59 he had been experimenting in this way, and in a world as small as boating, news of his “stunt” had reached the ears of Carl Kiekhaefer, founder of Mercury Marine, who, intrigued, had invited Fisher to the annual dealer meeting to show the “stunt” live. Destiny, that of Boston and Mercury which, as we shall see, would become one. Over time the range of Boston Whaler boats definitely expanded with new hulls also for off-shore and improved construction techniques. Interesting, however, how the use of interior foam, suppur with a formula updated each year, has remained one of the defining elements of all production. Ownership has also changed hands several times since Fisher-Pierce sold the business to the CML group in1969. It would have to wait until 1996, however, to see the entry of the Brunswick Group, a boating giant that today has this brand as one of its cornerstones. In 1993, production moved to Edgewater, now headquarters in Florida, permanently leaving Rockland, Massachusetts where it all began. A plant in Edgewater had already been opened in 1987 at a time of market expansion. Today, Florida remains the territory where Boston Whalerhas put down roots, so much so that still in 2021 the reopening of a 20,000-plus-square-foot facility in Flagler County, precisely in Florida, a stone’s throw from Daytona, was celebrated. The facility, which is expected to work at full capacity by 2025, not only increases production space but also brings in new, state-of-the-art machinery.

A real “pop” myth

With this additional piece, in three years, Boston Whaler production will increase by about 30-40% in total among all facilities. This is an ambitious plan for a manufacturer that already employs about 1,400 people and is heading toward 500 new hires just this year. Of course, behind it for more than 25 years now there is a group that in the nautical sector has been doing the lion’s share by catering to an extremely heterogeneous market segment. We are talking about Brunswick, which, with its recent acquisition of electronics giant Navico (Simrad, C-Map, Lowrance) for about a billion euros, now figures as a major player in small-to-medium sized boating. In an industry where integration is increasingly central Boston Whaler is in a privileged position in the market by being able to count on the firepower, whether technological or industrial, of this large group. Similar discourse for thrusters. Kiekhaefer and Fisher are gone, but their two creations, Mercury Marine, also part of Brunswick, and the EdgeWater brand are now more closely linked than ever. Boston hulls are designed specifically for these engines, and when they leave the yard at the stern they already have one or more outboards made by the Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin-based company. And in a range of boats from the smallest four-meter Super Sport to the 420 Outrage, the family continues to grow. Last two arrivals in terms of time are the 360 Outrage and 405 Conquest, making their European debut at the Düsseldorf 2023 show. The former is a sports center console while the latter is a cruiser cab. The attitude, in terms of performance and sea-keeping, as an off-shore boat is, however, common to both. In the world, in fact, a Boston goes from a pure fisherman to a cruising boat simply by changing area and mindset. What does not change is the passion that revolves around these hulls as evidenced by the clubs that have sprung up in various locations and the gatherings that are organized by these entities to create moments dedicated to those who have one of these hulls. II great thing is that you don’t have to show off the newest or the greatest to be admired; on the contrary. Indeed, it is the vintage models that have the most success and interest, and it is no accident that a hull of these is a kind of cashier’s check with minimal loss of value over time. Among the owners there is precisely that group concept that makes these boats the opposite of an exclusive product, but rather something that unites. A real “pop” myth!

by Gregorio Ferrari

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