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"NO" is the answer I got when I posed that question to the dealer in Spokane, WA and also from the customer service guy I talked to.

I'd guess a big part of their answer was that they didn't want any liability.

I was thinking of contacting a local steel fabricator and having them make up a stainless plate about 1/4" thick that would fit the contours of the inside of the hull where the interior lifting eye is. A plate that closely matched the contours and is 3"-4" tall and fits the "wings" on either side of that lifting eye would spread the load by quite a bit.

Rope Inc shows this towing plate mounted on the outside of the hull of a few different boats. If there was a suitable way to mount that on a Whaler, along with the plate on the inside it would definitely spread the load.

I also got a quote from Rope Inc on a Mighty Tow! setup. It would run a bit north of $600. That included the bridle for the tow boat, a long hawser and a short hawser for the Whaler.

At this point I'm still in the 'fact gathering' stage, doing my homework before I decide which way I want to go with this.

I definitely appreciate all of the input from you 'old timer' Whaler owners. Me, I feel like the kid in school who's being taught by the experts. :-)