Whaler Central - Boston Whaler Boat Information and Photos

Posted by Jimmyd70 on 10/22/16 - 9:42 AM

Hi Guy's I am new here and this is my first post. I am considering a 1988 22' Guardian. The Boat has been refitted with new 200 HP 4 stroke Yamaha, and new electronics. I looked at the boat and it looks great other than a few paint bubbles. My question is in general what is your opinion of the Guardian boats? is there anything specific I should look for before investing in a survey? This deal would involve a collector car (1969 Corvette conv) for the boat and some cash to make the trade value even. All opinions will be appreciated.

Posted by gchuba on 10/22/16 - 8:46 PM

The Guardian hull is a commercial application. Thicker and better built than standard hulls. Get the boat surveyed by a reputable surveyor. They would give you a better perspective, Finnegan recently posted "what to look for" and hull painting was one of the topics. Good luck.
Garris

Posted by tedious on 10/23/16 - 5:15 AM

Jimmy, the Guardians were heavier-duty versions of standard Whalers - they had thicker glass so held up better to impacts. Most of them were used in law enforcement, commercial, or military applications and got beat up pretty badly - lots of time on and in the water, lots of different operators, none of whom had any interest in keeping the boat in good condition. Hopefully the one you are looking at is the exception, but I would be very, very careful here - the seller may have found an old junker at a surplus auction, freshened it up a bit, and be looking to get his hands on your Corvette before you learn enough to protect yourself. I hope the seller is offering you a big chunk of cash, not the other way 'round.

Is the motor brand new, or used? Yamaha has been making 4-stroke 200s for a long time. 200 horses on a 22 Guardian (heavier than a standard Whaler) is relatively underpowered, which is another potential red flag - could be the seller trying to make the boat look good even though it won't perform very well.

Likewise, "a few paint bubbles" could be a sign of many things, and most of them are not good.

Hopefully it's on the up and up, but be sure to do your homework! You may wish to see if a local member, more familiar with Whalers, can come with you to check it out.

Edited by tedious on 10/23/16 - 5:19 AM