Boston Whaler boats have an advantage over the vast majority of the other boats out there: they can legitimately claim to be unsinkable. The hull and deck are laid up separately, then are mated and enclosed in a mold that’s bolted shut. Next, liquid foam is injected between the two parts under high pressure. All of the boat’s voids get filled with the foam, it bonds to the fiberglass, and you end up with one rock-solid structure that will continue to float even if you saw it up into a hundred different pieces-parts.
What doesn’t get discussed as often, however, are the fringe benefits that go along with that unsinkable glass-foam-glass sandwich. All of the integrated compartments, like coolers and fishboxes, are uber-insulated and hold ice far better than the norm. Having a solid single structure rather than different parts flexing against each other eliminates much of the shuddering and vibration you’ll feel on some boats when hitting waves. And the foam absorbs water noise, quieting the ride.
Whether you consider it fair or not, these factors give Boston Whalers a serious competitive advantage. That’s particularly true when it comes to parental anglers, who can enjoy some serious peace of mind knowing that their boat will never sink. Another thing that’s appealing to fishermen who have kids is the dual console design, which provides a lot more protection from the elements than a center console can. Too bad Boston Whaler’s Vantage line begins at a 24’, and if you want a 21-footer that’s easier to trailer and easier to afford you’re out of luck, right? Not anymore — now there’s a 210 Vantage dual console.
For the most part the 210 Vantage follows a classic DC layout, with seating forward which can be stripped of its cushions to serve as a casting platform, a head compartment in the port console and stowage in the starboard console, and an open cockpit aft. The stern arrangement is a bit unusual in that it has flip-up jump seats which can be folded flush for use as an aft casting deck, giving this model a leg up over some DCs in the fishing department.
Speaking of fishing, the 210 Vantage comes along with five stock rodholders, two in the gunwales and three more on the transom. Most of us will want to add the Fishing Package, which gets you an 18-gallon livewell, a raw water washdown, locking rod stowage in the starboard console, and another pair of gunwale-mounted holders. You can also opt for factory-installed electronics packages with nine- or 12” Simrad NSX MFDs in the helm, and the Active Imaging transducer with CHIRP, SideScan, and DownScan.
Power options include 200- and 250-hp Mercury outboards. With 200 horses you can expect a cruise in the neighborhood of 30 mph at 4500 rpm and a top-end of around 40 mph. Get the max power and cruise jumps into the mid-30s, while top-end bumps up to the 50-mph mark. The 200 option can provide slightly better economy, peaking at 3.5 mpg as compared to 3.3 mpg for the larger engine. Either way, with 80 gallons of fuel you’ll have a range of over 200 miles.
Hold on there, partner, if Whaler’s way of doing things gives them that unsinkable advantage, why doesn’t everyone else build their boats this way? Well, simply put it’s more complex and more expensive than stock-and-trade boatbuilding methods. Most other builders aren’t willing to risk it. That’s why Boston Whaler basically owns this chunk of the market. And if you had hoped to find an unsinkable 21-foot dual console you’d have been out of luck — until now.
Boston Whaler 21 Vantage Specifications
- LOA – 21’3”
- Beam – 8’6”
- Displacement – 4880 lbs.
- Draft – 1’6”
- Transom Deadrise – 20 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 80 gal.
- Max. Power – 250 hp
- Area Dealer – Chesapeake Whalertowne, Grasonville MD, (410) 827-8080 and Annapolis, MD, (410) 267-9731