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Tell us about your fibreglass boat or the fibreglass boats you work with. Hints and tips about the care and maintenance of fibreglass hulls will be especially welcomed as will any your stories and opinions.
How much of the dreaded 'osmosis' stuff you hear is scare-mongering and how seriously should a person whose yacht has been diagnosed as having osmosis take it? Tell us all about it! 

THE HISTORY OF BOSTON WHALER

The first Boston Whaler boat was built in 1958 in Braintree, Massachusetts. 
Founder Richard T. Fisher originally called the operation the Fisher-Pierce Company, before later changing the name to Boston Whaler, and it was he who pioneered a revolutionary production process that produced unsinkable boats. 

The technique, still employed today, begins with a hull comprised of two fiberglass skins between which a liquid foam is poured. 
As the foam expands and hardens, it literally fuses with the fiberglass to form a single, inseparable unit. 
Because of the confined expansion space, the foam is very dense- which lends not only strength and rigidity, but provides the ultimate in flotation materials, in some models as much as 250%  more positive flotation than is required by the United States Coast Guard!

On May 19, 1961, Life magazine featured photographs of Fisher sitting in a Boston Whaler boat as it was sawed in half.  Subsequent photographs depicted Fisher casually driving away in only half a boat. Thus, the "Unsinkable Legend" was born.
In addition to being unsinkable, Fisher's unique hull design made the craft remarkably stable - able to support the weight of a man perched precariously on the gunnels of a 13' hull. 

Also in 1961, Fisher and his team unveiled another innovation that rocked the industry - the center console design.  This design moved the helm from the starboard side to the center of the craft, providing better steering control and an even keel. The center console boat was more versatile and roomier than its predecessor. It has since blossomed into an $85 million industry.

Boston Whaler began producing military, law enforcement and commercial work boats in 1983. 
To emphasize Boston Whaler unsinkability, the company fired more than 1000 rounds of .50 caliber and 7.62 millimeter ammunition into a hull which remained afloat - seemingly unscathed except for the savage pattern of bullet holes.
Today, Boston Whaler continues to enjoy what appears to be a well-deserved  reputation for quality, unsinkability and innovation. In  November 1999 they launched the 16' Ventura, the 18' Outrage and the 34' Defiance, just in time to celebrate the arrival of a new millennium.

Thanks to James Beatty for that. We spotted quite a few Boston Whalers, mainly the smaller variety, around the Caribbean, and were given lifts in one or two. They are certainly instantly recognisable but, until we read James' article we had no idea just how different they are from other boats around them!