"HK" wrote in message
. ..
Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:39:30 -0400, HK wrote:

I've been offshore plenty of times in boats with 15" transoms, including
some of the older Boston Whalers.

If you believe the ads, a Whaler will float after you cut it in two
with a chain saw.

Never tried it. :-)

I'd like to, but no one with a Whaler will allow me to get near it with my
Sawzall.

I never tried the saw-it-in-half test, but I have tried the
crab-pot-around-the-motor test in a 17' Whaler. About a foot of water
flooded into the boat while I was "stern-to" before I could cut the line.
The nice part was just a blip of the throttle forced most of it right out
the back over that low transom. I've also taken green water over the bow,
and the low transom just allowed it to shoot right out the back.

I certainly wouldn't want an open transom boat down here during stone crab
season unless it was a Whaler, McKee Craft, Cape Horn, etc with full
*level* floatation.
In fact, an open transom Whaler is about as safe a boat as you can buy.

There was a case of a 50-something year old man, and a 14 year old boy
drowning/dying from cold exposure down here 3 or 4 years ago when their 19'
center console caught a crab pot and turned stern-to. Water temps were 54
degrees, and seas were 3-4'. Although it's not likely to happen, it still
is a genuine concern.