Boston Whaler 285 Conquest Review and Long-Run Buyer's Guide

Why the Boston Whaler 285 Conquest has outlived its rivals

Most 28-foot cabin boats get a five-year run before the builder retools. The Boston Whaler 285 Conquest debuted at the Fort Lauderdale show in the fall of 2011 as a 2012 model, and Whaler still lists it on its current site next to the much newer 325, 365 and 405 Conquests. That kind of longevity tells you two things: the mold was right the first time, and the boat keeps selling to people who want a real cabin without stepping up to a 32-footer and triple engines.

The 285 replaced the older 280 Conquest and, according to Whaler's product chief Ron Berman at launch, was new from the keel up. Whaler raised the sheer and lowered the deck profile for a more rugged, seaworthy look, bonded a full windshield to the hardtop, and replaced the old inboard-facing settee with a forward-facing companion seat that converts. It also introduced three helm-deck versions: open sides, full side glass with a drop curtain, and a pilothouse with a hard aft bulkhead and door that Whaler pitched at Pacific Northwest owners.

If you are shopping for a Boston Whaler 285 Conquest for sale, the long run is a gift. There are more than a decade of model years to choose from, parts and service knowledge are everywhere, and Whaler's own performance sheet for the boat is still published.

Unibond hull, 200 gallons and the real dimensions

The name suggests 28.5 feet, but Whaler's current spec sheet lists a length overall of 27 feet 10 inches and a beam of 9 feet 6 inches. Hull draft is 20 inches, dry weight without engines is 7,300 pounds, and the boat weighs 10,181 pounds with engines, fuel and water. Bridge clearance is 8 feet 10 inches with the hardtop and 9 feet 4 inches with radar and spotlight, a number worth knowing if you trailer or run under bridges.

Construction is classic Whaler Unibond: hull and liner are joined while still in their molds and the cavity is filled with closed-cell foam, which is why the company can call the boat unsinkable. Sport Fishing's tester called it heavy by most standards and meant it as a compliment, because the mass helps the hull push through head seas without slamming. Boating noted that wide chines knock down spray and give good stability at rest.

Tankage has changed slightly over the years. Boating's 2012 test described a 214-gallon polyethylene tank amidships, while today's spec sheet and Whaler's performance sheet list 200 gallons. Check the capacity plate on the boat you are looking at rather than assuming.

• LOA 27 ft 10 in, beam 9 ft 6 in, hull draft 20 in
• Dry weight 7,300 lb; about 10,181 lb loaded with engines, fuel and water
• Fuel 200 gal (early tests cite 214 gal), water 30 gal, waste 6.5 gal
• Maximum 500 hp, 12 persons, 3,968 lb maximum weight capacity

What twin 250 Verados actually deliver

Whaler's published performance sheet, run in August 2018 on a 2019-model hull with twin Mercury 250 V8 Verados, half fuel and two people, is the most complete data set available. The boat planed in 6 seconds and reached 30 mph in 7.7 seconds. The sweet spot is 3,500 to 4,000 rpm: 30.4 knots on 20.5 gph and 34.6 knots on 24.4 gph, both returning about 1.4 to 1.5 nautical miles per gallon. The last recorded row was 44.9 knots at 5,500 rpm on 45.2 gph.

Magazine tests line up. Soundings reported 1.6 mpg at 31.5 mph and a 46 mph top end with the original standard 225s. Sport Fishing found its best economy at 35 mph, 1.5 mpg, and topped out a little under 49 mph with 250s. Boating described quiet running between 3,500 and 4,500 rpm, minimal bow rise on plane and clear sight lines.

The practical takeaway is that a 285 cruises comfortably in the low 30s of knots and gives you roughly 250 nautical miles of range at that pace with a 10 percent reserve, enough for a Bahamas crossing with margin or a long canyon run in the Northeast.

A cabin that genuinely sleeps four

This is where the 285 earns its keep over a center console. Below, the forward V-berth works as a dinette, with a table on a gas-assist base that rises out of the filler section, and the backrests become part of the sleeping surface. Aft, under the helm deck, a midcabin double gives a second couple their own berth. Whaler rates the boat to sleep four, and that is honest.

The galley has a sink, a 12-volt and 120-volt refrigerator, a microwave and a Corian counter under a skylight. The enclosed head carries a VacuFlush toilet with a 6.5-gallon holding tank, a stainless sink with pullout shower and about 5 feet 8 inches of headroom according to Boating, so taller owners will stoop. A Cruising package adds dockside water and a single electric burner, and many boats were ordered with a gas generator and air conditioning.

Helm deck, seating tricks and the three hardtops

Whaler is known for convertible seating, and the 285 shows why. The companion seat faces forward underway, swings to become an aft-facing lounge, or splits into seats with a foldout table. The aft seat has a reversible backrest and a pullout footrest so it can face the cockpit to watch a trolling spread. Three tackle drawers sit under the port lounge, and a bait-prep station with sink sits behind the helm.

The windshield is safety glass bonded to the hardtop with a central vent along the top edge, and the hardtop has a molded wedge for a radar dome. Buyers choose between the standard open sides, full side glass, or the pilothouse enclosure. Boating's 2012 test priced the pilothouse at $13,343 over the base boat and full side glass at $2,313, figures that show how much the enclosure adds and why pilothouse boats hold a premium in cold-water markets.

How well it fishes from the cockpit

Aft of the helm deck, the 285 is a fishing boat. Standard gear includes a 26-gallon insulated livewell, four gunwale rod holders, three transom holders, under-gunwale rod racks, raw-water washdown and two in-deck fish boxes with pump-outs. A foldaway stern bench and optional fold-down trolling seats clear the deck for a fight, and molded steps at the forward cockpit corners lead to 7.5-inch walkways around the house to the windlass.

The cockpit is smaller than on an open center console of the same length, and Boating pointed out that Grady-White's Chesapeake 290 has a larger cockpit and a head with 6 feet of headroom. That is the trade. If you fish hard with four anglers every weekend, a center console wins; if you fish with two and want the family to overnight, the Conquest is the better tool.

Running costs and what wears out

At the factory-measured cruise of about 24 gph, a season of 150 engine hours burns around 3,600 gallons of gas. Add twin Verado service, bottom paint if the boat lives in the water, insurance on a $150,000 to $330,000 hull, canvas and a slip or rack, and we estimate $18,000 to $35,000 a year before depreciation. Boats kept on a lift or trailer sit at the low end.

Whaler's systems are well executed. Boating praised the neat wiring and plumbing and the plastic boots on every hose clamp, and the big hatch over the fuel tank and batteries gives good access. The weak points are the usual ones on a long-lived design: older Verados needing supercharger and steering service, tired generator impellers, and canvas or Strataglass panels that yellow.

Picking the right 285 Conquest for sale

Early 2012 to 2014 boats offer the best value and many came with the 250 upgrade rather than base 225s. Mid-life boats gained Mercury's joystick option and later boats integrated Simrad electronics with a 12-inch NSX display, JL Audio stereo and the 250 CXL Verados. A late boat with low hours and joystick can be worth the premium if you dock single-handed.

Whatever the year, the market rewards documented engine service, a generator with records, and an enclosure in good condition. Pilothouse boats sell faster in the Pacific Northwest and New England; open boats are easier to find in Florida.