The Boston Whaler 280 Dauntless is a stellar embodiment of versatility and luxury in the center console category, making it an ideal choice for both fishing enthusiasts and families seeking adventure on the water. Measuring approximately 8.53 meters in length, the 280 Dauntless offers ample space and thoughtful features. This model boasts a spacious cockpit that allows for effortless movement, while the bow seating area can be transformed into a sun lounge, perfect for relaxation. With a beam of 2.74 meters, the boat ensures stability and comfort, even in challenging sea conditions. The 280 Dauntless is powered by twin Mercury outboard engines, with options up to 600 horsepower, delivering a smooth and powerful ride. The boat’s innovative design includes a unique swim patio, expanding the cockpit space and offering easy water access. The helm is equipped with state-of-the-art navigation electronics, ensuring precise control and confidence at the helm. The Dauntless line is renowned for its fishing capabilities, featuring ample rod holders, a livewell, and plenty of storage for gear. Yet, it doesn’t compromise on luxury; premium upholstery and high-quality finishes abound, making every trip a pleasure. With a fuel capacity of 662 liters, the 280 Dauntless offers an impressive range for long days on the water. Designed by Boston Whaler’s in-house team, this model reflects the brand’s commitment to quality and innovation. Whether you’re navigating coastal waters or exploring inland lakes, the Boston Whaler 280 Dauntless stands ready to deliver an exceptional boating experience.
Length
8.5M
Beam
2.7M
Draft
0.5M
Day Guests
12
Sleeping
0
Cabin
0
Cruise Speed
30KT
Max Speed
50KT
Fuel
662L
Range
322NM
Engine
Twin Mercury 250 V8
Option 1
Twin Mercury 300 V8
Option 2
Twin Mercury 350 V8
Naval
Boston Whaler Design Team
Exterior
Boston Whaler Design Team
Interior
Boston Whaler Design Team
New Starting From
€200,000
High Price Brokerage
€160,000
Low Price Brokerage
€120,000
Fifty knots is well within reach, and she gets there without feeling pushed.
Standard power is a pair of 250 horsepower Mercury V8 outboards, with 300 and 350 horsepower twins available for owners who want more top end. Boston Whaler quotes a 30 knot cruise and a 50 knot maximum, backed by a 662 litre fuel capacity that stretches range to 322 nautical miles, serious distance for a boat under nine metres. Independent sea trials with the optional twin 300 horsepower setup reached the same speed bracket even working through difficult harbour traffic, a useful real world confirmation of the builder’s own figures. A shallow, flat running surface keeps her steady at speed and stable enough for anglers casting from either side of the cockpit.
Her shape says fishing boat. Her finish says something more considered.
A swim patio folds down from the port gunwale on gas struts, turning the cockpit into direct water access for swimming or boarding, with an automatic cutoff that locks the outboards while it is deployed. Forward, the bow seating converts into a sun lounge, and a 0.5 metre draught lets her work inshore flats and channels that keep larger boats offshore. The hull carries a flatter running surface than most centre consoles her size, chosen for stability when anglers lean over the rail rather than outright speed through a chop. Twelve day guests can move freely around a cockpit built with clear sightlines and recessed hardware, so nothing snags a line or a foot underway.
Everything within reach of the helm answers to a touchscreen, and everything within reach of the cockpit is built to get wet.
A flush mounted Simrad display runs the boat’s digital switching, putting lighting, pumps and systems on one screen, while a wireless charging pad sits ready at the helm console. The cockpit carries a 19 gallon livewell, seven rod holders and tackle storage built into the leaning post, enough for a genuine day of fishing rather than a token gesture toward it. An optional Seakeeper gyrostabiliser steadies her at rest, and a hardtop with sunshade keeps the helm shaded through the hottest hours. The doublewide helm seat flips between sitting and standing positions and converts into two aft facing seats, so the layout adapts through the day rather than locking guests into one arrangement.
Three hundred and twenty two nautical miles is not a number most nine metre boats can claim.
A 662 litre fuel capacity underwrites that range, and a 30 knot cruise means covering it does not demand a full day at the helm. The 0.5 metre draught does more than let her nose into shallow anchorages. It widens the entire cruising ground available to an owner, opening flats, backwaters and skinny channels that keep deeper hulled boats well offshore. For an owner who splits time between serious fishing grounds and family outings along the coast, that combination of range and shallow water access matters more than outright top speed, even though the 280 Dauntless has plenty of that too.
She is built by a yard that has spent decades answering one question. How do you make a boat that will not sink.
Boston Whaler’s Edgewater, Florida facility builds the 280 Dauntless to the same philosophy that runs through the rest of the range, naval architecture, exterior and interior all handled by the Boston Whaler Design Team, with engineering by the Boston Whaler Engineering Department. She carries no cabins and no overnight berths, and does not pretend to. Instead she commits fully to a single job: a day boat for up to twelve guests that fishes hard, runs far and comes home dry. For an owner who wants genuine capability without the upkeep of a larger cruiser, that focus is the entire point.
Length
8.5M
Beam
2.7M
Draft
0.5M
Guests
0
Cabins
0
Cruise Speed
30Kt
Max Speed
50Kt
Length
7.6M
Beam
2.6M
Draft
0.4M
Guests
0
Cabins
0
Cruise Speed
30Kt
Max Speed
45Kt
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