Boston Whaler 280 Vantage
The Boston Whaler 280 Vantage is a 28-foot boat, with model years from 2012 to 2025 in the listings we track. Across 27 listings we have observed (model years 2012–2025), the median asking price is $240,000, with most boats asking $225,000 to $299,000. The engine we see most often on this model is Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400).
BoatVerdict market snapshot
These are asking prices. No free or public source publishes US used-boat transaction prices, so nobody — us included — can honestly show you what these boats sold for. What we can show you is what 27 sellers are asking, which is the number you are actually negotiating against.
20 priced listings across 6 states. Enough for a range, not enough to be precise about any single year.
Method: Asking prices from active listings, de-duplicated so a re-posted boat counts once (27 raw listings collapsed to 27 distinct boats). Quartiles, not averages, so one outlier cannot move the band. Rounded to $500.
Coverage: Model years 2012–2025, 6 states, 19 metro areas. New-boat listings excluded.
Sources: BoatVerdict market observations (rightboat + marinemax + boatcrazy) · US state vessel registries (11,232 registered Boston Whaler hulls)
Looking at a Boston Whaler 280 Vantage for sale?
Paste the listing and we will score that specific boat against everything on this page: asking price versus our observed range, engine and hours risk, the known issues for its model year, and a negotiation position. The verdict is free.
Get the free verdict →No account needed. The paid Deal Report is optional and comes after.
The BoatVerdict take
- BoatVerdict listing data
Pricing is tight: the middle half of listings sits between $225,000 and $299,000, only a 1.3x spread. A boat asking well outside that band needs a reason, and "it is loaded" is usually not enough of one.
- BoatVerdict listing data
Supply is concentrated: our 27 listings came from only 6 states, led by FL. Expect a smaller buyer pool at resale, and budget for transport if the right boat is not local.
- Recall (USCG/CPSC)
13 federal recall campaigns on file touch this builder. Check the specific hull against the recall list below before you put money down; remedies are free but only if the work was actually done.
Each point is tagged with the evidence behind it. Nothing here is a claim we cannot trace back to a counted listing, a federal record, or a named analyst judgement.
Boston Whaler 280 Vantage prices by model year
Show the numbers by model year
| Model year | Boats | Middle half of asks | Median ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | too few to show | - |
| 2024 | 2 | too few to show | - |
| 2023 | 2 | too few to show | - |
| 2022 | 2 | too few to show | - |
| 2021 | 3 | $217,500 to $232,500 | $225,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | too few to show | - |
12 distinct boats, listed now or since taken down, re-posts counted once. Years with fewer than 3 boats show a count only. Asking prices, not sale prices.
What a used Boston Whaler 280 Vantage is worth
We have seen 12 distinct Boston Whaler 280 Vantage boats for sale between Jun 22, 2026 and Nov 14, 2026, model years 2012 to 2025, in 6 states. The median ask is $240,000 and half of all asks sit between $216,500 and $303,000. Asking prices fall about 5.8% for each year of age (26% over five years), measured on these 12 boats and steadied with the class rate.
Of the 11 listed now, 46% have been for sale for 60 days or more, counting re-posts as one boat. A boat that has sat that long usually has room to negotiate.
Engines: median 300 hp across 4 boats that stated it (most common: 300 hp). Engine brands named: Mercury 4. Median engine hours on the 6 boats that stated them: 170.
Recent Boston Whaler 280 Vantage asking prices
| Year | Model | Length | HP | Hours | State | Asking | Seen | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 280 Vantage | 28 ft | 300 | 50 | CT | $385,000 | Aug 16, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed (2 posts) MarineMax |
| 2022 | 280 Vantage | 28 ft | 300 | 240 | FL | $239,900 | Aug 23, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed (3 posts) MarineMax |
| 2021 | 280 Vantage | 28 ft | 300 | 135 | MA | $239,900 | Aug 30, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed (2 posts) MarineMax |
| 2022 | 280 Vantage | - | 300 | 396 | FL | $254,900 | Nov 13, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed MarineMax |
| 2021 | 280 Vantage | 28 ft | - | - | FL | $225,000 | Oct 18, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed (2 posts) MarineMax |
| 2023 | 280 Vantage | 28 ft | - | 205 | NC | $219,000 | Nov 8, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed (2 posts) MarineMax |
| 2024 | 280 Vantage | - | - | - | FL | $299,000 | Nov 13, 2026 to Nov 14, 2026 | listed MarineMax |
| 2025 | 280 Vantage | - | - | 12 | NV | $364,995 | Nov 14, 2026 | listed BoatCrazy |
| 2012 | 280 Vantage | 28 ft | - | - | RI | $159,000 | Oct 18, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026 | listed Rightboat |
| 2024 | 280 Vantage | 28 ft | - | - | FL | $315,900 | Jul 19, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026 | listed Rightboat |
| 2023 | 280 Vantage | 28 ft | - | - | MA | $204,900 | Jul 26, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026 | listed Rightboat |
| 2021 | 280 Vantage | 29 ft | - | - | FL | $209,900 | Jun 22, 2026 to Jun 28, 2026 | taken down Rightboat |
The 12 most recently seen of 12 distinct boats. These are asking prices, not sale prices: no free source publishes US used-boat sale prices. A boat re-posted several times counts once, at its latest ask. "Taken down" means the ad disappeared; that can be a sale, a seller who gave up, or an expired post.
Boston Whaler recalls and accident record
Of 1,160Boston Whaler boats in USCG accident records: fire or explosion 3%, flooding or swamping 4%, capsizing 6%, total loss 4%, at least one death 6%. The rate counts accidents in Texas and New York waters from 2014 to 2023 (50) against 11,229 Boston Whaler boats registered in those two states, the only states that publish boat-level registrations. Accident records reflect how and how much boats are used, not only how they are built. Only accidents above the USCG reporting threshold are recorded. Personal watercraft are left out.
These numbers are for the builder, not this model. Check the specific hull with a HIN lookup for recalls and reported accidents.
Recalls affecting Boston Whaler
13 federal recall campaigns on file. Recalls are issued against hull-identification ranges, so a campaign listed here may or may not cover the specific boat you are looking at — check the HIN. Remedies are free from the builder, but only if the work was actually performed, and there is no central database that proves it was.
- ⚠ Recall
971507S7/31/1997SAFE LOAD: PERS WT; SAFE LOAD: MAX WT
- ⚠ Recall
150013T7/29/2015ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
010090S5/21/2001OVERCURRENT PROTECTION; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
980053T4/9/1998FUEL TANK
- ⚠ Recall
810035T4/9/1981AIRPAX T-11 INSTALLED
- ⚠ Recall
170004T3/31/2017VENTILATION
- ⚠ Recall
19X047AS3/29/2019SAFE LOADING MAX WT
- ⚠ Recall
160011S11/8/2016ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
160006S11/8/2016ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- ⚠ Recall
090050S11/6/2009SAFE LOADING MAX WT; SAFE LOADING PERSONS
- ⚠ Recall
990185T11/16/1999ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - GROUN; EXHAUST SYSTEM - CLAMP
- ⚠ Recall
950129T11/1/1995FUEL FILL FITTING CRACKS; FUEL FILL FITTING CRACKS
Method: Matched to the builder by normalized company name and MIC. A campaign is shown when it touches this builder; the model and year columns say how narrowly it applies.
Sources: US Coast Guard recall database · CPSC recalls
Engines we actually see on the 280 Vantage
- Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400)
Modern Mercury V8/V10 FourStroke and supercharged Verado are strong, smooth, and well-supported, a clear step up from the OptiMax era. Slightly behind Yamaha on resale trust but closing fast, and often better integrated (joystick, digital throttle).
Service reality: 100-hour service; supercharged Verado adds the supercharger oil interval. Check for corroded battery cables and the SmartCraft harness on saltwater boats.
Full Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400) reliability profile →
Method: Engine family matched from the listing's engine fields and title text against BoatVerdict's engine-family profiles. Prevalence is share of our sample, not factory fitment rates.
Sources: BoatVerdict market observations · BoatVerdict engine-family profiles
Boston Whaler 280 Vantage specifications
| Length (median listed) | 28.0 ft | Our listing data |
|---|---|---|
| Model years traded | 2012–2025 | Our listing data |
| Boston Whaler hulls in US registries | 11,232 | TX + NY open data |
Rows marked "our listing data" are measured from listings, not published by the builder, and will differ from a brochure. Rows without a source we can name are not shown at all.
What to inspect on a used Boston Whaler 280 Vantage
- Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400): 100-hour service; supercharged Verado adds the supercharger oil interval. Check for corroded battery cables and the SmartCraft harness on saltwater boats. Seen on 4 of the 27 280 Vantage listings we track (typically 300 hp on this model).
- Get the hour meter reading and divide by the boat's age. Above 150 hours a year is heavy use for a Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400). Threshold from BoatVerdict's engine-family profile for Mercury Verado / V8 FourStroke (250–400).
- Assume saltwater service unless the seller can prove otherwise: pull the engine cowling and look at the powerhead, check trim-cylinder rams for pitting, and open the battery and fuse boxes for green corrosion. 96% of the listings we observed for this model are in coastal states.
This list is specific to this model: analyst items for the hull, plus items driven by the engines and the regions we actually observe on 280 Vantage listings. It is not a generic pre-purchase checklist, and it does not replace a surveyor.
What a 280 Vantage costs to own
$4,750 – $14k per year
- 28 ft hull, the median observed length for this model
- Saltwater berth, based on where most listings we see are located (FL)
- Includes insurance, storage, routine service, fuel at moderate seasonal use, and a reserve for wear items
- Excludes loan payments, major engine replacement, and refit work
This is a modelled band, not observed spend. Real cost swings hard on where you keep the boat and how much you use it.
Method: The same ownership-cost model BoatVerdict's paid Deal Report uses: boat class and length set the base band, then saltwater berth and size adjust it.
Sources: BoatVerdict ownership-cost model
Where 280 Vantages are for sale
- FL 14
- NC 4
- MA 4
- CT 2
- RI 1
- NV 1
Counts of distinct boats we observed per state, from 27 listings in 19 metro areas. We publish the distribution, not the listings themselves.
What else buyers cross-shop
- Boston Whaler 270 Dauntless
- Boston Whaler 270 Vantage
- Boston Whaler 250 Outrage
- Boston Whaler 320 Vantage
- Boston Whaler 330 Outrage
- Boston Whaler 230 Vantage
Chosen by measured similarity — same builder first, then comparable length — and limited to models whose own page meets our evidence bar. No paid placements, no filler links.
Boston Whaler 280 Vantage FAQ
How much does a used Boston Whaler 280 Vantage cost?
Are there recalls on the Boston Whaler 280 Vantage?
What engine does the Boston Whaler 280 Vantage come with?
What does it cost to own a Boston Whaler 280 Vantage per year?
Looking at a Boston Whaler 280 Vantage for sale?
Paste the listing and we will score that specific boat against everything on this page: asking price versus our observed range, engine and hours risk, the known issues for its model year, and a negotiation position. The verdict is free.
Get the free verdict →No account needed. The paid Deal Report is optional and comes after.