diff --git a/package/boost/Config.in b/package/boost/Config.in
index fb5360ecf..19dcc6044 100644
--- a/package/boost/Config.in
+++ b/package/boost/Config.in
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
-comment "boost requires a toolchain with C++ and large file support enabled"
-	depends on !BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP || !BR2_LARGEFILE
+comment "boost requires a toolchain with C++, large file and thread support enabled"
+	depends on !BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP || !BR2_LARGEFILE || !BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST
 	bool "boost"
 	depends on BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP
 	depends on BR2_LARGEFILE
+	# Boost could theorically be built with threading=single, but
+	# that unfortunately doesn't work. Until someone fixes that,
+	# let's depend on threads.
+	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_BZIP2
 	select BR2_PACKAGE_ZLIB
 	help
@@ -14,12 +18,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST
 
 if BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST
 
-config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_MULTITHREADED
-	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS
-	bool "boost-multithreaded"
-	help
-	  Build the boost libraries as multithreaded
-
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_CHRONO
 	bool "boost-chrono"
 
@@ -76,7 +74,6 @@ config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_TEST
 	bool "boost-test"
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_THREAD
-	depends on BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_THREADS
 	bool "boost-thread"
 
 config BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_TIMER
diff --git a/package/boost/boost.mk b/package/boost/boost.mk
index 005c7ca75..62226ba22 100644
--- a/package/boost/boost.mk
+++ b/package/boost/boost.mk
@@ -46,10 +46,10 @@ BOOST_FLAGS += --without-icu
 endif
 
 BOOST_OPT += toolset=gcc \
+	     threading=multi \
 	     variant=$(if $(BR2_ENABLE_DEBUG),debug,release) \
 	     link=$(if $(BR2_PREFER_STATIC_LIB),static,shared) \
-	     runtime-link=$(if $(BR2_PREFER_STATIC_LIB),static,shared) \
-	     threading=$(if $(BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_MULTITHREADED),multi,single)
+	     runtime-link=$(if $(BR2_PREFER_STATIC_LIB),static,shared)
 
 ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST_LOCALE),y)
 ifeq ($(BR2_TOOLCHAIN_BUILDROOT)$(BR2_TOOLCHAIN_EXTERNAL_UCLIBC)$(BR2_TOOLCHAIN_CTNG_uClibc),y)