16’ Hourston Vs 16’ Double Eagle ?

Ahhhh "gone fishin" , you are making me happy with my decision to buy the boat, then add the kicker, then spending the 4 days putting a second battery on the boat.
 
I bought my 1980 16' Double Eagle brand new. Recently had the transom rebuilt by Jenkins in Sooke.
Had it built 3" higher.
They inspected the stringers and said they were in good shape.
I have always had 115 hp on it with a 9.9 kicker and replace a few motors over the years.
Both motors are currently 4 stroke. Always kept on a trailer under shelter when not in use.
Built in a gas tank up front to help with balance.
I have fished this boat EVERYWHERE up and down both the east and west coast of Vancouver Island and is the perfect two fisherman boat.
Trails well, easy to launch, great on gas and good in choppy water!!
I figure it is good to another 40 years
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Looks amazing buddy! What a beauty I hate to ask but what was the rough cost to have the transom rebuilt? Thinking my hourston will eventually need it done as I plan on keeping it for quite a while. You can send me a private message as well if that makes it easier?
 
Looks amazing buddy! What a beauty I hate to ask but what was the rough cost to have the transom rebuilt? Thinking my hourston will eventually need it done as I plan on keeping it for quite a while. You can send me a private message as well if that makes it easier?
Completed in Feb. 2020
Prices may have changed since then. Jenkins did it for me for $4519.20 including tax.
Mostly the cost is labor.
The best $4500 I ever spent. Needless to say I highly recommend Jenkin in Sooke
They put the motors back on and made it pretty much ready to go. Kicker is on the other side.. No bracket
Hope you all noticed the correction on cost I made...old age..

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I(@noluck )dropped a 2016 Merc 90 on back of a DE 15’7”. Didn’t ride too bad or sit too low imo with 2 passengers sitting upfront.
Agreed, my main is a 50 hp Yami with a 9.9 Merc been no issue with the additional wieght or how it sits in the water. Enough power to push the boat along for the "get me home function...." so long as weather and tides are reasonable. Don't ask how I know. Most importantly makes a great trolling motor, to which I added the aftermarket tiller handle extension to make it a bit more comfortable for use.
 
Completed in Feb. 2020
Prices may have changed since then. Jenkins did it for me for $4519.20 including tax.
Mostly the cost is labor.
The best $4500 I ever spent. Needless to say I highly recommend Jenkin in Sooke
They put the motors back on and made it pretty much ready to go. Kicker is on the other side.. No bracket
Hope you all noticed the correction on cost I made...old age..

View attachment 74608
Looks amazing, mine is 2007 hull so think I am ok for a few more years but would do the same increasing the height of the transom.
 
I fished out of @gham’s hourston a few times wanna say 15’6 or 16. He used that boat for 15 years with a 70 2 stroke and crushed 100’s of fish in it.
great times!!!
 
Completed in Feb. 2020
Prices may have changed since then. Jenkins did it for me for $4519.20 including tax.
Mostly the cost is labor.
The best $4500 I ever spent. Needless to say I highly recommend Jenkin in Sooke
They put the motors back on and made it pretty much ready to go. Kicker is on the other side.. No bracket
Hope you all noticed the correction on cost I made...old age..

View attachment 74608
That’s some mighty fine work. I’d eat off that transom.
 
Maybe it’s just the pictures but Is that mdf used in a boat for flooring?
was wondering the same thing and not sealed underneath... Also why wouldn't you put a belly fuel tank in since it was all redone there, having a fuel tank in bottom of boat in belly makes it so more stable and saves room. if it was that material i dont know.....

I have used both boats in my career COUNTLESS hours on them both , they are very similar the DE are what I consider a wetter boat as you get waves come up onto you more (entry level of the bow) DE are a bit more "tippy" when a couple of guys on the side but so is the hourston .
Like people have said look for the bigger that extra 2 feet is huge. best boat I used was the 19.5 hourston it was a factory built for the vancouver CC with a pod but they didnt use it lodge owner got it slapped a 115 on it thing was a beast if I ever went smaller id be looking for that
 
i’ve spent the majority of my life on smaller boats; mainly Houston’s and KC Thermoglass but with such a narrow size criteria it comes down to minute and sometimes silly details like gunnel height and usable space. i forgot about that goofy angle on the hourston. in such a bad spot. you want to plant your foot against the gunnel to net fish or set clip but that angle makes you a tad uncertain underfoot. i remember one time 20 some odd years ago my tiny wife cramming herself under the dash of a 16 DE as we took splash after splash from a SE and a following sea which soaked everyone aboard to the skin. ( except her) like i said usable space.
 
I fished out of my 17 Hourston last season and I'll say that the angle of the floor didn't bother me one bit, I didn't even notice it. I've owned both a 17de and now the 17 hourston and I did prefer the de's deck to the Hourston. This is because the Hourston has the moulded in seat boxes and the double eagle has removable seat boxes which allows you to run 2 pedistal seats up front and improve the size of the dance floor. The DE did pound way worse than the Hourston though in the chop. The Hourston cuts through it and it felt like the DE would slap down and stay on top which I hated. Both good little fishing boats though.
 
Here are my two vessels, i believe the K and C is the same hull design as the hourston. At 15.6 feet the K and C is just a little too small and narrow, have had it salmon fishing and not bad for just 2 guys. Definitely prefer the 17' 6" Eagle, WAY wider and more stable plus a lot more power. Go for the bigger boat first. The DE is definitely luckier.
 

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My old 79, 17.6 Double Eagle. New owner recently re-powered with a 140 E-tech. The old Evinrude 140 just wouldn't die, still running strong when he sold it.
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I had a 16ft DE with powered with a 50yami and a 6hp kicker. The boat preformed well for the size and it was very economical to operate small boats were simple to deal with and easy to maneuver around.

.... but of course there were a few things I didn't like about it.

1) The low transom it let water in when backing up and also my son (who was a toddler) would always make me nervous when he was near the back.

2) Even though it was safe the boat felt tippy when 2 people were on one side to handle/net fish and I was always thinking of counter balance when seating or standing with other people.

I have since moved onto a 18ft Sliver Streak with a 2.5ft pod (20.5ft total) and it was definably worth going up in size. I will also never own a boat without a pod. It frees up so much space at the back and makes it so easy to hop on it to deal with the motors. Its like having a back deck of a house on your boat. My current boat also has a full height transom and higher sides and is not tippy so I feel there is a lot less chance of falling overboard.

Saying all that I do miss how small, light and easy the DE was to handle and own. Like hopping on a scooter to go to the corner store instead of having to setup and drive in a big SUV.

Too bad they don't make a version of them that doesn't have wood inside. Rot is always the concern I hear about with the older DE boat hulls.
 
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