New to me 16.5 Double Eagle... needs a few items

[Kitimat_DoubleEagle]

Picked up a cherry mid seventies Double eagle last summer in great shape, previous owner (who I know personally) redid transon and stringers, boat is very sound, has a Mercury 85hp with trim/tilt originial to the boat that runs like a top, boat has been rewired... saw 50+ hours on the water last year.


Anyways The lounge seats are original and in rough shape, currently held together with tuck tape. The 'boxes' the seats are on are solid and appears to have been fiberglassed in when the floor was redone, so I'm hesitant to remove them. The seats themselves are toast, wood bases rotted, hinges rusted and screws ripped out. Am I better off to have new seats built to use the exisiting seat bases, or remove the bases and buy somthing like the wise deluxe lounge seats? Whats the quality of the wise seats like? Where the best place to buy them? Ordering from the states seems cost prohibitive with shipping and duty added on.

Would love to remove the lounge seats altogether, but I often have my kids with me so the lounge seats are staying.


Im also looking to add a VHF radio, gps/fish finder, and stereo system. I am concerned about the charging system being able to keep up as these old mercs run the ignition off the battery and the stator charges the battery. Current set up is a single battery.

New canvas is in the works too eventually.

I've considering repowering but the old merc was rebuilt recently and has a new wiring harness (internal and external) and I've owned a few so I'm comfortable trouble shooting them. This isn't really an offshore boat anyways.

Any feedback is welcome!

 

[scott craven]

I would gun the sleeper seats and put in pedestal seats, if the boxes are glassed in and
you don't want to remove you can bolt on a folding seat.
You will really appreciate the extra interior room if you get rid of the sleepers.
If more seating is required, add a bench seat along the side or just sit them on a secured
cooler ?
Enjoy !

 

[SpringVelocity]

I think you have a 17 there... Looks like it from photo I have a 16.5 same vintage different windshield and not as wide from your pic.... Maybe I am wrong take a look at your TC plate on back of stern...

From having that boat I would dump the sleepers, put pedestals on and add a higher canvas.... The only thing about DE is lack of storage unless you have the 185 so consider getting a rack/holder to get all rods etc off the deck.

 

[Kitimat_DoubleEagle]

I appreciate the replies!
I agree with both of you the pedestals would free up room, however for the way this boat gets used at least 50% of the time which is pulling a tube and floating at the lake with the wife n kids it just won't work.

Taller canvas is in the works as I'm 6'4". Its next on the list after the seating is resolved. Storage is a bit tight but when I am fishing its usually only 2 people so not too bad. I have 5 rod holders on the boat at the stern so that's keeps them out of the way. I was considering relocating the battery to the bow of the boat as it would free up space to have a 3rd removable 6gal tank in the back.

Any input as far as needing a second battery to run accessories? Right now I just have big nautilus battery booster/inverter, but I've never needed it.

I've been very impressed with the boat so far. I've had it out in the Douglas channel when the wind picked up and made it back to the launch in some pretty sizeable waves. The hull certainly handles it well. Is 6hp enough for a kicker on this boat. The previous owner had a 9.9 on it but I want to minimize extra weight on the transom.

Sent from my SGH-T899M using Tapatalk

 

[fshnfnatic]

I have the same boat (16.5 DE) and am just in the process of mounting my dual batteries up in the bow.Big job,as the
floor in the bow isn't big enough for 2 group 27's,so I have to build a false bottom to increase my floor space.I have
electric downriggers,400 watt stereo system,chartplotter,and sounder,so can't be with out a "house" battery.This will take 120 lbs. of weight off the stern,which is huge.My main reason for doing all this is to lighten up the stern for future
power.2 cycle outboards are slowly becoming obsolete,and I can foresee having to repower with a 4 stroke,and they are
frickin' heavy!One thing about those older DE's is they were never designed for that that kind of weight in the back end.Something for you to consider if you plan on keeping that boat for the the long haul,as I am.

 

[tortuga]

Nice boat. The hull with the double side window with slider is longer and wider than the single sloped side window. I've owned both.
I've heard the 16 ft called the 16.5 or 17 and the 17 ft called the 17.5. Whatever, does length include motor?
You have the longer hull. Tortuga is the same hull but a bit older and still kicking.

 

[Saxe Point]

Nice boat. The hull with the double side window with slider is longer and wider than the single sloped side window. I've owned both.
I've heard the 16 ft called the 16.5 or 17 and the 17 ft called the 17.5. Whatever, does length include motor?
You have the longer hull. Tortuga is the same hull but a bit older and still kicking.

Length is, and always has been, either 16 or 17 feet (plus perhaps one or two inches), from bow tip to transom end. Length does not include motor. People confuse the model number with length. The current DE 166 is a 16 foot boat, not 16 feet 6 inches as seems to be suggested by the model number.

 

[SeaWolf]

I was going to recommend contacting Double Eagle, but I looked at their website and they list links to their suppliers.

Upholstery - http://www.customupholsteryrepair.com/custom-boats/
Canvas - Specialty Marine Canvas : Ph: 778-839-2628

They might be a good place to start as they may already have templates and are in BC.

My Campion has a sleeper seat built on top of a fibreglass fish locker. Perhaps call them and get a price on their seats as well. Although they do not always advertise, the manufacturers will usually sell parts.

I am thinking that most used sleeper seats will be pretty weathered and similar to what you are replacing unless you luck out and find someone who changed their mind or are reconfiguring a new boat.

Keep them dry once they are replaced.

Like others have said, Pedestals open up the room inside the boat. Are you ever going to use the sleepers as sleepers or are you looking to seat 4 people? Pedestals with flat cushions behind would allow you to seat 4. You could have cushions made locally.

Cabelas will be opening in Nanaimo later this year if you can hold off, then there are no duties involved. Being that you are in Kitimat, shipping is going to be a fact of life unless you find something local.

 

[Kitimat_DoubleEagle]

I have the same boat (16.5 DE) and am just in the process of mounting my dual batteries up in the bow.Big job,as the
floor in the bow isn't big enough for 2 group 27's,so I have to build a false bottom to increase my floor space.I have
electric downriggers,400 watt stereo system,chartplotter,and sounder,so can't be with out a "house" battery.This will take 120 lbs. of weight off the stern,which is huge.My main reason for doing all this is to lighten up the stern for future
power.2 cycle outboards are slowly becoming obsolete,and I can foresee having to repower with a 4 stroke,and they are
frickin' heavy!One thing about those older DE's is they were never designed for that that kind of weight in the back end.Something for you to consider if you plan on keeping that boat for the the long haul,as I am.

I'd be interested to hear more about this and exactly what parts, etc are required. I am planning to potentially move to 4s power in the next season or two (F90, the plate says this hull is max. 105hp) I have a kicker bracket and would like to free up weight in the rear end for that as well.

 

[Kitimat_DoubleEagle]

Nice boat. The hull with the double side window with slider is longer and wider than the single sloped side window. I've owned both.
I've heard the 16 ft called the 16.5 or 17 and the 17 ft called the 17.5. Whatever, does length include motor?
You have the longer hull. Tortuga is the same hull but a bit older and still kicking.

I measued it with a tape measure transom to bow tip, definitely close to 16ft, not much more. I do like the large windshield, keeps us much drier than other boats of the same size I've ridden in.
I'll add some more pics this weekend as Im finally putting the snowmobiles in storage and will be able to get the boat out of the garage.

 

[Kitimat_DoubleEagle]

I was going to recommend contacting Double Eagle, but I looked at their website and they list links to their suppliers.

Upholstery - http://www.customupholsteryrepair.com/custom-boats/
Canvas - Specialty Marine Canvas : Ph: 778-839-2628

They might be a good place to start as they may already have templates and are in BC.

My Campion has a sleeper seat built on top of a fibreglass fish locker. Perhaps call them and get a price on their seats as well. Although they do not always advertise, the manufacturers will usually sell parts.

I am thinking that most used sleeper seats will be pretty weathered and similar to what you are replacing unless you luck out and find someone who changed their mind or are reconfiguring a new boat.

Keep them dry once they are replaced.

I'll start with those guys and see what they have to say. I'm planning to stand up height canvas done too. The boat is stored in my garage, so the seats only get wet when on the water.


One other question... this boat has no bilge pump... there are no openings in the floor of the boat, in the transom there is a larger threaded brass plug that looks to access the bilge and the second opening a few inches above is the rubber plug that drains the area above the floor of the boat. When I bought the boat I asked the previous owner about a bilge pump and he said he bought one and never installed it. I'm thinking he glassed over whatever opening was there when the transom and stringers were redone and never bother to cut an opening in the floor after he finished that job.... My thoughts are I need to cut an opening in the floor at the rear of the boat and install a threaded hatch opening through which i can access the bilge area and install a pump. However I'm unsure about how to run the drain hose. Right now when I have any significant water in the boat I just pull the plug after Im up on plane and drain it like I would any small aluminum boat...

 

[SeaWolf]

By the luck of google, I found this notice they advertise $9.99 Shipping anywhere in Canada. Scroll to the bottom. $200 a side seems a pretty good fix for an older boat. Looks like you could just remove the bases or worst case remove your bases.

http://www.dowsar.com/seating.htm

 

[Kitimat_DoubleEagle]

By the luck of google, I found this notice they advertise $9.99 Shipping anywhere in Canada. Scroll to the bottom. $200 a side seems a pretty good fix for an older boat. Looks like you could just remove the bases or worst case remove your bases.

http://www.dowsar.com/seating.htm

Wow giving them a call today, THANKS!

 

[Saxe Point]

I'll start with those guys and see what they have to say. I'm planning to stand up height canvas done too. The boat is stored in my garage, so the seats only get wet when on the water.


One other question... this boat has no bilge pump... there are no openings in the floor of the boat, in the transom there is a larger threaded brass plug that looks to access the bilge and the second opening a few inches above is the rubber plug that drains the area above the floor of the boat. When I bought the boat I asked the previous owner about a bilge pump and he said he bought one and never installed it. I'm thinking he glassed over whatever opening was there when the transom and stringers were redone and never bother to cut an opening in the floor after he finished that job.... My thoughts are I need to cut an opening in the floor at the rear of the boat and install a threaded hatch opening through which i can access the bilge area and install a pump. However I'm unsure about how to run the drain hose. Right now when I have any significant water in the boat I just pull the plug after Im up on plane and drain it like I would any small aluminum boat...

I have a 16 foot Double Eagle as well. It's up to you, but I was not keen on drilling any kind of a hole in the hull of my boat. As a result, I just ran the discharge tube for the bilge pump up through the rubber boot that contains the steering cables etc. That way the pump would just drain into the motor splash well and out those holes. Works great.

Here's an earlier post that shows how I approached my bilge pump installation: http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/showthread.php?19520-Bilge-Pumps-in-Small-Places-A-Solution

It might give you some ideas.

 

[SpringVelocity]

drill the hole in boat and do it right...All you need is thru hull fitting, sikiflex. I put a large pump in mine located as low as I could put it and a large non-corrugated hose . Do not just run into the splash well I know that is easier but not the proper way.....
You want the water totally out of the boat. I have mine located above water line near rear of bait... Works well..

I screwed mine/sikiflex right down to lowest part of bilge area.

 

[Saxe Point]

drill the hole in boat and do it right...All you need is thru hull fitting, sikiflex. I put a large pump in mine located as low as I could put it and a large non-corrugated hose . Do not just run into the splash well I know that is easier but not the proper way.....
You want the water totally out of the boat. I have mine located above water line near rear of bait... Works well..

I screwed mine/sikiflex right down to lowest part of bilge area.

Not looking to start a big debate, but I'm just wondering why you say that it is "not the proper way"? Works very well for me, and I think others do the same as well. The bilge water definitely goes totally outside my boat when I run the bilge pump.

 

[SpringVelocity]

You get less head loss doing it that way. If you have to go up and out your splash well you lose a little speed. If you do a thru hull fitting you have a gradual slope and then it goes out.... no turns. I also see a lot of people using 90 fittings etc...All that slows the water down.

Yours might be different but I do know I guy that lost his boat where the hose was just left loose.... He had some heavy rain one weekend and instead of drawing out splash well where is should have gone the hose was pointed into the in boat and just recirculated.... I am not saying what you did was wrong just thru hull is a better way to go.

Anyway that my belief, but back to the the hull. Its not that hard to do especially fiberglass..

 

[ratherbefishing]

I rebuilt a 1969 DE 16ft last winter. When redoing the floor, I opted to add an 8" clean-out to access the bilge area under the floor. I did this in the sloped portion under the splashwell. I am a big fan of this as it allowed me to install and maintain a second bilge pump in the 'sealed' portion of the hull (you won't know you have an issue until the boat start telling you) and allows me to open and dry out any water that might have accumulated - my goal was to prevent the new foam from getting heavy with water over time as I plan on keeping the boat. This bilge is attached to a float switch (and manual) with a light to tell me when it is going (which I hope to never see). I also added a second bilge right at the transom in below the splashwell to move any water that might be on the floor of the boat from rain or wash water etc...

Running two lines to proper thru hulls to the 'normal' location at the rear corner near the gunnel was easy and I have not given it a second thought. I have heard horror stories of guys running bilge pumps into the splash well and having them reverse siphon water back into the boat...not good! I also like the ability to hear and see if water is actually being pumped at all times from the captians chair.

 

[SteelyDan]

This is what I did to mine, built boxes, hinged, wrapped in vinyl, mounted tractor seats... Done

Edit- those sleeper seats seem like a good price and way less work!

 

[Kitimat_DoubleEagle]

This is what I did to mine, built boxes, hinged, wrapped in vinyl, mounted tractor seats... Done

Edit- those sleeper seats seem like a good price and way less work!

I saw your thread on your boat... very nice!

Well I'm off to Smithers after work to drop my snowmobiles off at my brothers place (had my last ride of the year last weekend), so I finally can get the boat out of the garage and get to work. I'll post a few more pictures up then.

Thanks for all the feedback, its reassuring to know I've got a good boat.