Double eagle ride

Love my 16.5 DE. Just like profisher said earlier,in certain seas,the faster you go ,the smoother the ride.Cuts through
the chop like butter!
 
Geez Bob is that boat ever dirty.
LOL
I have the same layout as DE absoulutely love it.
Really, really good on gas, stable and lots of room
with the pedestals.
Easy to launch, easy to tow,lots of room for Willie to fly through the air....
As Rollie says go a little faster and the smoother it rides.

Dan
 
Too answer the original question. I owned a 17.5 hardtop for 16 years before upgrading to the 18.6. Cuddy is great for overnights as is the extra room for storage. They are totally different boats, 17.6 would come up on plane and cut thru 3-4 ft seas without pounding your back. 18.6 pounds way more and feels bow light in same seas. 4 stroke 140 and 4 stroke kicker may be some reason why. There was a post on trim tabs for 18 ft boats that interested me. I am building a hardtop for this boat so will see if anything changes with a small amount of foreword weight. Must say in the 10ft bad seas up Island the 18.6 feels much more stable and safe, even when Duffer or Crabby says go home.

HM
 
Thanks hallmark that matches what my friend said about the 18 a bit of a rough ride in certain seas. Still a nicely laid out boat with pedestals and the de quality. It and the 18 hourston are on the top of my list
 
Nice 18.5 DE, has that boat ever been outside? besides for picture taking. lol.. Ive got the 176 model so I can speak to that, but I haven't ridden in a 185. The 17 is a very stable boat due to the deep vee and its beam of 7.5ft. I believe the 17 and 18 have the same beam but the 18 would have a deeper hull due to the cuddy. Mine cuts chop very well but I have a hard time keeping the bow down in bigger seas due to the boat being so stern heavy. These boats naturally sit low in the back, add a 25gal tank back there which I have and its even more stern heavy. I have tried putting a few sand bags up front but didn't make much difference. I use the power tilt, trim a lot to get up on plane easier and when trying to keep the bow down in heavy chop. I know trim tabs would help alot but I just cant justify spending 500+ on them, so the whale tail on the motor will have to do. I have found there is a sweet spot for cutting through chop speed wise with this boat, but it varies big time due to wave size, how close the waves are and going with or against the chop. Lots of people just say oh hammer the throttle and pound through them, well faster is deff not better when you have bigger seas and cant keep the bow down. I even broke a window support bar last season due to pounding through some serious chop.
 
They do tend to be sensitive to weight in the stern and I had my 17 built with the fuel tank located under the floor between the seats, so mid ships. They are also wet over the bow if you have a lot of weight in the seats and in large tidal waves that are close together. The boat will bury the bow and water will rush p the windshield and some will find its way under the soft top snaps and onto your lap.
 
I like the way my 185 cuts the chop, but there are times when the ride is rough. pounded all the trim out of the cuddy on trip from Rainy Bay to Bamfeild last year. Big chop on top of 5-6 ft swells, took about an hr. But everybody has different opinions on every boat. But I like what I got and know its limlts
 
A lot of small boats I see are stern heavy because people put huge outboards on them. I have seen 17' DE with 175hp 2strokes or even worse 150hp 4 strokes on them plus a 4 stroke kicker. Some people are nuts in their greed for power and in reality only sacrifice the boat's performance with that. A 17' boat built in the 70-90s was designed for a mid size 2 stroke engine for power. I have a 17' Campion and it's maxed out stern-weight wise with a F100 (which is identical to a F90 now). And it goes plenty fast. Why some people need 150hp + on boats like that is beyond me.
 
I have owned a 17ft and 185 double eagle and they both ride very nicely. Hard to beat. I took out the sleeper seats in mine and added captains chairs
for added deck space. They are great boats. I would like to buy a 20ft hardtop.
 
My 17.5 with 90 2 stroke, 9.9 4 stroke kicker, battery and built in gas tank in stern has no stern weight issues.
Goes plenty fast and will come to a plane right away with 4 guys on board. I'm trimming the bow up while running more often than not.
Wouldn't trade it for any boat in it's size.
When motor tires I will look at a 90 4 stroke.

Been in the 18.5 and the cuddy does push the weight back so ride is totally different. Great layout and great boat though.


Tips
 
Excellent job Daddystoy. Awesome color, not something usually seen. Looked at the yellow for 16 years on my 17.5 DE. Hope all did not get me wrong love my 18.6 just not the same "feel" in the chop as the 17.6. Would not change for any other glass boat in its size. SS or better yet a NWA would be my lottery boat as I am rough on fiberglass.

HM
 
Mine had a 115 Yami 2 stroke and a 9.9 4 stroke. I had a pedestal seat mounted on top of the well where I steered with a custom tiller and ran the gear. The well was often wet with my weight back there.
 
I have a 16.5 and it has every thing I need, but unfortunately come spring she is gone after 6 years... It was the big question I wanted a new Yamaha 60hp or Envinrude etec this year. The big question...Do I sink 7k to make that happen or upgrade? I am choosing upgrade. They are great boats, but I find unless you get into the 18.5 and beyond they just lack room.... I looked a few 17.5 and there wasn't that much more room than I have ...

I love mine for salmon fishing, but lately now that I like to have a day when I go halibut fishing, and salmon fishing it is nice to have more room. Also I really don't like being out on my DE boat halibut fishing with it unless the weather is perfect.. It gets a little un nerving butt end into the waves with the current shifts when anchoring... On a bigger boat/more freeboard that is not an issue I find...

So now I am going to join the 19+ club I think... Just haven't found a hull design equivalent yet except a hourston....

Just me 2 cents nothing wrong with them...
I may be looking at a larger one if I can find something that works....

BTW I have gone through very scary weather in my boat off Sooke in summer/winters and never let me down. It is going to be tough to sell it truthfully almost want to keep it as a lake boat... Mine is stern heavy which I am not a fan of..... But besides that very economical boat to run, and I fish more days than most of my friends with the bigger boats....
 
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profisher said:
They do tend to be sensitive to weight in the stern and I had my 17 built with the fuel tank located under the floor between the seats, so mid ships. They are also wet over the bow if you have a lot of weight in the seats and in large tidal waves that are close together. The boat will bury the bow and water will rush p the windshield and some will find its way under the soft top snaps and onto your lap.
Click to expand...

Yep, been there done that. Scrambling to dry off the cell phones that were on the dash board!
my old 17 was an outboard model with a 100 yami 4 stroke. The boat really pouded and I really disliked how much space the splashwell took up and I also felt that it was stern heavy. I seriously think that I did permanent damage to my lower back in that boat lol. In the new 185 build we remove the cuddy and it is an inboard model. Ride is totally different and most importantly, the windshield is dry!
 
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I also own a 185 DE with an 150 outboard on a short pod , I have tried sand bags up front to get the stern up and it has helped a little. When I was looking to upgrade from a 16' to a larger boat it was between a 18' hourston and the double eagle which is a lot bigger and has even more room then my brothers 20' boston whaler
 
Not a problem with running the boat just sits low in the stern and I have seen others also, maybe that the design.
 
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