17'6 Double Eagle Project

[Southswell]

First time poster so thanks in advance.

I'm working on a 1980s 17'6 Double Eagle Hardtop outboard project with my girlfriend as a quarantine project.

Here's what we've done so far:

• Removed all electronics, motors, accessories, cleats, ect
• Removed floor to inspect stringers and transom - looks like someone did the stringers, floor and transom not toooo long ago. All fine. There is also a huge fuel tank forward on the boat that I'm assuming is not stock.
• 5 or 6 days of fiberglass work filling holes and imperfections
• A few days of sanding and prep work
• Applied interlux primer
• Sanded and prepped for Interlux brightside topcoat paint
• Bought a Mec 115 2-stroke
• Bought a yamaha XL leg kicker
• Prepped new electronics - gps, fishfinder, bluesea add a battery system, pumps, switches, speakers, etc

Here are my questions:

• We've been debating the seating set up for weeks. We removed and got rid of the old sleeper seats. Thinking about doing two forward seats with two bench seats behind similar to a 16-21 kingfisher. Any ideas or recommendations... or better yet, pics of your set up?
• Where should I mount the downriggers and rod holders? The gunnel isn't very well suited to mounting a downrigger and I'm considering fiberglassing a nice level square area for the downrigger to mount. Anyone have photos of their set up?

Thanks for any help you can lend.

Calum

 

[scott craven]

It depends on the usage you expect from it, but if it's going to be a fishing machine
I would go with 2 pedestal swivel seats.
You can always add a bench later.
The Scotty right angle brackets work great

 

[Tips Up]

See if you can search up pictures here of @Stizzla 's DE that he sold.
I have same boat and would like to convert my seats to the set up he had that is like you described. Stizzla did a great job with everything on that boat so you may pick up some ideas.

As for downriggers I have custom mount similar to the Scotty's above. Mine are machined aluminum. The Scottys should work fine as a stock item. I have mine mounted in front of my rod holders which are Scottys mounted flush mounted.

Good luck with your project. Awesome boats for the size.

 

[Stizzla]

See if you can search up pictures here of @Stizzla 's DE that he sold.
I have same boat and would like to convert my seats to the set up he had that is like you described. Stizzla did a great job with everything on that boat so you may pick up some ideas.

As for downriggers I have custom mount similar to the Scotty's above. Mine are machined aluminum. The Scottys should work fine as a stock item. I have mine mounted in front of my rod holders which are Scottys mounted flush mounted.

Good luck with your project. Awesome boats for the size.

Thanks! I had a lot of fun on that boat. I basically fabbed plywood box covers to go over what was already there, with lids that I bolted the swivel seats to and carpeted them in outdoor carpet.
If I was to do it again I wouldn’t have put a second row seat behind the captains seat and had a little more space there. The storage is nice though!

 

[Southswell]

Thanks for the pics. Great minds think alike. My plan is to have two forward seats on a storage box with the two rear 'seats' being just padded bottoms. My girlfriend is keen on the exact set up that you have in the photos.
Appreciate the advice.

 

[Oly1]

Thanks for the pics. Great minds think alike. My plan is to have two forward seats on a storage box with the two rear 'seats' being just padded bottoms. My girlfriend is keen on the exact set up that you have in the photos.
Appreciate the advice.

Just for thought. If the girlfriend is going to be fishing with you in the boat a bit. Might want to conform to her suggestions. It might work out good for you and @Stizzla ’s boat looks great. Hard to go wrong with seat configuration that he is showing, plus if you give the girlfriend what she wants she might reciprocate in-other ways. Your choice really though.

Oly

 

[ChilliSpoons]

I like how Arima configures their companion seats. This gives you and your girlfriend good seats and a couple of secondary seats for guests with decent storage underneath.

 

[RiverBoy]

I like how Arima configures their companion seats. This gives you and your girlfriend good seats and a couple of secondary seats for guests with decent storage underneath.

also if it’s just you and the girlfriend in the boat, this config is way more comfy for ...well you know

 

[Fish-on]

I don't have any pictures, but I did a 17 Double Eagle for a client very similar to yours. I put 2 pedestal seats in the front and a 105 Yeti behind one with a cushion and an aluminum dry box behind the other. It is a sweet set up with the cooler and storage box both doubling as seats. They were mounted so that they could be removed very easily for cleaning purposes.

 

[EZZ70]

Pics of project please, gots to see them

 

[Corey_lax]

I have a similar size boat and I want to fab up a storage box like this with one seat for the driver. Keep a sleeper seat for the port side or two seats on a box like Stizzla's old setup.

 

[RiverBoy]

Pics of project please, gots to see them

you cannot put a flybridge on a 17’ boat!

 

[Pineapple Express]

you cannot put a flybridge on a 17’ boat!

 

[Fisherman Rob]

We've been debating the seating set up for weeks. We removed and got rid of the old sleeper seats. Thinking about doing two forward seats with two bench seats behind similar to a 16-21 kingfisher. Any ideas or recommendations... or better yet, pics of your set up?

I debated this as well and ended up replacing the old sleepers with new sleepers that Double Eagle's contractor Stitches Trim Shop in Langley built for me. Cost for the new factory sleepers was less than I expected (just under$700 all in). If fishing is your #1 priority, I get the advantage of pedestals, but decided to go with sleepers because:

• maintains the under seat storage
• can seat eight people when in sleeper position (plus dogs!)
• rear facing seats work well to fight fish from in rough weather
• great picnic configuration for 4 when at anchor in sleeper position with table placed between
• No new holes in deck
• can sleep on them (although we've yet to do this)

 

[Cookie's Cutter]

It depends on the usage you expect from it, but if it's going to be a fishing machine
I would go with 2 pedestal swivel seats.
You can always add a bench later.
The Scotty right angle brackets work great

I have a couple of these brand new never used pm me for details. located mid island

 

[Stizzla]

Thanks for the pics. Great minds think alike. My plan is to have two forward seats on a storage box with the two rear 'seats' being just padded bottoms. My girlfriend is keen on the exact set up that you have in the photos.
Appreciate the advice.

The nice thing about having two swivel seats on the port side is if there’s 3 people in the boat hanging out you can all face each other. As I said you could get away other just a pad behind the captains chair.

Basically I used that chair to rest my feet on when turned around watching the rods so a pad would’ve probably been even better.

 

[Tips Up]

Thanks! I had a lot of fun on that boat. I basically fabbed plywood box covers to go over what was already there, with lids that I bolted the swivel seats to and carpeted them in outdoor carpet.
If I was to do it again I wouldn’t have put a second row seat behind the captains seat and had a little more space there. The storage is nice though!
View attachment 52167 View attachment 52168 View attachment 52169

Pulling up this old thread because I’m looking at same project on my DE.
@Stizzla what seats are in your photo? Where did you buy and did you like?

Also what is it you note you would do differently?

Thanks

 

[Stizzla]

Those are wise high back seats. Amazon at the time. They were okay but I ended up switching the captains chair to Tempress probax for more support. I’d say they are more comfortable but you pay for it.

tempress navistyle high back are better than the wise too and can be found cheaper than probax

 

[Stizzla]

All I would do differently is lose the 4th seat behind the captains chair.

 

[Tips Up]

Thanks. I think I will need both seats on port side. I like to sit there when Hali fishing.
Sounds like fairly straight forward project. Still be about $1000 to do with 4 seats in the $250 range.