Boat project: Wilker Galaxie 17

Octavius Brine

Well-Known Member
Hi guys, I saw some nice projects others have posted on here lately and figured I would share what I am working on: my boat!

Last August I got this 1985 Wilker Galaxie 17 foot with Mercury 115 outboard. I was hunting a Galaxie, and chose this one because the price was right, interior was decent (funny, because I am tearing all that out already!), almost new custom top, original features like the bow rail etc that not all still have, no major rot or problems, and a fairly solid two axle trailer. It’s the biggest boat I figure I should drag around with my van :unsure:

I’ve done some small repairs up until now and we had a blast taking this boat camping! And I got out once to troll Erie and put a walleye in the boat last September.

Work so far:
Install Garmin GPS sonar, transferred from other boat.
Minor Electrical repairs, new plywood on kicker bracket.
Install downriggers I got on the classifieds here.
I picked up an old Honda B100 for a kicker, and fabricated the set up for remote steer (linkage between motors).
Fluids/maintenance: the lower unit lube :oops:

Up next:
rebuild the storage cubbies under the gunwales (minor rot of some plywood), replace all that nasty carpet, reupholster the seats and cushions around the gunwales, make/install the vinyl flaps over storage areas, install rod holders, fuel line and charging cable for kicker, mount battery box, buff/wax hull exterior, fix cracked pinstripes, try to find some kind of ladder for swimmers to reboard, and add a VHF …

More photos to come. I sorta missed the “before”, so here’s the half torn out version.
 

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Thanks for sharing @Octavius Brine, I'll be watching for further updates.

I've got a similar rig. Mine is a 79 Silverline 17' fiberglass. Mine is a bowrider so the layout is slightly different, but I'd bet they are similar in weight.

I'd like to know how the reupholstering goes and where you get your materials. A little effort on the esthetics might keep Mrs. Anonymoose from boat shopping.

I'm also interested to hear how things go at the boat ramp. I've resisted a van for years with the justification that rear wheel drive is mandatory for pulling a 17' fiberglass boat up some of our Lake Erie launches. We had a situation where our previous vehicle didn't want to go into AWD and it could barely make it up the North Erie ramp stuck in front wheel drive. Our current vehicle defaults to rear wheel drive and I never need AWD on the ramp. I think Toyota vans are AWD?

How did you hook up your kicker? I did air line quick connects and 1/2" copper pipe. A bit mickey mouse but it gets the job done.

-moose
 
Thanks for sharing @Octavius Brine, I'll be watching for further updates.

I've got a similar rig. Mine is a 79 Silverline 17' fiberglass. Mine is a bowrider so the layout is slightly different, but I'd bet they are similar in weight.

I'd like to know how the reupholstering goes and where you get your materials. A little effort on the esthetics might keep Mrs. Anonymoose from boat shopping.

I'm also interested to hear how things go at the boat ramp. I've resisted a van for years with the justification that rear wheel drive is mandatory for pulling a 17' fiberglass boat up some of our Lake Erie launches. We had a situation where our previous vehicle didn't want to go into AWD and it could barely make it up the North Erie ramp stuck in front wheel drive. Our current vehicle defaults to rear wheel drive and I never need AWD on the ramp. I think Toyota vans are AWD?

How did you hook up your kicker? I did air line quick connects and 1/2" copper pipe. A bit mickey mouse but it gets the job done.

-moose
I'll keep posting as the work progresses... it is kind of an hour or two at a time in evenings but I pick away at things and eventually they're done!

Yeah the Silverline is another model that was an option for me too. A little sprucing up could go a long way, and it sure is cheaper than a whole new rig! Even just a nice sun top or something can be a game changer if your wife or kids get too hot.

I just purchased a bunch off of https://jtsoutdoorfabrics.com/ and so far I really like that place. Great selection of good items, and good pricing. Plus you can buy 1 rivet and 2 snaps for like 75 cents, or buy 1000 of each and get a discount.

My van is a 2013 Toyota Sienna with only front wheel drive. You can spin the tires if you get too aggressive but I have never doubted it. This actually never even crossed my mind. The two axle trailer might help, if the bottom is a bit soft? Or maybe the low tongue weight keeps the load over the front wheels more? I have done the North Erie Marina with it.

I'll add a photo of my steering bar, thought honestly it is probably not more convenient than your solution. I considered the air couplers. The boat came with this steel rod with little ball joints on the ends, and it fits over a pin on the motor. I made a bracket for my little Honda to match and you just slide the rod on there and put a cotter pin. It means you have to pull the cotter pin and store the linkage when you want to raise the kicker to run at high speed. It only takes a minute to connect it, it is solid and it cost next to nothing. That's a win in my books.
 
I’ve been there and my advice is to check out the most important part of any boat , fibreglass or aluminum . The transom !
I agree, and I am happy to report it is solid! I was keen to check the floor and transom when buying. The little bit of rot I have to deal with is cosmetic stuff where uncoated plywood sat in a wet place covered in soggy foam or carpet.

The story is that this boat sat in a field for about 10 years at one point. It was then fixed up and babied by a mechanic who could only use it a few times a year… bye was a friend of the guy I bought it from. The last owner used it as a workhorse hauling stuff to his cottage for a few years.
 
@anonymoose there is the steering bar set up. The other end is the same, and I was pinched way in the back of the carport and couldn’t get a decent photo of the whole works.
 

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I can put you in touch with a very good upholsterer if you want.
 
👍 sounds like you got lucky , transom rot is a huge problem .

Or maybe @Octavius Brine simply did the research required instead of relying on luck?

@anonymoose there is the steering bar set up. The other end is the same, and I was pinched way in the back of the carport and couldn’t get a decent photo of the whole works.
Thanks for the tip on the supplier and glad to hear that the boat ramp has been cooperating! I do think the low tongue weight of a double axle trailer makes a difference. The Silverline is pretty heavy too, I'm sure being a bowrider also adds fiberglass. My trailer is a single axle. I'm not overly keen to switch to a van but SUVs are so damn expensive.

Your steering linkage looks great - mine was cobbled together with parts I had on hand so I can't complain. It does the trick.

-moose
 
Thanks @HTHM I am sure I can do some of the jobs myself, there are several easy flat cushions and panels. Lately I haven't sewn much of anything besides repairs, but I am assuming it'll come back to me when I get to the seat cushions 🤞

@anonymoose I know that people love to hate minivans, but I really like mine. It is comfy for a family of 4 + retriever and camping gear, and if you take the seats out it is warm dry storage. It can do a lot! There are some Toyota vans that have AWD, but they are less common and probably the price of them creeps up towards the price of Toyota SUV. I think that the AWD is only available at the highest trim level of a few brands... so in the end you pay more and hunt longer to find one.

But I wouldn't resist the van. The first time you load a full sheet of drywall and slam the tailgate down your balls grow back :ROFLMAO:
 
Thanks @HTHM I am sure I can do some of the jobs myself, there are several easy flat cushions and panels. Lately I haven't sewn much of anything besides repairs, but I am assuming it'll come back to me when I get to the seat cushions 🤞

@anonymoose I know that people love to hate minivans, but I really like mine. It is comfy for a family of 4 + retriever and camping gear, and if you take the seats out it is warm dry storage. It can do a lot! There are some Toyota vans that have AWD, but they are less common and probably the price of them creeps up towards the price of Toyota SUV. I think that the AWD is only available at the highest trim level of a few brands... so in the end you pay more and hunt longer to find one.

But I wouldn't resist the van. The first time you load a full sheet of drywall and slam the tailgate down your balls grow back :ROFLMAO:
To be clear - the only reason I've resisted is fear of launching a boat that I can't retrieve! I do the odd bit of heavier towing where having a 5000 or 7500lbs tow capacity is nice, but the fuel economy of a van would also be nice.
 
To be clear - the only reason I've resisted is fear of launching a boat that I can't retrieve! I do the odd bit of heavier towing where having a 5000 or 7500lbs tow capacity is nice, but the fuel economy of a van would also be nice.
LOL that would be a really great end to the day, unable to get out of the ramp @anonymoose

Yeah it is a tough finding one vehicle that does everything you want AND has good fuel economy... especially the occasional heavier towing.
 
Small progress- rebuilt the rotten portion that holds up the storage pockets under the gunwales. All glassed in and just needs some grinding before the floor goes down. The plywood that looks dark isn’t rot, it is stained with 2 stroke oil. Did my best with solvent and a flap wheel, fingers crossed the resin sticks properly.

And made new plywood backs for the cushions along the gunwales. Unfortunately those are over 8’ long so had to join two sections of plywood. Put the vinyl on 2/4 of them. Still needs the black trim around the edges, but need sewing machine parts before I attempt that.
 

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Not to be a naysayer, but I think you may have trouble with adhesion on the oil soaked wood. Did you have good gouging for a mechanical bond on that wood when you roughed it up with the flap wheel? If not, I would suggest laminating; (with screws), a thin piece on top of the oil stained wood and re-glassing to make sure you won't get any water intrusion. The underside is probably OK.
Another trick is to make up a "peanut butter" out of resin and wood sawdust and coat that thinly on the wood to create a rough surface for bonding.
Your work looks very good, I have to say.
 
Good ideas @HTHM, I like the peanut butter one… haven’t tried that in this way. The new plywood is screwed to the old from the backside, and has a good bond to the fibreglass hull and floor. That oily piece is just a storage “pocket”.

I scraped it (lots of gouges) and ground it with 40 grit, and cleaned it with brake kleen.

I’ll take a closer look at that and see if any parts want to delaminate. Nothing worse than water getting between layers.
 
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Progress lately. This is the old grey and red versus new grey and black. It is just sitting on the base to compare- the plywood is a bit rotten around the base and will be all replaced and wrapped in matching vinyl.

Now that I have my patterns and method down, I need to repeat 3 more of everything. Lots of sewing and fiddling with the contoured foam, but it keeps your ass in the seat well and very comfy.
 
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