NEW 2 ME WILKER GALAXIE 17

jeffro9

Active Member
Hey guys I just purchased a late 80's Wilker Galaxie 17 foot with mercury I/O. Which is in immaculate condition.

I will be adding a 9.9 merc 4 stroke kicker and plumbing it into the main tank.

Looking for advice and any recommendations from those who have rigged these boats for fishing.

- Where did you guys store your caught fish? did you mount a cooler somewhere ? as these boats don't have a live well
- Has anyone mounted a trolling motor on the front to aid is steering (auto pilot) ??
- Any recommendations as to where I can purchase a High Bimini top?

Please post any pictures you have I would love to see some of these older boats.

Thanks Tight Lines!!!!
 
This thread is useless without PICTURES!!
Frustrated Clint Eastwood GIF
 
Hey guys I just purchased a late 80's Wilker Galaxie 17 foot with mercury I/O. Which is in immaculate condition.

I will be adding a 9.9 merc 4 stroke kicker and plumbing it into the main tank.

Looking for advice and any recommendations from those who have rigged these boats for fishing.

- Where did you guys store your caught fish? did you mount a cooler somewhere ? as these boats don't have a live well
- Has anyone mounted a trolling motor on the front to aid is steering (auto pilot) ??
- Any recommendations as to where I can purchase a High Bimini top?

Please post any pictures you have I would love to see some of these older boats.

Thanks Tight Lines!!!!
I had the same boat up until a couple years ago. Mine was a 1986 with a 3.0l I/O mercruiser (great engine). Mine came with the 9.9 merc 4 stroke kicker, plumbed into the main tank just like you are looking to do.

Just a little tip: The batteries (x2) were located at the back of the boat, port side (the trim motor was located on the other side). When the previous owner added the kicker in 1997 they also mounted it to the port side of the transom. Between the 80 - 100lbs. of batteries, and the 150lbs. of kicker motor and mount, the boat had a serious lean to that back corner. You really had to move gear and people around in the boat to get it to run level sometimes. Also made it very difficult getting it on the trailer level. I had Greg at North Erie move the motor to the other side and it balanced it right out nicely.

Just something to keep in mind when you're adding the kicker.

Other than that it was a great boat. These are built for the Great Lakes. I was caught coming in against some 5 footers a couple times and this boat did great. Enjoy!
 
Yeah I run stringers on both sides of the boat, bleed them out and finally they land in a cooler with ice. Pretty high tech.
 

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Great boat for the Great Lakes. A good cooler and ice and away you go for fish storage. Only down fall with the Galaxy boat that I can remember.
 
20210606_185314.jpg20210606_191716.jpg20200503_173722.jpgHey jeffro9. I have a 1989 wilker with a 3.0l I/O merc as well. Its been in the family for 3 generations now since new. Great boat for Erie and rough water. I don't have a kicker on it but really wish I did. Any info when your done would be great if you don't mind20210821_085616.jpg!! As for no live well...I just use a cooler with a block of ice. Works great. I just set it up on the doghouse out of the way!! Good luck and enjoy your new to you toy!!
 
Hey guys I just purchased a late 80's Wilker Galaxie 17 foot with mercury I/O. Which is in immaculate condition.

I will be adding a 9.9 merc 4 stroke kicker and plumbing it into the main tank.

Looking for advice and any recommendations from those who have rigged these boats for fishing.

- Where did you guys store your caught fish? did you mount a cooler somewhere ? as these boats don't have a live well
- Has anyone mounted a trolling motor on the front to aid is steering (auto pilot) ??
- Any recommendations as to where I can purchase a High Bimini top?

Please post any pictures you have I would love to see some of these older boats.

Thanks Tight Lines!!!!
Memories, best boat ever built in Hyde Park. My first boat rare 1986 galaxy 17 OB merc 115 oil burner factory direct order. 4.5 Evinrude more than enough kicker, a lot more room in cockpit with OB. Had two coolers one for fish one for beer. Tackle box on one of the built in seats and utility bucket on the other. Misspent youth but would not change what we did or the only boat that made a lump in my throat when the new owner dragged it down the street.
 
Great info guys, Everything I have read about these boats has been posative, I cant wait to get it rigged up.
 
My father in-law has the same boat. '86(?) Galaxie 17 foot with the 3.0 mercruiser. We installed a long shaft minnkota on the bow several years ago. To make room for the motor, we removed a short section of the front railing and he had a machinist he knew make up some stainless set-screw couplers similar to what you would use for galv electrical conduit for times that he is out without the electric motor. These boats have a fair bit of spray foam up under the deck so we made up a backing plate and had to use fairly long bolts to get past the foam to install the mounting plate. It's a pain to climb up through the windshield to deploy and stow the motor so if it's in the budget spend the money on the auto deploy/stow feature. It's still in storage otherwise I'd get some pictures for you.
 
I fished in a friends dads Wilker 17 a bunch of times..Lake St Clair mostly. The thing was a TANK and shrugged off rough water like a lab. He had the port side seats out and had a big cooler there with cushions on the top. Great fishing setup but a bit hairy if you were sitting on it running full tilt in 3-4 footers....but thats how he drove!!
 
I have a 1999 Galaxie 17 with the 3.0l merc and love it. Also have a 9.8 tohatsu kicker which is controlled by a Panther T5. I would highly recommend this for trolling, it is a real game changer as far as I'm concerned. Here is how it is set up, you will notice it is very sleek and does not interfere with anything with the downriggers, netting, lines out the back, etc. A T4 is great too if you can still find them, a bit cheaper but does the same thing really. It is overall an awesome great lakes boat, you will not be disappointed.
 

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My father in-law has the same boat. '86(?) Galaxie 17 foot with the 3.0 mercruiser. We installed a long shaft minnkota on the bow several years ago. To make room for the motor, we removed a short section of the front railing and he had a machinist he knew make up some stainless set-screw couplers similar to what you would use for galv electrical conduit for times that he is out without the electric motor. These boats have a fair bit of spray foam up under the deck so we made up a backing plate and had to use fairly long bolts to get past the foam to install the mounting plate. It's a pain to climb up through the windshield to deploy and stow the motor so if it's in the budget spend the money on the auto deploy/stow feature. It's still in storage otherwise I'd get some pictures for you.
I would love to see a few pics once you get it out of storage if possible. I would go with the auto stow and deploy for sure.
 
I have a 1999 Galaxie 17 with the 3.0l merc and love it. Also have a 9.8 tohatsu kicker which is controlled by a Panther T5. I would highly recommend this for trolling, it is a real game changer as far as I'm concerned. Here is how it is set up, you will notice it is very sleek and does not interfere with anything with the downriggers, netting, lines out the back, etc. A T4 is great too if you can still find them, a bit cheaper but does the same thing really. It is overall an awesome great lakes boat, you will not be disappointed.
where did you get your high bimini top made?
 
I have had 2 of those 17' Wilker's as well as I used to work there way back in Hyde Park as well as I used to work for Munro boats in Lambeth. You will love the Wilker although they are a heavy boat but handle rough water very well. An outboard model is a bonus as both mine were I/O's
 
I had a Galaxie 17 ft. Loved that boat. Got caught on Lake Huron in 6 fter. Just took our time and the water was easily handled.
We kept the cooler in front of the dog house on the floor. My buddy had the same boat. He made a cooler which fit on either side of the boat near the seat not being used as we were only running downriggers.
 
where did you get your high bimini top made?
It came with the boat, I cannot recall the company at the moment but I seem to recall they were out of Owen Sound or maybe Midland way? Somewhere up that way anyways. Also it is not a stand up height bimini, I'd call it a mid-rise. It's good enough to get you out of the sun but a grown man can't fully stand up under there, have to lean over a bit. I've been looking for a full stand up height one for quite a while now, have seen a couple really nice ones out there from time to time but always are being sold with a boat.
 
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