1972 OUTRAGE 21 Ribside Seating

[Vintage13outrage21]

In front of the center console [of a 1972 OUTRAGE 21 Ribside] there is a seat. The cushions are worn out. I would like to remove the seat and get an IGLOO 94-quart marine cooler with cushion.

The prior owner said he would never do that as [an IGLOO cooler seat] is not original. I need a cooler. I don’t plan on a restoration project, and I am not qualified to do one. I’ve read here no one will ever pay the shop hours for a restoration.

Q1: What are your thoughts [about replacing the seat with a cooler]?

Q2: Can I remove the seat and install a cooler without insulting the enthusiasts?

Backstory: in 2018 I purchased my first boat, a 1970 13-footer with an 1995 Evinrude 35-HP. The engine starts after a few turns and purrs. I live on a small lake in Jersey. The boat was and is perfect. [In 2019] I dropped the 13-footer in the bay and took it out to the ocean--what a peaceful feeling being able to remain on hydroplane for more than a few seconds. Obviously the 13-footer is not an ideal ocean fishing vessel so I was due for something bigger.

On June 22, 2020, I picked up a 1972 Outrage 21 Ribside with a 2008 Yamaha engine. The boat is not in a showroom condition, but I needed something that I can use for ocean angling. The seller mentioned how is all original; he really had a passion for this boat. [There are the] normal spider cracks--which I have on my 13--and they didn’t bother me at all.

[jimh]

Now that you have owned the boat for one day, you are certainly free to alter its configuration as you like. Use of a cooler seat forward of the center console on a Boston Whaler boat is very common, so re-configuring your boat to have that seating is not particularly blasphemous.

Boston Whaler founder Dick Fisher owned a OUTRAGE 21 Ribside boat, which was featured in an article in YACHTING Magazine in 1972. I have reproduced the article at

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/yachtingEyesABoat.html

In an illustration in that article you can see what Mr. Fisher placed in front of the center console when he was angling: a plastic garbage can. If Dick Fisher can put a plastic garbage can in front of the center console of his OUTRAGE 21 and have it shown in a prestigious national boating magazine, I am rather sure you can put a IGLOO cooler seat there on your boat without offending anyone in particular.

[biggiefl]

What console do you have? How is the seat attached?

[Phil T]

While you can do anything you want, here are two comments.

1. You can obtain a replacement cushion from an OEM vendor that will fit the seat and match any existing OEM cushions.
http://www.amfg.us

2. If you do remove the seat, save it just in case. The cooler cushion can also be obtained by the OEM vendor.

[goldstem]

this is exactly what we did with our ribside.
we also, removed the shepards hook, and put a cooler seat across the console for our passengers.

[Phil T]

Mike - Can you share a photo?

[Vintage13outrage21]

What console do you have? How is the seat attached?

how do i upload a photo?saying too big

its a mounted seat with 2 original cushions in front of the mahagony console



boats eta is 1 hr a 1200 mile trek from fl to nj so never saw in person yet just facetime vids and pics

[Vintage13outrage21]

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0B0AAOSw ... -l1600.jpg

[Vintage13outrage21]

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0B0AAOSwsVVe0GS1/s-l1600.jpg

she just arrived and didnt realize how huge she is compared to my 13 whaler looks amazing sea trials tmrw am so excited !!!!