Bow Eye Replacement Parts

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
Hoosier
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Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:04 pm
Location: Indiana and Eastern UP

Bow Eye Replacement Parts

Postby Hoosier » Thu Apr 16, 2020 1:36 pm

Here is some useful information about a bow eye replacement as found on a c.1978 OUTRAGE V-20 and perhaps other classic models. I found replacement parts on Amazon from Marine Parts Depot. The quality of the stainless steel components is superb. See Figure 1, below.

towingEye.jpg
FIg. 1. The original towing eye, lifting eye, and bolt from a 1978 OUTRAGE V-20 bow stem (upper) and Amazon-seller replacement (lower). Note wear on the original towing eye, almost breaking through. The 8-inch long threaded rod was cut to necessary length.
towingEye.jpg (68.23 KiB) Viewed 3369 times


About a week ago, I removed the old eye assembly, only to discover that Boston Whaler customer support gave me the wrong information on the length of rod needed. The threaded rod is 6.5-inches (not the 4-inches they told me). I think they gave me the length of rod for the transom eyes.

I contacted Marine Parts Depot, the Amazon seller I had ordered from. Marine Parts Depot only offer 3.75-, 6-, and 8-inch threaded rods. I asked them to send me the 8-inch rod to be cut down, which they promptly did--good service from them.

Now the big gotcha: the new parts have metric threads and the old ones are SAE.

The OEM parts (from 1978) are threaded 1/2 X 13, and the new ones are 12M x 1.75 thread.

The original Whaler parts are (presumed} chrome-plated bronze, and the new ones are solid stainless steel. You can’t replace just the bow towing eye, you have to replace both the towing eye and the lifting eye since the new stainless steel parts cannot be re-threaded to match any of the old parts.

The old towing eye wore out because the tow hook was a rough steel casting that vibrated while on the road and gradually ground down the eye opening, as seen in the illustration above. I’ve been towing from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to Alabama and the Gulf of Mexico for the past ten years, and that’s over a 2,500-mile round trip, or at least 25,000-miles of highway towing. All in all that’s not bad durability for a 42 year old part.
1978 Outrage V20 with 2004 Suzuki DF-115. 1992 23 Walkaround with two 2010 Yamaha F-150s.

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Bow Eye Replacement Parts

Postby jimh » Thu Apr 16, 2020 1:57 pm

I am not a fan of the towing eyes with the thick D-shape that mount with one threaded rod fastener. Some winch strap hooks won't fit into them because the opening is too small. And attaching a security chain can also be a problem

bowEye.jpg
Fig. 2. Bow eye on 22-foot Boston Whaler with larger U-bolt design.
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For larger boats, Boston Whaler used a U-bolt. The U-bolt has two threaded rods, and is better suited to larger and heavier hulls. The two rods spread the load onto a larger area of the bow stem and laminate structure. And the opening in the U-bolt allows a safety chain and a downhaul strap to be attached at the same time as the winch strap--room for all three at once.

biggiefl
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Re: Towing Eye Replacement Parts

Postby biggiefl » Thu Apr 16, 2020 2:06 pm

Glad to see the new bow eye has the two nubs on it so it will not spin once installed. I bought a pair for the transom of a Boston Whaler boat I was restoring that did not have the nubs. Luckily the boa was a 13-footer and there was not as much pressure on the transom eyes as would be on the bow eye when the boat is being winched onto the trailer.
On my 24th Whaler. Currently in the stable: 86 18' Outrage, 81 13' Sport(original owner), 87 11' Sport, 69 Squall(for sale cheap).

Hoosier
Posts: 149
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:04 pm
Location: Indiana and Eastern UP

Re: Bow Eye Replacement Parts

Postby Hoosier » Thu Apr 16, 2020 2:55 pm

I am really impressed with Marine Parts Depot. I asked for the part on Saturday, on Easter Weekend, and got the part on Wednesday. I used up one hacksaw blade in cutting the stainless steel rod to the correct length.
1978 Outrage V20 with 2004 Suzuki DF-115. 1992 23 Walkaround with two 2010 Yamaha F-150s.

Hoosier
Posts: 149
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 8:04 pm
Location: Indiana and Eastern UP

Re: Bow Eye Replacement Parts

Postby Hoosier » Fri Apr 17, 2020 9:56 am

FWIW: I just went to Marine Part Depot's website, not on Amazon, and they're having a sale on some Boston Whaler parts. There aren't many but there are some nice deals.

http://www.marinepartdepot.com/bowhha.html
1978 Outrage V20 with 2004 Suzuki DF-115. 1992 23 Walkaround with two 2010 Yamaha F-150s.

dtmackey
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Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2017 9:29 pm

Re: Bow Eye Replacement Parts

Postby dtmackey » Fri Apr 17, 2020 11:37 am

Have never been a fan of the chrome plated hardware from Whaler as the chrome does not last. Any type of metal clip or hardware would damage the chrome finish and the metal underneath is soft and does not standup well to repeated wear applications as witnessed in your pics.

I've converted some of my Whaler hardware over to 316 Stainless and it says looking good for far longer with no concern over having it rechromed.

D-

biggiefl
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Re: Bow Eye Replacement Parts

Postby biggiefl » Fri Apr 17, 2020 12:01 pm

Nice deal on the bow chock, stern light hardware, norman pin, etc.
On my 24th Whaler. Currently in the stable: 86 18' Outrage, 81 13' Sport(original owner), 87 11' Sport, 69 Squall(for sale cheap).