1994 Outrage 17 Modifications

[Cala]

I've been angling from my 1994 OUTRAGE 17 boat for 26 years, since I got it in 2000. In addition to repairs for normal wear-and-tear damage, and usual maintenance, I have complete five major projects to modify the boat:

1. added a bow trolling motor mount and custom LiFePO4 battery bank;
2. replaced wood in the transom due to soggy wood around splashwell drains;
3. added a new bow anchor locker hatch cover to permit installation of a bow casting seat (while preserving the original hatch}
4. re-powered with a 2026 Suzuki DF115BTL (from 2004 Mercury 115),and
5. replaced original bi-color combined sidelight lamp with LED type..

I will begin describing the modifications in that order, and continue over time to add more.

Adding Bow-mounted Trolling Motor

When I initially got the 1994 OUTRAGE 17 boat, it had a transom-mounted MinnKota trolling motor. I used it that way for several years, but I eventually got tired of manually steering and being locked to the transom. Also, I wanted access to some of the exciting new technology like SLOT-LOCK. The 1994 OUTRAGE 17 was not set up for a bow mount motor, so I had two main challenges:

• how to mount the trolling motor, and
• how to get battery power to the motor.

Of course I discarded the power wiring problem—that's easy, right?—and jumped all-in on the mounting setup.

Test Fits for Trolling Motor Mounting

I first had to determine the placement and orientation of the trolling motor. I purchased the motor first, then tried some various placements to see what would work best. I ended up deciding on an angle from port to starboard, which seemed to allow for easiest deployment while also allowing for bow anchor hatch access. In retrospect I would probably mount it along one of the gunwales, but hindsight is 20/20.

Fig. 1. Trolling motor test with Inline placement along one gunwale

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Fig. 2. Trolling motor test with angled placement from port to starboard.

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Designing Mounting Plate for Trolling Motor

After deciding on orientation, I grabbed the wood locating diagram that came with my boat from the previous owner; the wood diagram actually turned out to be wrong. I started planning out hull attachment.

My idea was to have a piece of aluminum fabricated that would provide plenty of strength when attached to the hull in many different spots, and then attach the trolling motor to the aluminum with a quick disconnect plate. To make a template I used a piece of cardboard, then took I took the template to a local fabricator to have it cut out of 3/8-inch thick sheet aluminum.

I had seen other mounting guides where they cut into the ridge of the bow gunwale area; I didn't want to do that, so I made sure the height of the aluminum plate would allow the trolling motor to ride just over the ridge of the boat's gunwale.

For improved appearance and to reduce the chance of a sharp edge of the plate cuttingI fishing lines or my boat cover, I had the aluminum plate edges beveled.

The MinnKota quick disconnect plate is attached to the aluminum with two through-bolts in the front, and in the rear the aluminum plate has tapped holed for two bolts

Fig. 3. Test fit for large aluminum plate mounting bed for trolling motor.

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Attaching Mounting Plate to Hull

To attach the plate to the hull I planned on using stainless steel screws into any locations with wood, such as under the cleats, as well as making thickened epoxy cores under the laminate. (See "Repair of Loose Screw Fasteners, as described previously in the forum}. Basically, I drilled a small hole, then used an Allen wrench to core out the foam beneath the fiberglass, then injected epoxy into the vacant space created under the laminate, and when the resin was fully cured, installed screws into the epoxy.

I used SIX-10 epoxy for this portion. Additionally, I used 3M 5200 on the entire underside of the plate. After the test fit I countersunk the holes for my hardware, then completed the mount.

[Cala]

Trolling Motor Project Continued

After the mounting plate was in position, I reattached the starboard cleat into its original holes. The port cleat is sadly gone for good with this setup, as the motor requires about six-inches of room to the port side of the mount for the quick connect locking mechanism. If I ever dock the boat on the port side I just run the docking line around or over the trolling motor to the starboard cleat.

Fig. 4. The aluminum plate is attached to the hull with stainless steel screw fasteners and bedded with 3M5200 adhesive sealant.

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Bow Railing

I had considered adding a removable or hinged section of the bow railing to aid in deploying and stowing the motor, but after mounting I found that it was possible to do deploy and stow with the bow rail intact—although it can be a big pain and many fingers smashed have gotten between trolling motor and bow rail over the years—so I left the bow rail intact. The trolling motor head is able to turn a full 360-degrees when in the fully down position by spinning underneath the bow rail, or it can be lifted up in shallow water to where the motor head is above the bow rail. The trolling motor is a MinnKota Powerdrive 2 with a 54-inch shaft.

Battery Bank and Cable Path

After finishing mounting the motor I had to figure out how to get battery power to it. I should have put much more thought into this aspect of the project from the beginning. The OUTRAGE 17 does not have any conduit or tubing to the bow of the boat, other than a circuit for the navigation lamp which runs inside of the rub rail (and there is definitely no space in there for two 8-AWG conductors).

Custom Battery Pack

I had installed a custom LiFePo4 battery bank under the console using eight 3.3-Volt electric car batteries from China. These batteries were pulled out of a DIY electric car, and each was tested at between 140- to 150-Ampere-hour storage capacity.

Fig. 5. The battery is composed of eight 3.3-Volt LiFePO4 cells used in electric cars. In this view the dedicated battery charger is attached and charging, with its display screen indicating individual cell data.

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The eight battery cells are housed in a plywood box under the console. The boat's 12-Volt starting battery is then mounted on top of the box.

Fig. 6. A view inside the center console looking through the open port side door shows the trolling motor battery bank covered in its plywood box, and 12-Volt engine cranking battery mounted on top.

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MinnKota had assured me that the motor could handle the 26.4-Volts coming out of the battery bank, but advised me to limit full-throttle operation to a minute or two at a time to ensure no overheating of the motor control board.

To get the battery power to the motor, initially I ran two 8-AWG cables from the console, under the cooler, and over the top of the anchor hatch to the trolling motor. This worked okay for a couple years, but the wires tended to get pinched by the anchor hatch, not to mention being a tripping hazard (and looking ugly).

[Cala]

Trolling Motor Project Continued

Creating Cable Path

Finding a way to get the power cables to the trolling motor from the center console definitely turned out to be the worst-looking part of the project, but the outcome was very functional. I used a 1-inch-diameter hole saw to drill through forward bulkhead of the console and also through the aft bulkhead of the anchor locker, right at deck level. (This took a bit of guesswork since there is at a bit of an angle involved.)

I then ran a 1-inch-diameter PVC pipe from the console to the anchor locker, extending through the anchor locker, and terminaing at the front of the anchor locker. I ran the trolling motor power cables through this conduit. Having the PVC pipe extend to the front of the anchor locker protects the wiring from an anchor or anything else placed in the hatch. (Eventually I added power for a bow fishfinder, too). Now the only exposed wire is the a run of six inches from the front of the anchor hatch to the motor and eight inches or so from the front of the cooler to the bulkhead. Definitely doesn't look good, but my dogs or I never trip on any wires anymore, so it works great.

I don't have a picture handy, but I will add one later.

Fig. 7. Goes Here when available

Bow Rail Removal

I ran this setup for a few years and it worked well, but eventually I got sick of the hassle of deploying and stowing the trolling motor under the bow rail, and in Spring 2026 I removed the bow railing. It makes using the motor a breeze, as well as improving the fishability from the bow, and ease of getting myself and the dogs on/off when the boat is beached. Wish I had done this 20 years sooner.

If anyone needs a perfect condition bow rail let me know, as mine is taking up way too much room in my garage.

Trolling Motor Summary

Overall this project has made fishing out of the boat significantly easier and more enjoyable. Having a bow mount motor with spot lock, track following, heading locks, and speed controls is a huge upgrade from a tiller steer transom motor. Plus having a remote lets me operate it from anywhere on the boat.

The LiFePO4 battery bank has enough stored energy for me to go on four-day camping and fishing trips without needing to bring a generator to recharge the battery bank.

The aluminum mounting plate is rock solid, with the only downside noted is that it's possible to hang up the extension portion on a dock if approaching in wavy conditions.

Fig.8. Trolling motor stowed beneath bow railing.

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Fig. 9 Trolling motor deployed in the lowest and deepest position. It can also ride above the bow rail for very shallow water.

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[Cala]

Transom Repair Project

Problem Appears in Transom

In late 2022 I noted that the bolts holding on the outboard engine on were starting to compress the gelcoat and fiberglass of the transom, which to me was an indication of wood rot around the bolts. I removed the two brass drains from the engine splash well, and I found the embedded reinforcement wood around those hole was wet and significantly rotted. At that moment. the season was too far gone to start to replace the transom, so I put the boat into winter storage and started planning a Spring 2023 transom replacement.

Planning the Transom Repair

After lots of digging through other boaters transom replacement projects I ended up deciding on [replacing the wood reinforcement in the transom with a] pourable material. In the archive of this website, many people have used a product called Seacast for this type of repair, but there are many other brands offering similar products. They all seemed pretty comparable: lighter than plywood, rot free, bond well to fiberglass. I went with a brand called Nidabond. I also ordered a lot of resin and cloth. This was my first time doing any serious work with fiberglass, so it was definitely a learning process.

Removing Engine

In Spring 2023 I bought a used engine hoist off and started the transom project. First I pulled off the outboard engine.

Fig. 10. The transom without the engine in place, ready for repair of the soft wood inside the transom.

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Coring Out the Soft Wood from the Transom Reinforcement

Then I cut off the top cap of the transom to see what I was working with. I chose to go in from the top and hollow it out, instead of cutting off entire the skin off the aft face of the transom. I was intimidated by the amount of fiberglass work that removing the whole aft face of the transom would entail, but in retrospect it would have been muuuuuuch easier that way. If I were ever do a transom again I will use that method.

After cutting off the transom cap the wood core looked surprisingly good, but it makes sense that the highest up wood would be fine as the water intrusion was coming through the engine bolts and thru hulls. I used a long spade bit with an extension to drill down and hollow out the wood between the skins.

Fig. 11. Drilling out wood core with an extended spade bit.

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Once a majority of the wood was removed I used an electric chainsaw and a long chisel to remove the rest of the wood. This removal process was a pain in the butt, removing the full skin would be much smarter.

Fig. 12. Continued hollowing out the core with chainsaw and chisel.

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[Cala]

Transom Repair Project Continued

While hollowing the wood reinforcements embedded in the transom, I tried to be very careful to not damage the laminate and gelcoat skin. In areas with very rotten wood this was easy, but on the top and sides where the wood was in good condition I had to slow down and be more delicate. As you can see in Figure 11 below, I did break through the bottom layer of fiberglass and exposed foam can be seen. This bottom layer is super thin (seems like only a layer or two of cloth) compared to the front or back or top areas.

Fig. 11. Hollowed out skin. Note the exposed foam from breaking through bottom glass.

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During removal I found that while the areas around the two splashwell drains and the four engine mounting bolts ware extremely rotted, but the wood outside of that area was in pristine condition. The rot spread about three to four inches from each intrusion point. To reseal those engine mounting bolts and splash well drains every few years to prevent the water intrusion will be very important.

I ended up deciding not to remove the wood from the upper wing sections of the transom where it raises up to the left and right. Instead, I smoothed out the wood core edge with a chisel, then laid 3 layers of fiberglass/resin on the sides and bottom of my hollowed out area. This bonded with the foam and wood to border my pourable section. I also covered one of the splashwell drains with fiberglass, as I didn't see a point in having two drains for the same small area.

The Pour
I forgot to take any good photos of the pour process, but I used a bunch of C-clamps and some planed 2x4 lumber to support the outside skins, which are very flexible once the inner wooden core is removed. This is important to keep a flat transom surface.

I filled the single existing drain and the engine mounting bolt holes with their respective hardware, but wrapped them painters tape to prevent the pourable transom from bonding to them. I build a flat, 8-inch-long sorta funnel out of plywood to guide the pour into the cavity. Finally I mixed up the Nidabond and began the pour.

I believe I used 5-gallons, which fully filled the cavity. I poured and moulded it up over the top as best as I could to help rebuild the height from the transom cap I had removed initially. Nidabond cures exothermically, so the transom got very hot during the curing process. I monitored the temperature and curing for several hours. I and set up a box fan to help keep the transom slightly cooler. Due to my work schedule, the transom got several days to completely cure before I started the next steps.

Sanding

I sanded the Nidabond top to a nice smooth surface and beveled the fiberglass on the transom and inner splashwell to prepare to wrap the top with cloth. Once I had fiberglassed the cap, a lot of fairing with Total Boats structural polyester putty was needed to get a smooth flat surface.

Gelcoat

I used Spectrum Gelcoat on this project, which cost me around $250 for a color-matched quart (if I remember correctly). I have since switched to using Advanced Coatings Company out of Massachusetts for my gelcoat needs and would highly recommend them. A color matched quart from Advanced is only $80 and matches Whaler Desert Tan just as well.

I sprayed on the gelcoat with a Harbor Freight top load spray gun, with the tip drilled out to 2mm diameter. Honestly not the best gun, but it got the job done, and the budget didn't have room for a $200 gelcoat-specific gun.

Unfortunately due to the location of the repair the Stencil Number on the engine splashwell had to be covered up.

The gelcoat turned out great besides some orange peel texture that had to be sanded down.

Fig 12, Transom after new gelcoat resin sprayed on.

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I had a scheduled fishing trip coming up quick, so once the gelcoat was fully cured and ready, on went the outboard engine, and I was off to the lake.

Fig. 13. The engine is mounted. Ready to fish.

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Retrospective and Costs

This was my first foray into serious fiberglass lamination and spraying gelcoat resins, and the work was definitely a learning process.

In total I spend about $1,200 and 60 hours on this project. About $300 of that was for some tools (engine hoist, chainsaw, spray gun, sanders/disks), so it could be done for under a $1,000 if you already have the tools. It took a lot of work, but doing it myself definitely saved a load of money compared to having a shop do the work. The boat is going into its fourth year with the new transom and it's still rock solid, so I'm a satisfied DIY-er

[MarkCz]

Your write-up on the [two projects presented so far] is very nice

Q1: does your DIY battery pack have a BMS or a fuse for safety?

[Cala]

Q1: does your DIY battery pack haves a BMS or a fuse for safety?

The iCharger x8 (seen in Figure 5) is hooked up during battery charging, and it balances the packs and monitors voltage of each cell, current, and temperature during charging.

During normal operation there is no BMS connected, but the positive lead goes through a 50-Ampere circuit breaker in the console. The 24-Volt battery circuit breaker is kept switched off except during actual use.

The circuit breaker feeds battery positive to the trolling motor positive, and also to a Victron DC-to-DC inverter, which steps down the voltage from 26.4-Volts to about 15-Volts to power electronics, like the fishfinders, NMEA-2000 network, and a USB charger.

[jimh]

Q2a, b: what was the approximate cost of the eight 3.3-Volt 150-Ampere-hour cells, and (b) were they used cells when you bought them?

I am impressed with the height of those cells as they appear in Figure 6 above.

Q3a, b: (a) how tall are the cells, and (b) how much does each cell weigh?

[jimh]

...a Victron DC-to-DC inverter...steps down the...26.4-Volts to about 15-Volts to power electronics, like the fishfinders, NMEA-2000 network, and a USB charger.

Q4: was the choice of 15-Volts instead of something closer to 12-Volts intentional?

Q5: is the 26-Volt battery pack essentially also the HOUSE load battery for the boat?

I presume the propulsion engine does not recharge the 26-Volt battery pack, but if the 26-Volt pack has 150-Ampere-hour stored capacity, I guess you can operate a lot of small electronic loads from it for many hours without much worry about discharging the battery.

Also, your approach to the battery and trolling motor power is quite unique and very interesting.

[Cala]

...were they used cells when you bought them?

I pulled out those batteries from a DIY electric car a relative of mine wasn't using anymore, I believe they had been used for several years. After pulling them I tested them and found them to hold about 140-Ampere-hour capacity. I'm unsure what the original rating was when they were purchased.

Q2a...what was the approximate cost of the eight 3.3-Volt 150-Ampere-hour cells...?

As for cost for new cells, searching on Docan Power's (the website I believe where they were originally ordered from) it looks like a 105-Ah cell is going for $38, while a 340-Ah cell is going for $64. This would put an eight cell 24-Volt bank at around $300 for 100-Ah, or around $500 for a 340-Ah bank, which is truly massive. I would plan on spending another $50 for connecting hardware and $100 to $150 for a charger/BMS. So an estimated total including hardware and charger. would be:

• $450 - 100aH
• $700 - 340aH

This approach seems awfully appealing compared to Bass Pro Shops Tracker Lithium battery, which retails for $750 for a single 12-Volt 100-Ah battery without a charger. LiTime, a popular lithium battery brand, retails for $310 for a 12-Volt 100-Ah battery, so still over $620 for a 24-Volt. If you DIY you could have over three-times the battery capacity for a comparable cost. Obviously these batteries already have a case, and have some additional features like bluetooth monitoring, but it's still quite the upcharge.

Q3a, b: (a) how tall are the cells, and (b) how much does each cell weigh?

My cells are about 8-inches tall. Hardware and wiring takes a little extra room on top of that, plus leaving some room to not short out anything if your lid was conductive. So I'd say about 10-inches from base of batteries to top of the plywood lid. Weight is a bit under 5-lbs per cell, so around 40-lbs. For the 340-Ah batteries mentioned above weight would be just under 100-lbs.

Q4: was the choice of 15-Volts instead of something closer to 12-Volts intentional?

Some anglers report better performance of fishfinders when using 15-Volt inpuit voltage. Others dispute and believe 12-Volts is perfectly fine. Either way the vendor approved input voltage for my Garmin devices, NMEA2000, SMG4 engine gauge, and USB charger are up to 19-Volts, so I saw some potential gain and no downside to setting it at 15-Volts.

Q5: is the 26-Volt battery pack essentially also the HOUSE load battery for the boat?

Correct. It's technically possible to setup the battery bank to recharge from the engine alternator, but I think it would require at least a few hundred bucks of supplies, and is beyond my electric skill level to do comfortably. I never run out of house juice with my current boating style, so no need to spend extra money or risk any potential failures.

[Cala]

New Anchor Locker Hatch Construction

For years I wanted to add a forward fishing seat mounted to the anchor locker hatch on the 1994 OUTRAGE 17 , but couldn't find it in me to cut a hole in the original hatch. Finally I decided to just make a new anchor hatch, and then if I didn't like it I could always go back to the original. I decided that making a mold and creating the hatch out of fiberglass and gelcoat would be too annoying, so I settled on a wooded hatch. After taking some measurements I used 3/4-inch wood.

Choosing the Wood

I happened to have a bunch of appropriately-sized red oak sitting around, which to be honest is a terrible choice for a marine environment due to its porous nature and tendency to rot. But since I already planned to completely coat the hatch with epoxy and varnish that didn't matter, so I stuck with the red oak. I wanted to add a few strips of Bubinga wood as an accent. I cut those and used my planer to make sure all the wood was equal thickness, which saves a lot of sanding time after the glue up. I laminated all the pieces together with Titebond-3 wood glue, then sanded down any uneven edges.

Fig. 14 Test fit of new anchor locker hatch after initial cut, marking points for hinge attachment.

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I removed the original hatch and used it as a template to cut the shape. Then I test fit the new on the boat to check corner fit and thickness as well as to mark holes on my new wood hatch for the hinge attachment points. I had to use a router on the hinge attachment points to get them to lay correctly. I also rounded off corners with an orbital sander. Once was happy with the test fit, I added some crossbars on the backside with the same red oak, perpendicular to the grain of the top. I started with two crossbars going almost the full width of the hatch (stopping short enough to allow the hatch to fit down when closed, then I also added a few shorter backing sections around where the seat base plate would go. I attached these sections with Titebond-3 glue and 1-1/4-inch screws. The hatch should be plenty strong now.

Wood Surface Protection and Finish

Epoxy

To add durability and completely waterproof the rot-prone red oak I fully coated the top, bottom, an dedges with WEST Systems 105 resin with 207 clear hardener. I applied three coats in total, with the first coat using much more epoxy as it soaked into the grain. Subsequent coats were applied while the previous layer was tacky but not cured, so no sanding was needed in between. The epoxy was then given eight days to cure fully as based on local temperature and humidity. After full cure, the cured epoxy was washed with warm soapy water to remove amine blush, and then fully dried.

Fig. 15. The new hatch with a coating of epoxy. It's getting shiny.

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Varnish

I used seven coats of Epifanes Clear Varnish to finish the top and edges of the hatch. I scuff sanded the epoxy with 120 grit before the first varnish layer, then scuff sanded with 220 grit between varnish layers. I waited 24 hours between each varnish layer, so this process took a while. On the final (seventh) layer I masked the edges and around where the seat base would go with painters tape, and added Epifanes Polypropylene Non-Skid Beads to the varnish. This gave the top a good grippy surface that I won't slip on once it gets wet or fish slimed. I removed the painters tape about 30 minutes after application, which left a nice clean line. The varnish is mostly just to protect the epoxy from degrading in the sun, so I only applied one layer to the bottom of the hatch.

[Cala]

New Anchor Locker Hatch Construction Continues

Fishing Seat Mount

Once the varnish had fully cured on the hatch I moved on to hardware installation. I went with a Springfield 7-inch x 7-inch stainless steel base with a 3/4-inch threaded insert. I chose this size as the hole size is quite small when the post is not installed, so dog paws can't fall in when they roam the boat. I like the threaded end for peace of mind that it won't fall out on the highway or in rough water conditions. I used a hole saw to cut in the middle of the hatch (I believe it was a 2-3/4-inch hole). In retrospect I wish I had placed the seat 3 or 4-inch more towards the rear of the boat instead of dead center, as this would have given a bit more room between the stowed trolling motor and the seat. The base was fastened on with 1/4-inch stainless steel hardware, and caulked on both sides to prevent water intrusion into the screw holes.

Fig. 16. The metal seat base is installed. You can just make out the edge of the non-skid area.

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I had a BassProShop power pedestal laying around that I installed, as well as buying a Millenium mesh seat based to overwhelmingly positive feedback online. I had started this project assuming I would buy a traditional foam padded high backed seat, but after reading so many poor reviews about their stitching quality, comfort, and tendency to get waterlogged I pivoted to the Millenium seat, and I've been very happy with it so far. The pedestal I had ended up being a bit too tall (it was the 22- to 29-inch adjustable version) as it is designed for the leaning seats, so I replaced it with the shorter version 16- to 22-inch adjustable pedestal

Fig. 7. This views shows the original, taller 22- to 29-inch adjustable pedestal, which was later replaced with a shorter version.

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So far I've been very pleased with the result. The hatch is rock solid, the non-skid coating has been the perfect amount of grit to keep traction, and the seat makes long fishing days a pleasure. I would highly recommend the Millenium seat so far. Its welded construction seems high quality, and the seat is very comfortable. It also provides plenty of airflow to keep your back and butt cool on hot summer days.

[Cala]

Navigation Light LED Conversion -

The navigation light on my boat had been a constant source of annoyance (as well as a safety hazard), as it seemed to always work in the driveway and never work on the lake. The old lamp burned HOT, and the mounting system did not seem secure. Eventually I got so sick of it I decided to convert to LED. I ordered this Perko bow light LED conversion kit from Specialty Marine, which the website claims to be compatible with Outrage 17's made 1990-1994.
https://www.specialtymarine.com/product ... tion-parts

Unfortunately when the kit arrived I found that the green/red housing as well as LED mount did not match or fit my existing light. I am unsure if the website listing is incorrect, or if my navigation light is not the original and the previous owner had replaced it. However, I really only needed the LED itself, so I whipped up a 2 piece mount/LED holder in CAD and 3D printed it with a PETG filament to withstand the heat. The mount uses the navigation light's existing 2 bolts to connect it to the light frame and boat. Two 3mm screws hold the LED to the mount, which has 4 wire holes built in - 2 for the LED leads and 2 for the navigation light power/ground coming from the console. This allows the wires to be connected above the base and behind the LED. Easier to work on, doesn't block the light, and keeps it above any water intrusion that may occur.

Side view of mount with the housing off.

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Top view of mount with the housing off.

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The wires were soldered together, then sealed with heat shrink. I re-used the existing green/red lenses and housing. The light now works consistently, is brighter than before, creates less heat and uses less power.

Finished navigation light, mounted on aluminum bracket for trolling motor.

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