Interior overhaul of Starcraft SF140DLX

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jethro

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I have been a member on this forum for a while, I have read hundreds of threads. But I still do not know if I can safely remove all the seats/wells from my boat without hurting the structural integrity? I realize I have to replace any foam I have and I don't think that will be hard. I am just concerned with how much the boat depends on those assemblies for rigidity. And if I can just remove the seats and wells, what do you guys do to fill the holes? Just use rivets but in a thickness appropriate for one layer of aluminum?

I have been stuck in this internal struggle with either selling the boat and buying something already set up more to my liking or just diving in and making this boats layout more to what I want. The problem is that ideally I'd like a bit bigger and a motor with tilt/trim. But then this one is easy to tow and a great size for most of the local waters I fish, so I can live with it not being a 16 or 17'. And I can always get a tilt/trim plate if it gets to me.

So this is the boat. What has to happen to make a big, open space?

20150509_080058-L.jpg
 
I suppose this is a dumb question, and why it is so hard for me to come up with search results on removing the structures. I guess it's all subjective as to how what is safe and what isn't. I can't delete this thread, so I think I'll leave it in hopes I will be tearing into the boat at some point and this will be my rebuild thread.
 
Based on what I have seen on this and other forums, I would say that removing the seat will only reduce support of you fail to replace it with something. You should be able to brace it adequately with some aluminum angle.
 
jethro said:
I suppose this is a dumb question, and why it is so hard for me to come up with search results on removing the structures.
Removing ALL the structural supports of the topsides (sides of the boat), to the other side and/or to the floor of the skiff or the installed floor … WILL cause the boat to flex at the point about 1/3rd back from the bow. I have seen many ~20’ fiberglass center consoles (CCs) used in saltwater with extensive damage in that area.

When the boat slams into a head sea at speed, the water is hard, even though the water gives away some. At excessive speeds (~60mph) the dynamic density of water approaches that of the static density of concrete. That’s hard man … and without structural members to SPREAD the stress loads across the hull, it isolates at the gunwhale (gunnel) area about 1/3rd back from the bow and the hull and sides WILL flex, bend and crack at those points. The hull is essentially trying to collapse on itself!

You need some feature to connect the sides to the floor or structural ribs. To do so otherwise is foolhardy IMHO …
 

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