1955 13.5' middle bench removal question

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UncleTork

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Hey guys,

I have been searching around, reading other posts and looking at all the information i can find. I am looking at removing one of the 4 benches in my 13.5ft boat to put a small floor in. It it a 1955 Alumacraft. I am wondering if i will need to weld in new supports to make up for the missing bench or if this little boat will be fine without it.These do not appear to provide much support but i thought i would ask you guys. I am thinking that this boat is small enough that it wont hurt it but then again what do i know.

Thank you for your input.

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UncleTork said:
I am wondering if i will need to weld in new supports to make up for the missing bench or if this little boat will be fine without it.These do not appear to provide much structural integrity but i thought i would ask you guys. I am thinking that this boat is small enough that it wont hurt it but then again what do i know.
While I really and definitively cannot tell you one way or another on your boat with your plans, I can tell you that the lack of a structural support WILL cause the forces and stress to be displaced somewhere else.

To illustrate this, I did make up a sketch that highlights the concern. See this post here: https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=38511

Think of your boat like it was a tin can and you're trying to crush it by folding the bow area back into the rest of the boat. With whatever structural support you're envisioning removing, at least consider how you could reinforce that area. Even simple 'L'Shaped brackets from the topsides down to the bottom ribs could add back integrity.

That said, I run my boats in saltwaters in bays, estuaries and the ocean, where I'll encounter waves, seas, wakes, currents and rips; rips being the most deadly! So I wouldn't do it on my boat without adding back in a good structural member/support.

But if you're on ponds with calm seas all the time, I don't foresee see any bad risks from such external influences ... but it's your decision.
 

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