14ft. boat modification/conversion

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Bob60

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Hi everyone! Been reading the great stories and the fantastic boat modifications shown at this great website and thought I would join the TinBoats.net to get in on some of the fun. Recently bought a 1960 14ft.(actually measures more like 13'9") Mirrocraft boat that I plan on converting.She is old (but so am i, ha ha) but in good shape and does not leak. As I mentioned the boat is 13'9" long from bow to stern and measures about 52" at the widest point at the beam .I am sure it is more like about 48" if I disregard the wide metal lip around the top of the boat(not sure what the proper name is for that) and has 3 seats. I do not wish to remove the seats,but would like to deck over the middle seat and front seat to the bow and install a pedestal seat and some hatches for storage of a battery,bilge pump,tackle boxes,etc.Then I would like to deck over the back set to the stern as well for storage of the boats gas tanks,etc. using aluminum bracing and plywood for the decking like Im have seen in many posts here.
my concern is the boat becoming unstable or perhaps a little "tipsy" when walking around if i make these modifications.Would this decking be too high ? are there certain considerations that I need to take to make this work? This is my first boat modification/conversion and These plans are not cast in cement,so I would really welcome any thoughts,suggestions or comments. Hope to get started soon and would appreciate the help.
 
if i have any advice to give, it is to try and keep the walking surface as low as possible. if you want to add a deck, im not saying it won't work, but that you don't nessaceraly have to build it that high. perhaps a raised floor instead, just to avoid the entire from boat bieng tippy. i'm working on my mods, and i'm adding a raised floor, and a front deck as well, but not bringing it all the way back to the middle seat, and still have plenty of room for storage. i actually cut my middle seat out for more floor space. hope this gives you some ideas...

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=17916
 
Thank you trophybass for tips and comments,i really appreciate the help. quick question... do you believe you will have any problems with the boatsoverall strength and structure when you remove the middle seat? I have thought of doing that but a little concerned about the boat being weak there.Again, thanks for your comments!
 
no problem. also by removing the middle seat, the boat does lose some strength and integrity, but if you view my mod, what i did was i removed the middle seat partially, and then re-inforced it with custom plywood framing, to keep the sides solid. heres my mod:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=17916
 

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