Hi Everyone,
I'm the proud new owner of my first (used) boat. No more fishing from the shore for me! :mrgreen:
It's a 1988, 14' 5", deep-V "Grumman 14 fisherman" with a 65" beam. The graphics on the side say "GFS", which I assume means "Grumman fisherman series", or something like that.
I've never seen a 14-footer with such a large capacity. The sticker says 6 people, with a total limit (people + gear) of 1,085 lbs.
Anyway, I've been staring at this boat for about a week mulling over how to modify it. Right now it's bare, with just three bench-style seats.
My first thought was to:
1) Make a casting deck up front (from the top of the front bench to the bow)
2) Remove the middle seat
3) Make a flat floor between rear bench and the front bench
But there are a couple of problems with this. First, I'm scared of the thought of trying to drill out the hull rivets to remove the bench. I can probably get around this by cutting through the bench brackets from the inside.
But then there's still the problem of reduced structural integrity and loss of floatation foam. The foam is relatively easy to deal with. Trying to brace the sides to improve hull strength is a bit more work.
Recently, I thought of another way to skin this cat. I could save time, effort, and compromising the boat by simply leaving the center seat intact and:
1) Make a flat floor (low deck) between rear bench and the middle bench
2) Make a high(er) deck running across the top of the middle bench,
across the front bench, all the way to the bow
This would have the added benefit of allowing me to create below deck storage and add a livewell between the middle and front benches.
The big question is, will a boat like this be stable with a partial deck running along the top of the benches? There would still be about 8" to the gunwales. And actually, the high deck would only be about 12" higher than the low deck.
I know that to answer my own question I should take the boat to the lake and try standing on the middle bench, but this boat won't be registered until the spring. So for now, I'm just looking for some expert opinions.
Thanks!
-dan
I'm the proud new owner of my first (used) boat. No more fishing from the shore for me! :mrgreen:
It's a 1988, 14' 5", deep-V "Grumman 14 fisherman" with a 65" beam. The graphics on the side say "GFS", which I assume means "Grumman fisherman series", or something like that.
I've never seen a 14-footer with such a large capacity. The sticker says 6 people, with a total limit (people + gear) of 1,085 lbs.
Anyway, I've been staring at this boat for about a week mulling over how to modify it. Right now it's bare, with just three bench-style seats.
My first thought was to:
1) Make a casting deck up front (from the top of the front bench to the bow)
2) Remove the middle seat
3) Make a flat floor between rear bench and the front bench
But there are a couple of problems with this. First, I'm scared of the thought of trying to drill out the hull rivets to remove the bench. I can probably get around this by cutting through the bench brackets from the inside.
But then there's still the problem of reduced structural integrity and loss of floatation foam. The foam is relatively easy to deal with. Trying to brace the sides to improve hull strength is a bit more work.
Recently, I thought of another way to skin this cat. I could save time, effort, and compromising the boat by simply leaving the center seat intact and:
1) Make a flat floor (low deck) between rear bench and the middle bench
2) Make a high(er) deck running across the top of the middle bench,
across the front bench, all the way to the bow
This would have the added benefit of allowing me to create below deck storage and add a livewell between the middle and front benches.
The big question is, will a boat like this be stable with a partial deck running along the top of the benches? There would still be about 8" to the gunwales. And actually, the high deck would only be about 12" higher than the low deck.
I know that to answer my own question I should take the boat to the lake and try standing on the middle bench, but this boat won't be registered until the spring. So for now, I'm just looking for some expert opinions.
Thanks!
-dan