Hello all..
During last fall I purchased a 1992 Lund WC-14 boat for myself and two youngsters who like to fish. I have been reading on this site for a couple months trying to get ideas on everything. The boat came with a 25hp Johnson outboard and an old Hummingbird LCR-4id fish finder.
I have been looking for ideas for trolling motors, storage ideas, you get the picture. I realize this is a small boat but I am trying to maximize the amount of room to organize my gear. The boat has the typical three bench seats and a useless spot in front of the front bench. I have been thinking about extending the front bench to the bow and using that area for storage. Yes I could use it now for storage but I like my stuff hidden and organized.
It is the idea of a casting deck but not to stand on. I will leave my swivel seat there and I hope that would discourage anyone to get up there. My idea is to store lifejackets, anchor, fenders for when it would be docked (rare), and maybe a trolling battery. It would have one hatch to lift up and give access to the area. So I began to research and most of what I found are the casting decks. Again, I don't plan on fishing from that but just utilizing it for storage. The area is small, 42 inches maximum width but only 30 inches from the front of the bench to the middle of the v, or the back side of the keel.
I have looked on the type of materials to use and since I live in Montana and we are short on marine supplies, I purchased a sheet of CDX plywood and began my project. I have thought of carpet, but that just soaks up water and may be difficult to clean. I have started looking about the pros and cons of vinyl. Here is my idea, and since the information is scarce, it may not be a good one. But, you are professional and a lot of people are very knowledgeable with modifications to our tin boats.
I was thinking about sealing the wood then putting a thin layer 1/2 to 1 inch thick foam and cover the area with a marine grade vinyl. Fabricate a hatch and do the same thing. The seat would be mounted on the first bench still, and that would give the front passenger just enough room to stretch their legs out and relax. I typed this whole message and realized I don't know how to post pictures yet, se bear with me and I will attached some pics soon.
During last fall I purchased a 1992 Lund WC-14 boat for myself and two youngsters who like to fish. I have been reading on this site for a couple months trying to get ideas on everything. The boat came with a 25hp Johnson outboard and an old Hummingbird LCR-4id fish finder.
I have been looking for ideas for trolling motors, storage ideas, you get the picture. I realize this is a small boat but I am trying to maximize the amount of room to organize my gear. The boat has the typical three bench seats and a useless spot in front of the front bench. I have been thinking about extending the front bench to the bow and using that area for storage. Yes I could use it now for storage but I like my stuff hidden and organized.
It is the idea of a casting deck but not to stand on. I will leave my swivel seat there and I hope that would discourage anyone to get up there. My idea is to store lifejackets, anchor, fenders for when it would be docked (rare), and maybe a trolling battery. It would have one hatch to lift up and give access to the area. So I began to research and most of what I found are the casting decks. Again, I don't plan on fishing from that but just utilizing it for storage. The area is small, 42 inches maximum width but only 30 inches from the front of the bench to the middle of the v, or the back side of the keel.
I have looked on the type of materials to use and since I live in Montana and we are short on marine supplies, I purchased a sheet of CDX plywood and began my project. I have thought of carpet, but that just soaks up water and may be difficult to clean. I have started looking about the pros and cons of vinyl. Here is my idea, and since the information is scarce, it may not be a good one. But, you are professional and a lot of people are very knowledgeable with modifications to our tin boats.
I was thinking about sealing the wood then putting a thin layer 1/2 to 1 inch thick foam and cover the area with a marine grade vinyl. Fabricate a hatch and do the same thing. The seat would be mounted on the first bench still, and that would give the front passenger just enough room to stretch their legs out and relax. I typed this whole message and realized I don't know how to post pictures yet, se bear with me and I will attached some pics soon.
The plywood is 3/4 CDX that I plan on coating with several coats of urethane when the weather warms up. 
