pmshoemaker's 16:51 Polar Kraft: ready for layout ideas!

[pmshoemaker]

Here's a shot of the boat from the front along with my first proposal.

There are two "boxes" between the forward and rear benches. They are riveted to the sides and don't come all the way down to the floor -- they are full of old, crumbly foam and I assume are just there to add boyancy? Should I not modify these? They don't seem to add anything to the structural integrity of the boat, but I'll wait and hear what you guys have to say. The only reason I might want to remove them is that they prevent me from putting a rod locker there -- I could cut a big hole in one of them to allow rods to pass through I guess. I just don't want to start sawing willy-nilly.

Would love to hear any feedback -- step one is going to be dealing with the transom -- but I can't draw diagrams of that while I should be working lol.

Of course, all of this decking is contingent on getting this into the water and making sure it's stable enough for all this. When the Maryland DNR decides to send my registration sticker back, we'll see how that goes.

 

[The10Man]

From the photo it appears that those boxes were once a bench seat that went all the way across and a previous owner cut the middle out to more easily walk through.


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[hsiftac]

I've got a polarkraft 1648 that had similar boxes on each side, except mine had lids on them and could be used for storage. I took them out anyways and don't see any problems. Maybe consider adding more foam somewhere else if you're concerned with losing floatation. Otherwise, I found mine were just in the way.

 

[derekdiruz]

I'd guess they're factory boxes, rather than a bench. The large ribs and bracing on the sides, I feel, would likely be much smaller if there was a middle bench. Personally, I'd cut them out.

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[finstr]

I would remove the boxes and foam. Then I'd put styrofoam SM on the floor and cover that with thin marine ply and vinyl. Then I'd cut the top out of the front seat and hinge a lid for a storage box. Then I'd make a 2 or 3" wide gunwale on the inside of the boat for strength and then bring the sidewalls down to the floor. Hinge a lid in a couple spots for rod storage in the gunwale.The rest of your floor plan looks good

 

[Chimpo]

OP,

I have a Polar Craft 1457 Jon. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of what you decide to build. Don't let the thread die! [-X :lol:

 

[pmshoemaker]

Minor update -- after a ridiculously busy few weeks, I finally was ready to dig into the boat last week and I injured my back unloading a load of sod for my backyard. I was able to get started on removing the rivets out of the rotten transom/cover. Not very exciting, but I wanted to give a small progress report. Photos to come shortly. I will ask for lots of patience right at the beginning, as my time to work on the boat is very limited, and I will need to do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions between the most minor steps. This is my first attempt at anything this involved.

 

[pmshoemaker]

Old, rotten transom out, 42 rivets removed!! Now it's time to get started on the new transom. A lot of cleaning/sanding to do next. There were only 2 small chunks of rotten/petrified wood left -- all the rest had disintegrated!!

 

[Johnny]

there are several threads concerning fabricating a new transom panel.
if you are unsure of anything in that project, use the search feature in the upper right corner.

NOW the FUN finally begins !!!


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