jon boat remodeling project

[fish-n-hunt4life]

Ive got a 1987 fisher 1648 modified vee jon boat. the boat has a counsel, and two benches. one in the far back and one in the middle. pretty much just like any standard riveted boat. my problem is that i have limited room and would love it if i could take out the center bench. and put a floor from front to back and move the counsel foward and put in a swivel base seatfor the counsel in about the center of the boat. im pretty handy and love to work on my boat and want to know if anyone has ever done this and how much did it weaken the boat hull. if you have done this or know who has, it would be great to hear some advice.

[res]

I have taken a couple of older boats, gutted them and reworked them to fit my needs. If you are a little handy it is a lot of fun and you can really enjoy fishing or hunting in a boat you built. As for strength, there is very little way I can tell over the internet. I basicly went by feel. I rebuilt a 14ft semi vee that was about a 1970's model. That thing was a heavy gauge and I stripped out all of the seats and the cowling. It is now my crash about duck boat. Nothing but a flat floor. It is quite strong and has almost NO flex. If you have the console a bit more forward and possibly put a couple of braces or storage boxes in the back corners, I would assume you will find the boat able to handle everything you are looking to do. Rick

[fish-n-hunt4life]

well the way i look at it is the bench is held on by six rivets. i could drill em out and plugem and take her for a test drive and see what i think. if it seems really weak then ill prolly throw it back in and rivit it back up. i jus hate stepin over the bench to go in the front of the boat. i see all them lowe roughnecks and open floor modifiy vees and they look so roomy. i only use the boat in the spring so i got all summer to tinker .

[Lwapo]

If the seat has to be there, could you lower it some to make it less of a hassle? Sometimes if you can buy an inch or two more of clearance, it can make all the difference in the world?