Conversion?

[Z-man2002]

I have an old 16' fiberglass sea king boat with the front 6' of the bow enclosed. What I would like to do is, open the bow up and put a seat and a casting platform up there. I know alot of you are going to tell me to sell it an buy a new one, but I have three kids and not alot of money. I just want to be able have one of the kids or another passenger up there when fishing. I'm wondering what to use to cut the fiberglass, what to use as floor supports, and any other things I should do?

 

[Ryoken]

Re: Conversion?

sawzall works wonders <br /><br />if you peruse this project section there are lots of posts on stringers, floors, etc, should be able to find some good info among those..

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Conversion?

There are all sorts of ways to do this, but you want to make sure however you do it you make sure it is light. An angle grinder with metal cut-off wheel works very well to cut through glass. Just be careful, it goes through like butter. Once opened up, you can glass a perimeter lip to the hull at the desired height using 1x1 and epoxy resin with cloth. You can use dimensional lumber for support, but it can be heavy, so I would recommend 3/4 ply for vertical support under the deck (you can arrange it to act as under deck storage boxes and mount hatches in the casting deck), and 1/2 or 5/8 ply for the deck. The more support you have, the thinner you can go on the deck. You will want to also glass in a bulkhead to stiffen thing up at the rear of the casting deck from the deck to the original floor and all the way across. Make sure all wood is sealed very well, using thinned epoxy or at least a good polyurethane paint. You can use marine carpet or traction coating for the final covering. If done right, the casting deck will replace the structural integrity lost when removing the bow deck. Good luck.<br /><br />Its a rough drawing, but you get the idea.<br /><br />

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[peacekeeper6]

Re: Conversion?

exactly what i wanna do, anyone know if he did it?

 

[thurps]

Re: Conversion?

Use a sawzall with a carbide composit blade. Run a little water when cutting (no dust) just make sure to keep the coard out of the water.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Conversion?

Been there, done that with three kids and a 15ft Glastron V-153 runabout. Cut the front deck off and installed a forward casting platform made from 3/4 inch plywood sealed on all sides with epoxy resin. Built a center console from plywood with two seats from the previously installed lounge seats. Driver sat on a cooler with cushion between console and splashwell. This turned out great for our family and served us well for nine years until my wife suggested we could use a bigger boat.

 

[peacekeeper6]

Re: Conversion?

thanx man, did it take away from the hull integrity?

 

[Acer2428]

Re: Conversion?

I can't imagine mine losing and integrity by taking away the bow covering. It's just a 1/4" thick fiberglassing. It flexes under my weight when I try to get onto the bow sliding on my butt. I think if I tried to step on it, it'd crack for sure.

Adding pieces of plywood/fiberglass down below and adding a floor would make mine STRONGER I would think.

 

[peacekeeper6]

Re: Conversion?

i am looking at an old stamas hull now to start my project. should be enjoyable when i actually start i will start a thread and keep people updated.

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Conversion?

Snake, I never noticed any problems with the hull flexing beyond what I considered normal. Keep in mind that most of my boating is in coastal waters and it can get pretty rough. Glastron built a good hull back then and it took everything I threw at it. I left the deck cap in place and only cut out the inner portion. Also, left a very small triangular deck for the combo light, cleets, chocks, etc. Had to do some cosmetic work only to clean up the rough edges. I received a lot of help and manhours from a neighbor who had fiberglassing experience and would work for beers. If my boat had been any longer, the hull integrity thing may have been an issue. You just have to evaluate each one on its own merits. Good luck with your project.

 

[peacekeeper6]

Re: Conversion?

yea i am going to ge tthe hull for next to nothing if not nothing. i really am anxious to see how much the hull will flex after i cut the cabin out and see if it will work. seems like it would be a very fun project if it works out