Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

[Fromtoronto]

I have a bowrider, 14.5 feet... it has bow seats and back to back fold down type. I want to change the whole design, put in 2 single seats for passenger and driver, and put a bench along the back.. covering the gas cans battery etc... This is a outboard, so now its open... Has anyone done this to look professional ? I am expecting to put in a maybe three seat wide bench that somehow folds down or out for full access to gas and batter when needed to fill and work with... Also, I have a origina brochure showing this boat had a in floor storage which I want for tubes when deflated and or rods. I will replace carpet and seats and do it myself... constructing the back seat and doing the front bow cushions and whatever.... I was thinking of buying two decent captain chairs for driver/passenger and matching the vinyl color to those.

Anyone have ideas of doing this back bench? How to make it fold down on it self maybe or tilt forward etc for full access? Also if there is an issue with cutting open floor for storage and maybe what to use as the storage and walk on covers for these? Thanks alot... looking to do this in about a monht when boating is over in Ontario for us small lake warm weather people...

thanks alot....

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

it has and is done, warning you are placing seating in the stern of the boat. throwing the design balance off. may cause major planing problems, you use piano hinges, on your seats.

 

[noahnsteph]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

I'm in the process of doing the exact same thing. I have some pedestal seats from an old boat project that are the perfect height so I want to recover those and build the bench seat in back. My plan is to build the frame so the seat is just high enough to clear the battery box and the gas tank so I can pull them out to fill and check. I plan on padding a backrest that attaches to the splashwell on the back of the boat and make the bench as light as possible. As td mentioned the weight change could affect the boats ability to plane but I'm hoping I can move one or two people up front in the open bow to offset the weight in the rear.

Unfortunately I'm still in the planning stages of the bench frame so I can't help much yet in that regard. I'm still debating what materials to use for the frame.

 

[oops!]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

why not just build it outta plywood?...and paint it ?

there is another way.......its lots of putzin around......but it will look pro.....

make it outta fiberglass.......heres how....

build a bench seat outta plywood..(cheap chip board....used ply...anything laying around)...just tack it togeather......make sure its the shape you want.....(your making a one off mold at this time)......when you get it the height want......take the whole bench you just made......and cover the inside with thicker arbourite.. (smooth finish.....you can get scrap rolls from a local wholesaler for pennies)....wax the arbourite with a mold release agent....

paint on gellcoat....let tack...add some more.....when thats hard.....add three layers of 1708 fiberglass.....wait till cure......pull the mold and vola !

a perfect peice....looks pro....and shaped with the natural curves of gently curved arbourite....no sharp corners.......just add a few support braces in the bottom.....and cut out what ever access you want....

 

[109jb]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

I am also doing the same thing with my recent boat purchase. My boat came from the factory with the rear bench arrangement, but the previous owner butchered the boat and put a fishing deck in the back. I will be returning it to a configuration similar to how it came from the factory with a bench at the rear. For now I have just fixed the floor and built a temporary box for the battery and for storage. I made a top for the box out of carpet covered plywood with some wood cleats to locate it. This is just so we can finish the boating season and then I will be doing a complete floor replacement. The final version of the bench seat will be similar to this temporary box arrangement except that the carpet covered top will be replaced by 3 cushions. It will be about 10 inches tall. The cushions will each have a plywood bottom with foam/vinyl covering. There will be no hinges and just some wood cleats on the bottom to locate the cushions. What I have just described is exactly how this boat came from the factory. Here are some pictures of my temporary arrangement to give you an idea.

Like others have mentioned, you will be changing the weight distribution and hence possibly the planing ability of your boat. In my case its how it came from the factory. If you lose planing ability you can help that out with tabs or a foil. Many don't like foils, but I have had them on several boats and haven't had any problems except for maybe losing a couple mph, and they do help with planing. Your experience may vary.

Hope this helps.

 

[Fromtoronto]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

Thanks for the pics... Its close to what I am after... I am trying to be careful to have full acess to the gas cans and battery, as well as not fully closing it in for some airflow etc to the gas and etc.. need quick access to chage the gas line also on water since I have 2 metal cans there and swap the line to the other when empty one, they I have 2 5 gal plastic cans as well, which i hope will fit under seats or somehow, for a full day on the water, I;d like to keep them all out there and portable to fill easily from pump and to each other.....

I am also doing the same thing with my recent boat purchase. My boat came from the factory with the rear bench arrangement, but the previous owner butchered the boat and put a fishing deck in the back. I.

 

[109jb]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

Thanks for the pics... Its close to what I am after... I am trying to be careful to have full acess to the gas cans and battery, as well as not fully closing it in for some airflow etc to the gas and etc.. need quick access to chage the gas line also on water since I have 2 metal cans there and swap the line to the other when empty one, they I have 2 5 gal plastic cans as well, which i hope will fit under seats or somehow, for a full day on the water, I;d like to keep them all out there and portable to fill easily from pump and to each other.....

Have you thought about installing a fixed fuel tank? You could put the battery on one side and a 12 to 15 gallon tank and then box it in. The fixed tank would have a vent that you could run to a fitting through the hull.

 

[zach103]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

mine might be what your looking for... ill try and get a picture but itll be a couple days installing the floor this week.. but mine has a bench then another bench type thing that lifts up .. air can go underneath . and i can get full access to everythign.. i cant explain it very well. so pictures will help you.. soon i promise

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

im planning on doing somthing simular my plan is to biuld a simple bench without a back in the right position so i can then put in 3 standard wall mart boat seats in and then the backrests can fold down for access behind

 

[Fromtoronto]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

Have you thought about installing a fixed fuel tank? You could put the battery on one side and a 12 to 15 gallon tank and then box it in. The fixed tank would have a vent that you could run to a fitting through the hull.

Thought about it, how do I secure it? Are you saying a tank and put a fill opening on top ot outside maybe? How does it vent? Any links to one your thinking would be right?

 

[109jb]

Re: Redesigning a Bowrider with Outboard?

Thought about it, how do I secure it? Are you saying a tank and put a fill opening on top ot outside maybe? How does it vent? Any links to one your thinking would be right?

Yep. A pemanently installed tank. The type I am thinking about can be found here. You would need to determine which one would fit best in your situation. As far as hookup and venting, you would get a hookup kit like this. This kit includes a vent kit which has a fitting that mounts in a hole in the side of the hull. That fitting then connects to the tank vent port with a hose.

Just an idea that might help you out.