Question for those of you who mess with aluminum boats

[Rapchizzle]

I once had a 15 ft Duracraft with three bench seats (outer two were foam with the seat rails and middle one was storage locker) and a very short front deck. I hated the three benches and wanted a larger deck up front. I had to get rid of it a year and a half ago for financial problems and I was thinking about making an offer to get it back, however, Id want to change the interior of it up. How difficult would it be to remove the front bench, and slide the middle storage locker bench towards the bow a foot or two? Would removing the front bench and relocating the middle bench have any impact on the stability of the boat?

And what about extending the front deck? What would be the best way to go about this? Ripping the old one out and start from scratch?


Has anyone done this before?

[Wing Nut]

That's a lot of work, is it welded or riveted? Either way will require the use of a welder.

Might want to look at another boat laid out to your liking.

[Rapchizzle]

It's a riveted boat and I'm not proficient with a welder.

[huntinghagen#12]

I extended the deck of my old duracraft with a diamond plate casting deck. Sold the boat and deck 3 years ago. Sounds like the most logical thing to do is buy a boat to your likin instead of rippin benches out.

[Mergie Master]

Rap,
Before I'd try to do all that modifying I'd just get another boat closer to what I was wanting.

I imagine, unless you're getting the boat practically for nothing, that by the time you bought it back and did all that you're talking about to it you could buy another one. Probably for less money than you'd have sunk in that one. Definitely for less money if you count your time and labor as money.

[Jonboat22]

Buy the boat you want and be done with it. You will spend more time and money than what its worth to get what you want, and then you will be stuck with it.