New to the site, and taking on my first aluminum boat project. Have always had larger fiberglass boats for fishing out on the Lake Michigan. Decided to have fun with some of the inland lakes and bought a 1979 Bluefin that needed some work. So far I have removed the floor and wood in the transom areas as they were pretty well rotted. One thought that I have is that I am going to convert the boat from console to tiller steering. The boat came with a 50hp Yamaha which runs fine, but for hunting, fishing, the open concept suits me better. Was looking at going to a 40hp tiller.
The only limitation I see and it may be nothing is that there is a splashwell forward of the transom. The transom is full on the boat but then there is of course the raised splash well with 2 holes for drainage. If I go to a tiller setup, I would want to remove that splash well as it just takes away room and would require a tiller extension. Can anyone tell me if this splash well increases stability of the hull or is imperative to have structurally. Boat seems very solid without it, but again, my knowledge to this point is limited.
Thanks for any help and will try to post pictures soon.
The only limitation I see and it may be nothing is that there is a splashwell forward of the transom. The transom is full on the boat but then there is of course the raised splash well with 2 holes for drainage. If I go to a tiller setup, I would want to remove that splash well as it just takes away room and would require a tiller extension. Can anyone tell me if this splash well increases stability of the hull or is imperative to have structurally. Boat seems very solid without it, but again, my knowledge to this point is limited.
Thanks for any help and will try to post pictures soon.