need more room

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nashua fisherman

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new hampshire
i recently replaced my 12 foot jon with a 10 foot jon.(condo acc. was going to fine me for keeping it in my back yard so i needed something i can hide in my shed)
the 10 footer i aquired has really wide benches compared to the ones in my 12 footer wich had more than enough room for 2 people fishing. space is tight now but i think if i removed the benches and mounted the seats on pedastals to the floor i would have alot more room.
is there a way i can securely mount the pedastals to the floor without making the boat any heavyer? i dont want to add a complete floor since we(me and the wife mostly) car top the boat. is this a bad idea? seems like we would have alot more room without the benches. thanks in advance.---tom
 

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Look up BUFFORDS 12 foot Conv. He has some good Ideas there, About removing the bench seat, If you do it, Please post some pictures and tell us how it comes out!! I have had a 10-32 with the wide bench seats for years, I took the Top off Both Seats, Made storage in there, And put my fishing Seats on the new Top , like yours is now, But I use it as a one man Boat, And have it on a trailer! It is all Electric, And I love it on the Small Lakes and in river Arms :)
 
When you say "I'd have alot more room", do you mean for storage? Personally, I wouldn't remove those benches. The boat looks brand new, and they are providing some integrity to the hull. Not to mention, pedestal seats would make the boat tippy. I'd leave it the way it is.
 
ide like more leg room and to be able to lay my paddles and fishing rods on the floor. i was thinking of using aluminum angle iron and riveting it to the origanal bench mounts and running it across the floor.
 
nashua fisherman said:
ide like more leg room and to be able to lay my paddles and fishing rods on the floor. i was thinking of using aluminum angle iron and riveting it to the origanal bench mounts and running it across the floor.

I personally think you could do that, I am almost sure I have seen pictures of it being done somewhere, Putting something in there to Mount the Seat to Would seem more of a problem to me, Without adding weight, I hope you get it figured out, And Tell about it, I would love to do that to mine this winter!! :)
 
here is a link to a fantastic seat removal project by a member RBuffordTJ
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=9912
 
I agree, RBuffordTJ did a really nice job opening up his boat while still keeping most of the structural integrity provided by the seats intact. One thing you could consider is replacing the seats with a simple board type seat. Basically you would remove the back and middle seats and replace them with a board that would still connect the sides of the boat together. Maybe a couple of aluminum angles going side-to-side or an aluminum frame mounted to the sides at the rivet holes where the original seats were with a bench seat made of 3/4" plywood. You could cover the plywood with carpet or whatever and still mount a swivel seat to the board (not a pedestal). This would open all the floor space under the seats and if you don't mind the rods, etc. going on the floor would provide all the room you would need for your equip. You would of course lose all your flotation in the process.
 
The biggest problem is going to be resolving the "lightweight to cartop it still". You might just need to do the benches like bufford but use aluminum angle for the framing instead of wood. Then mount a pin type base and throw the seats in your car.
 
i like the idea of removing the benches and installing boards. that would open up alot of floor room.

my origanl thought was to make something like this so i could spin around in my seat like a computer chair. i usualy face completely sideways in the boat when i fish to not hook my fishing partners in the head when i cast.
 

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nashua fisherman said:
i like the idea of removing the benches and installing boards. that would open up alot of floor room.

my origanl thought was to make something like this so i could spin around in my seat like a computer chair. i usualy face completely sideways in the boat when i fish to not hook my fishing partners in the head when i cast.

Your Drawing is Pretty much what I was saying I had seen before, It is basically what im going to try, Mostly because im like you, I want to turn sideways to Fish, I have my center seat raised off the Bench top about 6 in. I can put one leg up on the bench and Fish that way,
but like you I want to be able to spin around!! :)
 
I think a lot of guys on this site would discourage you from removing both seats without doing something to retain the structural integrity of the boat. The seats are part of the structural design of the boat and as such are necessary to keep the sides rigid. It is actually the connection side-to-side that is necessary. You can take the seats out but should have something to to keep the sides rigid. If you have looked at the mods on this site, almost everyone who removes the seats puts something in their place to keep the structure.

Having said all that, your boat is 10' long. That has to be a different problem than if you proposed to take the seats out of a 14' or 16' boat. Maybe the fact that your sides aren't very long works in your favor. Maybe you could remove the back seat but leave the center in place or replace the center with an open bench type seat. If you are the operator of the boat this would at least give you the ability to turn your seat completely around even if your partner couldn't.

What will you do about flotation if you take out the seats?

Please keep us informed about what you do. This is an interesting problem that a lot of us would like to solve. My 1236 is so full of this-and-that when I'm fishing and I would also like to create some more room. I didn't take my own advice and make bench seats because I don't want to lose flotation - in fact my modification created a net gain of flotation material.
 
bobberboy said:
I think a lot of guys on this site would discourage you from removing both seats without doing something to retain the structural integrity of the boat. The seats are part of the structural design of the boat and as such are necessary to keep the sides rigid. It is actually the connection side-to-side that is necessary. You can take the seats out but should have something to to keep the sides rigid. If you have looked at the mods on this site, almost everyone who removes the seats puts something in their place to keep the structure.

Having said all that, your boat is 10' long. That has to be a different problem than if you proposed to take the seats out of a 14' or 16' boat. Maybe the fact that your sides aren't very long works in your favor. Maybe you could remove the back seat but leave the center in place or replace the center with an open bench type seat. If you are the operator of the boat this would at least give you the ability to turn your seat completely around even if your partner couldn't.

What will you do about flotation if you take out the seats?

Please keep us informed about what you do. This is an interesting problem that a lot of us would like to solve. My 1236 is so full of this-and-that when I'm fishing and I would also like to create some more room. I didn't take my own advice and make bench seats because I don't want to lose flotation - in fact my modification created a net gain of flotation material.

" Fisherman" hasnt said, But im assuming his Boat is 32 wide like mine, Don't you think Given the Short Length of the Boats(10 foot) That a Frame work Built Like his Drawing (im Thinking square tubing Welded at the corners) Would keep the Structure strong enough?
If he uses removable seats, I cant see that causing a weight problem! the Flotation loss is A problem Without adding the Floor!!
 
" Fisherman" hasnt said, But im assuming his Boat is 32 wide like mine, Don't you think Given the Short Length of the Boats(10 foot) That a Frame work Built Like his Drawing (im Thinking square tubing Welded at the corners) Would keep the Structure strong enough?
If he uses removable seats, I cant see that causing a weight problem! the Flotation loss is A problem Without adding the Floor!![/quote]

I'm no engineer so my idea is only based on what I can see and some amount (I hope!) of common sense. Someone on this site has removed the center seat and reinforced with welded angles which if I'm not mistaken were attached to the boat using rivets through the holes where the seat had been attached. It seems in that case the key was the welded brackets. Another possibility I suppose would be to add a stiffener along the sides of the boat to help keep them from flexing and I guess that is really the point. If the boat flexes too much there will eventually be some metal fatigue and the rivets surely will loosen. Maybe bassboy1 could get into this conversation. I think he has built a boat from scratch and has knowledge about all this stuff. There are surely guys on the site who know more than I about your question. Hopefully they will weigh in. I have to say though that given the boat is 10' long, the issue may be much less than for a longer boat. My 2¢worth...
 
bobberboy said:
" Fisherman" hasnt said, But im assuming his Boat is 32 wide like mine, Don't you think Given the Short Length of the Boats(10 foot) That a Frame work Built Like his Drawing (im Thinking square tubing Welded at the corners) Would keep the Structure strong enough?
If he uses removable seats, I cant see that causing a weight problem! the Flotation loss is A problem Without adding the Floor!!

I'm no engineer so my idea is only based on what I can see and some amount (I hope!) of common sense. Someone on this site has removed the center seat and reinforced with welded angles which if I'm not mistaken were attached to the boat using rivets through the holes where the seat had been attached. It seems in that case the key was the welded brackets. Another possibility I suppose would be to add a stiffener along the sides of the boat to help keep them from flexing and I guess that is really the point. If the boat flexes too much there will eventually be some metal fatigue and the rivets surely will loosen. Maybe bassboy1 could get into this conversation. I think he has built a boat from scratch and has knowledge about all this stuff. There are surely guys on the site who know more than I about your question. Hopefully they will weigh in. I have to say though that given the boat is 10' long, the issue may be much less than for a longer boat. My 2¢worth...[/quote]


Well im afraid I am Hijacking "Fishermans" thread, so ill answer this and quit talking about my Boat, you are right ! there is a thread on here somewhere about removing that middle seat, And im thinking that The Tube Bracket With maybe some reinforcement in the corners would hole the sides of the short Boat! :)
 
Man I like that boat, think of the positive side, you and the wife get to spend some quality close time while fishin' right!

On the other hand...I hate home owner associations...really, really hate them.

Someone shared my mod in an earlier post, it is also in my signature below. I was really happy with it and it makes the boat feel bigger, and for fishing from the front it is very stable when standing on that lower deck because it is level now and not the sloped bottom of the boat.

Keep us posted, I really look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Bufford in Orlando
 

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