cutting out top of benches

I am wanting to modify my fishmaster 1232 and am wanting to make tackle storage. I have seen on some of yalls projects that you cut the top of the bench seat and take out the white stuff for tackle storage. I am wondering if I do this to the back and middle bench, if it will take out the structural integrity of the boat. Again I am not taking out the whole bench just cutting part of the top off. Thanks in advance

JrBassMaster

I will be doing the same on my boat, I think we should be fine.

The structural integrity comes from tying the sides to the bottom of the boat...cutting the top from the bench should not have any impact on that...

I removed all of the foam from my middle seat and was surprised by how much the seats gave afterwards. I would only remove the exact amount needed.

You could also raise it up with 2x framing and deck it with a hatch on each side of the seat. Enough room to store tackle storage trays.

I did that with the center seat in a 14 foot Duracraft I used to own.

I wasn't too worried about structural integrity with mine, because I made a 1 piece inner hull out of 16 ga aluminum sheet, and then put 1 1/2" thick polystyrene foam between each rib along the sides and in the bottom. The inner hull was riveted to the ribs.

Anyhow, with mine, I cut the welds and pulled the bench seat out. Then, once I had cut out a hatch and removed the foam, I closed the ends of the seat off, by welding some 16 ga aluminum sheet to the bench seat.

I never re-attached it tot he framework of the boat, either, I kept it as a bench seat/storage compartment that could be placed anywhere along the length of the boat to distribute the weight of a passenger, as well as being completely removable, for maximum deck space.

Wish I had taken pictures of that. Better yet, I wish I had never gotten rid of that boat.

Actually, the top of the bench does provide structural integrity. This is especially true on the boats where the bench does not even touch the bottom of the hull, which does account for a significant majority of the boats in service. Next time someone has one of the older vee bottoms that had wooden topped benches (aluminum front and back, with plywood tops), it would be an interesting study to see how much torsional flex the boat has with the plywood on, and without. The difference is actually very noticeable, and with the rear of the boat on two blocks, and the front on one, you can really twist the boat with very little effort.

The question then comes as how much of the bench can one safely remove?
A lot of variables will effect that. A bow or stern deck, for one, can provide a decent amount of torsional resistance. Some boats aren't going to be used hard enough for the lack of rigidity to be noticed in the foreseeable future.

Personally, the general multi bench jon, without casting decks, I'm comfortable cutting into the top, and leaving some meat around the perimeter. Often, every bit of rigidity that is lost in cutting the hole can be gained back in the form of a lid flange, or even a one piece hatch box. There are quite a few different methods of skinning the same cat.

bassboy1 said:

Actually, the top of the bench does provide structural integrity. This is especially true on the boats where the bench does not even touch the bottom of the hull, which does account for a significant majority of the boats in service. Next time someone has one of the older vee bottoms that had wooden topped benches (aluminum front and back, with plywood tops), it would be an interesting study to see how much torsional flex the boat has with the plywood on, and without. The difference is actually very noticeable, and with the rear of the boat on two blocks, and the front on one, you can really twist the boat with very little effort.

Click to expand...

You described my boat right there. It's an early 1960's 12' alum. semi v. I was considering making the top of one of the benches a hinged lid. After reading this, I don't think I am going to. Thanks.