Newbie here...

I have a 12' flat bottom w/ trailer I picked up on Craigslist for $250 that I wanted to do a conversion on. Not sure where you take the width measurement but it's 32" at the bottom and 46" at the top of the gunwales. Is this going to be too tippy for a casting deck? I've been looking through the projects and my head is swarming with ideas, but also wondering if anyone had any recommendations for the conversion based on the size of my boat. Thanks!

:WELCOME: First of all love your screen name :LOL2:

You should measure the boat's bottom width the more narrow bottom the more tippy the boat.

I would suggest that you only add floors to a 32" bottom boat. Then add some nice swivel seats and get out there and do some fishing.

Now I am not sayin it can't and hasn't been done it is JMHO, good luck with your new project.

fool4fish1226 said:

:WELCOME: First of all love your screen name :LOL2:

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+1 =D>

Most guys will say that you shouldn't put a raised deck in a skinny boat like you have .... and that's pretty good advice .... but, decking it wouldn't be all THAT bad. Sure, its not as stable as a big 1648 would be, but you aren't going to flip the thing over or anything like that. Especially if you are in calm water and don't weigh 350 pounds.

If it were my boat, I'd remove the center seat, rivet down an aluminum floor, mount a pedestal seat or two and call it a day.

MrSimon said:

If it were my boat, I'd remove the center seat, rivet down an aluminum floor, mount a pedestal seat or two and call it a day.

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This is real good advice concerning decking on that boat. Remember, at the size you have, it's going to be hard when you get to the point you want a larger boat to sell it if you do too many things to it.

Whats the best way to fill the rivet holes? Or is there a way to remove the seat without removing the rivets?

Craptin Mypants said:

Whats the best way to fill the rivet holes? Or is there a way to remove the seat without removing the rivets?

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Typically the rivet holes will be above the water line, so you have some options. Leave them open, put in new rivets, plug them with epoxy/JBWeld, or put in a stainless steel bolt. I prefer the bolts ... cheap, easy, and effective. Plus, they are not permanent.

For removing rivets, I like to use a grinder and just hack off the rivet heads then use a punch to pop out the rest. Some guys have good luck drilling them out too.

Some people will say removing the seat will compromise the boat's structural integrity. Hogwash. Your boat looks quite stout. And, if you rivet down a sheet of aluminum for the floor, it will add a bunch of rigidity to the boat. And its not like you'll be running a 40HP motor on this thing.

I know that you wouldn't want to stand up that high in my 1232. I'm going to put a low deck on top of the ribs in the middle and one just high enough to make a level standing area in front of the front seat. The little cap seat on the bow will be covered in carpeted plywood on top of the gunwales though for mounting a TM.