Its not exactly the same boat, but I had a Lowe Big Jon 1648 with a 30HP Johnson and a side console.
As for the front deck, it will definitely support a pedestal seat. If there is access to the underside of the deck, it never hurts to add a few cross braces (they might already be there) to screw the pedestal base into.
Yes, you can add a center console. You might have to build it yourself, but its completely possible.
As for wind and waves ... my boat did fine in what I'd call a mild chop, but in full on waves it was a bumpy bumpy ride. Id say it still felt safe, it just slapped hard into each wave. Definitely a bone jarring ride. But again, in most conditions it was smooth and dry.
The 30HP I had would push the boat nicely. We could plane it out at 20mph with three guys and all our gear with no issues. Obviously more power is always cool and fun, but I didn't feel it was needed. I wouldn't want to go any lower though.