Removing the center seat

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richg99

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Houston, TX & Crossville, TN
I will be in the market for a 15/16 ft boat, in TN, around the 1st of July. Watching the local ads at this time, I see some decent buys, but most of them have a center seat. I am old and clumsy. I like wide open boats. How much rigidity and strength do I lose if I cut out a center seat? I would replace the foam somewhere. Thanks. Rich
 
I have an early 70s 1648 and the center seat had been removed when I got it. The original owner had removed it and attached it to a piece of plywood so it could be re-inserted. I removed it and discarded it. If I were going to use the boat in rough water I might have thought better of putting it back in the way it was manufactured. I see no loss of rigidity, no flexing or anything else that would make me want to "fix" it. I am a "big" boy at over 240# and my usual fishing partner the same, so it is not a matter of load. As far as the flotation - the center seat in my boat had none. It had a area to hold an ice chest with a flip up seat cushion. My boat has flotation under the front deck and the rear seat. So I think the way the boat is built and your intended use will drive the decision on whether it is advisable to remove the seat.
 
Especially if you are adding in some sort of flooring, you won't see any loss of rigidity. It's very common for people to remove the center seat/bench either to add some sort of decking or just for the extra space to move around.
 

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