14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

So let me start by saying you all have been very helpful, a little while ago I asked you guys on your opinion on a project boat that I bought and you guys convinced me to get rid of that which believe has been a good choice. I live in San Diego, and I was looking for something to take me into the bay and if the weather cooperates into the inshore kelp. So I sold that old 60's runabout and bought a 14 aluminum, it's a Lowe with a mercury 200 20hp outboard....So now comes my question, the boats deck was starting to come up as most of the rivets deteriorated. Also the carpet was shot, so I have decided to pull up the deck. Another reason I am pulling the deck is because I believe that the foam underneath is water logged. The problem is that the to middle half storage seats are on top of the deck, do you think I could just grind the backs of the rivets holding them in off and leave them out? Or do they serve a structural purpose, personally I am in favor if a completely open deck area for fishing and would like to take them out. Please let me know what you all think. Thanks.

Re: 14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

Nice looking boat if you remove the half seats you could always use them in the back of the boat i think the only structial piece is in the front are you going to put a floor in it or leave bare

Re: 14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

I also think u should leave one seat and put stick steering that will help you out on wieght and u would feel more comfortable

Re: 14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

Those seats are structural and so are the braces on top of them, they are the things that make your sidewalls rigid. Without them your boat won't be nearly as strong. A simple test you can do will show you what I'm talking about. Before removing the seats try to push your sidewalls in at the seat locations, then after you remove them push in the same spots again and you'll realize a noticable flex that wasn't there with the seats installed.

Removing those seats and reinstalling them is pretty easy, all you need is an assortment of blind (pop) rivets and a setting tool. You'll need closed end blind rivets to secure the seats and boxes to the hull and regular open end blind rivets to secure them to the deck. This is how the rivets and setting tool work:
1989 Sylvan Boat Rebuild Part 4 - YouTube
It's really quite easy and is a one man job.

Re: 14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

Does your boat have the beveled like ridge along outside of boat or just flat if you have the bumper bead that gos around you might be alright making a open area cause that will help with surport but with having tiller handle i wouldnt want to get rid of that wieght in front i dont know how hard stick sterring is to put in but you should while having stripped and you could leave one seat and taking other out will open it up as long as you have that bead

Re: 14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

Wow thanks guys, i managed to get all the old carpet out without removing those half seats so i think i will just give everything a good sanding rivet it all back together and then prime and paint the whole interior.

Re: 14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

thelowbudget said:

so i think i will just give everything a good sanding rivet it all back together and then prime and paint the whole interior.

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The bad thing about this is you won't be able to inspect your floatation foam for saturation/waterlogging and you won't be able to do a leak test to find and repair any leaks the boat may have.

Re: 14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

Does a aluminum boat have to have the foam mine dont i have a 1960 lonestar would i be alright without the foam

Re: 14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

Ya I managed to do a rather half A** inspection of the foam, it all looked fairly good, and when i squished it down no water came out, even in the very back where the bilge are is. In terms of leaks I think that I am going to fill the boat up with water and mark where water comes out, then I will seal it from there. Any suggestions on products, I know of the 3m stuff but is there anything that would be better?

Re: 14 Foot Aluminum half bench seats

ilovevintage81 said:

Does a aluminum boat have to have the foam mine dont i have a 1960 lonestar would i be alright without the foam

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No, that law only applies to manufacturers and went into effect somewhere around 197.
BUT floatation is a really really good thing to have when you need it, it keeps your boat from going to the bottom and also may save you from environmental pollution fines should your boat leak fuel or oil when it goes down... but the best safety feature of floatation foam is that it could save you and your friends and family members lives should something happen on the water.

thelowbudget said:

Ya I managed to do a rather half A** inspection of the foam, it all looked fairly good, and when i squished it down no water came out, even in the very back where the bilge are is. In terms of leaks I think that I am going to fill the boat up with water and mark where water comes out, then I will seal it from there. Any suggestions on products, I know of the 3m stuff but is there anything that would be better?

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One of the best ways to fix leaky rivets:
1989 Sylvan Boat Rebuild Part 4 - YouTube
Goo/goop/sealant rarely works for long if at all to stop leaks when applied to the outside of an aluminum hull. We see so many threads on here where someone has bought an aluminum boat that's covered with some kind of sealant crapola and it still leaks like a sieve.