Re: taking the plunge
Ok. Thanks. I was looking at the pic of your boat. Now please keep in mind that I am no expert with boat hull performane and design. But I like to kind of try to envision things through modification if that makes any sense. I can picture the way I would try it if it were my project.
As Jbcurt00 mentioned in reference to your splashwell and stern area modification, cutting the structure away without replacement just doesn't seem like it would be very wise for your safety. Im not trying to lecture either, I promise. However, I think there is a way to accomplish what you want with a good end result and have what you want for storage space back there as well. This is all very hard to describe without being able to draw a pic for you but if you don't mind long winded post, I don't mind posting one.
It's my opinion that by cutting out the sides of the splashwell will weaken the necessary structure to keep your motor solid during acceleration. Try and imagine that when you accelerate, the force of the foot on your motor is not only pushing the boat forward, but it is also trying it's hardest to peel itself free of the transom on the top of the boat. The way I picture it, is that the powerhead is really being forced in the opposite direction of where your trying to go. Once you get onto a plane, the reverse forces relax a bit but they are still there and increase even more through a powered turn.
So by cutting away the sides around your splashwell, you are removing what looks to be at least 2/3 of your supporting structure. I feel as though what would eventually or even suddenly happen is that your motor would roll itself backwards pulling the remaining peice of the splashwell with it.
It would then become barnicle housing or something like that.
I can't tell from the angle of your pic if the forward edge of you splashwell is enclosed or not. If it isn't, use that to your advantage. If it is in fact open, extend it forward a bit. Bring it toward your "to be" center column about 12 to 16 inches or so. Yes you will loose some walking space down in the deeper portion of the hull but you could use the raised space as a casting deck, a pedestal seat mount and a space to mount some downriggers as well. At the same time, you are actually strengthening the splashwell/transom area, strengthening the cap from port to starboard side, eliminating even more area were the water loves to jump in onto the floor through deceleration and creating a whole lot of storage space underneath.
I believe your plan was to run the controls, wiring, etc... beneath the floor as well. If you chose to try something along this route, this would also leave you more area to access your controls and stuff without working inside of a completely enclosed conduit or digging back into your floor in the case that some issue comes up.
Now try to visulize this as if you were looking underneath of the deck platform toward the transom. Now split the platform storage area into three seperate areas. This is where you would extend two supports from the forward most underside of the platform down to the existing floor. One on each side of the keel access area(assuming you will have one there). Now run a board from just one of the supports all of the way back to your transom and attach it there. You now have two unevenly seperated compartments. I feel this is necessary to completely seperate your fuel cell from any electrical components. Use the smaller enclosed area to bolt your fuel cell down to the floor. On the furthest part of the other side, mount your starting and trolling motor batteries next to each other closely in trays as if they were being joined into a parallel or series. Leave the center most area open to allow easy acces to a underfloor stern keel acces panel. Now just build a hinged panel that you can lift upward to access all of your stern storage space at once. In your lift panel, just install a small vent on each side to allow some air into and out of your fuel and battery compartments.
Ok. Here's where it really gets crazy. For your center console. Completly brace your cap from side to side and top to bottom with some 1x2s around the area of your existing consoles. Try so dang hard not to let them shift. Now right where the outcropping portion of the consoles are, use a router to as closely and flush with the sides where they attach to the cap and parallel with the floor, cut them free leaving the base of the consoles intact. If what I am seeing in the pic is correct, you just gained about a foot of free space on each side and just forward of where your new center console will be.
Use a section of 3/8 inch plywood, properly treated by the advice of one of the more knowledgeable members of the community, to run behind the area of the cut-out space on the sides of your cap and glass it in properly. If it were me, I would make sure that length of the cap side plywood extended a good 16 inches or so beyond both sides of the area that had been removed. Just for structural support. In my mind, doing this will replace the flex and bow resistance, and the rigidity of the area where the consoles were removed. Try when you remove the consoles to leave them as intact as possible so you can use them together to build your new console panel.
Now build your box base for your console with the forward edges of the base cornering into where the back edges of where the walk through starts. Attach and glass your base into the existing structure of where your walk through began. Now you have an open space in front of the console without doing any more cutting on the hull.
Next you could just take the two old console sections and peice them together. Trim them to fit together, build a solid backing board, attach each side to the backing board, fill the area where they come together and put a layer of glass over the entire top area of your panel to completly seal them together, re-punch your steering column hole and your guages and switch mount holes. Then mount the steering panel to the top of the base box. If you wanted glass, with a bit of ingenuity, I bet you could peice your existing peices of glass and channel together for a small windshield as well.
Now once again, this is obviously all from my point of view. I personally would convert the entire area forward of the front edge of the console into a deck as well. You don't loose any walking room and you add covered storage space beneath the deck. Maybe again, mount a pedestal seat up front as well and some storage space on each side of your bait well.
This bait well idea is kind of back yard I guess but I kinda like it and I think it would work too. Go to the store and buy a big old rectangular cooler. Completely foam in and seal off the drain hole. Punch one hole quite close to the top of the cooler for your fresh water earator line inlet and then another larger diameter hole at the opposite end and about 2 or 3 inches lower for your overflow releif drain. Somewhere on the transom in an area that will always be beneath the waterline, punch a hole for your aerator pump suction inlet. Properly seal your transom inside of the area that you drilled out for the pump inlet to go through so that water does not get into the transom core material. Install the aerator pump and plumb your your water line through a keel access panel area up to your bait well will be. Now cut a hole in your forward deck the right dimensions for the cooler to drop down into and secure the cooler to the floor and flush with the forward deck right in front of the console and into the same space where the walk through used to be. Now plumb your aerator inlet into the cooler upper hole.
From the lower, larger diameter hole in the cooler, plumb another water line out to a hole through the side of the hull in an area that will stay above the waterline under normal floating conditions. This will allow water to be pumped it at a continuous rate yet also just overflow and dump overboard. That's how the livewells work on my boat. Seal it all up real good so water isn't just being pumped from the outside of the boat and leaking down somewhere inside of the boat. Now you have a bait well in the front deck. It's already insulated for you and even has some built in flotation.
You've maybe guessed by now that I'm a bass boat guy. I just thought I would try and explain to you the way I can envision it from my point of view and from seeing the pic of your boat. I'm not sure if I made any sense, or if I did, it's even a plan of sorts that would fit your own personal needs. If not, it was fun trying to figure out how to write it all out anyways!
Whichever route you decide to go with it, you are in the right place to find the right answers for any questions that you may have to help you through your new project. The guys and gals of this community are very knowledgeable and eager to help out where they can.
Welcome again and good luck to ya!
