14' tinny advice

[tightline]

Well thanks to a Buddy of mines Wife I have recently become the proud owner of a 14' tinny, 28 hp motor and trailer...FREE OF CHARGE :D <---that hardly touches the excitement I'm feelin...So a few questions...and know right off hand that I am very handy and creative, so there will be no stupid answers to which I will not atleast consider twice...k

 

First...can I remove the middle seat or is that going to weaken structural integrity too much, even if I put a plywood floor down to replace it?? <---braced side to side ofcourse

 

Second...it has a console fully across the front...I want to remove it, well half of it, now I run into a steering cable problem...running both cables for steering down the same side and just going straight across the back and returning it to the motor? Sound right? And can the console be removed like that anyway or again is it structural and has to remain??

 

Heres a pic...she ain't pretty, but I have a some time to work on it and she was free and now Mine...Her mane is TIPSEA...part of the condition of my buddy handing over the keys...hahahaa...and a link to me take'nr for a rip on our moon river trip

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/just1dixie?feature=mhw5

 

Don't be shy guys I really need some ideas

[Radnine]

Is that a stereo speaker behind the dash? (beside the lure hanging board)

That looks like the kind of project boat that a guy could have some fun with. Congratulations.

Jim

[glen]

I cant tell from the pics if you can remove the middle seat. Do you think the boat was set up this way when it was new?

Cable steer can be run down the one side then one cable goes all the way to the port side then back to the motor.

 

If the console and middle seat have been added on to the boat then you should be ok to take it out. I cant tell from the pics.

[Fisherman]

From what I can see in the second picture, it appears the console is mounted on top of a bench seat, correct? If so, remove that, buy or build yourself a 1/2 console. The steering is no problem, if its the clothline steering, junk that and get the teleflex single tube version from Cabelas: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/horizontal-pod.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/pod-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat21276-cat21322_TGP&rid=&indexId=cat21322&navAction=push&masterpathid=&navCount=1&parentType=index&parentId=cat21322&id=0001247

I would not remove the other bench seat either, it's part of structural integrity, regardless if you replace with a full floor or not. A friend tried to make a "walk through" the hull promptly split from wabbling wave action.

[NAW]

If you do remove the console, and replace with some 1/2 type console, you going to want to stiffen the front of the V with something.

 

My boat used to look similar to that, and now it's a tiller (mods before I bought it). The entire front console was removed, and replaced with a ply wood deck that takes up about the first 3.5' of the haul.. Great for storing things under, casting from, and mounting trolling motor in the future.. The middle bench was modified, but not removed. There also was a rear bench, which was removed, and replaced with two side boxes. Let me know if you want, I can e-mail you some pics..

[tightline]

If you do remove the console, and replace with some 1/2 type console, you going to want to stiffen the front of the V with something.

 

My boat used to look similar to that, and now it's a tiller (mods before I bought it). The entire front console was removed, and replaced with a ply wood deck that takes up about the first 3.5' of the haul.. Great for storing things under, casting from, and mounting trolling motor in the future.. The middle bench was modified, but not removed. There also was a rear bench, which was removed, and replaced with two side boxes. Let me know if you want, I can e-mail you some pics..

I would love to see the pics for sure...post them here or email me @ [email protected]

[tightline]

bump...sorry was really hoping to get more info