Redesigning for fishing use.

[roofus5]

I've got a 65 Glasspar Avalon that I am currently restoring for fishing purposes. I know that I'd be money ahead to just buy a fishing boat but I love the hull on this baby!

I have replaced the deck and am wandering if anyone has some design tips for some really simple scalled back interior?

Rob

[dragonjbynight]

Welcome!

Do you have any pics? Easier for suggestions to be made if the work you have already done can be seen.

[roofus5]

I'll get some oics up this afternoon.

Rob

[roofus5]

Sorry it took so long. I got side tracked with my day job.
Two pics are of the current condition of the boat and one is an old ad.

Rob

[roofus5]

I want to remove the fiberglass cowling in the rear of the boat and install a small bench. Then I was thinking of putting in a step up to the bow platform and leaving the rest open. I think I should install a couple of othe seats as well?

Rob

[Fanie]

Hi Rob,

If you do fishing you may consider a swivel chair in the hull centre.

Depending what kind of fishing you do it could be anything from a lean-to to a lazyboy (tempting eh !)

The advantage is that you can fish 360 degrees all round and still be comfortable. We do lure fishing (more fun ) and have mostly lean-to's but some guys have pretty nice seating there...

[dragonjbynight]

I would be careful removing the cowling, I am not completely sure, and i know someone else will chime in if i am wrong, but I believe that is part of the structure on the boat.(may make the sides to flexible) If you do, you will have to make sure that you use the bench seat to provide structural support side to side. I have the same issue on my glastron, has a 2.5' cowling like that, I am going to put my bench in front of it, as it does make a good fuel tank and extras storage. add some pole holders on the sides vertically, so they can just be snapped in on the move. I do mostly cat fishing, so some built in pole holders are being worked into my plans.

[roofus5]

I'll consider the lean to's. I was planning on replacing the cowling with the bench structurally.

I bait fish, lure fish, and fly fish. The fly fishing for Tiger Muskie is where the front deck will be sweet for a casting deck kind of like those flats boats you see on the salt water.

I think I will add some rod holers as well. And maybe some auxillary rod storage.

Thanks for your comments they have been helpful.

Rob

[SamSam]

The 'cowling' is called a splashwell. Aside from being an important structural part of the boat, it catches splashes, but especially waves that might come over the back and lets them quickly drain out on their own. A wave flopping into a small boat like that can be a problem.

[Fanie]

I have to agree with SamSam on the splashwell preventing water to get in.

Could there be another feature that can be accomodated or implemented without replacing it ?