Bench/Sunpad vs Doghouse for Engine Servicing (pic included)

[gman546]

2002 1810 starcraft 4.3L.
Really struggling with working on the engine in my boat for pretty much anything. Plugs are near impossible, oil filter is pretty hard to get to, etc with my bench seat in. not a overly nimble small guy.

I've read people really prefer the bench seat to the doghouse for seating and resale, and i kind of agree, but i almost dont care anymore because i have to take the bench out of the boat to do anything really on the engine. and its a giant pain in the butt requiring 2 people. When its out, its super easy to work on

Is there any solution to this? putting the bench on sliders maybe?

Pros to bench = more seating, sunpad, more asthetically pleasing, better resale value, some storage

Cons to bench - impossible to work on the engine, sunpad material just rips all the time because theres no way to step into the boat or up and over without stepping on upholstery, pain in the butt to take out.

 

[Lou C]

OK had that same "problem". Dealt with it for a few years and had enough. Changed the whole set up. I will post up pix so you can see, to summarize I got rid of the big bench seat and replaced it with a pair of 36" wide pontoon benches. Took the heavy bulkhead that ran behind the seat and cut it in half, put it on a take-apart hinge. So what I do to service the engine is this:
Lift out one seat, undo the screws/wingnuts on one side of the bulkhead, open it up like a door (hinges) lift it off, and walk into the engine compartment. Then I can change the oil filter without too much trouble and reach the engine drains. I can also remove both sides, and have full access.

 

[Lou C]

PS I thought of ditching the back seats all together and just put a cooler and jump seats in front of the bulkhead, but I'd have to have that upholstered to make it look good and had a hard time finding jump seats that would be easy to remove. To convert to a dog house, would have been more fab work than I want to do at my age. I do like the storage inside those pontoon seats. So that was my compromise. I might still change it again, because most often, I'm the only one in the boat, the bench seats hardly ever get used....
I am planning to do so but think about a remote oil filter mount for your engine. It's getting at the drain plugs for winterizing and changing the oil that's the most nuisance with these boats. I "could" make my own quick drain system for this boat for the block drains only but due to the fact that the drains can easily clog, it's too risky I feel. The idea of not having to remove the seats to winterize it, though is very attractive!

 

[gman546]

OK had that same "problem". Dealt with it for a few years and had enough. Changed the whole set up. I will post up pix so you can see, to summarize I got rid of the big bench seat and replaced it with a pair of 36" wide pontoon benches. Took the heavy bulkhead that ran behind the seat and cut it in half, put it on a take-apart hinge. So what I do to service the engine is this:
Lift out one seat, undo the screws/wingnuts on one side of the bulkhead, open it up like a door (hinges) lift it off, and walk into the engine compartment. Then I can change the oil filter without too much trouble and reach the engine drains. I can also remove both sides, and have full access.
View attachment 412748
View attachment 412749
View attachment 412750

i love this idea im really happy i made the post now. not sure if your boats in storage, but would you have any more pics available of this where you can show the situation without the cushons on or just more of the project in general? I'm really curious.

 

[Lou C]

I will be able to get more pix maybe after the weekend, I have to pull the seats to get the hatch for the gas tank off, because I have to replace the anti-siphon valve and the fuel pick up tube. So I'll be in there. You can measure how wide the rear seat area is, and see if the standard width pontoon seats (36" is a common size) would fit 2 in across the back of your boat. Not cheap though. I did this conversion a LONG time ago, like 2006/2007 when I replaced much of the deck also. Even then, I was sick of pulling out that heavy seat. Now at my age there's no way I would be able to do it without back injury. I'd sell the dang thing and get an outboard!
Here's 2 pix from when I was just about done replacing the cylinder heads. In the second pic the wood supports are to hold up the sun pad with the wood framing removed.




with this set up I can remove everything and pretty easily change a starter (not easy on some boats) and probably the worst job I had to do was the steering actuator which is behind the engine up against the transom mount. I had to remove everything here and also the exhaust system on both sides to get at it. Took me a couple of days. Hope you never have to do that job.

 

[Scott Danforth]

the sunpad material is ripping because the vinyl is past its life expectancy

a remote oil filter head will help with filter access.

Plugs are a once every 10 years sort of thing

winterizing drain plugs and filters are the yearly service items.

 

[Pmt133]

Mine always had a doghouse. I have no complaints. I made the doghouse install with quick connect hinges so access is easy. When I rebuilt the bilge I added kickouts to make filter access easier but ended up installing a remote oil filter. Starter is also easy.

I have two coolers on either side of the doghouse and when I redo the interior down the line I'll install the jump seat pads back in the boat. The old engine was a 3.0l and if anyone sat back there it would never plane. Now people sit on the coolers all the time and it's fine.

 

[cyclops222]

Some boat / engine work REQIRES MORE than 1 weak person to remove upholstery and structural supports.
Boats are made for PROFIT. Not DIY rave reviews.
Get a strong helper that removes engine area supports.

 

[Lou C]

This poor engine accessibility and the requirement for modern inboards to have cat converter exhaust (parts replacement which will be required in saltwater regions) $6000 parts cost, is why I'd never buy a newer I/O boat, at least one set up like that. Because even if you don't maintain it, the guy who does has to charge more! Perhaps one old enough not to have the cat exhaust with a wide open engine compartment, that would be OK. Closed cooling and remote oil filter is a MUST. If I repower this boat, that is what it is getting. Every year I see fewer I/Os in my harbor, it used to be 1/3rd OB, 1/3rd IB and 1/3rd I/O. Now nearly all the boats less than 25' or so are OB. Mercrusier and Volvo can blame the boat builders themselves, who don't give a damn about engine access and the EPA. Why no cat exhaust on outboards, doesn't seem fair does it?

 

[Pmt133]

Why no cat exhaust on outboards, doesn't seem fair does it?

Low hanging fruit. Though there has been talks about it since the shift has been to outboards. They'll be here eventually then I/Os will look inexpensive again.

 

[gman546]

Mine always had a doghouse. I have no complaints. I made the doghouse install with quick connect hinges so access is easy. When I rebuilt the bilge I added kickouts to make filter access easier but ended up installing a remote oil filter. Starter is also easy.
View attachment 412766
I have two coolers on either side of the doghouse and when I redo the interior down the line I'll install the jump seat pads back in the boat. The old engine was a 3.0l and if anyone sat back there it would never plane. Now people sit on the coolers all the time and it's fine.

This looks like a dream to work on. i would rather a doghouse as well with jumper seats that i can fold up for more fishing room as I have rod holders on the gunnel by the sunpad that can be hard to get to as well as having to climb over everything to net a fish for my inside rods, but i feel like it makes the resale value worse. people like the bench. and probably pisses the wife off. doghouse just takes up room.

 

[Lou C]

I guess I can get rid of the bench. My wife's not a fan of the boat, only time she liked it was when we were able to siphon 40 gallons of gas out of it during Hurricane Sandy! 13 years ago this week!
I'd have to find flip up seats that are easy to remove, put a cooler in the middle and upholster the front of the horizontal bulkhead. That way I can keep the rest of the back the way it is....

 

[flashback]

I hate my sun pad and bench seat. Gets in the way for lots of things

 

[Lou C]

Low hanging fruit. Though there has been talks about it since the shift has been to outboards. They'll be here eventually then I/Os will look inexpensive again.

I can just imagine the rants, raves and howls over on the Hull Truth if that ever happens, it is a mostly Florida based outboard style community there, I/Os are the devil to them lol.
Personally I doubt it, the outboard manufactures will cry foul and somehow get out of it...
I actually wish that OMC, Merc and Yamaha would have fought them when they forced the DI 2 strokes into production which caused trouble no matter who made them....

 

[Pmt133]

I can just imagine the rants, raves and howls over on the Hull Truth if that ever happens, it is a mostly Florida based outboard style community there, I/Os are the devil to them lol.
Personally I doubt it, the outboard manufactures will cry foul and somehow get out of it...
I actually wish that OMC, Merc and Yamaha would have fought them when they forced the DI 2 strokes into production which caused trouble no matter who made them....

Everyone pushes back hard but it'll be here eventually. Maybe not in the next few years but CARB has had its eyes on it for the last 5 years or so... It is coming though sadly.

 

[cyclops222]

The president can overturn / block almost everything.

 

[Lou C]

OK the head of EPA is now Lee Zeldin, he's a Republican from my area Long Island NY, come on Lee, kick this crap to the curb, Cats and O2 sensors have no place in engines with wet exhaust, that's why they are trouble!