Re: doghouse to bench seat conversion
I redid the whole interior of a '78 Cobalt. Went from a dog house to bench.
So here is the first of many ideas to come...
I used steel studs to keep the weight down. Sheeted the front and rear with 1/4" wood and the coated the entire wod surface with fiberglass. If your fuel sending unit access is in this area of the bench, you will need to provide yourself some type of removable plate. I used a nice piece of stainless plate w/ stainless screws. (keep them short enough to not go through the floor, but long enough to hold.
For the bench seat and backrest, i used marine grade 5/8 plywood. Bought some nice foam from a local upholsterer. Ordered the vinyl from overtons. The same for the sun deck. Depending on the layout and strength of the aft section will dictate what you have to do to get the support you need to allow for a safe load range and opening of the deck. Not to mention enough clearance for your carb and spark arrestor.
Look at some different boats and get some ideas. Draw out a couple of plans and be sure the placement of your struts and hinges are correct. That deck will be heavy and dangerous if it falls on somebody.
Some additianal pieces may need to cut and placed to tie the seat into the boat to look good if you are only doing the rear seat. After the bench is in...the rest should jump out at you.
Good luck.
