Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

  • 0

Can you cut out part of an aluminum bench? How?


Slyster

Question

It's boat project time time.. right? Thought up an improvement for my small 14' Lund rowboat.. it has 3 benches (with the front two under a carpeted wood deck)..

My idea- cut the hole in the back side of the middle bench to store four Plano type plastic lure boxes- perhaps only a 12"x10" hole. Thought it would great to have the boxes out of the way.. always a problem in this small boat. Two questions.

1- Any structural concerns with that weakening the boat?

2- HOW do you cut aluminum? It's not very thick.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

We cut sections out of benches all the time at our shop. The key is to make sure to replace the support that the center of the bench provided, whether that be brackets, attaching it to a floor, etc. As for cutting, we usually use a cut-off wheel, but a jigsaw with a metal bit works well, too. Good luck with your project.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

It can be easily done. Thing to keep in mind is your going to be removing some flotation but that can be added under your carpeted deck.

You can buy the hatch from Cabelas. It will include the lid and flange. You'll then cut out the top of the bench and insert the hatch. Drill a hole large enough to get a bi-metal jig saw blade in, proceed to cut out a pattern. You won't be weakening the seat because your not going to cut past the bend, thats where the strength is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

I was typing as you were posting Steve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Tension.. what do you mean by "hatch"... do they make something relatd to my idea? You can get jigsaw metal cutting blades? Didn't know that.. that's good to hear! I have a good ol' jig saw... used it just today to cut out the new wooden bench top for the rear seat. also going to paint the boat tomorrow... I'll post pix under the "post your open water pix" post when I am done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

I think I found what you are referring to! Called a 'locker' on the cablas site... that just MIGHT work. With slots and a door etc. Have to do some measuring tomorrow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

they should have them in different sizes too!( i know BPS. does) i.e. ; for the 3700's or 3600's, and holds two or four boxes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0
  • 'we have more fun' FishingMN Creators

BSP, Overton's, Cabelas, they all sell them and in different sizes. You can go with just the lid and flange or you can get that along with an interior w/ or w/o slots for trays. I have a a locker with trays in one of my boats and I don't use it. The vibrations from travel down the roads and hwy will ruin any tackle you put in them. That locker is mounted vertical and the door usually opens by itself, spilling the contents on the floor. You might consider putting your hatch on the top of the bench.

Back to the strength part. A bench seat starts out as a sheet of aluminum. Theres no strength to it. Its the bends that give it shape and strength. As long as your hole is 1 1/2 from any bend you should be fine and won't need any reinforcement. If you cut to or into a bend your going to have to add support to that area.

Yep the jig saw works good for aluminum. Just go slow and keep downward pressure on your work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Good advice so far. I'll just one tip: Lube the jig saw blade with candle wax. It'll cut better...KT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Thanks all! I painted the boat today (thanks to searching the forums here for aluminum boat painting)... looks amazing. Tomorrow I will be doing the cutting into the bench. I am not going to use a locker (can upgrade later) for financial reasons.. but will glue in a front lower lip so the boxes can tip up so they won't fall out.. and the boat is kept in the garage so a hatch isn't that big of a deal right now. Should keep the boxes cleaner and my feet happy. I'll run to Menards tomorrow and get a metal bit for my saw.. I decided to do just a 3 box hole.. I don't think there's enough room for 4. Boat taking shape now! I love the spring boat project days... wouldn't want a boat that didn't need any work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

sylster, how did your painting go?

I have a 14ft aluminum that I thought I would try to paint this spring. I really don't care how it turns out (mostly goofy riverrats will see it anyways wink.gif), it's full of scratches my thought was just lightly sand and wash with vinegar or TSP and overspray. I'm not painting the bottom or interior, so it should be pretty straightforward.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Paint turned out really nice. I just stripped the any old paint that was still there with a nylon brush rotary drill bit... came off very easy.. then cleaned with mineral spirits.. let dry.. sprayed with Rustoleum "Professional" red.. 1 large can per side was enough (Menards).. and it looks like new! I'm sure it will last a few years+ I too don't really care that much.. the boat was so bad. $30 total.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • smurfy
      Looks to me like Leech brought his chair home!!😅😆
    • Brianf.
      I'm not there, so I can't tell exactly what's going on but it looks like a large area of open water developed in the last day with all of the heavy snow on the east side of wake em up Narrows. These two photos are from my Ring Camera facing north towards Niles Point.  You can see what happened with all of snow that fell in the last three days, though the open water could have been wind driven. Hard to say. .  
    • SkunkedAgain
      Black Bay had great ice before but a few spots near rockpiles where there were spots of open water. It looks like the weight of the snow has created a little lake in the middle of the bay.  
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the south end...   Thanks to some cold spring weather, ice fishing continues strong for those still ice fishing.  The bite remains very good.  Most resorts have pulled their fish houses off for the year, however, some still have fish houses out and others are allowing ATV and side by sides.  Check social media or call ahead to your favorite resort for specifics. Reports this week for walleyes and saugers remain excellent.   A nice mix of jumbo perch, pike, eelpout, and an occasional crappie, tullibee or sturgeon being reported by anglers. Jigging one line and using a live minnow on the second line is the way to go.  Green, glow red, pink and gold were good colors this week.     Monster pike are on a tear!  Good number of pike, some reaching over 45 inches long, being caught using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring in 8 - 14' of water.   As always, work through a resort or outfitter for ice road conditions.  Safety first always. Fish houses are allowed on the ice through March 31st, the walleye / sauger season goes through April 14th and the pike season never ends. On the Rainy River...  The river is opened up along the Nelson Park boat ramp in Birchdale, the Frontier boat ramp and Vidas boat ramp.  This past week, much of the open water skimmed over with the single digit overnight temps.   Areas of the river have popped open again and with temps getting warmer, things are shaping up for the last stretch through the rest of the spring season, which continues through April 14th.   Very good numbers of walleyes are in the river.  Reports this week, even with fewer anglers, have been good.  When temps warm up and the sun shines, things will fire up again.   Jigs with brightly colored plastics or jigs with a frozen emerald shiner have been the desired bait on the river.  Don't overlook slow trolling crankbaits upstream as well.   Good reports of sturgeon being caught on the river as well.  Sturgeon put the feed bag on in the spring.  The bite has been very good.  Most are using a sturgeon rig with a circle hook loaded with crawlers or crawlers / frozen emerald shiners. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing is winding down up at the Angle.  Walleyes, saugers, and a number of various species in the mix again this week.  The bite is still very good with good numbers of fish.  The one two punch of jigging one line and deadsticking the second line is working well.   Check with Angle resorts on transport options from Young's Bay.  Call ahead for ice road guidelines.  
    • CigarGuy
      With the drifting, kind of hard to tell for sure, but I'm guessing about a foot and still lightly snowing. Cook end!
    • PSU
      How much snow did you get on Vermilion? 
    • Mike89
      lake here refroze too...  started opening again yesterday with the wet snow and wind...  very little ice left today...
    • Hookmaster
      A friend who has a cabin between Alex and Fergus said the lake he's on refroze. He texted me a pic from March 12th when it was open and one from 23rd when it wasn't. 🤯
    • SkunkedAgain
      I don't think that there has been any ice melt in the past few weeks on Vermilion. Things looked like a record and then Mother Nature swept in again.   I'll give my revised guess of April 21st
    • leech~~
      As I get older it's really not just about sending bullets down range.  Some of it's just the workmanship of the gun and the wow factor. The other two guns I have really wanted which I'll never have now because of their price, is a 8mm Jap Nambu and 9mm German Luger.   Just thought they always looked cool!  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.