boat remodeling

Question
I have a 73 ranger fishing boat and i want to fix it up and remodel it to my desire.. i want to take out the old live well and storages on the inside of boat and reorganize it to the way i want.. my question is how far can i go with out throwing it out of balance or damaging the stucture?

Answer
Hi Chris...Thank you for selecting the undersigned to reply to your question. By the way, I'm not a yacht/boat designer nor a naval architect.

Unless I'm mistaken, you're referring to a 35 yr. old boat built in 1973,correct? Unfortunately, you omitted to mention the length of your boat. Regardless, I wouldn't waste my money on redesigning it without first determining how much osmossis might be present (moisture trapped within the fiberglass laminates from stem to stern). Moreover, you need to determine to what degree if any, wood framing and stringers have deteriorated (dry rot).

Save your money and explore the marketplace for a boat that really suits your needs and meets your desires. Believe me, it will be less costly in the long run, and you'll enjoy it trouble-free for many, many years so long as you look after it.

Safe Boating
Ron