want to turn my closed bow (ps 190) into open bow

well i have been doing a little brainstorming and been thinking of a winter project. i have a ps 190 and was thinking of turning it into an open bow. i would not make it a walk through windshield so i can maintain the structural integrity of the hull(a friend i mine tells me centurion did this with one of their boats). what i had in mind was to cut out the top. make a sub floor 8-12 inches or so from the top of the hull. make a small box frame(to hold a fat sac) redoing everything in fiberglass. and lastly getting one cushion made that would cover the new floor. the new proposed area really wouldnt be for having people ride up there but more so to be able to have easy access to the fat sac and maybe a little more accessible storage areas on the sides. any logistical issues why i shouldnt undertake this other than 1) i have never worked with fiberglass 2)probably stand a good chance to ruin a perfectly good boat 3) did i mention i have never worked with fiberglass.

sounds like it would be easier to sell the PS190 and buy a maristar.

-gvb

Pay particular attention to 1 through 3.

Sorry, but I had to chuckle as soon as I saw the title of this thread! Even if you did have experience, you would compromise the structural integrity of your hull. You have a nice boat, just trade it for something else. You need a 205.

post some pic up i wanta see how this goes down

yea i would say just trade or sell it cuase if u mess uo then who is going to want to by it? or the deaker might say "hell no we dont want that" so um just trade it

I have built many projects using fiberglass, If you have never worked with fiberglass, this would absolutely NOT be the project to start with. It can be a pain in the @#*, and super messy, besides that it would be expensive. I agree with everyone else... time to upgrade.

your crazy, man. youurrr crraaaaazzzyy.

Cutting up a boat like that just to get access to a fatsac and getting some more storage is just plain assinine. First, The windshield is not adding much to the structural integrity of the boat. It is glass and aluminum. Both flex rather easily. The bow is adding much for support. If you cut that part out, I am going to imagine you are going to decrease its strength. Other things to think about. Its not just fiberglassing, you are going to need gelcoat work that you will not be able to do yourself.That alone is going to cost you hundreds of dollars. Your insurance is no longer going to be valid on the boat. Your resale is going to be nil. Nobody is going to buy it even if it looks perfect. If you cut it out and then find out the project is above your abilities, youi are stuck with a boat you have now turned into a "chainsaw convertable" Do yourself a favor and take up a much easier winter hobby.

hmm maybe ill just go snowboarding. well see.

Actually, I've seen this done before on a flatty. Turned out great. Guy had the boat but couldn't get all his kids in so he cut a hole in the front and installed bow seating. I'll see if I can find the pic.

"compromise the structural integrity of your hull"
J-Rod do you watch A lot of Star-Trek?

i'm with everyone on the board...sell it and buy a 205 if you want the open bow. may be a hassle, but not as big of a hassle as it'll be if you screw up your 190...

NUTS!

Even if you do a great job (I think unlikely) you will de-value your boat.

Want open bow, buy open bow.

You guys are all wimps! I say go for it! I've done various fiberglass projects (building wooden kayaks among other things), and it's a cinch to work with if you have a bit of patience. (though maybe you should start with a bit smaller project!) This winter I was thinking of going the opposite route and making a removable hard cover for my dad's outboard bow rider for when he takes it out fishing in the rough water. Now that the kids are gone (and I have my own boat) the bow never gets opened any more. I know there arn't as many structural issues this way, but if you want to try it, I say go for it. Do some research and a lot of planning (measure twice and cut once and all that jazz), and have fun with it.
B

big d that photo would be nice to see.
i was looking for a little encouragement. hell who doesnt like to see a good train wreck anyway? ive got all summer to think about it.

thats the spirit

Was this thread started on April 1st???????

If not trade it in and purchase what you want.

Contact Grant "Whitchocolate" He'd probably love to do it and it would turn out insane!!

You could use the fiber-glass cut-out from the closed bow as a spoiler for the back of your car!

Kill two birds with one stone!

yeah that guys does some pretty nice custome work.

go to boattrader.com and find an X5...no room up front..2 stools and 2 cup holders..thats it..ruin a boat for a fat sac..i thinks you got to much time on your hands, why not just wakeboard more!!!!

I think Malibu has a kit to turn the Response into a LX. I'm sure I saw it on MBO once. I'd think you would want to be really good at fiberglass work though.

I did consider the same thing for my Pro comp. I wasn't worried about the resale value or the work involved as I'm pretty haddy with glass and resin but in the end I decided there really isn't enough room up front to make it worth it.

If it was bigger and could hold 2 people I would have done it. Just stick a sac up there and plumb it in.

I never run a sac in the front of mine as I usually have 4 people seated in the front (driver and 3 passengers on the bench) and then have my fat seat in the rear which give me a good wake.

A friend of mine manages a boat dealership with a half of boat mounted on the side of the building. I asked him what they did with the other half...

He said that the boat wouldn't even hold its shape as a half and the factory had to put about 10 braces in just so it would look right.

Cutting into your deck = ruined boat

This has and can be done...but with no experience, you are in for quite an adventure. A lot of manufacturers did the same thing, back in the day. Closed bow ski boat? Well, we want an open bow model. LETS CUT IT UP! The important thing will be proper bracing, and building it like an actual open bow with everything glassed in nicely from the top rail, over the seats and into the floor. If you love you boat and were ready for a new interior anyhow, I would say go for it. But it will be expensive, time consuming, and unless you are a pro, it will never look factory. All in all, I just want to see pics of a newbie hackN into a project like this SOOO, GO FOR IT!!!!