Should i Open my bow up?? Has anyone done this?

(mox369) · (mox369) **Join Date: Jan 2008** 02-01-2008, 11:19 AM

Hey, just bought this boat and would like to cut open the bow. How much do you think it would cost and would it be worth it??
Upload

(ttrigo) · (ttrigo) **Join Date: Dec 2004** 02-01-2008, 11:26 AM

there was a guy on the wakeside rides website that did that to his malibu response. he had directions for how he did it.

(wakeboardnut) · (wakeboardnut) **Join Date: Jul 2006** 02-01-2008, 11:26 AM

with the money you would spend to make it look nice you'd be so much better off selling the boat using the money you were going to use for the project and buy a nice older DD boat.

my opinion that is,

(rodmcinnis) · (rodmcinnis) **Join Date: Sep 2002** 02-01-2008, 12:50 PM

It sounds like you should have bought an open bow boat to start with.

It is possible, but it won't be easy and if you are not good at fiberglass work it will look terrible. You will also need to fabricate a seat frame and do a lot of upholstery work. Between fiberglass, resin, wood, and a reasonable quality seat fabric I would expect $400 to $500 in just materials. If you have to pay someone to do the upholstery it could go to a couple thousand.

How about the windshild, does it already have the door to walk through? If not, you better get a price quote on a new windshield.

Rod

(ttrigo) · (ttrigo) **Join Date: Dec 2004** 02-01-2008, 12:54 PM

Rod - Malibu was doing open bows without a walk thru for years, so it would not be a necessity.
but I do think he would be better off just scrapping the idea, and purchasing an open bow.

(denverd1)

yea, its an i/o anyway. you probably wont be happy with it in the long run.

(jbarber3orange)

Since you just bought this boat and may not want to go through the whole process again, you may just want to enjoy this boat the way it is. Save that money and use it for gas, which will be one of the biggest expenses of your summer now that you have a boat! ha ha. Not trying to rain on your parade but as these others guys have said, you will probably want to upgrade to an inboard at some point (if wakeboarding is your main purpose). Either or enjoy your boat!

(kal_dude) · (kal_dude) **Join Date: Apr 2006** 02-01-2008, 1:39 PM

it would be worth it if you could do the work yourself, and you wanted to keep the boat FOREVER!! it will kill the resale!

(topside_marine)

Don't do it. The bow that you refer to is part of the structure of the boat. Cut it out and you cut out the integrity that gives the boat hull strength. Unless you know how to reintroduce the strucural integrity back into the hull with fiberglass and wood you will have a boat worth zero that will twist and flex until failure.

(mox369) · (mox369) **Join Date: Jan 2008** 02-01-2008, 3:22 PM

Topside, i talked to a Sea Ray Mechanic and he said that it wouldnt comprimise the structure of the boat, i do have a walk through windshield. And i would think that by doing this i would help the resale value, everyone seems to want open bows these days....

(tommyg) · (tommyg) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 02-01-2008, 3:29 PM

It will kill your resale.

If everyone wants a pickup truck, would you consider cutting off the back end of the roof on your SUV?

(kcampos) · (kcampos) **Join Date: Jul 2007** 02-01-2008, 4:15 PM

that was my question if you wanted an open bow why not just buy an open bow boat. You will totally ruin the integrity of the boat if you cut that out

(bill_sloan) · (bill_sloan) **Join Date: Nov 2007** 02-01-2008, 6:27 PM

I'll do it for $20 and I'll use my own chainsaw.

(mox369) · (mox369) **Join Date: Jan 2008** 02-02-2008, 12:55 AM

Norco, sounds like a deal haha, thanks for the input guys, look like ill stick to the closed bow, next question....i have a bench seat and 2 captains chairs, would i get more seating if i took out the co pilot chair and wrapped the bench around the side??

(lowdrag) · (lowdrag) **Join Date: Jan 2006** 02-02-2008, 4:04 AM

I've got to agree with Topside. I sure know that I wouldn't trust the safety of my family to what the Sea Ray mechanic said about something like this. Before I'd even consider anything like that I'd be talking to one of the engineers from the manufacturer.

(tommyg) · (tommyg) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 02-02-2008, 6:34 AM

I wouldn't make any changes that mess with the integrity of your boat.

At the very least, use the recommendation around buying a house...live with it for a year, and then figure out what changes you really want/need to make...

(hamkj) · (hamkj) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 02-02-2008, 10:20 AM

Why not just take some patio furniture and bolt it to the bow... then at a rope railing around the area... you got yourself an

inboard/outboard, deck boat with runabout performance and the comforts of a bow rider.

What more could a person ask for!

I would take that over an 08 X-Star any day!

(jmunday) · (jmunday) **Join Date: Mar 2006** 02-05-2008, 6:15 PM

ttrigo.. can you help me out, I was looking for the webpage of the guy that did that to his malibu response. I tried to find it but could'nt. Just curious it sounds like good reading material.

(rob_pitchford) · (rob_pitchford) **Join Date: Nov 2004** 02-05-2008, 8:59 PM

http://www.wakesiderides.com/rides/index.php?page=out&id=120

Skicrave's boat

(ttrigo) · (ttrigo) **Join Date: Dec 2004** 02-06-2008, 9:02 AM

Rob posted it above.

(jmunday) · (jmunday) **Join Date: Mar 2006** 02-06-2008, 9:23 AM

thanks