rdufren Posted March 1, 2016 Report Share Posted March 1, 2016 Some of you may have seen this already on THT but for those of you that didn't I figured I'd share it here too. So I've been having this boat going on four years. She is a hardcore fishing platform that is perfect for my neck of the woods here in southern Louisiana. I'm the third owner of her and thanks to the first two owners taking very good care of her she remains in excellent cosmetic condition. However, I was never a fan of the way Hewes designed the electrical system in the boat. For starters, the boat has three livewells two of which have recirc pumps and of course fresh water pumps on all. No complaints there however none of those pumps are on dedicated switches. It was impossible to run both pumps on one well if you desired to and there was no automatic switches (useful for b*** fishing). Next, the console is already small and hard to work in but with the addition of what seems to be a factory installed shelf, it is impossible! The fuse panel in the top of the console was inaccessible. Until last year, I had been just making due with what worked and as long as all the important things like bilge and lights were operable, I wasn't complaining much. Then the stereo went out which the wife was not happy with... So I figured it was time to rip it all apart and put it back together my way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdufren Posted March 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2016 ...I have lots of pics to post! Most of you will appreciate most of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdufren Posted March 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2016 These next pics will break some of your hearts and I've been on the fence about doing this to this boat myself. Well last year I did it to my off shore boat and absolutely love it so I decided to pull the trigger and "web" the floor of my Hewes too! I am very happy with the results and look forward to not immediately following behind my friends and customers with a mop as soon as they step foot in the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdufren Posted March 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2016 Last but not least...since I'm adding black, might as well paint the polling platform too! ...Oh and of course a matching Yeti cup for my new cup holders in the console! I should wrap up everything this week so I'll post a few more pics later of the complete finished product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarpon1215 Posted March 2, 2016 Report Share Posted March 2, 2016 Impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hewes43 Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Very nice! What brand of cup holders are they and do they fit the Yeti good? Are the grab handles on the console factory or did you have them made? I'm wanting to cut my windshield down on my 06 and do something like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heweslight Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Awesome Mod's. What type of paint did you use on the aluminum plate behind gauges & controls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdufren Posted March 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks! I have an account with Donovan Marine and buy pretty much everything from them. These particular cup holders are the Marpac brand with blue LED's. Unfortunately they DO NOT fit the Yeti cups snug. The cup fits in it but not all the way to the bottom... :thumbdown: Yes the grab handles are the factory handles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdufren Posted March 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks! That paint is Rust-Oleum truck bed coating in a spray can! Readily available at any auto parts store or Wally world... I use it on a number of things and find that it holds up really good so I figured I would give it a try here. I also painted my windshield with it. Not sure if that was a good idea or not but as of now it looks good. I will need a new windshield before too long anyways so I figured I would give it a try... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdufren Posted March 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Here are a few pics of the console installed. Only thing left to do is labels on my switches and caulking on the floor around the and around the front plate. To be honest tho, I am a little dissatisfied with the slight color mismatch. When I matched the color up in my shop it was a lot closer than it is in the outdoors. Oh well...I have to live with it for now until I modify it again. Next time will be a major modification! ...planning to take the console out the cockpit all together Just need to sell "the boss" on it! She says she's close but not ready just yet...maybe by this time next year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nauti Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 I see you left the seatback cushion hooks, are you putting a cooler seat in front? Looks nice and functional. I've been thinking of putting an access hole behind the seatback pad due to the difficulty in working on anything inside that console (should be much less labor intensive than your project which is right up my alley ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdufren Posted March 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 Yes. I have a 35qt Yeti that I'm having a seadeck cushion made for to use as a seat and casting deck when needed. I have pics of the Yeti with the console somewhere in my slough of pics on here. It essentially used up the exact same amount of floor space that the factory seat did and should easily hold enough drinks for a typical fishing trip for me. I like the idea of making an access hole behind the seat cushion! It being curved will make it a challenge to seal but I'm sure it can be done. The main reason I did this whole thing was to get my electrical in order and exactly how I wanted it. Cutting the seat off the console didn't get added to the scope of the project until I took the console out and it was sitting next to my 35qt Yeti. It was at that point that the light bulb in my head lit up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HewesYourDaddy Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 Very nice! I can't tell you how many times I cursed Hewes when I was removing my steering for not putting an access hatch behind the seat back cushion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.