Bench flex

[BaltJones]

With the mast jack taken care of, on to other projects...

My '64ish DS I has the molded benches, not the wooden ones of the older boats. There is a fair bit of flex in the benches (both sides) when stepping on and off the boat.

I'm looking at this season's potential projects and have a couple questions about the benches:

- How much flex is normal? None, a little, some, or a lot?
- Is there wood (or other) framing inside the benches?
- Is the flex a cause for concern? Something I should address sooner or later?
- Any suggestions for reducing the flex?

Also on the list of potential projects is cutting an access hole and replacing the flotation in the benches, as I've read about on this forum. I imagine being able to see inside would help me understand the flex better. What size ports have people installed?

Any experience or advice is appreciated. Thank you!

[GreenLake]

The bench tanks should be air tight. When I got my boat (of similar vintage), there were cork plugs in the small drainage holes and stepping on the seat you'd get a small sound of escaping air. Never noticed flexing to the degree I was worried about it. I can't imagine a scenario where the whole bench would become soft over time; however, I might get worried if one high-use corner of it became noticeably softer than the rest.

The place that people put inspection ports is on the short ends of the seats. Simply pick the largest one that will fit. It's a bit of a reach all the way to the end, but it works best in removing / adding long thin bits of flotation.

If whatever you are using for flotation is firm enough, it may also help support the seat.

[BaltJones]

I've never noticed any cracks or other reasons the benches wouldn't be air tight, but I'd also never put together that in order to flex there needs to be somewhere for the air to go. The drain plugs are the twist-tight and lever-tighter variety. Next time I get a chance I'll listen carefully and see if I hear the air escaping around those. I'll also double-check that they're as tight as they should be.

The inspection port project seems straightforward enough. Perhaps there will be a start-of-season sale on pool noodles.

Thanks for your help.

[haseem495]

Hi BaltJones,
The benches usually have internal framing which can weaken over time. It's best to address the flex sooner rather than later and adding firm flotation or support inside can help. Install inspection ports on the short end of the seats and use the largest size that fits.