Carver Owners Forum

We have a 1987 3207 and the upper helm storage box/bench seat is starting to rot out. The hinged lid has nothing to screw into anymore. The original box appears to be made of some kind of melamine coated board with teak? covering the corner joints. I'd like to use some kind of man made material to rebuild the box, strong enough to sit two adults on and with enough mass to hold screws for the hinged lid. Any suggestions?

A friend of mine with a 3207 is just wrecking out his seat and replacing it with a custom made "L" shaped bench. He's making the box out of fiberglass. He already built a swim platform, radar arch and hard top for the boat, so this is a "small" project for him!

I pinged him to see if he still had the old box if you are interested in that. (or, if he still has the mold for the new box, you might be able to incentivize him to build another!)

EDIT - Update.. I did get in touch with him and his old box was already breaking down bad and he also cut it so that he could transfer the curved profile to his new box. He also said if he was just going to replace the old box he'd just build one with marine plywood and laminate or cover it.

You could use Starboard, but it might be an expensive box when you're done. It would be strong though.

Maybe a good size cooler with a padded top? Mike

I'm liking the cooler idea but we need someplace to store things less important then tasty adult beverages too. Never seen Starboard this far north (Lake of the Woods). Was looking at composite decking/fascia boards at Home Depot, etc but 12'' wide is about the biggest I can find. Once the snow is gone, I'll pull the old box off and measure it up. Marine plywood and laminate probably looks the easiest. I just thought with the laminate you could use router to add a cool design.

If you have a local commercial lumber yard they should have either Azek or Royal brand composite lumber. Pretty much the same as starboard but usually less expensive. It can be bought in lumber dimensions and / or 4 x 8 sheets of various thickness.

You could also get thick sheets of plastic and make it out of that too. You wouldn't have to laminate it then. You look hard enough you will find a good material for this project. Mike

Thanks boys, I'm on it next weekend I hope.

Good Luck Iceman! Mike

I would consider rebuilding the box using MDO (medium density overlay) plywood. Good quality MDO is easy to work with, very resistant to moisture, and takes paint nicely without sanding or finish work. MDO holds screws well and works well with most adhesives. You could replace the corner pieces with teak like the original, or miter and glue the corners for a nice, clean corner look.

Another option is marine plywood covered in fiberglass - easier than most folks think. Build your box out of something like 1/2" marine ply, sand/round off the corners, and give it a exterior covering of fiberglass cloth/resin. This will be very durable and looks nice when faired and painted. The Interlux Brightside Poly Off-White (Y4381) is a very close match to the hull color used on most Carvers.

Be careful with plastic-based materials like Starboard for applications like this. Adhesives do not stick well to these plastic materials, and some do not hold screws well. Starboard and the others like it are great for single, flat panels, like hatches, swim platforms, and doors. But they do not do so well when you want to build something that requires several parts that you want to stay together.

An easy, and surprisingly inexpensive option, is prefab seating. You can get some nice-looking, almost custom, seating from the pontoon boat suppliers. Many options are available, including corner sections and even reclining sections. And the prices are right compared with the seating that is targeted to the "yacht" industry. Check it out at: https://www.pontoonstuff.com/collection ... boat-seats

Good luck!