Cuddy to mid cabin is it worth it?

[quadracr]

My previous three boats were all open bows. We bought a 98 27ft Ultimate Warlock that is a cuddy and now were just not so sure that it was a good idea.
We like to take friends and this boat limits us to 2 or 3 when we would like to take up to maybe 6 or 7.
I saw some pictures of the Desert Storm Poker run and there were a couple of Warlocks that were mid cabin. Hopefully they'll chime in here and give me their thoughts.
What should I expect to pay if I want this done? Is it even a good idea? What happens to resale?

[DUCKY]

If you need the space, then it's worth it....
Don't know how it affects resale, but I wouldn't imagine that it would be a negative figure as more seating is good for the general public.
You may have trouble finding a shop that will accept the possible liability concerns of cutting out the deck. I do them here but I get a waiver signed.
I have done a few for the local upholstery shops, and have charged $1200-$2000 for cutting the hole and adding supports as necessary. I have no clue what the upholstery shops charge for their end, though. I would guess somewhere around $2000 for quality work. If you need a referral feel free to give me a call.

[quadracr]

Hey Ducky when you say supports what exactly are you talking about? Do you have any pictures of your work?

[boats&bars]

my daycruiser is done that way with a mid cab. make sure you can get into the open bow from the mid cab sometimes it can get tight. my mid cab is big enough to put a queen air mattress in and sleep in. make sure to have a snap on bow cover made for the rough days. its about $3000 to do it right.

[quadracr]

bow cover and a cockpit cover is a definite. The more that I think about this the more amped I get. Our boat was featured in the Jan 98 issue of Hot Boat. Now 10 years later were planning a complete makeover. We were just going to do new paint. Now it looks like a conversion, new paint and a body wrap. Upgrade the stereo and if theres any money left over then an engine upgrade.
My wiufe is even pushing it along, she is designing the graphics and wants to get a matching thong Woohoo

[DUCKY]

Don't have any pics at the moment, but what I meant was you will need some extra stuff up there to make sure the hull doesn't try to close up like a taco shell after you remove the section of deck, which may mean various bulkheads be added or removed, a sub floor added, etc. It just depends on how the boat was constructed to begin with, along with the location and size of the new opening. The mid cabin design is inherently less stressful on the hull than a walk-thru, but there is still plenty to consider.

[quadracr]

Do you think I could get Warlock to send me some pics or plans:idea: After all I'm sure they would hate to hear of an inferior mod done to their boat

[DUCKY]

I am pretty sure that Warlock has changed hands at least once since your boat was built. They may or may not want to discuss it with you. Plenty of these mods have been done successfully over the years, to virtually every brand of boat, and by shops all over the country. You just need to make sure that whoever does yours understands boat design and construction techniques, and doesn't just cut a hole and make some seats....