posted 02-15-2009 12:39 PM ET (US)            

Here is a direct hyperlink to that section of the website which provides the information you are seeking:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/16-17/

In the REFERENCE section there is a reproduction of the owner's manual for your boat. If you read the section "Hull Attachments" you will find the recommendations of Boston Whaler for attaching new accessories to the boat.

Here is a direct hyperlink to that section of the website that provides the information you are seeking:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual9-17/hull.html

Regarding fastening of seating, it generally not possible to through-bolt the seat bases or other seating supports. The usual fasteners used are just wood screws or self-tapping screws of the appropriate size. Old holes which are no longer used should be sealed so that water does not get into the wood below the deck.

If adapting some new seating, be sure that the attachment point spreads the load over an appropriate area. Typically the seat bases have a wide metal plate about a foot in diameter and use eight fasteners. You should use a fastener whose size is not excessively large as there is generally not more than 1/2-inch of plywood below the deck as reinforcement. Any fastener longer than the reinforced area's thickness just goes into the foam, which provides little holding power. To augment the mechanical fasteners, you might consider a high-strength adhesive like 3M5200.

posted 02-15-2009 01:33 PM ET (US)            

One remedy often suggested:

--drill a small hole in the laminate and into the foam beneath it to a depth of about 0.5-inch

--fashion a custom L-shaped auger bit from a piece of steel or a small Allen wrench, insert this bit into a drill

--carefully insert the L-shaped auger into the hole and use it to bore a relief under the laminate in the foam

--vacuum out the foam particles

--fill the void created below the laminate with a mixture of resin and filler to create a small "puck" of material. Epoxy is often used as the resin with a high-density powder filler. Be careful not to fill the void with a mass of resin that is so large that it generates too much heat during curing and begins to melt into the foam

--when the resin has cured you can obtain good holding in it with a screw. Some drill and tap the hole for best results.

An alternative technique:

--using a cutting tool like a Dremel tool, cut a small portion, say 3-inch by 5-inch, of the deck

--lift out the cut portion of the deck, carefully prying it out of the foam

--carefully carve out an area in the foam in the hull into which you will place reinforcement wood

--undercut the foam under the un-cut deck by at least 0.5-inch

--cut and shape three or four pieces of wood so that they fit into the area created by removing the foam

--using resin and filler as an adhesive, glue the reinforcement wood into the hull interior

--replace the cut out portion of the deck and glue in place with more resin and filler

--fill the cut lines with resin