200 osprey question

[wisecane]

Hi guys,
     I have a question about my '88 200 Osprey. I want to put in a leaning post with livewell under it to replace the cooler seat. The problem I have is plumbing the livewell up that far. The box that holds the fuel tank extends aft of where the leaning post will be mounted. I would just run the fill hose under the deck and come up through just in front of that box, but there is a hump (for lack of a better word) blocking me. The hump comes up from the floor but does not quite reach the underside of the deck (about 1/2" clearance between deck and the hump). There is about 6" of open space between the nump and the fuel tank box.  I had thought of putting an access hatch over that space and using a jigsaw to cut a small opening in the top of the hump to run my inlet hose and possibly the livewell drain (which would exit via the transom). I don't want to mess up a key structural component though. What purpose does this hump serve, and would it hurt anything to cut my access channel through the top of it?

Thanks,

  Jim

[JimCt]

Can you shoot a picture of the hump & post it?

[wisecane]

I can't take a good picture of it without cutting big hole in the deck. I don't want to do that until I know where I'm going to put my hatch cover.

[JimCt]

What you're describing is part of the grid system bonded to the bottom of the hull to add rigidity to the structure.   One way to do the clearance notch would be to cut out a saddle shaped notch in a smooth curve and bond reinforcing blocks to either side then lay in several layers of glass cloth.  This will strengthen the area and eliminate the stress point.

[Radioshop]

It'll take more hose, but could you route through to the console and pick up the rigging tubes?