...hey all, got an "interesting" issue with my '96 290. The cockpit has, for lack of a better word, coaming pads on the sides between the front and rear seats. One of these numbers has a little tear in the vinyl, and as I was poking around in there last night, I thought I'd take a look. I cannot for the life of me figure out how these pads are attached to the sides of the cockpit - I have a bad feeling they are just glued to the 'glass, because there is no access to the rear of these panels at all (like if they were bolted/screwed in).

Any ideas?

There has to be access as the stainless handle extending from the back of the bolster is thru-bolted in the same area. Is there not side storage right below this area? Can that storage area be removed to gain access behind the cockpit liner?

I'm not home to look at my 260, but it has a similar setup. Just a guess and something to try.... Open the engine hatch, climb in, face the bow, and see if you can reach up in the space above the side storage. That's the only place I can think of to access that except reaching in from the side storage in the cockpit, but I'm sure you've already tried that.

Dave

stick your head up and into the gunwale and bring a flashlight. there are screws that attach the pads to the boat and have phillips heads. they are not glued in place.

I did stick my head in the side storage - it appears to have a "roof" for lack of a better term, below where the pads attach. I'll do a little more digging at it tonight, this time with a flashlight. I completely blame Dominator Scott - his "King of Bling" schtick is wearing off on me!

Please tell me you are not having the pads finished in lime green vinyl??!!

LOL - no. I'm not quite that far under the influence

Take off the front air vent and think very very skinny while you are shoving your arm back in the there with a 7/16 wrench or sockets.

You will have to remove the bar from the seat as well to get the panel off and when I had mine off it was easier to also pull the seat since the grab handle has 2 long studs per side that bolt in.

good luck

You gotta be ****tin' me! What genius came up with this design? This is something that has been bugging me for a while, and it is by no means limited to PQ. It seems like very few marine/boat companies put any thought into the poor SOB that has to maintain these boats after the fact!

Piss poor access to things like backing plate, the sliders for the cabin door, the brilliance of Merc that puts the frickin' water pump - an item that requires regular maintenance - down as far as possible from the top of the motor, etc etc. How about bilge pumps that are *under* the motors? How hard would it be to put the pump up where the trim tab tanks are and run a line down into the bilge, along with the float switch? Gee, you mean I don't have to pull a motor to change a $100 pump? What kind of bass-ackwards thinking is that?

Sorry for the rant, this stuff has really been aggravating me lately.

That kinda of stuff keeps the dealers in business. As for removing your inner wall panels my old Conquest had been screwed in from the inside of the wall. It was a real pain to remove, unless of course you have an air rachet.

By the way does anone have the name and phone number for the guy at Powerquest that did all the vinyl work??