Well, I picked up the new to me boat a week early. I have lots of questions but will hit the ones related to my initial project first. The previous owner was a guide and as such needed to add a back seat to the boat. As you can see from the photos, it was necessary to move the other seats forward to accommodate this. In doing so, the seat frames became too short to be attached as they had been via a small wooden support under the frame. Instead, the previous owner took pieces of 2x4 spray painted faux stone finish and attached them via L brackets to the boat ribs. The 2x4 dimension made up for the lack of frame length. He also added another block between the gunnel rails to allow the oar locks to be moved forward. So, I want to bring this boat back to it's original configuration with no rear seat. I also want to upgrade the seats by adding a tackle tray and drink holder on the open spaces at each end of the seat frame. I hit the box stores and wood selection is limited to douglas fir, maple, red oak, and of course pine. My questions are:

• What type of wood should I use for the support I attach to the ribs to hold the seat?
• What type of wood should I use for the tackle tray and drink holder bottoms?
• Is there a standard for the distance from the rower's seat to the oar locks?
• Is there a standard for the distance from the seat to the boat's deck?

I have lusted over this boat since my buddy got it and am happy she is now mine to care for. I am hoping to make several improvement modifications, but want to correct the seats which really bother me. Any help or suggestions beyond what I've asked would be greatly appreciated.

-Dave