[Blue_Heron]

Rod,
I'm thinking of something similar, but not the same. And it's a project for after the boat is launched and everything else is done, so I'm just kicking ideas around at this point.

What I want to do is fabricate a cooler that sits on top of the aft end of the engine cover against the transom. It will have two compartments, one for (dead) bait and one for beverages. I'm also thinking of a way to attach a bait rigging surface to either the cooler or the engine box. My thinking is this; I have a pedestal seat that is mounted on the engine box. By adding a two compartment cooler, and a work surface within reach of the seat, I have a nice setup where one person can reach everything he needs to rig baits without having to move around the boat in a sea.

I haven't worked out the details yet, but I have some thoughts on the cooler. It will be the same width as the engine cover, about three feet, and probably 9"-10" fore/aft inside dimension. I still have to check how tall I can make it without going above the transom. It will be two compartments, one port, one starboard. The top of the cooler will follow the arch of the transom. The lids to the compartments will be hinged at the center so the port lid opens to starboard and the starboard lid opens to port. That's really about as far as I've got in my thinking. Not sure if there's anything there you can use.
Dave