Total novice. What is this and is it OK to cover it with EVA decking?
Hi all. This is my dad's old 1991 Lowe 1448 that I inherited when he passed several years ago. I've finally gotten myself together enough to get this old girl out on the water and was quickly reminded the thermonuclear nature of aluminum in the summer sun. I'm not doing anything too crazy in terms of upgrades, but I am putting some EVA decking over the benches for the sake of the bottoms of my dear passengers. I have my piece cut for up front and was just going to plop it over this area wholesale, but it occurred to me that there's probably a reason for what I assume is a plug. It's about 1.25" in diameter. My best guess is that it provides access to the underside of the bench which is presumably filled with some emergency buoyancy material. My dad never had a pedestal seat on this thing and it seems unlikely to me that it'd be built in like that.
Two questions if you're willing:
#1 - what is it
#2 - can I cover it
I don't have ready access to a hole saw//bit but I'm sure I can lay hands on one. Thanks for any help!