ttsoccer2424

I am looking to add seats to my Jon boat, similar to the picture shown below. It already has carpeting on the current bench seats and floors. In order to bolt the pedestals to the bench seats, I will need to cut into the bench seats. I am also planning to add storage in the bench seats since I will have to cut into them anyways. The 2 options I am deciding between are cutting a hole in the side of the seats like in the picture shown below, or cutting from the top of the seats and adding some wood underneath with a hinge to make a hinged-storage space in the benches. 1 - Has anyone done a project like this before? Any advice or suggestions? 2 - Does anyone know what kind of material is used for the edging around the cut-out hole under the seat in this picture?