I want to remove the rear deck from my 18x56 fishing model godevil. I have seen an old thread about this, but would appreciate any pointers. The boat has a surface drive and the deck I believe was intended for longtail use. Please help me out as I want to do it right.

You can say that again!

I don't know how to post a picture but here is a link to what it looks like.
http://godevil.com/18x56F.html

I have a poling platform on the boat so I have plenty of fishing area. I really just want the extra space in the back of the boat.

When I am standing to drive, I cannot keep the handle locked to hold the motor down in mud because it is too low. If I take the deck out I will not have that problem. Any pointers as to how to go about taking it out?

Just start cuttin! As long as you pay enough attention to not cut the actual hull anything else can be fixed. I used a saw zall and cut the big majority out then a jig saw and got as close as I felt comfortable with then used a grinder with tiger discs to sand down the cuts the rest of the way to a smooth surface. The bottom part that connects to the floor is most likely riveted in thought and is pretty easy to break loose

I finished this project before hunting season and forgot to update the thread with final pictures. Turned out awesome. Pics to come soon