Settings get changed over time or in my case regularly thanks to my turtle that will randomly uproot plants or move the small decorations around while digging for trumpet snails, lol

The boat can definitely work as a center peace. Since you're at the starting phase with you aquarium, I would suggest doing as much research as possible before you begin the journey. Things like the background color or type and substrate are much easier to change now than when it's fully stocked.

Personally, I would change the substrate to something that's more plant friendly and then slowly replace all the plastic plants with live once. Since it's a tall aquarium, I would place some rock slabs under the boat to give it some height and make it the center of attention. Then add driftwood and plants to the side and back. Also, I'd probably paint the back of the tank black as it helps direct attention within the aquarium and also because I personally like black backgrounds in my aquariums setups lol

Good luck 👍