my first MOD. '96 16ft alumacraft

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jmcaswell

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my dad and I have owned this boat for 15 years, never modified it. The day has come, and I am pumped. Standard 16 ft boat. rear bench, middle bench, front bench, 8 ribs, 10-15HP motor capacity.

I am toying with all the ways to mod it. Deck up front, remove center bench ( dont think I can without brace) etc. I have viewed a ton of all of these awesome jobs you all have done. Any master suggestions of what to do? If anyone wants to post plans and specs, pics etc that would be great.

goals are to make it extreamly functional for 2 fisherman, keep weight, $ down.

Thanks, Jim
 
Welcome aboard Jim.

If you haven't done so yet, check out all of the mods for inspiration. That should give you more pics/plans/specs than you'll need for your project.

When you get a chance, take some pics of what you're working with.

Good luck on your build.
 
Thanks. I assume I can find all those mods under this forum?

See my attached Plans and Idea: I would LOVE feedback. I will post Pics asap.

Questions:

If I Deck out the entire front portion and put a Seat on top front deck, will this make the boat too instable as far a rocking around. Alt- put front seat in well of boat. The lake if fish does have decent traffic so I am wondering if this high front chair will creat alot more rocking.

Can I really remove the center bench? or with this type of boat it will become fragile?
 

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Post some pictures of your boat - that will give us a better idea of what you can do...

Also, post the following:
- Width of Floor (basically bottom of your benches)
- length of the top of the benches

you can most likely take out the middle bench and the stability shouldn't be a problem if you brace from side to side with storage in between
 
See the attached pics. This is the As-Is setup.

The floor width at the bottom of the benches is 36 inches. The bench depth is 18 inches long ( for the back and middle bench) including the "lip" the across top bench lenth is 46ish inches i believe.

Debating if I can really make a full platform deck up front and or remove the middle bench?

All ideas welcome!

JC
 

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That looks a lot like a 14' boat...

I wouldn't deck any higher than the middle benches. If you look at how I decked my 12' boat (in my signature), that's about all you really want to do to remain stable out on the water. I would cut out the top section of each bench, and take all the foam out of them and use them for storage - but I wouldn't take it out completely. You'll need the extra strength so that the sides don't cave in on you.

For the front, I would start decking level with the top of the bench, and use 19/32" exterior plywood for the lids and decking. Then just run that up to the front of the bow so that it is level with the top of the bench. There should also be enough room for some storage hatches right in front of the bench for things like batteries, but I would use it to store anchors, life jackets and other things like that. I would also put in a pin type pedestal seat and get a pedestal that is curved (I think I have pictures in my mod)... that will maximize the room you have on the front of your deck.

The middle bench, when cut out and the foam removed, can store a lot of plano boxes or tackle bags with all the baits you will need, as well as 1-2 batteries on each end for your front trolling motor. You can run the batteries in parallel and get a lot more run time while out on the water.

On the rear bench, you can cut it out like the middle, but I would only do it if you really needed the storage space. You can extend the rear deck forward towards the bow and get more storage. Then just deck the rear hatch area between the rear bench and the transom so that you have some extra standing room.

BUT... before you do any modding
- I would look at getting a bigger (longer) trailer before I did any mods. You don't want to add any additional weight with that much of the boat hanging off the trailer - otherwise you could end up with an inverted V for a boat... You can pick up a trailer pretty cheap off craigslist, or you can check with places like Harbor Freight or Northern Tool. You can take their trailers and extend the tongue on them.
 
haha. Yall like my trailer? Just borrowed to bring home. DEF getting something more substantail soon!
 
Forgot I took my 1236 mod out of my signature... but here it is - kinda shows how I did the front decking, but you have more room on yours to add some storage

https://tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4493
 
Russ010-

Thanks- So you are saying run the deck from the middle bench to the front bench on a level plane? below the outter rim of the boat? so its below top deck a couple inches etc. like shown in my plan below.

You said- I would cut out the top section of each bench, and take all the foam out of them and use them for storage - but I wouldn't take it out completely.

How much "foam" can be taken out to remain stable? like one side? or the middle part ?like 2 square feet ?

In you guys opinion, when running on open semi rough water will the front passenger be able to sit on the upper deck chair and be stable? or will this simple be used with fishing/trolling etc?

Also i couldnt find your 12" mod in your signature. please provide link.

Thank you
 
Here's my old 1236 mod -
https://tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4493

Oh for the foam... I meant take all of the foam out, but I wouldn't take the WHOLE BENCH out completely. The foam is only good for you if you flip the boat over, doesn't help you at all with it being stable while upright in the water.

As far as your plan that you posted - I would start the front deck level with the top of the piece of wood that you put over the middle bench used for a lid, then run that parallel with the boat up towards the bow. You won't be level with the front seat on the bow, you'll be a few inches below the top of that bench. You need to keep your center of gravity low so that you can stand around up front while fishing.

As far as someone sitting on that seat when you're going down the lake - I would have them move towards the back... it will be easier for you to get up on plane. If you leave them up there, they will be added weight slowing you down, plus they will probably get a little wet from the flat bottom boat!
 
I love that picture of the trailer :) Good luck with the mod .
With your benches having such large surface area, you might be able to get by with just 1/4" plywood instead of 1/2inch to save some weight. Keep us posted as you go with pics.
 
Awesome thanks. your 12 footer is awesome. I noticed you kept the front "deck" below the front bench and middle bench, would you recomend this? or bc mine is a 1436 run from the middle bench to the front bench (with the tilted back angle u suggested)

Also framing-- wood or aluminum rods? weight wise whats the diff? price wise wood is cheaper, and I can spar it so well that wood wont rot for years. Thanks!

I noticed your 12 footer was below deck here--

https://tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4493&start=30
 
I didn't deck my front any higher because I didn't have any extra room to keep my center of gravity low.

You've got a lot more room between your middle bench and the bow bench... you should be fine running the deck from the middle bench lid to the front bow. It won't be decked all the way up to the gunwhales, and you' should be back a little further towards the middle than I was in my boat too.

As far as framing - use whatever you can afford. I used 2x2 on that build, and it's still lasting today. I've used aluminum on the rest, but that's really only because I got to where I could pay a little more with the money I sold other boats for.
 
Thank you all for your comments and interest. I took some pics last night of the boat stripped down.

I know there are many posts on this forum in regards to Live wells. Right now i am debating how to approach this. The fishing I do requires live bait- blueback herring in North Georgia. Should I--

a) go with something simple, like a self contained premade 5-8 gallon well,
b) build in a well and add the air pump etc. It wont be that big ( due to weight) so it will be removable so I wont need a auto fill or drainange system.

any adivice would be great (and links!)

Jim
 

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jmcaswell said:
The fishing I do requires live bait- blueback herring in North Georgia. Should I--

a) go with something simple, like a self contained premade 5-8 gallon well,
b) build in a well and add the air pump etc. It wont be that big ( due to weight) so it will be removable so I wont need a auto fill or drainange system.

any adivice would be great (and links!)

Jim

Use an old cooler for your livewell, it can be easily removed when not in use. I also recommend taking out the foam as Russ has advised, however, get some blue/pink board and put it down under the deck. This will help deaden (sp) sound and also, if you put in what you take out, keep you boat floating should it be swamped.

I'm not sure if your set on the higher deck yet, but it may get tippy in a 1436. I saw you had been debating removing the middle seat, IMO this boat would be the perfect candidate for a mod similar to Buffords 12' he did awhile back. The middle part of the center seat was removed, creating a walk through area to reach the LOW front deck while at the same time providing structural support for the boat. Good luck.
 
Thanks Ictalurus. Do you have a link to Buffords 12' i cant find him on this forum

SO use an old cooler and install the aerator myself? If I want a 5 gallon tank, does it need to be tall like a 5 gallon bucket or can it be short and wide? I know a live well cant have true corners, and needs rounded circle bucket. Im thinking about modding half the the center seat for the well.

thanks again!
 

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