Battery Weight Distribution Project

So I have a 1648 NSC alumacraft and I find that the bow of my boat with my aluminum deck seems to be tippy when I am near the sides of it. I was wondering if this is because of where my batteries sit right now. In the picture provided there are red boxes and black boxes. My batteries which are two sets of 24v in series are in each box so in total I have 4 batteries in the back of my boat. The red boxes are where they currently reside, with the black boxes a modification I may want to build. Based on common sense the lower the center of gravity the better, but will lowering them off the seat of the boat and placing them on the floor help with the stability of the bow when I am fishing off of it?

Just out of curiosity, what group are they? Regardless, that's a LOT of weight in the back. Assuming each battery weighs about 45 lbs, that's 180 lbs, plus whatever you weigh. Add your engine, fuel, platform, and that generator you have pictured...I think you should consider moving the batteries up front. Now, k owig that you have a generator, I'm assuming you bowfish which means everyone stands on the front of the boat. If that is the case, I'd say your seriously pushing the weight limit of that boat.

My only suggestion is to play with shifting the weight around, and if you simply can't, I would add floatation pods to the transom. Maybe have some custom made to take full advantage of the positive floatation.

I have group 31 deep cycle marine batteries, I know it is a lot of weight but for some reason once I get two adults on the bow of the boat we still sit only 5 or less inches from the water, that was when I tested it with just two batteries. That's why I set up two more batteries in back to counter our weight. That boat manufacture tag says it can hold just over 1000 lb total weight. Generally with the guys I take with me we get to about 800 lb max with whats on the boat. I just want it so that if I go alone and i step to the edge it just seems like the whole boat wants to flip. Not sure if Dropping those to the floor will actually make a difference or because the weight is evened out at the height left and right that it would do nothing.

mbweimar said:

I would add floatation pods to the transom. Maybe have some custom made to take full advantage of the positive floatation.

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If I add flotation pods will that tip the front of my boat towards the water, as you know I bowfish off of this boat and have issues with how close the bow can sit to the water! Never had Floatation pods so curious if that will tilt the boat

If nothing else it will at least give you your back deck again. But I think as you said, logic would be that the lower the weight the less tipsy it will be. I have the same
Exact boat, while getting used to a mod v from a deep v took a little bit and a few oh **** moments I got used to it rather quickly.


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You can try lowering the center of gravity but I doubt that will help much. Back in the day (way back) when boats were wooden and had sails, they would fill the bottom of the ship with rocks as a ballast for stability. The difference here is your boat only displaces a 6-7 inches, not 6-7 feet.

Float pods would most likely not lower the bow. Rather, it would make the boat feel more like a 1652 than a 1648.

Yeah that why i was hoping by putting the batteries to the floor that it would be more distributed that being higher up, Unfortunately with the modified v i feel that plays a roll as well by lifting the other side out of the water rather that a true flat bottom. I am going to look into an inverter that I can use with the generator and place it inline with one set of batteries to see if I can run the trolling motor "forever" and lighten the load.

Maybe you can step down to a 12v trolling motor to get rid of two of the batteries. A 12v literally would run forever on two group 31's in parallel.

Just had another thought...Is the generator for lights? If so...Sith it for 12v LED lights. You could have a 3 bank setup in parallel that would last all day and night, and cut the weight of 1 group 31, and a generator.

Get rid of 2 of those group 31's and move the other 2 under the rear bench In the center. Add some 1.5 cubic ft. float pods on it, you'll see a huge difference. You've got a lot of weight in that little boat, and all of its in the back, I'm surprised you haven't seen some welds breaking or structural problems yet. By doing this you'll notice no difference in the bow draft, if anything you may gain some. No bigger than the generator is I would ditch the elevated platform and sit it In the floor, then move it around while I was on the front deck, All that weight and leverage is going to cause you problems down the road.

Can't you just move those battery boxes down temporarily and see how she rides?

The main box is hard wired where its at so it would not be able to drop down for the test, plus im in wisconsin so there is still ice on the water. Thats why I came here to see if anyone has experience in this so I can work on this before the season starts.

To the gentleman who talked about the pods I am afraid that by placing pods on the back that it will tip the front even more with a few guys on the deck.. then id only be an inch or so from the water is my fear.


Also I only have the 24v trolling motor 70lb thrust which is almost over kill but once you fill the boat with fish its nice to have a strong TM.

Thankful for everyone whose been helping me so far!

rachbra said:

The main box is hard wired where its at so it would not be able to drop down for the test, plus im in wisconsin so there is still ice on the water. Thats why I came here to see if anyone has experience in this so I can work on this before the season starts.

To the gentleman who talked about the pods I am afraid that by placing pods on the back that it will tip the front even more with a few guys on the deck.. then id only be an inch or so from the water is my fear.


Also I only have the 24v trolling motor 70lb thrust which is almost over kill but once you fill the boat with fish its nice to have a strong TM.

Thankful for everyone whose been helping me so far!

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Can you just unhook the batteries and move them, then? At least you will have some idea. Can't help with the ice I'm afraid.... :wink:

rachbra said:

To the gentleman who talked about the pods I am afraid that by placing pods on the back that it will tip the front even more with a few guys on the deck.. then id only be an inch or so from the water is my fear.

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"A few guys" on the front deck of a 1648? Your right, you don't need pods, you need a bigger boat.

You can only manipulate the hulls ability to naturally displace water by doing a few things, and 1 is add additional ballast, that's what Pods do. BUT with that there is a limit also. I hear a lot of guys saying they hear it pushes the nose down :LOL2: Wrong. I Have installed many pods, and owned 2 boats that had them, I wouldn't own another boat without them. I've modified many boats that guys used to bow fish, the smallest Hull I ever put a platform on was 60".

I guess what I'm saying is maybe the hull you have is not the best Hull for what your trying to do with it, and The instability that your feeling when walking towards the gunnels is a negative effect of it.

I guess what I'm saying is maybe the hull you have is not the best Hull for what your trying to do with it, and The instability that your feeling when walking towards the gunnels is a negative effect of it.[/quote]

Will adding pods tip the bow lower to the water? Never owned a boat with pods, in addition a few guys is only 3 im extending my deck so that two of the individuals will be more towards the center of the boat. I enjoy the sport but gota work with what i got to some extent!

I understand being on a budget...You can only buy what you can afford.

I strongly suggest the pods. It's the only reliable way to add stability and offset the weight in the back. Will it tip the bow forward? Not enough for you to notice. If tipping the bow forward any more than it is with 3 people is that big of a concern, I would consider taking fewer people with you, or taking turns on the deck.


There simply is no way to offset weight in the front of a boat, unless you move the weight to the back. You could get creative and make some pods by fiberglassing over some foam pool noodles and lower them into the water while everyone is up front. But that would get complicated real quick, trying to fabricate everything.

Good luck and hopefully you find a solution. I feel like I have to say this, because I work for the fish and wildlife commission in FL: Remember that being the captain of the vessel, you're responsible for the safety of the passengers. It doesn't take much for things to go south on the water, even on small lakes and rivers. Pushing the weight limit, and improperly balancing weight makes the boat perform in ways it wasn't meant to. Just be careful out there and use common sense. Make sure to keep us posted on any solutions you come up with.

I've never been bowfishing before, but that weight distribution doesn't look good at all. If you're already 5" from the water with people up front, you probably need to look into a wider boat to displace the weight better. A 1660 would be a decent difference and something like an 1872 would be even better. But regardless of the width, you really want the battery weight on the floor of the boat to prevent tipping.

Will adding pods tip the bow lower to the water? [/quote]

Short answer No. Pods will displace extra weight at the stern of the boat, in reality if it lifts the stern it will level the boat. Its not going to "push" the bow down, it cant. With that being said, you want to balance your weight in the boat to make the bow weight neutral so when you and a couple guys get on the front deck, it levels out. Its hard to picture it, but if I was building a boat for you to bow fish out of and you carrying that kind of weight, I would insist on Pods.