1436 Alumacraft Cartopper Mod - advice?

[HMS Chilcotin]

Hi all,
I have to echo what many others have said. What a great site and inspiring mods.
I've got a 1436 Alumacraft Jon that I'm getting ready to rig up. There's some great ideas from other posts that I will borrow from but I've an extra wrinkle that I wanted to mention.
I transport my boat on a rack and take it into the back country where it gets rattled a fair amount. Needless to say, weight and durability (read: simplicity) are at a premium.

I'll be adding the standard carpeted wood bench covers and mounted seats and am thinking about a small bow platform for a bow mounted TM. I am thinking removable floor panels is the way to go but may opt for rubber mats that I just roll up (opinions?).

Having to turn your boat upside down and hoist it 7.5 feet in the air does limit your options.
(FYI - I do pull a trailer, so a boat trailer is not an option)

I'll post pics as I get going but welcome comments and suggestions.
Thanks
Ben

 

[Scott1298]

Watch your weight if you're hoisting it!!!! I bought a ~190 lb 15' (see link below) that I thought I could lift on and off my boat rack but it wasn't worth the trouble... I had a trailer within a week. I have an almost bare bones 10' that I carry when I'm pulling my trailer. I'm not saying you can't do it, but I'm sure you already know every pound counts when you're lifting a 14-15' barbell over your head :LOL2:. I just added a sliding seat mount that matches the one on the 15' so I can use the same seat, cut up a rubber mat to fit the floor where feet tend to be the most (works good as balast if I'm out alone), & other than that the motors are at the back where I can reach them from my comfy seat. There's a few pics of the boat/seat in my 15' thread, but here's a picture of me and my crew in the 10' last spring.

 

[rickybobbybend]

14 ft is a pretty hefty car-topper. I fished out of my Dad's 12 ft. Alumacraft v for many years...and for a long time after he passed it on to me; always muscling it on top of a full size pu. Two things bothered me: my back and having to set up the boat with ff, cooler anchor etc. etc. every time I used it and then unloading it for the trip home. Think about an electric boat loader, I've seen them used very effectively. And I wound up using a portable ff (battery self contained), with most of the rest of the gear in a couple of gear boxes that were easily loaded/unloaded.

 

[rds0523]

Just a thought, and do realize it will add some stress the structure unless you have another set of hands helping support it, but you could hook up a hand crank winch or cheap harbor freight 12v winch to the truck/rack that would "pull"the boat up onto the rack by the bow, then once you get is far enough that it rests on the rack on its own you can unhook and finish pushing it... i realize the drawing is very crude but i just wanted to sketch my thought for you..

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Thanks Scott and RickyBobbyBend,

I've been hosting it up there (stock, nothing added so its about 150lbs) the hard way for a bit now...doable but I am not getting any younger. Last fall I had to load it on an incline...that just about did me and the boat in. Thus my concerns for weight, I am about at my limit for manual loading right now.

RBB...you are bang on with the winch idea. I own a small battery powered winch (2000lb capacity) which I am going to use going forward, much as you illustrated. The next time I rig it all up, I'll snap some photos. I used to use it for my older 10' fibreglass/wood boat that must've been 200+ lbs.
The winch will likely be a must be a "must use" if I add 30-50 lbs of material to my 1436.

Ben

 

[Scott1298]

Just a thought, and do realize it will add some stress the structure unless you have another set of hands helping support it, but you could hook up a hand crank winch or cheap harbor freight 12v winch to the truck/rack that would "pull"the boat up onto the rack by the bow, then once you get is far enough that it rests on the rack on its own you can unhook and finish pushing it... i realize the drawing is very crude but i just wanted to sketch my thought for you..

We do a lot of fly fishing around here, and as baby boomers age there are more of these on trucks every summer. Here's a link to a site to see how the popular ones work, but they are very expensive in my opinion. You might find someone who will do it for less, we have locals that build them cheaper than retail. Watch the videos. Rickybobbybend describes my challenges and solutions to a T.
https://www.4boysmfg.com/product/loaders/

 

[rds0523]

Well I'll be damned. Must not have been too terrible of an idea if someone took the time to make it into a marketable product. Thats pretty slick but i have to admit a couple of pulleys, a $60 electric winch and some good ol hillbilly engineering seems more practical than whatever at rack probably costs, very cool product if you can afford it though!

 

[Scott1298]

Well I'll be damned. Must not have been too terrible of an idea if someone took the time to make it into a marketable product. Thats pretty slick but i have to admit a couple of pulleys, a $60 electric winch and some good ol hillbilly engineering seems more practical than whatever at rack probably costs, very cool product if you can afford it though!

Every summer my boat feels a little heavier... I can't figure out the rope system or I might try to build my own too! Alright HMS back to boat mods as you wish :arrow:

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Well, I guess it's time to stop talkin' and get workin on it!

I just picked up some 1" aluminum square tube and angle and 5/8 plywood for the deck and seat tops. Plus a whole bunch of related hardware (and a rivet gun...looking forward to playing with a new tool).

Some quick measurements make it out to be a 32" deck (34" wide at the bow flaring out to 44"). So that's not too big by my estimation. I plan on 4 aluminum horizontal supports connected to angle aluminum and 4 vertical supports (hoping to keep them closer to the edges to leave a large access space to under the deck...but need to look at this).

Early measurements indicate that I may end up with 12-13" of vertical clearance under the deck at the front. If so, then I'll keep a battery under it...otherwise I'll have to place both at the



I just realized my bow bench has no foam core...so it is really loud (wave noise). I need to find some sort of closed cell spray foam.

My local HD only has green indoor/outdoor carpet (I want a black or dark grey). But I did see a deck covering material that looked pretty promising. Lightweight, designed for the elements and applied similarly as carpet (called Dek-Master I think...anyone tried this?)

I picked up a Minnkota bow mount motor with foot controls and need the deck so I can take it for a test run on some local water. Can't wait!

I'll keep posting updates as I progress.

Ben

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Well I was all excited on Sunday night, got my boat out of storage, started taking measurements when the raindrops started to fall. (Sigh) I don't have a covered garage so it was "tools down". Now it is Thursday evening and it hasn't really stopped. That's what you get when you live on the " wet west coast" of Canada



I may as well just turn it into a trout pond.

Maybe this weekend.
Ben

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Pull the plug out. Boats aren't made to have that much water in them.

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Good advice. On it.
Thanks.

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Well I wasn't going to let the rain slow me down so I tarped up a work area and got to it. First thing was to get some foam into the front bench. Since I am putting a deck in I didn't mind cutting a hole to stuff some closed cell foam. Though it did feel weird making the first cut.



I added some "gutter stuffer" to wedge the foam in place. Picked it up at HD and it seems to be perfect for the job. It lets water through but is firm enough to keep the foam from moving around. I think I'll patch it up before I secure my deck in place.



I've been cutting up aluminum and started framing up my deck but forgot to take pictures. Will. Add them tomorrow.

Ben

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Got some more done this weekend. I framed up my deck with 1" tube aluminum.





I ended up adding an additional bar down the middle. It is off center a bit in case I want to use a seat mount in the middle of the deck that would get in the way.



And cut out a template for my deck.



I've cut out the deck and bench tops. No photos yet. The second coat of spar urethane is drying now.
More to come!

Ben

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Time for another update...
Deck and bench tops are cut, carpeted and attached.





Also got my bow mounted TM installed ( can't wait to try it out...this weekend? [-o< )



Why is it, that no matter how many runs to the hardware store you make, you never have the right size of bolt or nut you need...or is it just me?

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Time for seats...

Someone recently posted the question "why are seat accessories so expensive". ( can't recall who or I'd give credit). I have to agree. I've been looking for removable, sliding seat mounts and (all mount options really) and it adds up to mount three seats. Price isn't really my issue (don't tell my wife), I just haven't been able to find any options in the local stores. The sliderg5 that advertises on this site looks good (decent pricing too) but I've heard they don't ship to Canada and haven't been able to get a response on them to confirm.

So off to the hardware store for inspiration.

I picked up 8' of aluminum "u beam" (designed for edging 1/4" plywood) and used the swivel from my removable clamp mount (from my old boat). A few cuts, some drilling and four screws later I've got a removable sliding seat mount. $10 for 3 mounts (I do need to pick up another swivel).











Works great! The seat stays in place until you take your weight off and is firm and stable.
I'll watch for signs of wear on the carpet and add a strip of aluminum flashing if needed but I think it will be ok. I added another to my centre bench and will get to the deck this weekend.

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Flooring...

I need super lightweight and secured, (my boat travels on my truck rack...upside down).
I'm thinking of just putting carpet right over top of foam (no plywood). I've got a piece like this under my deck and it seems good.

I tried some of my adhesive on a scrap piece to see if it work react (or better, not react) with the foam. One week later it is dry and solid.



I'm considering gluing carpet over the foam (leaving gaps for my ribs) and securing the ends to the benches (somehow...working on that still) and actually just punching some holes through the carpet and foam to allow zip ties to hold the floor against the ribs. That should support the modest weight of the floor when it is inverted.

This is where you wise people can tell me I am crazy.

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Ok...nobody says I am crazy...that's a first.

I've cut the foam and have a plan to glue the carpet down. Will post pics when I have them.
I also mounted a carpeted board down the port side to hold rods and probably place some bungees or netting to hold loose items underneath.

Coming along.....slowly

Ben

 

[Scott1298]

If your floor holds up I might try something like that... how much do you weigh? If your seat mounts hold up, your going to save people a lot of money. =D>

 

[HMS Chilcotin]

Hi,
I'm 210 lbs...after dinner tonight mabe 215
I'll post an update on the carpet at a later date.
Ben