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So since I use my boat for fishing with an outboard, I didn't want pods permanently mounted on. I took on building my own pods and making them able to be removed.

The measurements of all the pieces was a chore, but nothing impossible. However you constantly hear you're old math teacher in your head as your trying to remember the formulas to find angles/measurements etc. You can skip all that headache by buying them from somewhere, however you'll still need someone to weld on brackets.

I positioned the pods where I wanted them to mount up to the boat. I used jack stands, boards, scrap slivers for shims, etc. A second set of hands helps, but this isn't impossible alone

I then figured out where the brackets would be welded onto the pods. I spaced them out enough to fit a fender washer and nut between the transom and the bracket. Then marked the outline with a marker

I marked on the boat as well where the brackets lined up. I also labeled which bracket goes where.




Side note, when putting 5 brackets per pod, and you start counting 1 2 3, then switch to the other pod, counting up leaving the space so 6 7 8 9 10, when you go back to the first pod, don't continue counting with marking the brackets 11 and 12. When you go to weld every thing you start cussing yourself out because you can't find 4 or 5

I welded the brackets on. No pictures of that, but you can use your imagination at this point to know what the pods are going to look like with brackets on them.

At this point I drilled holes in the transom where I made my marks from the brackets. No pictures of this either, sorry, but use the space between your ears

I then setup the pods where I wanted them and drilled thru the transom into the brackets to line up the holes
(Sort of, the bracket holes still needed some reaming/expanding once everything was all said and done)

I then put the bolts in. Fender washer on each side of the transom, with 3M 5200 gobbed on to seal up the holes.

Final test fitting/reaming out bracket holes to make them fit. Once mounted I marked the bolts where I wanted to cut them so they didn't stick out so far

Hacked down the bolts to be just as long as I need them to be

And tadaa. Bolt on pods. I need different drain plugs, but I'll make those at work this week.

very nice! Those tend to be pretty popular in our area with heavy outboards on the stern.

Very nice! I'm interested in how the stern holds up to then at the points where the pods bolt on.

And how the bolts hold up. Would think they're under serious strain.

Olly wrote:Very nice! I'm interested in how the stern holds up to then at the points where the pods bolt on.

The top bolts are thru the (new) wood on the transom. I was going to put a strip of metal on the inside across the bolts to spread the load but never did. We shall see how it goes. I've developed a leak that wasn't there before, so I'll have to find where it's coming from and seal that up.

SOHCAHTOA sound familiar?
That's your angle formulas in one word.

If those bolts ain't stainless steel then you need to change them.
Nice work. Looks really good.

I'm pretty sure they are stainless... I think? Hmmm

Goldfish wrote:I'm pretty sure they are stainless... I think? Hmmm

Once I used galvanized machine screws to attach something to my aluminum jon boat. Them screws rusted in about 2-3 weeks to the point where they would not hold anymore.
Steel+aluminum+water=rust very fast

The material scientist in me had to warn you. Stainless carriage bolts...you'd know if they were stainless because your wallet would be much lighter. All that work would suck if they fell off after 3 months. Lowes sells stainless steel hardware.

What does using an outboard have to do with being able to permanently attach pods?

Bet my boat would go about 5 mph faster if I put pods on. Have my motor up extra high and bolted on and it still throws off a ton of spay to the sides. (need a jack plate) Pods would be better but since the boat is so narrow they'd have to be custom. It's a 1640.
If I had huntall6's job I'd build them in the KFI machine shop that he works at.
Wish I had his skills and job for a day (again).

aunt betty wrote:Bet my boat would go about 5 mph faster if I put pods on. Have my motor up extra high and bolted on and it still throws off a ton of spay to the sides. (need a jack plate) Pods would be better but since the boat is so narrow they'd have to be custom. It's a 1640.
If I had huntall6's job I'd build them in the KFI machine shop that he works at.
Wish I had his skills and job for a day (again).

I wish I still had the 1640 Lowe I sold a couple years ago.
What a damn boat. It was a do it all rig for sure.
Don't put pods on yours Betty. Just build up your transom if you need the motor higher.


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FlintRiverFowler wrote:

aunt betty wrote:Bet my boat would go about 5 mph faster if I put pods on. Have my motor up extra high and bolted on and it still throws off a ton of spay to the sides. (need a jack plate) Pods would be better but since the boat is so narrow they'd have to be custom. It's a 1640.
If I had huntall6's job I'd build them in the KFI machine shop that he works at.
Wish I had his skills and job for a day (again).

I wish I still had the 1640 Lowe I sold a couple years ago.
What a damn boat. It was a do it all rig for sure.
Don't put pods on yours Betty. Just build up your transom if you need the motor higher.


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I do love the little boat. It hides easy. Low profile. Custom built pop up blind (ask spinnerman how easy it is).
My dad never bought anything without getting the best and putting a ton of thought into his selection and he built the rig. I'm so lucky.

I'll have the machine shop weld a piece of square tube or something the right size. All I need is about another 1.5" of "up".
I'll post a pic here shortly. You can see I got it jacked up as high as I dare. Bolted it on.

They made that extra piece that's bent around the transom to beef it up. Kept cracking the corners. (Arkansas roads)
It needs extended up about 3 inches.

About that reflector tape. I run the Black River. It's narrow, winds like a snake, and people going twice as fast as I can go run it too so I got the back all taped up for safety. If they don't see me they ain't looking. Motor has a big rectangle on the back too.
Got it going 20+ mph running on a little Johnson 15 horse. I like the speed.

Flint the boat is only rated for 20 horsepower. Was yours the same?

aunt betty wrote:

FlintRiverFowler wrote:

aunt betty wrote:Bet my boat would go about 5 mph faster if I put pods on. Have my motor up extra high and bolted on and it still throws off a ton of spay to the sides. (need a jack plate) Pods would be better but since the boat is so narrow they'd have to be custom. It's a 1640.
If I had huntall6's job I'd build them in the KFI machine shop that he works at.
Wish I had his skills and job for a day (again).

I wish I still had the 1640 Lowe I sold a couple years ago.
What a damn boat. It was a do it all rig for sure.
Don't put pods on yours Betty. Just build up your transom if you need the motor higher.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I do love the little boat. It hides easy. Low profile. Custom built pop up blind (ask spinnerman how easy it is).
My dad never bought anything without getting the best and putting a ton of thought into his selection and he built the rig. I'm so lucky.

I'll have the machine shop weld a piece of square tube or something the right size. All I need is about another 1.5" of "up".
I'll post a pic here shortly. You can see I got it jacked up as high as I dare. Bolted it on.

They made that extra piece that's bent around the transom to beef it up. Kept cracking the corners. (Arkansas roads)
It needs extended up about 3 inches.

14242383_318347455184789_3915566236179887894_o.jpg

About that reflector tape. I run the Black River. It's narrow, winds like a snake, and people going twice as fast as I can go run it too so I got the back all taped up for safety. If they don't see me they ain't looking. Motor has a big rectangle on the back too.
Got it going 20+ mph running on a little Johnson 15 horse. I like the speed.

Flint the boat is only rated for 20 horsepower. Was yours the same?

I think mine was rated at 25. Was contemplating a 40 when I sold it.
Don't just weld a tube up there it needs to be skinned over like a U shape with some sheet aluminum and then bolted through the transom. You might be better off finding a jack plate used.


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It's already skinned over. That thing they put on last time beefed the heck out of the transom.
I'm probably going to leave it the way it is. By this time next year the whole world will be turned upside down especially mine.
My parents, specifically my dad, is about to croak and he sold the farm just recently. DUMB move. (so pissed)

Woody wrote:What does using an outboard have to do with being able to permanently attach pods?

I didn't want these permanently attached because my outboard has a hard enough time getting my boat on plane as is. If I need to pick the front of the boat up due to rougher water, I want to be able to do that as easily as possible. The boat is fairly wide, and short sided, for a 14ft.

rondak46 wrote:Part of my problem is I come up with one crazy idea after another. For example I am thinking of putting some kind of impeller setup in each pod so I can use that for trolling when fishing. Another crazy idea is to have them hinged with hydraulic Rams so they can be adjusted like trim tabs. So, the project gets mulled over and never begun.

Adding weight inside the pod is going to subtract the effectiveness of added floatation. Likewise would be making them angled away from the transom enough to have them pivot like trim tabs, however that might still be a viable option. To accomplish that is above my skill set tho.