# PolarKraft 1648 Duck Boat Rehab



## bhwadeuk (Feb 2, 2017)

Hello guys. First post here so still trying to figure this out. I read Richg99's thread about lurkers who should register and join the fun so here I am. From what I have gathered from my time here, it seems a lot of projects are geared towards fishing rigs. I am mainly a duck hunter with a slight interest in fishing so my project boat will be mainly a dedicated hunting and scouting boat. I still think much of the information and content on this site can be helpful for my end goal. Anyways, to the project at hand...

I searched pretty hard for a boat over the last few months. I stumbled upon this 1998 PolarKraft 1648 with 1998 40HP Mariner and 1998 trailer a few hours from my house. The gentleman I purchased the boat from was the original owner and purchased everything in a package so I was somewhat confident that he knew the entire story on the boat. Turns out that he was retired and hunted many days out of the season from this boat but had recently ordered a slightly larger 17' War Eagle. Upon inspection, you could definitely tell it was used for duck hunting, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with some elbow grease, tools, and of course money!










Being my first boat, I am a little overwhelmed with what all needs to be done to get this boat the way I want it. I keep telling myself "one thing at a time". First thing I did was pull the plastic box to expose a piece of the original floor foam. It seems pretty waterlogged so I will start drilling out the riveted down aluminum floor today. This will also allow me to give this thing a bath. There are years of mud, sticks, and leaves in this thing.




I always have enjoyed following build threads so I will try to update this from start to finish. Please stop by and leave any comments, thoughts, advice as I am new to this and may need it! I look forward to it!


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## derekdiruz (Feb 2, 2017)

I have a 1542 that i'm currently building for duck hunting. Progress has been slow, but I'll be getting more time with it over the next few weeks. I agree with what you said though, many people build for fishing. I'll be following your build because I'd love to get ideas for mine. The only reason I have a boat is for hunting! Lol.

I like the boat layout you have though, looking forward to the progress.


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## dearl (Feb 2, 2017)

Welcome,

Nice boat, Polar craft makes a good boat, very durable, you wont be disappointed. Your on the right track, get all that mud and crap cleaned out of it and see what your working with.


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## Johnny (Feb 2, 2017)

Welcome Aboard !!

the old adage is that no matter how big the samich is,
taking small bites will prevent the tummy ache later.


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## ericman (Feb 2, 2017)

I like the rear bench. I bet it's great for sitting comfortably duck hunting.


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## bhwadeuk (Feb 2, 2017)

Thanks for the responses guys. The weather was good today so I decided to get to work. My first order was to pull the aluminum floor and get the foam out. I popped the heads of the rivets with a chisel and will go back tomorrow and drill the rest out now that I have a better view of how wide they are.


As you can see the foam is pretty rough. There was also a considerable amount of sticks and mud in the floor. I guess about 20 years worth.


Once I got the foam completely out, I took a shop vac to it and cleaned it up a bit. I will take a pressure washer to it tomorrow and go over it with some sort of cleaner, simple green or some such.




I took the trolling motor and mount off, took the gas tank and batteries out, and pulled some old wiring that served no purpose. I want a clean slate to start with. I also picked up an outboard dolly for around $40 on ebay. It seems to serve the purpose I am using it for and will pull the motor tomorrow with the help of a buddy. I also think it could be a good stand to clean and repaint the outboard. The previous owner painted over the hood decals so I am not looking forward to getting that cleaned up and removed.




The wife is out of town so I will have plenty of time to work on it tomorrow and over the weekend. I am meeting with my fabricator/welder on Saturday to go over some idea I had for some gun boxes and pods. Paint will follow after that, then electrical, then some hydro turf. Thinking about some hatches for the back V seat to hide and access the batteries but not sure if I want to lose the room for a seat mount. I guess I could mount them on the front walls of the V seat but I don't want to lay on the floor in the dark if something were to go wrong with a battery. Since its a duck boat, I am thinking the less clutter and breakable items, the better. Until next time.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Feb 3, 2017)

The only reason I bought my jon boat was to duck hunt out of it too.


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## bhwadeuk (Feb 6, 2017)

Got some good work in over the weekend. Pulled the old registration sticker, numbers, and factory decals. Pulled the motor set it on the new stand. Pressure washed the mud out. Have a couple of questions after going over the boat a bit more.

I was somewhat interested in possibly adding pods to the rear. However, there are 2 bolts that run through the transom where I believe the pod would mount. Based on their location, can the bolts be moved and the old holes sealed over? Any thoughts/suggestions?





There is a dent in the bottom of the boat towards the bow (Rake?). My questions is can the by popped out or fixed in some way? The problem is that it is beneath the welded on deck and would be difficult to access without removing the deck? If the dent is not fixed will this affect performance? Is it even worth fixing on a beater duck boat? 



Going to start the fabrication of dual gunboxes soon, currently toying with design and how much money I want to sink into that project.


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## derekdiruz (Feb 6, 2017)

Cut a hatch in the front deck and use your foot to push that dent out lol 

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## rotus623 (Feb 6, 2017)

I had a 1648 1999 polarkraft. Sweet boat! I miss it, but I ended up getting a flat bottom sled to run the river instead.

Anyways my boat didn't have a floor in it, but other than that, and a straight back seat, it was the same boat as yours. I ended up putting down 1 and 1/2" inch foam board between the ribs and covered it all with horse stall mat. Was a great floor, and if the foam got soaked I would easily lift the mat and replace it.


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## bhwadeuk (Feb 6, 2017)

derekdiruz said:


> Cut a hatch in the front deck and use your foot to push that dent out lol
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk



Yeah that's pretty much what I am thinking. I am going to look up under there to see what kind of hatch lid will best fit in there with the existing deck bracing. 



rotus623 said:


> I had a 1648 1999 polarkraft. Sweet boat! I miss it, but I ended up getting a flat bottom sled to run the river instead.
> 
> Anyways my boat didn't have a floor in it, but other than that, and a straight back seat, it was the same boat as yours. I ended up putting down 1 and 1/2" inch foam board between the ribs and covered it all with horse stall mat. Was a great floor, and if the foam got soaked I would easily lift the mat and replace it.



I like it so far, seems to be built like a tank with the double gunnels and whatnot. That V seat is driving me crazy trying to figure out the geometry of seamlessly connecting a fabbed gunbox with the angles of the seat. Good to hear you liked it though!


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## bhwadeuk (Feb 13, 2017)

Framed up dual gun boxes. 


Have hatch lids coming tomorrow for the V seat for battery access and for the front decks. Need to close up the boxes but think I'm going to prime them first while they are open instead of having to reach inside while they are enclosed.


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## dearl (Feb 14, 2017)

Looking good! I think Pods would be a great idea for that Hull. As for the bolts you were referring to, you can pull those 2 and seal them off, just drill 2 new holes and put them back above the pod, they just help sandwich the transom wood with the inner and outer skin.


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## Lockndam25 (Feb 14, 2017)

Nice boat and its coming together good.


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## hookedontronics (Feb 15, 2017)

boat looks great! I notice you mentioned pods and had a concern for the existing bolts in the transom. For my build i took a ball pein hammer and just put a small dent in the pods to fit them over the existing bolts. I put a new transom in my boat so i have no concern for every having to remove it again. If you moved the bolts, i don't see that being an issue either.


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## bhwadeuk (Feb 20, 2017)

Took advantage of some good weather and got some the base coat laid on the exterior, interior, and outboard. Ordered KEM 400 from Sherwin Williams in Cobblestone. Also got Major Brown and Flat Black to use with my stencils I ordered from Redlegcamo.com. Used a Wagner HVLP electric sprayer and it turned out pretty nice I think. 15 minutes to paint, 1 hour to clean the sprayer though!


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## bhwadeuk (Feb 28, 2017)

Been putting some pretty good work in on the boat lately. We have been blessed with great weather this winter here in KY so my expected timetable for completion is much shorter than expected. My wife is happy about that. I framed in the boxes using .80 aluminum sheet. I used a rivet gun to attach it to the .125 angle. It's solid as a rock and light as well. My forearms are extremely sore from running that rivet gun though. I am going to add 36" hatch lids to them once they come in. I also used some leftover aluminum sheet to enclose the bottom gap in the front deck so things don't come rolling out. I added hatches to both sides of the V seat and a larger one to the front deck. I will drop my starting and deep cell batteries in the V seat hatches. 

I wish I had taken photos of the sheathed gun boxes before I primed and painted them, but got caught up and forgot. Anyways, here is the boat with the entire base coat laid down. This KEM 400 paint is no joke and goes on great with a sprayer. It does cure quickly so as soon as I was done painting I broke the sprayer down for cleaning. I have stencils to do a timber pattern and should tackle that later this week once it stops raining. I have to say that the cobblestone base color is really nice and were I not using it for duck hunting, I would probably just leave the base color as is. It looks even better in person than in photos.


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## bhwadeuk (Mar 3, 2017)

Got the stencils laid down this week. Wasn't too bad for a first timer. Here is the first stencil.


And the second (final)


I ordered EVA foam flooring for the front decking, floor, and seat surfaces. Have the 2 hatches for the gun boxes coming this weekend so I will get those cut before I lay the flooring. All I need to do now is add the jack plate and floor insulation, stencil the outboard, and then run my electrical. I am thinking.
1. Bilge
2. front LED light bar
3. LED courtesy rock lights in the cabin
4. Plugs for anchor and nav light poles.
5. Maybe a Bluetooth stereo kit. 

Also need to refinish the trailer and replace the bunks and guide-ons. I feel I am getting closer though.


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## The10Man (Mar 5, 2017)

Wow! I am really liking this build. Love the dual gun boxes! The paint and stenciling turned out great. 


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## Jim (Mar 6, 2017)

Very nice!


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## sonny.barile (Mar 6, 2017)

Looks professional. Nice job....


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## bhwadeuk (Mar 7, 2017)

Been spending some good time on the boat. As I stated in my last post, I purchased EVA foam mats for the deck, floor, and seats. I had kicked around the idea of Hydroturf, but balked at the $300 it would take to get the job done. I opted for anti-fatigue EVA foam diamond plate mats from walmart.com. I purchased 3 4'x8' sheets at $9.50 per sheet. Add in $20 worth of contact cement and chip brushes and I could refoam this thing for 6 straight seasons for the price of the Hydroturf. Before I laid the old aluminum floor in I ran new foam for insulation/floatation. I also cut out the gun box tops for my dual gun box hatches.


Then I laid the foam. I used Weldwood contact cement in the red can. Stuff is potent! Cleaned all surfaces off with alcohol, 1 coat of contact cement on boat surface, one on back side of foam.








I also used some spare aluminum sheeting I had leftover to create a floor underneath the V seat for the eventual battery compartment.


Oh and my favorite addition so far were 2 cup holder inserts. Picked them up for around $1.50 each. Will be perfect for that early morning coffee or cold beer in the afternoon.


I am almost afraid to take this thing hunting because it will get dirty lol.


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## PWC Muscle (Mar 8, 2017)

bhwadeuk said:


> Thanks for the responses guys. The weather was good today so I decided to get to work. My first order was to pull the aluminum floor and get the foam out. I popped the heads of the rivets with a chisel and will go back tomorrow and drill the rest out now that I have a better view of how wide they are.
> View attachment 5
> 
> As you can see the foam is pretty rough. There was also a considerable amount of sticks and mud in the floor. I guess about 20 years worth.
> ...



Le us know when youre ready for Hydro Turf!


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## derekdiruz (Mar 8, 2017)

That boat looks awesome. I'm going to check out the foam you used because I'm putting in my decks this weekend. I had wanted turf but like you I didn't want the price. Also I love the gun boxes. I'll be putting in a A large rod/gun locker on my rig soon 

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## Catch Release Repeat (Mar 8, 2017)

Wow that looks fantastic , I want to find that flooring you used. My only worry is how hot it will get in the sun. 


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## Target (Mar 8, 2017)

I have tried that cheap EVA flooring in my stand up kayak. Even in a kayak it had gouge marks and tears after a season. It was junk. I can't imagine what it would look like in a boat that is used a lot. I went with hydroturf for my jon this year- seems much more durable. Not quite as "squishy" as the cheap foam but definitely tougher.


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## Catch Release Repeat (Mar 9, 2017)

Target said:


> I have tried that cheap EVA flooring in my stand up kayak. Even in a kayak it had gouge marks and tears after a season. It was junk. I can't imagine what it would look like in a boat that is used a lot. I went with hydroturf for my jon this year- seems much more durable. Not quite as "squishy" as the cheap foam but definitely tougher.[/quote
> 
> How's the heat in he sun?
> 
> ...


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## bhwadeuk (Mar 9, 2017)

Target said:


> I have tried that cheap EVA flooring in my stand up kayak. Even in a kayak it had gouge marks and tears after a season. It was junk. I can't imagine what it would look like in a boat that is used a lot. I went with hydroturf for my jon this year- seems much more durable. Not quite as "squishy" as the cheap foam but definitely tougher.



I could see that may be a possibility. I will run it a season and see how it does. I do tend to be pretty easy on my stuff but you never know. I have $50 and a day of labor into it so if it doesn't work out, no harm. I will go HT on the next go round! 

I will say if anyone does go the EVA route, cut it with scissors instead of a box cutter. I used fresh blades and a T square and it still had uneven lines. Halfway in I realized that a good pair of scissors made a way better cut. I also used my wife's rolling pin to really apply pressure and get the mats flat to the surface.


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## chrispbrown27 (Mar 12, 2017)

Very nice job on the rig. Where about in Kentucky are you? 
I have a 1648 G3 that I half modded. I bought it just before duck season (3 years ago) and ran it that season as it was. I already had an idea of what I wanted to do, but the extra time actually using the boat helped to solidify my ideas. I didn't want to lose my middle seat completely for passengers so I ended up cutting the seat in half and making two separate halves with a walkway through the center. The seats now house my batteries, to move some weight forward. I didn't really finish what I had planned because spring fishing season came and I got it on the water. I have toyed with the idea of putting some sort of high capacity livewell/gun box, but I hate to lose any walking room/decoy space. The boat came with a deck the previous owner had welded in and so far I have left it in place. If this weather ever figures out if it is spring or winter I would mess around with it some more since I am laid off right now. 
I like the foam flooring. I wonder if you could put some sort of outdoor carpet over the foam. That way you could have the softness of the foam and the carpet would protect the foam from gouges and damage.


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## bhwadeuk (Mar 12, 2017)

chrispbrown27 said:


> Very nice job on the rig. Where about in Kentucky are you?
> I have a 1648 G3 that I half modded. I bought it just before duck season (3 years ago) and ran it that season as it was. I already had an idea of what I wanted to do, but the extra time actually using the boat helped to solidify my ideas. I didn't want to lose my middle seat completely for passengers so I ended up cutting the seat in half and making two separate halves with a walkway through the center. The seats now house my batteries, to move some weight forward. I didn't really finish what I had planned because spring fishing season came and I got it on the water. I have toyed with the idea of putting some sort of high capacity livewell/gun box, but I hate to lose any walking room/decoy space. The boat came with a deck the previous owner had welded in and so far I have left it in place. If this weather ever figures out if it is spring or winter I would mess around with it some more since I am laid off right now.
> I like the foam flooring. I wonder if you could put some sort of outdoor carpet over the foam. That way you could have the softness of the foam and the carpet would protect the foam from gouges and damage.



I'm in Lexington. Not exactly the best area for duck hunting but I figured having a boat would allow me to expand my range and options. Ran through your area a few months ago on my way to MO for some hunting. 

I will probably run the foam for a season and see how it goes. If it doesn't work I'll go to Hydroturf.


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## chrispbrown27 (Mar 13, 2017)

Well the duck hunting in this area isn't exactly what it used to be. I am originally from Southern Illinois, but have been down here for almost 6 years now. The weather just doesn't push them down like it used to. I mostly chase divers out on Kentucky and Barkley. They are always there and in good numbers.....you also don't have to wait while they swing 30 times before they commit. Divers don't mess around!


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## bhwadeuk (Mar 15, 2017)

Been doing some good work on the project. Gave the trailer a good rehab. New bunks, paint, and plastidip'ed the wheels. Still have new side guide ons and a transom saver coming. Need to add a spare as well. Got the motor stenciled. Have a 6" jack plate coming tomorrow. Order a Vance manual. Didn't want to go for hydraulic at this point. Next is electrical and then I'm done.


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## chrispbrown27 (Mar 16, 2017)

The trailer looks good, but man that motor looks like a factory job! What did you use?


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## bhwadeuk (Mar 16, 2017)

chrispbrown27 said:


> The trailer looks good, but man that motor looks like a factory job! What did you use?



I used Sherwin Williams KEM 400 enamel. A Wagner Flexio 590 electric HVLP sprayer. And Redlegcamo stencils. I used the Timber HD stencil. On the sprayer I used the large attachment head for the base coat and the smaller detail head for the stencil work. It really helps to have 2 people running the stencil. One to paint and one to hold the stencil in place. It's not perfect but I will say it looks pretty darn good in person. Many of the Arkansas duck boat makers use the KEM 400 I've heard. It's tough paint for sure.


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## bhwadeuk (Mar 16, 2017)

Got the jack plate in today and installed. Vance 6" manual with black powder coat. Had a buddy over and we threw the motor back on. Electrical parts are trickling in. Going to install everything and start running the wiring ect.


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## bhwadeuk (Jul 18, 2017)

Been a while since an update. Golf season put a momentary delay in the build. Finally got back to it and ran the electrical off a 5 breaker switch panel.

1. Front 24" curved light bar.
2. Boss Audio marine stereo w/ 2 speakers and Bluetooth.
3. Interior LED rock lights (6)
4. Stern Anchor Light Plug
5. Bilge Pump


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## The10Man (Jul 18, 2017)

This looks amazing! Great job!


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## overboard (Jul 18, 2017)

Heck of a job you did there =D> !


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