# TinBoats.net's Least Exciting Mod! Alumacraft 1648 NCS



## Butthead (Jul 25, 2012)

Chub Tub 2.0!
Okay, this was probably one of the most straightforward mods ever done, so unfortunately I can't offer you anything too exciting, sorry.

Highlights:
Floor is 3/4" marine grade ply with cut-in-half pool noodles underneath. 
Aluminum sheeting between the ribs to smoothly transition the wood to the hull and to stash things against the sides and out of the way. 
Casting deck is 1/4" AB ply over the factory aluminum deck.
Rear bench has a 30" SliderG5 that I surrounded with 1/4" AB to finish off the look.
Stacey from Warner's Dock got me the seat pedestal box and trolling motor bracket from Alumacraft. Seat box easily holds a DC27 battery and has room for other stuff if need be.
Dual Marinco trolling motor plugs 
Cabela's Premium Carpet
Berkley rod holders

I decided on an open floor plan for versatility, but mainly I wanted to have some sides for when my young kid is aboard. Wise seat spider or padded cooler in the middle works for the 3rd man in and I can easily fit my Kamp-Rite IPS tent for an on-water, overnight excursions.

Yes, I put the registration stickers on before the #'s instead of after because I'm a rebel.


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## bigwave (Jul 25, 2012)

Nice job. I like rebels....hell I am a rebel from Texas...... :mrgreen:


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## gillhunter (Jul 25, 2012)

I like simple and straight forward. =D> =D> =D> Nice job. I'm sure you will enjoy it for a long time. =D> =D>


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## Ictalurus (Jul 25, 2012)

Nice rig Butthead =D> =D> =D> 

I haven't seen the NCS with a flat front until yours, I like it! The seat pedestal box is an interesting addition, let us know if you like it in that location in the long run. From the pics, it appears you are running electric only, do you have an outboard? Also, Tennessee requires the stickers to be placed closest to the bow, so your legit down here!


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## Butthead (Jul 25, 2012)

gillhunter said:


> I like simple and straight forward. =D> =D> =D> Nice job. I'm sure you will enjoy it for a long time. =D> =D>


I was pretty happy I went with the NCS when I took it out the first time. I love being able to stash the rods on the sides and I like how much floor space I have to sprawl out my gear. I do think I may try to find/buy/build a lightweight,aluminum table to put over the batteries so I can have my gear directly behind me instead of on the floor.




Ictalurus said:


> Nice rig Butthead =D> =D> =D>
> 
> I haven't seen the NCS with a flat front until yours, I like it! The seat pedestal box is an interesting addition, let us know if you like it in that location in the long run. From the pics, it appears you are running electric only, do you have an outboard? Also, Tennessee requires the stickers to be placed closest to the bow, so your legit down here!



I REALLY like the seat pedestal box. Plenty of room with it up there and I like having the battery below me for more forward weight since this is an electric only rig.
I also use a wide-butt/leaning casting seat instead of the full seat which is a little nicer when standing. My buddies is talking me into getting a recessed foot tray, so that will come down the line. Eventually I'll get an outboard but it's not a priority at this time.


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## MNHunter505 (Jul 25, 2012)

very nice! i have a 16 ft boat as well. I also bought the cabelas carpet too. Couple questions:
How did you attach the carpeted pieces of wood to the side ribs that the rod holders are connected to?

how did you secure the forward and aft plywood to the boat?

thanks!


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## MNHunter505 (Jul 25, 2012)

Ictalurus said:


> Nice rig Butthead =D> =D> =D>
> 
> I haven't seen the NCS with a flat front until yours, I like it! The seat pedestal box is an interesting addition, let us know if you like it in that location in the long run. From the pics, it appears you are running electric only, do you have an outboard? Also, Tennessee requires the stickers to be placed closest to the bow, so your legit down here!



Sorry, dumb question but what does NCS stand for?...


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## Butthead (Jul 26, 2012)

MNHunter505 said:


> Sorry, dumb question but what does NCS stand for?...





MNHunter505 said:


> very nice! i have a 16 ft boat as well. I also bought the cabelas carpet too. Couple questions:
> How did you attach the carpeted pieces of wood to the side ribs that the rod holders are connected to?
> how did you secure the forward and aft plywood to the boat?
> thanks!



NCS is No Center Seat

I couldn't mount the rod holders directly to the rib because of the location of the mounting holes, so I had to use the wood bases. 
First I screwed the top of the holder into the wood. Then I screwed the wood into the rib as high as I could, which is about 1/2 to 2/3 the way up since the rib starts to bend outward. Then I put the bottom screw through the holder mount, through the wood, and into the rib. It's holding nice and tight but the screws are easy to access if I ever needed to tighten it down again.

I use Deck Mate Evercoat exterior screws with lifetime guaranty. :LOL2: I also pre-drill everything.
Screw right through the wood into the aluminum deck in strategic spots and into the ribs on the aft deck.
They hold really tight to the wood, and aluminum, and should stand up to the weather well. I keep my boats covered so they won't really see a lot of water anyway. 
Just to give a little idea of the durability, I had attached a piece of square aluminum tubing to a piece of wood that wound up sitting outside for about 4 years. When I took it apart to salvage the tubing, the screws came out still looking new. I felt very confident with them after that.


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## TheMaestro (Jul 26, 2012)

Your mod looks factory done! Dont underestimate your fine workmanship!


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## gwenning (Jul 27, 2012)

Big fan of NCS. The floor space is amazing. I really like the way you mounted the rod holders. I might have to try something similarly with.


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## fender66 (Jul 30, 2012)

+1 Looks very nice. Simple, clean and most important...functional to your needs!


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## airsickness (Jan 25, 2014)

Sorry to necropost an old thread but I had a question. First I agree with you on the open floorplan. I keep mine the same way. Nice job on the mods. The question. How is the floor held down over the noodles? The carpet looks like it wraps around the plywood so Is it glued down or did you screw it down before carpeting and just do a real nice job carpeting?
Thanks for posting.
Kenny


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## warefishin (Jan 25, 2014)

Man I have been looking everywhere for a box like that to mount my front seat on, where did you find it? I have found a couple of fiberglass ones but I really want to go aluminum.

Thanks


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## ifish4redd (Jan 26, 2014)

Alumacraft.


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## Butthead (Jan 27, 2014)

I glued the carpeted down after the wood was installed so that you wouldn't see any screws. The wood is screwed directly to the ribs and I want to say I used 17 screws in total 4-3-3-3-4. Between each rib on both sides, I used thin aluminum and bent it at a downward angle. I did this to fill the voids while also creating a space where stuff can sit nicely without it rolling around on the deck and if something small gets stuck down there, you can push down on the aluminum to easily get it out of the way to retrieve the item without messing up the aluminum.

I purchased the pedestal box from Warner's Dock:
Part number: 2-03-002-3238

Stacy Warner
Parts/Accessories & Warranty
Warner’s Dock Inc
888/222-3625
https://www.warnersdock.com

Here's the link to that page with description and part number:
https://www.warnersdock.com/ABCPandA/ABCJonSeats.htm

When I ordered, she said I had the option of grey or green.


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## DrNip (Jan 27, 2014)

Man, good luck navigating that website to find anything.


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## Butthead (Jan 27, 2014)

https://www.warnersdock.com/ABCPandA/ABCJonSeats.htm

They also have it available here:
https://www.akmccallumco.com/store-console.htm


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## DrNip (Jan 27, 2014)

Thank you.


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## richg99 (Apr 30, 2016)

Question regarding your use of the slider...

I have a wide pedestal seat up front. It is in the way when I board the boat. I'd love to slide it off to the side; board; and slip it back to the center. How sturdy is the slider for a seat that is probably 16 inches high? 

I'm a big guy and worry about the seat falling over, or coming out of the tracks?????? I sent a message to the slider folks, but it is the weekend, so I may not hear back from them for a few days. thanks, richg99

p.s. nice build out.


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## Butthead (May 2, 2016)

Since those pictures I've changed the black pedestal to the pin style mounts. 
I attached an upside down base to the plastic slide then added an 11" post on top. With those two pieces plus the pin on the seat, I'm sure I'm over 16" high. 
I'm about 240lbs and it feels plenty sturdy. The slide is pretty close to the size of the track, so I've never had an issue with it wiggling or sliding while sitting on it. 
I have had it pop out while trailering over railroad tracks and very rough road, so DEFINITELY take the seat off when trailering.

The other thing I did was build a removable deck to go over the batteries up front. Adds extra space for the bow fisherman and gets the batteries out of direct sunlight.


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## wmk0002 (May 3, 2016)

I'd love to see some more pictures of your rig with any updates you have done. I have a 1648 NCS on order which should be in any day now (already about 3 weeks late from the dealer as it is :? ). I'm gonna take a similar path as you and keep it open and simple....I want to keep the weight down so my 15hp Evinrude can push it alright.


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## wmk0002 (May 24, 2016)

Also, if you get the chance to check back in on your thread, can you update us on how the TM bracket is holding up? And also where did you get your hull ID stickers? I like the color and font and am trying to go with something a little different than plain white in arial font.


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## Butthead (Mar 14, 2018)

Sorry wmk, I'm two years late to your posts. 
Everything is holding up the same as when I installed it. I do use a waterproof travel cover, so it stays bone dry inside. The hull ID stickers came from Bass Pro.
I'll try to remember to take some photos the next time I take it out in a few weeks.


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## eshaw (Mar 15, 2018)

Where does one purchase the seat track like you used?


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## lovedr79 (Mar 15, 2018)

i cant see the pictures. i dont have a photobucket account.


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## Butthead (Mar 15, 2018)

It's the Slider G5. They used to be a site sponsor, maybe still are.
https://www.sliderg5.com/index.html

*I also edited the first post to add the pictures to the site, instead of hosting them on Photobucket.
Boy, did I use a lot of spinning reels back then, lol.


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## lovedr79 (Mar 15, 2018)

looks good man.


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## Butthead (Mar 15, 2018)

I'll have to take a picture of the battery shelf. I usually stick my tackle bag on top of that. 

I really like the NCS model. I don't need a bunch of storage compartments, so the open floorplan is awesome for me. There is literally enough room to sleep two adults comfortably on the floor.


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