Favorite boat mods?

Hello all,

I’m hoping to get some ideas for ways to modify my new-to-me boat (an Alumacraft Trophy 175) to increase easy of use, functionality, efficiency, etc. …In the past, on different boats, I’ve done things like add cargo nets to the bow, added a cup holder, or added insulation to the second livewell, which made it work much much better as a cooler. Seems like I see a TON of guys talking about mods to their flipovers, but I don’t really see/hear people talking about mods to their boats.

So what do you guys do? Now that I’ve got a new boat, I’ve got a looooong time to wait ’til she hits the water, and I need something to do while in the garage…cuz I think the wife will wonder if I just sit in the boat and stare at the garage door.

Sitting in the boat in the garage is like what I would imagine meditation is. I stare at the garage door and think about nothing

my dream,and it may work for you as well,,,,,,
pratt and whitney pt-6 turbine.
I am fairly certain my starcraft superfisherman pro 170 will handle it.
just have to be judicious with the throttle.

Add a onboard charger, line cutterz stick on accessory, put a flash light and an extra clippers in. A ruler or fish measuring system

I mount steps to all my trailers. Once you have them you will NEVER go without again. I mount rails to all my boats if they don’t have them. I use Down East rod holders and the rails are the way to go for me. But, I’m trolling for Pike 90% of the time so it would be overkill for some.

with a pratt you can use the bleed air to areate the live wells,gotta be careful though as you can blow the guppies outta the live well,but no one ever said that too much horsepower isnt worth it.
apologies to the op,its saturday night and me and ole jack,well,we are getting along fair enough.

Yeah, this one doesn’t have the Alumatrach (sp?) system in it, so I was thinking of adding some kind of track system. There are a few to choose from…not really sure which way to go. Can’t imagine they’re all that different, tho.

LED lights under the gunwale on a dimmer. The green doesn’t kill your night vision.

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Y off your livewell pump for a deck wash down.

X2 on trailer steps. Dowco fender hanger strap. Trolling motor with spot lock.

Think one of the best things Ive done to mine is pull out most of the seats for additional room. First did this to make more room while sturgeon fishing but left it that way for almost all my trips now. Sitting on the back bench lets me face forward while running the tiller. Lot less strain on the shoulder this way.

I fish alone a lot and launching and retrieving the boat is a lot easier (and quicker) since I installed a Drotto boat launch system to my roller trailer.

Replaced one bench with a cooler and cushion top. The cooler took up a lot of floor space and was in the way no matter where you put it. I love the convenience without taking up additional space.

Plumbed LP tank under dash for onboard heater and cooking.

Minimum of air ride seat for the driver.

Red Eye wrote:

LED lights under the gunwale on a dimmer. The green doesn’t kill your night vision.

Oooh, I like that. Mine has one yellow light up front and one in the back right next to the jump seat, where I’ll be sitting while trolling cranks after dark. I’ll have to tape over the back one, so adding some LED’s to the back would be sweet.

How much would you charge for installation?!?

Mike W wrote:

Think one of the best things Ive done to mine is pull out most of the seats for additional room. First did this to make more room while sturgeon fishing but left it that way for almost all my trips now. Sitting on the back bench lets me face forward while running the tiller. Lot less strain on the shoulder this way.

I couldn’t agree more.

guthook1 wrote:

I fish alone a lot and launching and retrieving the boat is a lot easier (and quicker) since I installed a Drotto boat launch system to my roller trailer.

I’ve seen a few of these…they might be on the wishlist sooner rather than later.

carmike wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Red Eye wrote:</div>
LED lights under the gunwale on a dimmer. The green doesn’t kill your night vision.

Oooh, I like that. Mine has one yellow light up front and one in the back right next to the jump seat, where I’ll be sitting while trolling cranks after dark. I’ll have to tape over the back one, so adding some LED’s to the back would be sweet.

How much would you charge for installation?!?

Just did this install about a month ago. LED lights were only $10 on EBay, double stick tape, wire and a switch resulted in $40 total project.

Quality Stereo, Amp, and speakers.

-J.

I have a Alumacraft Trophy also and while it has ample rod storage, I wanted a place to store rods when fishing. I added a 4 place rod holder between the rear jump seats. Usually it has 2- 3 rods and the landing net in it while running to the fishing spots.

Clarion bluetooth Stereo and 8 speakers that have separate tweeters. (Like Jon Jordan)
Smooth Move Seats x’s 2
VHF radio w/ an 8ft mast
Extra long and a high rise ladder
Looking into a track system rod holders
Ulterra TM Link
Humminbirds to complement the TM
On board chargers to tend to all 4 AGM batteries
Mounted GFCI that the chargers are plugged into and a 25′ “SO” (real rubber completely flexible) cord to plug into the dock or my garage when it is on trailer or in the water

And then there is the trailer and I’m still thinking about the boat.:???:

I’m still thinking about the boat, Speaking of which, did you hear what “He” said yesterday?

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A drotto would be worth it depend on your ramps..

Air wave pedestal seat post.

My favorite has been the Stealth DC charger I installed. It automatically recharges the trolling motor batteries when my outboard is running. I can fish an entire week in Canada on a remote island and never have to plug in to a generator to charge my batteries. Works really well. I think I even get longer life out of my batteries with it since they are almost always at a full charge.

These aren’t fun mods in terms of being flashy or clever, but here’s what I do on every boat as far as useful mods that make life easier and safer.

Before you do anything, ascertain the wet (with full fuel and oil) weight of the boat + outboard + reasonable gear load. Then check the weight rating of the trailer. Is the trailer properly sized? You want to know this now, not when your trailer busts an axle on the way home on a Sunday night in the middle of nowhere. The majority of package boats out there have undersized trailers and I’ve even seen it where it is so close that you literally would be overloaded if you put a 6 pack of beer and 2 bags of cheetos in the boat. Better to know this now so you can inspect and pack the boat accordingly.

Here’s what I add to every boat:

1. Walkway down the trailer channel and tongue for safer launching.

2. Rip out the undersized, under-powered OEM bilge pump and both REPLACE it with a properly sized one AND rewire it so it actually runs at or near rated capacity. I have never seen a freshwater boat with an OEM bilge that was wired with proper gauge wire AND had a proper pumping capacity that would have any chance at saving a boat that took a big amount of water over the rail. This is a safety improvement that if you are fortunate you will never have to use, but if you ever get caught in a bad situation and take a green one over the bow or rail, the proper sized bilge pump will save your bacon.

3. As already noted, interior lighting in both a color that does not kill night vision (I like red) AND white light for dock use.

4. If the boat doesn’t have LED trailer lights all the way around, tear everything off and both replace the lights and rewire them with waterproof connectors and splices.

5. Spare tire, on a good galvanized mount, with a tire lock. Copy the key and put a spare key on your truck ring, boat ring, and hide one in the boat.

6. Get 2 lug wrenches that fit the trailer tire lug nuts. There is a 99.975% chance your truck wrench will NOT fit your boat lugs. If it does, go out and buy a lottery ticket.

7. Buy a bunch of phone charging cords and put them into the boat so you have both android and apple cords available.

8. I’m a big fan of having good docking gear. Nice big fenders, 5/8 or larger inch docking lines about 8 feet long X4, and a nice long leash with a spring gate carabiner on one end for launching. Larger diameter docking lines are easier on the hands and it’s easier to get knots out in case somebody ties a triple binder boy scout knot in them. Fender save your boat from the dock rash that is the true sign of a total amateur boat owner.

9. A good rechargeable spotlight with a power cord that plugs in to the boat.

10. One of those nifty pre-assembled tool kits from Harbor Freight. In general, I use it to fix other people’s boats, but handy nonetheless.

11. A good handheld marine radio.

Grouse

One of the least expensive add ons is bow cargo nets. Great utility for what they cost. Not hard to install. Yeah my wife has accused me of sitting in the boat in the garage dreaming about the next big walleye on my line. Another thing I use alot is a scent bottle/tool holder on my but seat pedestal.

Great stuff listed.

Interior rope lights would be great, and easy in the bow. Not sure how they would work in the back of the boat because, depending on year, I don’t think there is a lip to mount them under. They would be exposed and you will bang things into the rope light all the time.
I carry an electric lantern, plus a cordless spotlight that also has regular led lighting for at night.

A stereo is a must. Each off season I toy with the idea of hiding a sub in a bow compartment but it never happens.

Air ride seats for the two main seats. Remove the rest of the seats unless needed. I have a 175 Tourney Sport and have a general rule that there is only enough room for two fisherman in the boat.
Add a butt seat, bow or stern.

The bow should have rails. I wouldn’t put rails on the rest of the boat. Those wide gunnels are great for sitting on and dipping your toes in the water. I wouldn’t muck that up with a rail.

Trolling rod holders. I mounted recessed surface mount rod holders on my gunnels. No problems stepping or sitting on them.

Onboard charger for sure. Like CaptainMusky suggested, a DC charger would be a bonus.

Electronics. One of the best things I did was add two units to the dash. One smaller unit is strictly for GPS mapping, the second is for depth/fish finding. Make sure they are able to be networked and can talk to each other. So much less fiddly than one unit that does it all.

Maintenance side, if you are bored in the off season, check the livewell water lines. If they look old and worn, replace them now before they pump gallons of water into your boat. Pump too while you are at it.

Second the LED trailer lights suggestion. Guessing your boat comes with trailer brakes. If so, not unplugging the lights when you back down the ramp will be a great saver. One less thing to do at the ramp, times two.

Transom saver. Not going any farther on that talk.