Float pods on a non Jon boat

Josh Schwenger

Active member
So I have two of the exact same boat hull. The inside if different on each but the part that floats in the water is the same. I use both for hunting but different purposes. I want to repower but with etec gone my only option is a 4 stroke. Thinking about adding float pods to the boat to try to keep my hull self bailing as I add weight in the stern. Being that I have two hulls if it works out on the first I would like to do the second. I know I am going to have to make the pods either from fiberglass or aluminum and bolt them on. Anyone added pods to a hull with success? Would I see a noticeable difference to raise my scuppers a inch out of the water ?
 
Are those basically Garvey type hulls?
I don?t see why pods wouldn?t work to decrease draft and decrease planing speed. But not sure about raising enough to get the scuppers back above water.
 
Yeah Carl it's a Garvey my scuppers self bail now but just barely with a 320 lb etec. If I keep a 90 in a Suzuki it weights 350 lbs. 30 lbs might not make the difference but I'm always in shallow water I would love to reduce my draft 2" and gain scupper area. I will include picture of green boat as well. I was thinking if I can simulate the amount of force I can gain with maybe a strap under the boat and a few plastic bottles to see what I would gain maybe even add 30 pounds into the stern.
 
They will offset the weight of the etec, but once you bolt them on your transom the pods will block your scuppers. Unless you figure out some way to extend the scuppers through the pods. Tomorrow, I'll take photos of my Polarkraft that I put pods on. I had to block off the 2 drain holes and put in 2 bilge pumps to get any water out. My boat is a tunnel hull so the tunnel diverts rainwater or splash to each side hence the 2 pumps.

Nice looking hull btw.
 
Good morning, Josh~


Sounds like Brad has some very useful experience. I would be tempted to go the trial-and-error route. Just mock up 2 pods from plywood (I was going to say "cheap plywood" - but I realized there is no longer such a thing....). They could be open-topped boxes that you temporarily bolt on through the transom. You could try different lengths and widths - and make sure they both "float your boat" and do not get in the way of your outboard.


Once you work out all the details, you could make the permanent ones out of any material you prefer.



All the best,


SJS

 
I ran pods on my 17' Bailey Bridge Boat. Loved them. They were fabricated from Beavertail specs and welded on. I searched my old posts here but all the pictures were in Photobucket so are not viewable anymore. I can go through some old files if you would like to see them. Here is the only picture I could find quickly and doesn't show a lot.



bailey boat3.jpg

Here is another, disregard the ducks, lol



mallards with rob.jpg
 
Thanks if you have them I will take all I can get. Spent alot of time reading at work last night about pods. I am also interested in the fact they act as a assist to get back in the boat. Spoke to my friend who does fiberglass and he said with the current cold snap may have to wait till March.
 
Great for dogs, great for prop/motor issues, etc. I would consider them for those reasons alone. The added buoyancy to the transom area is a plus in my opinion. I never had an issue getting on plane or any other performance related area.

Here's another picture I grabbed of FB. On the port side pod I had some angle iron (aluminum) welded to the end (to take a 2x10) so that I could run a kicker motor if I wanted.



bailey boat pod.jpg
 
I agree with Troy. Helps with squat and provides a longer planing surface. I built and mounted mine flush and in same plane as the hull bottom. Happy to answer questions or take other photos.

83283E99-EE20-41B6-8EC3-BAF3E0A06152.jpegAA5543C8-4106-49F6-AA96-2993553CC8ED.jpeg
 
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