# '83 Bass Tracker Revival



## BYOB Fishing

Here is the boat I have to work with, a 1983 Bass Tracker Tournament TX. It's 17ft long. I plan on setting it up for bass fishing. My wife actually worked the deal to get it for my Father's Day/B-Day gift for $400. After getting it home and looking it over in my own garage, I noticed a couple of problems. First, the bow eye is cracked and in need of repair. I'm not sure what that will cost. Also, the transom is pretty soft and in need of replacement. I don't know how difficult that will be; there looks to be quite a bit of aluminum bracing holding everything together, all riveted in. I don't know how comfortable I am with working on that...But I'm sure with everyone's advice, I can get it done. Other than that, I plan to do the standard mods for turning this into a good bass boat. New carpet, seats, wiring, paint, etc...I don't have much time to work on it this week, so for now I will put up the photos and see what you all think! Plan on starting the demo next Sunday/Monday. I'm pretty excited, I've wanted a Bass Tracker for quite some time! Oh yeah, it's rated for 80hp. I plan on looking for something that's 50-75hp to hang on the back once completed...


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## belliott

It has potential, for 400 bucks it looks like a great boat.


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## skip

i love the bass tracker insert in the back! that alone makes it worth it to me!


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## Troutman3000

Just picked up a 99 Tracker V-hull. They seem to be made pretty solid from what I have seen.


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## Queencitybassman

Nice find I am in the process of fixing up something I got that is very similar... 79 tracker i got for $450 with a 50hp mercury on it.. Trackers are solid boats


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## bobberboy

That's going to be nice when you're done with it. It looks like a lot of work but when you get the carpet and crud out of it I bet you'll find a good boat to work with.


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## ober51

What a great gift! It's going to be a great rig once you put some elbow grease into it and clean the aluminum. I wouldn't paint it, just clean that oxidation/dirt off and put new stickers, and you have a great new boat. That grate in the back is awesome, I can't wait to see that restored, good luck buddy.


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## BYOB Fishing

ober51 said:


> What a great gift! It's going to be a great rig once you put some elbow grease into it and clean the aluminum. I wouldn't paint it, just clean that oxidation/dirt off and put new stickers, and you have a great new boat. That grate in the back is awesome, I can't wait to see that restored, good luck buddy.




Well, I was planning on painting the top half...Kinda like the newer bass trackers are. I was thinking black, and replacing the decals with newer ones just like them. I'm going to shine up the exposed aluminum. As far as the grate goes, I'm probably going to take that off too. It's a little flimsy, and I'm afraid it will break if stepped on accidentally. I will probably paint it up and hang it on my garage wall, in place of all that golf crap! hahahaha!

I'll probably get started on it next week. Any advice on replacing that transom?

Thanks!

Matt


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## Hanr3

nice find.

is that a crack in the bow eye where it meets the boat?


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## BYOB Fishing

Hanr3 said:


> nice find.
> 
> is that a crack in the bow eye where it meets the boat?



Yep. So far that crack and the half-rotten transom are the major issues I have to get fixed.


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## ober51

I can't help with the transom other than it looks like you will have to remove the corner braces, which won't be fun. I am sure others will chime in, good luck.


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## BYOB Fishing

I've taken some photos of the transom, and my plans to replace it. First, it looks like I will need to cut the welds that hold the rear cross member and corner caps. After that, I can drill out the rivets that hold the caps and cross member, and lift the whole assembly off. From there, I should be able to drill rivets to remove the angle braces on the bottom of the transom. (The top is rolled over, so the new transom will have to be slid into place from the bottom up) After that, I can drill the rivets on the access panels on both sides of the bilge. From there, I should be able to pull the transom down, over the top of the lip, and out. 

That's probably the easy part....I'll still have to find someone to re-weld everything I cut up. 

Let me know what you think of that plan...Here are the photos:




















Thanks,

Matt


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## Brine

I can hear the guy building the boat on the assembly line... "I feel sorry for the guy who ever wants to replace this transom board..." :LOL2: 

I've got similar corner caps on mine, and was wondering the best way to cut them off if I ever had to, to be able to reuse them knowing I wouldn't want to have to replace them. 

Good luck!


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## bobberboy

It's going to be a pain now but a really sweet boat later.


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## rook

BYOB Im in the middle of a re-build on the same boat (1983 Bass Tracker Tourny TX) check it out, in my signature below is a link. I didnt have to replace the transom in mine but I can tell its gonna be a pain in the arse if I ever had to replace. I will be following your build, its always interesting to see what 2 different people come up with on the same hull. Good luck with your build and if you run into anything just let me know, I may have already had to deal with any issues. And I will be doing the same, already got some questions floating around in my head. I will take a good look at mine tonight and see if any ideas come to me on replacing those transom board. Ill let you know if I come up with anything.


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## Loggerhead Mike

those trailer wheels are awsome


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## BYOB Fishing

rook said:


> BYOB Im in the middle of a re-build on the same boat (1983 Bass Tracker Tourny TX) check it out, in my signature below is a link. I didnt have to replace the transom in mine but I can tell its gonna be a pain in the arse if I ever had to replace. I will be following your build, its always interesting to see what 2 different people come up with on the same hull. Good luck with your build and if you run into anything just let me know, I may have already had to deal with any issues. And I will be doing the same, already got some questions floating around in my head. I will take a good look at mine tonight and see if any ideas come to me on replacing those transom board. Ill let you know if I come up with anything.



I've been watching your build as well. It really looks like you're doing a great job making that boat your own, the center console setup is pretty cool. Did you notice that the original console was really far away from your original drivers seat? I want to remove my console and move it back a few inches, so that I can actually sit back in the seat and drive..


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## BYOB Fishing

Loggerhead Mike said:


> those trailer wheels are awsome



I must not be much for nostalgia. :LOL2: Changing out those old wheels was another thing on my list...Along with removing the grate in the back and painting some of the bare aluminum.


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## BYOB Fishing

Over the last few weeks, I've been able to remove the rotten wood transom. I started by drilling out and removing the rivets that held on the brackets and caps. That was very easy, I center punched the rivet head, drilled an indentation onto the rivet head, and then used a chisel to peel the rivet off. I then used the punch to push the rivet out. It took maybe 20min to do all of them. I had to move the boat around to the front of the house to use the angle grinder and cut the cap and brace off. I went a little deep on the first one, but it should be OK once it's welded back together. I chopped out some of the foam, and I found that the foam was soaked and the wood behind the foam was nearly dirt. I really think the foam helped cause the rotting problems. There was literally water running out of the foam chips I was removing, and it hasn't rained here in weeks. I went ahead and cut it back several inches away from the wood. I did end up having to cut the top cap that was rolled over the top of the transom. I was really afraid of hammering too much more on the hull in an attempt to remove the rivets, as I thought I might cause the ones I've left alone to leak due to vibration. I figure I can recover it with some aluminum U-channel and be just fine. With some help from my wife, we were able to pry the wood out in nearly one piece. After a little bit of vacuuming, here is the result.


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## rook

By the looks of that, i think if my transom goes Im just gonna sell the sucker. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: That looks like a pain in the rear. You are doin a great job, keep it up.


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## Troutman3000

You guys never cease to amaze me with the ingenuity I find in these posts.


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## BYOB Fishing

It's been a while, but after a few weeks of working on it here and there, 10 or 20 minutes at a time, I've managed to get the carpet and flooring ripped out, and most of the soaked rotten foam out.

Now, I've cut, sealed, and painted the transom. I'm test fitting it along with the cap to make sure it's fitting. Seems to be working out, now I have to find some stainless hardware to re-attach it to the boat. My goal before the weather gets too cold is to install the bilge pump, gas tank, battery boxes and battery charger. More or less, get everything that goes in the rear compartment together so that I can focus on the rest of the boat. Once all of that is either in or dry-fit, I'm going to have it welded back together. I'm going to then put in the floor, so that I have a base for the rod locker I'm going to install on the left side. I'm also going to put some tackle storage in the middle and on the right side, just in front of the console.

One thing I noticed while spraying it out with the hose is that water has a terrible time escaping. This boat was not engineered to drain. Water has to be at least an inch deep to get over the boxed-in channel around the drain plug. Only then will it get to the plug, which isn't level with the floor.


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## DaveInGA

BYOB,

Looks like you're making some good progress. I am restoring a 1986 Tracker V-17 and I see a lot of similarities in construction to yours. Mine doesn't drain well either and I think the original decks were designed to feed water back to a drain hole to the left of the console on mine. I plan to drill some bigger weep holes. Mine drains, but so slowly as to be almost useless.

One thing I didn't have problems with is the foam. It appears the flotation foam was improved by the mid-eighties and the foam in mine doesn't appear to hold/absorb water.

A couple of pieces of information that may be useful to you:

1. Your console cap is made of fiberglass. If it has problems and you can fiberglass, it won't be hard to fix. I don't have fiberglass skills, but I was able to fairly easily find a Tracker dealership that still had a "new old stock" replacement cap for $100.00. This was cheaper than I could hire anybody to repair my old console cap. 

You may want to call around to the Marine outfits in your area. I found mine at Athens Marine. They haven't carried Tracker boats in years, but still had the cap in their store room. If you can't find one and want to buy a new one, pm me and I can give you their contact information. I'm sure they'll be glad to ship one and last I knew they still have one in their stock room.

2. A 50/50 mixture of Acetone and Xylol will dissolve all that nasty old carpet glue. Or you can buy GOOF OFF pre mixed. Big labor and time saver. Here's a brief rundown:

Spray it on generously and let the chemicals work for a minute or two to break down the glue. Once the crud is dissolved/softened, you can scrape most of it off, then use a piece of fairly coarse steel wool (best) or a green scrubbie pad (okay) to break it down, then rinse it off with a water hose. Check my build in my sig for greater detail and pics.

3. I haven't done it yet, but if your steering cable exterior is badly faded and dinged up like mine, you can order heat shrink in sizes big enough to recover the exterior. I'm going to "paint" the dings/cracks/etc. with liquid electric tape, let that dry, then slide the heat shrink over that.

4. BP blaster penetrating oil is your friend. That stuff is a live saver when removing stuck rusty bolts/nuts on the trailer. Allowed me to save all the stainless steel hardware on my trailer even though the self locking nuts were pretty much rusty crud.

Hope this helps.


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## BYOB Fishing

DaveInGA said:


> BYOB,
> 
> Looks like you're making some good progress. I am restoring a 1986 Tracker V-17 and I see a lot of similarities in construction to yours. Mine doesn't drain well either and I think the original decks were designed to feed water back to a drain hole to the left of the console on mine. I plan to drill some bigger weep holes. Mine drains, but so slowly as to be almost useless.
> 
> One thing I didn't have problems with is the foam. It appears the flotation foam was improved by the mid-eighties and the foam in mine doesn't appear to hold/absorb water.
> 
> A couple of pieces of information that may be useful to you:
> 
> 1. Your console cap is made of fiberglass. If it has problems and you can fiberglass, it won't be hard to fix. I don't have fiberglass skills, but I was able to fairly easily find a Tracker dealership that still had a "new old stock" replacement cap for $100.00. This was cheaper than I could hire anybody to repair my old console cap.
> 
> You may want to call around to the Marine outfits in your area. I found mine at Athens Marine. They haven't carried Tracker boats in years, but still had the cap in their store room. If you can't find one and want to buy a new one, pm me and I can give you their contact information. I'm sure they'll be glad to ship one and last I knew they still have one in their stock room.
> 
> Actually, It's all aluminum. I wasn't planning on keeping it, either. I really don't like the angle of the steering wheel, the placement of the gages, the flat windshield, the switches.....everything mostly. hahaha I've found one that originally went on a G3 on eBay classifieds that I'm going to go after. It's $250, but it comes with all the gages, updated switches, and a steering wheel.
> 
> 2. A 50/50 mixture of Acetone and Xylol will dissolve all that nasty old carpet glue. Or you can buy GOOF OFF pre mixed. Big labor and time saver. Here's a brief rundown:
> 
> Spray it on generously and let the chemicals work for a minute or two to break down the glue. Once the crud is dissolved/softened, you can scrape most of it off, then use a piece of fairly coarse steel wool (best) or a green scrubbie pad (okay) to break it down, then rinse it off with a water hose. Check my build in my sig for greater detail and pics.
> 
> I will try this out for sure.
> 
> 3. I haven't done it yet, but if your steering cable exterior is badly faded and dinged up like mine, you can order heat shrink in sizes big enough to recover the exterior. I'm going to "paint" the dings/cracks/etc. with liquid electric tape, let that dry, then slide the heat shrink over that.
> 
> The cable is out in the shed right now...I don't remember how bad it was, but I didn't really notice any big problems with it when it was on the boat. I'll keep this in mind, though.
> 
> 4. BP blaster penetrating oil is your friend. That stuff is a live saver when removing stuck rusty bolts/nuts on the trailer. Allowed me to save all the stainless steel hardware on my trailer even though the self locking nuts were pretty much rusty crud.
> 
> Hope this helps.





Thanks for all of the advise! I spent about an hour the other night reading through all the pages of your mod. It's looking good...I'm also going to try the stripper on the decals. We tried the goo gone, and that didn't work at all. They are really on there good.

Thanks again!!

Matt


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## TNtroller

looks like you have a lot of work done from when you brought it home, and making progress is good. Keep up the hard work, and good luck.


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## BYOB Fishing

TNtroller said:


> looks like you have a lot of work done from when you brought it home, and making progress is good. Keep up the hard work, and good luck.




Yeah, it's allot of work, and I don't have allot of time to work on it either. It sounds like I'm finally going to be able to order the gas tank, which should allow me to get started on buttoning up the rear end. The new permanent tank is too big to fit through the hatch opening unless the rear cap is off.


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## BYOB Fishing

I was able to get the boat off the trailer and turned upside down to wash. I used the muriatic acid and a scotch bright pad and got all of the brown deposits off. I had originally planned to polish up the bottom. When I started with the polish, I found the pitting on the bottom to be too bad, and the bottom just wouldn't come clean; the polish worked into the pits and left black spots all over. Now, I think I'm just going to paint the whole thing black. Not really what I wanted to do, but I don't know any other way.








I was able to get the decals off with stripper. I went to NAPA and bought the aircraft stripper, but ran out after only doing the reg. numbers and about 5' of the stripe. I was in Wal-Mart and found a can of Kwik Strip that was $4 cheaper, and in a bigger can. I bought that, and found that it worked better than the other stuff, was cheaper, took off the adhesive, and I even have some left over.

Matt


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## BYOB Fishing

I've been working with the wire wheel and have removed alot of the grime the acid didn't take off. I spent about two hours with it. I made an attempt to polish up part of the side by hand, but it just isn't looking too good, the wire wheel helped take out some of the pitting, but it was still fairly easy to see once the polish was applied. I think I'm going to just leave the exposed aluminum with the "brushed" look, maybe by going over it with some sandpaper to make the texture more uniform, removing the swirl marks from the wire wheel.


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## ElPresidente

I had the same problem with the polish getting into the pits when I tried to polish my 77 tracker. I had to wet sand the whole thing with 600 wet sandpaper. Then I polished it with mother aluminum polish and a mothers polish ball. It was an exhausting process. it took me 4 weekends to finish. 

I took a hairdryer to my decals and they pealed right off. 

I'm going to tackle the job of replacing my transom in the next month. How difficult was replacing yours? Any tips? It looks like we have the same transoms


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## BYOB Fishing

Replacing the transom really wasn't that hard. Just had to cut the welds which was a little intimidating but I figured the boat was worthless the way it was, so giving the transom replacement a try couldn't hurt the value any. Don't worry about trying to save the splash well drain if you do decide to replace it. Bass pro has nylon replacement drains for $5...I tore my drain up getting the wood out and I was worried about replacing it.

Btw, welcome!!!!

Matt


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## ElPresidente

Thanks for responding. I'm nervous about cutting the welds too, but as you said it is worthless unless I fix it. When I tear into it I'm going to try and take detailed photos and notes and post so the next person dealing with these old great boats will have a little help along the way. Thanks for the welcome too


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## BYOB Fishing

I have done a preliminary review of costs. Here is what I've spent so far:

$400-Boat
$52-Hull Registration (Required within 15 days of purchase, good till 2013)
$32-Transom Wood
$5-Wood Glue
$12-Muriatic Acid
$6-Xylene
$6-Acetone
$9-Spray Bottles
$6-Scrubbing Sponge
$11-Decal Stripper
$14-Aluminum Polish
$7-Rivets
$18-Rivet Gun
$21-Bilge Pump
$31-Livewell Pump
$5-Splashwell Drain
$7-Bilge Pump Install Kit
$4-Livewell Screen
$26-Battery Boxes
$37-Winch
$138-1 Gallon Steelflex (Delivered)
$2170-2009 Mercury 60hp Four Stroke with Tilt/Trim
$14-Electrical Supplies (Heat shrink, nylon tubes)
$4-Steel Wool
$6-Paint Supplies (Foam rollers and cheap brushes)
$180-Gas Tank
$8-Non-Skid Tape
$70-Fuel Line, vent hose, elbos, connectors and clamps
$16-Fuel tank hold down kit
$19-Thru-hull fuel fill
$44-Bilge/livewell paint and primer
$20-Rib repair hardware
$5-Rib repair aluminum stock
$20-livewell drain hose
$2-Livewell drain tube
$62-More transom supplies, I drilled the first transom wrong...
$44-Transom hardware
$9-Thru-hull battery charger plug
$6-Adjustable livewell spray head
$6- Spar Varnish
$65- Transom and bow eye rewelding
$125-trailer and boat paint/primer/clearcoat
$45-LED trailer light kit
$7-Trailer chains
$50-New set of trailer hubs
$100-Seats
$175-Console
$150-Throttle/shifter handle
$1090-Power Pole
$2547-Electronics
$45-Fuse panel
$90-Carpet
$12-Weldwood Glue
$100-Trolling Motor Wiring Kit
$27-14ga. Marine Wiring
$25-Trailer Jack
$7-Anchor Light
$25-Anchor/Nav light bases
$120-Trailer Registration

Total Spent- $8,357 so far (10/22/2012)

I've also put together a list of my "Wants". That includes LED lighting, premium seats, a brand new 50hp Mercury outboard, and 7" Lowrance HDS electronics. The goal is to have a really nice version of the Pro Team 175, without a multi-year $300/Mo. loan. I plan to pay cash as I go for the items as they are needed, up until it's time for the motor and electronics...I'll have to review the financial situation and what's available at that time.

Here is a list of what I have left to purchase. As I purchase items, I will update the above list/total with the cost. On the below list, I will strike out the items and write the cost I actually paid next to it. I will update the total below the list with the amount left to spend. These are in no particular order, just how I thought of them as I'm making the list.

[strike]$60-Steelflex bottom epoxy[/strike] (Paid $138)
[strike]$162-Permanent 12 gallon gas tank[/strike] (Paid $180)
[strike]$50-Aluminum gas tank support structure[/strike] Won't Need This
[strike]$15-Fuel Fill/vent hose[/strike] Paid $70 for lines, elbos, connectors and clamps
[strike]$26-Fuel Fill/Vent through-hull fitting[/strike] Paid $19
[strike]$20-Bilge/Livewell Primer[/strike]
[strike]$24-Bilge/Livewell Paint[/strike]
[strike]$100-Transom/Bow Eye Re-welding[/strike] (Paid $65)
$30-Cooler Box Drainage System
[strike]$10-Steel Wool[/strike] (Paid $4)
[strike]$30-Hull Primer[/strike]
[strike]$40-Hull Paint[/strike]
[strike]$4-Painters Tape/Supplies (Spent $6 so far, set aside $10)[/strike]
$100-Plywood/Lumber
[strike]$60-Fasteners[/strike] Spent $62 so far
$14-Wood Sealer/Paint Spent $6 so far
[strike]$16-Foam Sheets[/strike] Paid $19
[strike]$80-4ga. Wire
$80-14ga. Wire[/strike]
[strike]$16-Electrical Supplies (spent $14 so far, allowed $30 total)[/strike]
[strike]$175-Molded console w/ gages, fuse box, switches, and steering wheel[/strike]
[strike]$80-Carpet[/strike]
[strike]$30-Carpet Glue[/strike]
$40-Hatch Hinges and Handles
$90-LED Lighting Kit
[strike]$15-Trolling Motor Paint/Primer[/strike]
$30-Trolling Motor Decal Set
[strike]$20-Trolling Motor Receptacle[/strike]
[strike]$20-Trolling Motor Plug[/strike]
[strike]$54-50amp Circuit Breaker[/strike]
[strike]$120-Battery Charger[/strike] Paid $116
$10-Trim Switch for Front
$15-Front Face Plate
[strike]$17-Non-Skid Tape[/strike] (Paid $8 at Wal-Mart)
$60-Nav Lights
[strike]$40-Nav Light Bases[/strike]
[strike]$110-Seats[/strike]
[strike]$70-Seat Posts[/strike]
$7-Floor Drain
$10-Seat Hardware
$10-Tackle Organizer
$25-Rod Organizer
$22-Deck Rod Buckles
[strike]$10-Adjustable Livewell Spray head[/strike] $6 on sale
[strike]$10-Drain Plugs[/strike]
[strike]$60-Trailer Rollers[/strike]
[strike]$10-Trailer Bow Stop[/strike]
[strike]$15-Trailer Primer[/strike]
[strike]$20-Trailer Paint[/strike]
[strike]$45-Trailer Jack[/strike]
[strike]$16-A/C Battery Charger Plug[/strike]
$65-Transom Tie Downs
[strike]$14-Transom Eyes[/strike] Decided to use the old ones
[strike]$15-Safety Chain[/strike]
[strike]$75-Trailer Modifications[/strike] Not going to do any modifications right now
[strike]$60-LED Trailer Lights[/strike]
$75-Batteries Bought one, $75 so far..
$30-Stock Aluminum Spent $5 so far, set aside $35
[strike]$75-New Guide-ons[/strike] Going to use the old guide ons
$40-Transom Saver
$72-Pinstripes/Decals Spent $27 so far
[strike]$120-Trailer Registration[/strike]
$160-Trailer Rims
$10-Lug Nuts
$16-Center Caps
$120-Tires

$1,006 Left to spend on boat items (10/22/2012)


[strike]$4,400-50HP Mercury 2-Stroke[/strike] (Paid $2170 for 60hp Merc 4-stroke)
[strike]$500-Tilt/Trim Unit[/strike] (Tilt/Trim on motor already)
[strike]$200-Controls[/strike] Paid $150
[strike]$200-Installation[/strike] Installed myself!!
$1000-Motor Repairs

$1000 Left to spend on motor items.


[strike]$2,547-Lowrance HDS7 Complete Bow/Console System with Basemap and Structure Scan[/strike]

Total original budget for everything was $12,497. The 2/19/2012 adjustment is $10,363 which includes $1,000 for any motor repairs needed. The out-the-door price of a Pro Team 175 w/ a 60hp Four Stroke is $15,419. Once I installed a few of the extras, like the tackle/rod organizers, LED light kits, A/C battery charger plug, and updated the electronics, and power pole the price is closer to $19,170. So, that puts the savings around $8,807. Plus, as I mentioned, no large monthly payment on a multi-year loan.

Let me know what you think, and if I've left anything out!!

Matt


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## KRS62

I have a 2003 Mercury 50 (2 stroke) on my boat, so I set up an EBay search set up for "Mercury 50." There are quite a few motors that pop up every few weeks that are floor models and/or other good looking motors people are selling. I bet you could land a nice motor for around $2K.

KRS


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## BYOB Fishing

Yeah I spent some time looking through that as well. I just dont want to be purchasing someone elses trouble. It would have to be the right deal at the right time.


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## TNtroller

don't know if its true or not, but have heard of people finding brand new motors but a couple of years old at dealers. They just didn't sell for whatever reason, the unit got pushed to the back corner and forgotten. Worth a phone or two. GL with it all, know you will enjoy it when its done and on the water.


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## poolie

Nice build Matt. Looks like most of the grungy work is behind you. Look forward to seeing the rest.


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## BYOB Fishing

There is a local guy that just opened a boat shop in town with a 75hp Johnson. He said he had been using it to steal parts from, but was going to work on it over the winter to get it back up and going, total rebuild. I'm not sure of the year, but it looks to be late 70's. He wanted $2k for it. I was hoping for something oil injected, so I didn't have to mix gas and oil. Not sure if that's something I wanted to go for....But I like the idea of 75hp. He estimated the boat might hit 50mph with that on it.

I am so sick of wire wheeling...Funny thing is, that wire wheel has now been through two boat rebuilds and is still intact. I don't know why, but for my two previous boat builds (prior to this tracker rebuild), I painted a bare Alumacraft, and for the second one wire wheeled a painted Lund. I always seem to do everything backwards. :LOL2:


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## BYOB Fishing

Ordered the Steelflex for the bottom yesterday. They recommended getting a gallon, but couldn't give me a price over the phone. They emailed the invoice today...$138 delivered, and it shipped yesterday. I don't know if I would have gone that route if I knew it was so much. I ordered the super-slick 9X-2000, that's probably why...But I wanted it to be a nice, smooth pad for the boat to ride on. Hopefully it works!

Updated the COSTS post above...Overbudget already! hahaha


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## BYOB Fishing

Steelflex arrived today. It was pretty beat up, but nothing was leaking out so I guess it's OK. Looking forward to a long three-day weekend this weekend to put it on, If I can get the garage up to 75 degrees by then.


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## cali27

BYOB Fishing said:


> Steelflex arrived today. It was pretty beat up, but nothing was leaking out so I guess it's OK. Looking forward to a long three-day weekend this weekend to put it on, If I can get the garage up to 75 degrees by then.



Make sure to get that garage up to temp, I made that mistake when applying my steelflex. The boat looks great so far by the way.


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## natestep

Just a suggestion on the trailer paint. You could save some money on your budget price on trailer paint by useing Rustolem paint. Wal-Mart sells it by the quart and you just thin it with acetone and spray it. I have painted three trailers with this stuff and its as good as any paint you can buy. Its $8 a quart and about $7 for the acetone. The can says to thin to about 15% but I always just thin it till it runs off a paint padal pretty well. One Quart will paint a trailer.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

natestep said:


> Just a suggestion on the trailer paint. You could save some money on your budget price on trailer paint by useing Rustolem paint. Wal-Mart sells it by the quart and you just thin it with acetone and spray it. I have painted three trailers with this stuff and its as good as any paint you can buy. Its $8 a quart and about $7 for the acetone. The can says to thin to about 15% but I always just thin it till it runs off a paint padal pretty well. One Quart will paint a trailer.




Great suggestion. What would be a good sprayer to use? I only have a 6 gallon air compressor; is that too small? It works great for the lures but I dont know how it would do with a bigger sprayer. Thanks!

Matt


----------



## bassboy1

BYOB Fishing said:


> There is a local guy that just opened a boat shop in town with a 75hp Johnson. He said he had been using it to steal parts from, but was going to work on it over the winter to get it back up and going, total rebuild. I'm not sure of the year, but it looks to be late 70's. He wanted $2k for it. I was hoping for something oil injected, so I didn't have to mix gas and oil. Not sure if that's something I wanted to go for....But I like the idea of 75hp. He estimated the boat might hit 50mph with that on it.



2 grand is too high for a late 70s 75 horse. I think you'll be much happier with something newer with oil injection (and power tilt/trim, if that doesn't have it). 

I'd be leery of the 'total rebuild' of that motor too. I imagine it would be spruced up, but I'm betting it wouldn't be stripped, and the block sent to the machine shop for honing, etc. At least in my part of the woods, a 'total rebuild,' coming from someone who is trying to sell a motor (especially someone who works on them), can mean a whole bunch of things. 



> $80-4ga. Wire
> $80-14ga. Wire



First off, where are you pricing your wire from? I've found the best prices on good quality marine wire to be from genuinedealz.com. Also, I'd run your numbers through the technical calculator that website has (top of the page). I'm thinking you might be more in the range of needing 6 gauge, and 16 gauge, depending on what your setup is. $160 just for wire (without accessories) seems a little high. I've spent as much as 170 bucks on marine wiring, but that was for an electric only rig with 3 24v trolling motors, with a very *difficult* battery arrangement (3 in the stern, 3 up front, with each TM needing pairs of 2), as well as having to to extend charger leads from a 3 bank charger (no, that couldn't be mounted near the batteries, either), and that included buying the major terminals and whatnot in the same order. 

Just trying to save you a few pennies where possible (because you will need them later, boat mods tend to nickle and dime you to death, especially when going all out like you are).


----------



## natestep

I think your best bet would be to find a buddy that has a bigger compressor and use a gravity fed paint gun. A 6 gal. is just not big enough to paint with. I have painted with a 20 gal but it runs alot.


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## BYOB Fishing

bassboy1 said:


> 2 grand is too high for a late 70s 75 horse. I think you'll be much happier with something newer with oil injection (and power tilt/trim, if that doesn't have it).
> 
> I'd be leery of the 'total rebuild' of that motor too. I imagine it would be spruced up, but I'm betting it wouldn't be stripped, and the block sent to the machine shop for honing, etc. At least in my part of the woods, a 'total rebuild,' coming from someone who is trying to sell a motor (especially someone who works on them), can mean a whole bunch of things.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> $80-4ga. Wire
> $80-14ga. Wire
> 
> 
> 
> 
> First off, where are you pricing your wire from? I've found the best prices on good quality marine wire to be from genuinedealz.com. Also, I'd run your numbers through the technical calculator that website has (top of the page). I'm thinking you might be more in the range of needing 6 gauge, and 16 gauge, depending on what your setup is. $160 just for wire (without accessories) seems a little high. I've spent as much as 170 bucks on marine wiring, but that was for an electric only rig with 3 24v trolling motors, with a very *difficult* battery arrangement (3 in the stern, 3 up front, with each TM needing pairs of 2), as well as having to to extend charger leads from a 3 bank charger (no, that couldn't be mounted near the batteries, either), and that included buying the major terminals and whatnot in the same order.
> 
> Just trying to save you a few pennies where possible (because you will need them later, boat mods tend to nickle and dime you to death, especially when going all out like you are).
Click to expand...



Thanks for the advise on the motor. I'll keep looking...What do you think about a '94 johnson with tilt/trim (No oil injection) for $2,600? I priced 18' of 4 gauge and 100' of 14 gauge to arrive at that total. I did look at genuinedealz and used their shopping cart to total it up. I priced the gauges I did based on advise from other mods on here...But if you think I only need 6/16 then that would save some $$ for sure.

Thanks again!

Matt


----------



## bassboy1

How big is the '94? 

On the wire size, I'm just going by what I usually use. However, if you have a longer run than all of mine have (I don't know where your batteries are going to be), the additional size might be needed. On the Genuinedealz site, they have the calculator where you plug in the run distance, voltage, load amps, and wire size, and it shows what the voltage drop will be (should be under 3 percent). This will tell exactly what each run will need. May or may not end up saving you a bit of cash.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

bassboy1 said:


> How big is the '94?




Woops, it's an 88hp. It weighs in at 300lbs, so that might be too much weight for that boat.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Well, if you were reading in the motor forum, you'll see that I bought a 2009 Fuel Injected Mercury 60hp four stroke yesterday. I paid $2170 for it. I originally said that it was $1500, but that was a mistake; that was opening bid and I was too excited to pay attention to the details of the reserve price when I posted that. The price includes shipping. It was sold by a boat shop in Kentucky on eBay. The big thing with this motor is that it was submerged in the Kentucky river for a few hours. It was taken off, dried out, all fluids replaced, and started/ran. From what I read online, most motors that are taken care of in this fashion are just fine. They preformed a compression check and it was 185psi on all cylinders. The lower unit and electronics are sealed, so no water issues there, just water in the power head. I am going to get it checked out by the local boat shop once I pick it up. I am expecting an injector cleanout/replacement and a couple of fluid changes right off the bat. I figured that for that price, it was worth the risk; I could sell some of the working parts to make up some of my expense if I couldn't get it to run strongly. I've updated the costs to show the new expense.

Here are some pictures










Matt


----------



## jasper60103

BYOB Fishing said:


> Well, if you were reading in the motor forum, you'll see that I bought a 2009 Fuel Injected Mercury 60hp four stroke yesterday. I paid $2170 for it. I originally said that it was $1500, but that was a mistake; that was opening bid and I was too excited to pay attention to the details of the reserve price when I posted that. The price includes shipping. It was sold by a boat shop in Kentucky on eBay. The big thing with this motor is that it was submerged in the Kentucky river for a few hours. It was taken off, dried out, all fluids replaced, and started/ran. From what I read online, most motors that are taken care of in this fashion are just fine. They preformed a compression check and it was 185psi on all cylinders. The lower unit and electronics are sealed, so no water issues there, just water in the power head. I am going to get it checked out by the local boat shop once I pick it up. I am expecting an injector cleanout/replacement and a couple of fluid changes right off the bat. I figured that for that price, it was worth the risk; I could sell some of the working parts to make up some of my expense if I couldn't get it to run strongly. I've updated the costs to show the new expense.
> 
> Matt



Well, hopefully it all works out, and you end up with a great deal and motor. Like you said, worst case scenario is you part it out and recover your money.


----------



## basstender10.6

you have got a nice motor there  it is most likely worth what you paid just in parts


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Thanks guys. Reading your comments made my wife feel better about the purchase! :LOL2:


----------



## BYOB Fishing

cali27 said:


> Make sure to get that garage up to temp, I made that mistake when applying my steelflex. The boat looks great so far by the way.




Well, I couldn't get the garage much about 50...So I'm holding off for now. Usually sometime in feb. we get a few 60 degree days before turning cold again. Maybe higher temps combined with the heater will get it up to 75 long enough to apply the steelflex.

Matt


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Motor arrived today! It looked huge in the box! UPS freight brought it right to my front door. I figured I had to make a trip to the terminal and pick it up with a trailer. Unfortunatly it's just too cold and cramped in the garage to mess with it right now. Plus, it weighs in at about 265, so there isn't much of a chance moving it on my own. I just need to get the bottom steelflexed and the back end welded up in order to hang the motor.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Oh, BTW, in the pictures the motor looks like it has some oxidation or deposits on the lower unit...that's just dust/dirt. This motor is going to clean up really nice...the prop doesn't even have a rub or wear mark on it. There are a couple of small scratches on the cowl, but other than that it looks great.

I took the cowl off, and it looks like the motor was tilted up when the boat went down. There is a water mark towards the front of the engine at about a 30-degree angle, going about 1/3 of the way up motor. I took the oil plug out and shined a flashlight down into the motor, and everything looked pristine inside. I'm hopeful it will turn out OK...

I'll try and get a picture of the water mark tomorrow.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I ran the garage heaters all night, and was able to spend some time out with the boat today. I worked with the wire brush and prepped the bottom, then cleaned it with acetone. I sanded the sides a bit more, and then ran over them with a course grade of steel wool. I'm going to run over the sides again with the fine grade of steel wool before I paint them.

I really hope I don't have to work with Steelflex again...and I hope that it works as advertised. I purchased the teflon version. Trying to get the resin out of the container was pretty difficult. I hope it turns out OK.

Here are the pics...


----------



## hsiftac

great work so far cant wait to see more


----------



## Troutman3000

Looking good man.


----------



## mangelcc

Great job so far!!!! Looking forward to seeing the rest!!!!!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Thanks guys! Purchasing the motor really got my interest going again. I want to get the boat flipped over and the transom bolted back together so I can hang the motor and see how it runs. I bought the gas tank today; it's starting to become more fun and interesting as I get into the installation of stuff. The steelflex really gave me a feeling of progress.


----------



## tinboatlover

Looks great. You have done a really nice job cleaning up the boat and aluminum. I'm impressed. I hope the steelflex works for you. Keep it up!


----------



## loneoak

BYOB first thanks for the help in the last few days through PM. I posted a question about replacing the foam i cut out on the forums, thought you mite want to look at it. I think you said in one of your post that you weren't planning on replacing yours. 
I got to talking to a couple guys about leaving mine out also but there thoughts got me to thinking about putting in on steep ramps. If you take on a lot of water putting in (or heaven forbid backing up to fast), there is going to be a lot of room for water since no foam to displace it and less foam to float the boat.
Just thought you mite want to watch that thread. I cut out about a foot back, so thats a lot of room for water to have to pump back out.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I just didn't want to have anything touching the wood transom. I think that really increased the amount of rotting that I saw on the original transom. I have it cut back a few inches, and I think I'll take my chances with the water. The deck isn't going to be open; I'm installing a vented gas tank, so the water won't be pouring in like if it was open. If I took on that much water at one time, I'd think it would be spilled over the deck back over the side of the boat or contained in the splash well.

Matt


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## BYOB Fishing

After quite a bit of work and $$, I've managed to finish up the rear end of the boat. I've installed the fuel tank, battery boxes and battery charger, plumbed the livewell, and secured the livewell and bilge pump. I glued down some cutting board plastic and screwed the blige pump to it. I riveted on some more plastic and screwed the battery charger to it, in an effort to isolate it from the aluminum. I also made a second attempt at the transom, since the first one delaminated a little bit when I had to put the boat outside for a few days. The second transom is sealed with several coats of spar varnish. The transom is ready to be screwed back together, and I'll tackle that this week. Here are some photos of the finished product.


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## reedjj

Very nice work. The transom and all your installed items (gas tank, batt, bilge pump, etc) look great. Its like a factory boat. Very Professional.


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## Ictalurus

Looks good man. I do have a question about the transom though, is that plywood or 4 seperate boards pieced together?


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## gatorglockman

Impressive work my friend. Thx for the aweome pics of you reconstruction of the transom in particular.

The rear gas tank, etc.....the white...is that steelflex paint too just to give it a clean/ease to see or am I missing something?


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## BYOB Fishing

Ictalurus said:


> Looks good man. I do have a question about the transom though, is that plywood or 4 seperate boards pieced together?




They are boards. They are actually called "Project Panels" and they are high-grade sanded 1-bys that are used for furniture making. I bought two 16"x60"ers and laminated them together with waterproof glue. I stapled and screwed it together. Once the glue was dry, I removed the screws and cut out the shape. Three coats of spar varnish later, and it was ready to install. Everything came from Lowe's.


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## BYOB Fishing

gatorglockman said:


> Impressive work my friend. Thx for the aweome pics of you reconstruction of the transom in particular.
> 
> The rear gas tank, etc.....the white...is that steelflex paint too just to give it a clean/ease to see or am I missing something?




You're not missing anything, but after doing the bottom in steelflex, there was no way I was going struggle with that stuff in the tight corners of the bilge. I gave the whole area a couple of coats of aluminum primer, followed with a couple of coats of white epoxy. I figured white would be best so that it was easy to see inside in low light, etc. So far it seems perfect, and I plan to paint the other compartments that are not getting carpet white as well.


----------



## Ictalurus

BYOB

Are the top and bottom transom boards connected somehow?


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## BYOB Fishing

Ictalurus said:


> BYOB
> 
> Are the top and bottom transom boards connected somehow?




I'm not sure what you mean by top and bottom transom boards. I purchased two 16" by 60" panels. They are made of edge glued 1 bys to obtain the 16" width. I glued the two 16" by 60" panels together before cutting to the shape needed.


----------



## Ictalurus

Thanks for the clarification, it looked like four boards that have been glued together. From your description it is sounding more like two boards glued together. If the case were four boards, I'd be leaning towards the idea of starting over with plywood.


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## BYOB Fishing

Well, as I mentioned above, each project panel is made of three boards that are edge glued to get a 16" width. I glued two project panels together to obtain a 1-3/4" thickness. Then I cut out the shape. When it is installed, there will be 40 screws and 22 bolts holding it to the boat, so the chance of it coming apart are about as good as me re-doing it for a third time! :LOL2: :LOL2: 

Matt


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I have been able to get the transom all fixed up, and I have an appointment after labor day to get it welded back together. I've also installed the tow hooks, and cut the hole for the battery charger plug access hole. I purchased the plug holder too, but I hope to paint the boat first. Hope I can get it painted before it gets too cold.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I was able to reach a mile stone today! The transom has been welded back together, and the bow eye has been repaired. Honestly, sometimes I thought I would never be able to get it back together, but there are just a couple of small things to put back together, and it will be ready for paint!

Unfortunatly, I found a few problems with my trailer. Since the trailer isn't titled, registered and doesn't have lights, I put the bass tracker on my smaller jon boat trailer. While it was out getting welded, I flipped the bass tracker trailer on it's side against a tree and found the rear cross member is nearly rusted out. I don't think it will support the weight of the boat and motor, especially when I put on the transom saver. I'm going to have to get it cut out and replaced. I know a few more people that can weld regular steel, so hopefully it isn't going to be as big a deal as it was to have the aluminum transom welded up, but the angled "V" bend worries me. I've included a few pics of the transom and the trailer damage. Would it be easier to replace all the cross memebers with straight ones, with no "V" shape?


----------



## mmf

Glad to know you finished it BYOB, there are alot of others on here that don't quite know the pain it is to put a transom in these tracker boats! Tracker sure was not thinking about an "afterlife"!


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## BYOB Fishing

Thanks mmf, it was a pain, but I think that if a person has the right tools, they shouldn't be afraid of doing it. I was reading another forum when doing a search on 1983 trackers, and the guy had a chance to pick one up for a good price. everybody was telling him not to buy it, do a test drive, check out the transom, old boats leak, etc. in my opinion, everything thats wrong with it can be fixed with a little bit of work and help from tinboats members. If anything, the more things that are wrong with the boat, the better price youll pay to buy it. My goal is to have a like-new tracker for less than half the price .
Don't be afraid to do some work to make it better.


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## JonBoatfever

looks good so far!


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## Derek

I would thoroughly check the rest of the trailer before deciding to fix it. My 88 tracker trailer was junk, alot of it was rotted like yours. Some you couldn't tell till I poked it with a screwdriver. I couldn't believe I made it home with the boat when I dug into the trailer. You maybe better off to replace the trailer all together.


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## BYOB Fishing

Everything else looks pretty good. I poked around with the screwdriver and the other parts sounded solid with no flexing. I think one of the biggest problems was the transom saver bracket that was drilled into it. That area is the weakest part. This repair may justify buying that welder I want!


----------



## Robby

Hello everone I'm new to the site and so far it's great lots of info.I'm in the prosses of rebuilding a 1986 basstracker tournment tx 17'. Already did the floor and side panels and glassed the crack's in the console.Next project I dred is the transom getting the old one out doesnt seem to be that big a deal.My question is the rivets that run thru. I don't have the right rivet gun or know where to get the rivets that they used could these be replaced with stanless bolts with lock nuts.I thank they would be just as strong if not stronger.Please let me know what y'all thank any info will be greatly appreciated thanks.


----------



## tsohg76

Wow, I just stumbled on this boat. And I would love to get my hands on this for a rebuild, what a great project. Besides id love to have that boat.


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## BYOB Fishing

Robby said:


> could these be replaced with stanless bolts with lock nuts.I thank they would be just as strong if not stronger.Please let me know what y'all thank any info will be greatly appreciated thanks.



Hi Robby, welcome to Tinboats!

You can use stainless hardware. Beware, though, of using bolts in place of all of the rivets. The section of the transom cap that I had to cut and remove in order to get access to the wood didn't match up correctly when I re-installed it. When I drilled the holes through the new wood using the existing holes in the aluminum hull and transom cap as a guide, the hole's centerline wasn't perpendicular to the aluminum (even though it matched up with both the boat hull and the transom cap), so that once the bolt was installed, the head was at too much of an angle to keep from leaking, much less look nice. I removed the wood and re-fit the transom cap to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong, but it still didn't fit right. I made a new wood transom and used 3/4" lag screws in the problem holes (probably 1/2 of the holes on the transom), mainly just to cover up the existing holes, and drilled some new holes perpendicular to the surface for my bolts. I sealed it up with silicone and used a washer between the bolt head and the aluminum skin. It looks good and is water tight.






Matt


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## BYOB Fishing

tsohg76 said:


> Wow, I just stumbled on this boat. And I would love to get my hands on this for a rebuild, what a great project. Besides id love to have that boat.




Everythings for sale for the right price.  Even got a slightly submerged '09 Merc 60hp 4-stroke to go with it....


----------



## Robby

BYOB Fishing said:


> Robby said:
> 
> 
> 
> could these be replaced with stanless bolts with lock nuts.I thank they would be just as strong if not stronger.Please let me know what y'all thank any info will be greatly appreciated thanks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Robby, welcome to Tinboats!
> 
> You can use stainless hardware. Beware, though, of using bolts in place of all of the rivets. The section of the transom cap that I had to cut and remove in order to get access to the wood didn't match up correctly when I re-installed it. When I drilled the holes through the new wood using the existing holes in the aluminum hull and transom cap as a guide, the hole's centerline wasn't perpendicular to the aluminum (even though it matched up with both the boat hull and the transom cap), so that once the bolt was installed, the head was at too much of an angle to keep from leaking, much less look nice. I removed the wood and re-fit the transom cap to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong, but it still didn't fit right. I made a new wood transom and used 3/4" lag screws in the problem holes (probably 1/2 of the holes on the transom), mainly just to cover up the existing holes, and drilled some new holes perpendicular to the surface for my bolts. I sealed it up with silicone and used a washer between the bolt head and the aluminum skin. It looks good and is water tight.
> 
> View attachment 1
> 
> 
> 
> Matt
Click to expand...


----------



## Jim down under

Ripper job mate she's sure looking good. A quick few questions for you. As i only have slow connection and have to use my phone i could not load all your pics i was wondering how much stress your new welds will be put under? If there will be a fair bit of stress and are not simply to use just stick the aloy back over your sweet timber job is there any peno you can see? As in the welds should have a nice line on the back side of the weld that is even and consistent almost like a skinny bead of elastic or silicon?


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Jim down under said:


> Ripper job mate she's sure looking good. A quick few questions for you. As i only have slow connection and have to use my phone i could not load all your pics i was wondering how much stress your new welds will be put under? If there will be a fair bit of stress and are not simply to use just stick the aloy back over your sweet timber job is there any peno you can see? As in the welds should have a nice line on the back side of the weld that is even and consistent almost like a skinny bead of elastic or silicon?



Hi Jim, and welcome to Tinboats!

I had the welds done by a weld shop that works on a lot of boats, so I'm not too worried about lack of penetration or failures. They are structural welds, they hold the back of the boat together, so I wanted it done right. Also, those welds existed from the factory, and I had to cut them out to get to the wood. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Matt


----------



## Jim down under

I like your thinking done by the pros. You would not want the ass torn off of your boat because you got a back yard job done by talkers not welders. I guess it dose not matter what it looks like as long as it don't fail. You are doing such a nice neet job on every thing else it would have been nice to see them take a page out of your book for you. May i ask what sort of $ they charge for some thing like that to be welded?


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Jim down under said:


> I like your thinking done by the pros. You would not want the ass torn off of your boat because you got a back yard job done by talkers not welders. I guess it dose not matter what it looks like as long as it don't fail. You are doing such a nice neet job on every thing else it would have been nice to see them take a page out of your book for you. May i ask what sort of $ they charge for some thing like that to be welded?


It was $60-$65 I think.


----------



## blb515

Any Updates?


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Not really, the boat is in storage down the street for the winter. I could update the costs on page three, I saw there were a few things I purchased that were not on there.

Thanks!
Matt


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I updated the costs on Page 3 today. I've been able to get a few things cheaper than what I originally set aside, so I adjusted the costs to what I've spent so far. I'm sure other things will come up to increase the costs again, but for now, this is what I've come up with. Check out page three of this post to read the entire run-down.

Oh, and let me know if I've left anything out..

Thanks,

Matt


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Oh, and I was also thinking of getting a Power Pole for it. Do you think it's worth the investment? I fish a lot of shallow shorline cover, and getting blown around is not my idea of a fun day. I also have a big tendancy when trying to position the boat with the trolling motor, to run directly into or over the cover I'm trying to fish. I know it's my lack of skills, but I was just thinking it would help in that sense. Would they hold the boat well in a soft, mucky bottom? I was thinking about the 8' Sportsmans Series. If money wasn't a consideration for you, would you have one on your boat?

Matt


----------



## hsiftac

I've heard good things about power poles but I've also seen quite a few homemade versions that are much much less expensive.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I bought some LED tail lights. I'm not sure how I like the way they mount to the frame. I'm afraid the boat may hit them when loading, at some point. I don't know if it would be a good idea to mount them to the lower rail of the trailer...


----------



## dyeguy1212

Seems like the trailer would have to be sitting pretty darn shallow to be able to clip a light.. unless you miss the trailer to one side or the other completely.


I wouldnt worry about it


----------



## jjkc

This thread has helped me so much with my 1989 Tracker pro 17 Thank you!! I just stumbled across it this morning and it answered so many questions I will post pics of my boat now.


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## BYOB Fishing

No problem, glad it helped! You'll see a lot more activity these next few weeks...i joined the federation nation, so tournaments will be starting soon!


----------



## jjkc

I had no idea at all how to get the splash well out of mine till looking at your post!! =D>


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I made a 10hr round trip drive over to Salem, MO to visit Bill's Boat Stuff. I picked up a used fiberglass console, windshield, two brand new seats, and a brand new Mercury shift/throttle lever. I've got a lot of work ahead of me!


----------



## JonBoatfever

This is going to be one of the great builds, I really wanna get a bass tracker after a another few years in my little jon, can't wait to see this finished!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Ha, thanks bud...I don't know about that though, there are a lot of good builds on here. This place is full of great info!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Well, I had some trouble with the corner braces. It turns out they are cast aluminum, and I broke one into pieces when trying to re-install it over my new aluminu angle transom cap. Turns out, its about 3/8" thicker than the old transom. So, I took some spare aluminum sheet and cut a shape out of it with the cutoff wheel...not easy when you need to cut a radius. But, I was able to attach it and bend it over the new cap. I think it looks pretty good. I also got started on the fuel fill support too, but ill have to finish that tomorrow.


----------



## jjkc

Looks like your getting close looking good!!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Yeah, it's starting to move along...I've even got a few surprises for you guys coming up.....


----------



## JonBoatfever

BYOB Fishing said:


> Yeah, it's starting to move along...I've even got a few surprises for you guys coming up.....


 I love surprises! :lol: :lol:


----------



## jjkc

I love surprises too especially when I'm working on a tracker too!!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I've been busy doing some painting and pin striping...I also brought the trailer back home from the welder today--They added some support to the rusted cross member. I painted the boat with RustOleum rattle can metallic black, and plan on doing the trailer with the same color, only I'll be painting the fenders yellow and adding some pin stripe to it also. It's a little streaky, but I think for the most part it looks OK. Let me know what you think.


















Thanks,

Matt


----------



## ChitownBasser

Nice paint job. Great detail.


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## dyeguy1212

Paint looks great! That's just about the same design I'd like to paint on mine. Gotta leave the bottom bare so I can keep beaching it at will. 

Be sure to let us know how to holds up.

edit: By the way, I'd love to see some more pictures!


----------



## JamesM56alum

Absolutely awesome man!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Thanks guys, I'll try to get some more pictures once I get it out of the garage and back on the trailer...
There is a lot of work that will need to be done to the trailer before it's ready, and I dont know when my next chance to work on it will be...

Matt


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I was able to get quite a bit of work done in the last few weeks. I don't have any pictures of the trailer in progress, but I cleaned it up and primed it, then top coated with the same black metal flake paint I used on the boat, along with clearcoat. I installed an LED light kit, put on new carpeted bunks, a new winch, and a new jack. I also installed new rollers (opted for the cheapo black ones for the keel, but sprung for the yellow poly bow stop). I also upgraded the hubs, but I'm keeping the wheels/tires for now until I can gather the $$ to upgrade to what I want.

As you can also see, I finally installed the motor! I borrowed an engine hoist from a friend and was able to get it done in an afternoon. Also, you can see one of the surprises I mentioned earlier! The power pole! It's not hooked up yet, but it's bolted to the transom and I think both the pole and motor look great! Let me know what you think!!


----------



## Hanr3

Great job. Boat looks awesome.

Now for the real question, is it too pretty to get on fish? :mrgreen:


----------



## BYOB Fishing

With the next surprise, that won't be an issue....  hint hint


----------



## DaveInGA

BYOB,

I really enjoyed going through the things you've done since I last saw your post. Like you, my Tracker rebuild has been slow going due to the demands of life, but I've gotten several things done recently and it's coming slow but sure.

Your boat is looking great. Keep up the good work.


----------



## Brine

Paint looks great! I have power pole envy.


----------



## Tracker129

Are you sure you didnt just pick that up from Bass Pro Shops? Lol. It looks awesome! Just like new! Great work!


----------



## hsiftac

Tracker129 said:


> Are you sure you didnt just pick that up from Bass Pro Shops? Lol. It looks awesome! Just like new! Great work!



+1 I was going to say the same thing, looks better than a brand new boat with the custom paint job. How heavy is that power pole setup?


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Thanks for the compliments guys!

The power pole doesn't weigh much at all. It's all aluminum, so I'd say it might weigh about 15lbs. The pump though, is also about 10lbs...and I can hold the pump in one hand, while it took about everything I had to steady the power pole when I installed it by myself. I wouldn't recommend installing one by yourself, because as a result of me attempting it, the pole is a couple degrees off. You can't really tell, even when you're looking to see if it's off, but when a square is put against it, compaired to the top of the boat, it's off just a little.

Thanks,

Matt


----------



## JonBoatfever

Any updates..., or surprises? [-o<


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Not really, just been messing with the motor. I hooked up the fuel tank and have been working on getting the motor to run. It's leaking gas out of the water intake for some reason...When it's on muffs, it will idle ok, but when I fill up the garbage can and try to run it in there, it won't even start. Not really sure what the deal is.

Thanks,

Matt


----------



## hollywooddippa

Very nice paint scheme and great detail work. I just finished my '85 TX-17, but I didn't need to got into the depth that you did. I just replaced all the wood and carpet and console. I picked up a console at Bills Boats also. I picked up the tan one off of an '05 G3 175.


----------



## Buddychrist

BYOB Fishing said:


> Not really, just been messing with the motor. I hooked up the fuel tank and have been working on getting the motor to run. It's leaking gas out of the water intake for some reason...When it's on muffs, it will idle ok, but when I fill up the garbage can and try to run it in there, it won't even start. Not really sure what the deal is.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Matt



Possibly the impeller is not pulling the water in for some reason without the inward pressure they're just rubber so if anyone dry cranked it to show it off it could have torn it up? 

Have you checked your fluids in the foot? 

If you haven't i personally would get a MV8000 from O'reillys and suck all the fluids out of the foot and start fresh, try taking your grate off of your impeller intake and see if there's some pebbles, garbage, leaves, etc in the tube which would clog the impeller causing it not to start and the forward pressure from the hose keeps the trash down?

Just throwing ideas out there man


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I'm not sure how much I'll be taking the motor apart...i don't really know anything about them, and the one thing I did try to remove and clean out, the fuel lift pump, won't go back together for some reason. I think I'll just leave it to my local boat guy.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

What do you guys think of my Minn kota Fortrex impression? Haha Also, for no reason at all, I painted the prop yellow...if I can find a better before pic ill post that later. And yes, I did assemble it on my dining room table! Haha


----------



## JonBoatfever

Getting closer to fishin!


----------



## jw2

Wow! This might be the most impressive mod I have seen! Looks great!


----------



## mcateercustom

Man this is great gives me great inspiration. I am about to take on my transom in an 89 tracker. I had a question. I noticed you didn't put foam back in where you have your gas tank, or am I just not seeing it? I was wondering if I needed it in mine?


----------



## BYOB Fishing

mcateercustom said:


> Man this is great gives me great inspiration. I am about to take on my transom in an 89 tracker. I had a question. I noticed you didn't put foam back in where you have your gas tank, or am I just not seeing it? I was wondering if I needed it in mine?



I think the goal is to have as much foam as possible. I had to remove some because I wanted a permanent gas tank with an external fuel fill. I also cut it back because I had to install the new wood. I plan to compensate in other areas.

Thanks, 

Matt


----------



## mcateercustom

Oh ok cool! I was wondering. I am going to be adding some to mine soon. What foam route are you going? Thanks!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

mcateercustom said:


> Oh ok cool! I was wondering. I am going to be adding some to mine soon. What foam route are you going? Thanks!




I'll probably just use some of the pink insulation foam. I think it's around 2" thick. I'll cut it to fit the areas I can get it in to. I really didn't remove that much, just what was touching the transom...I think that caused all of the rotting problems I found in the old wood. I didn't want any foam touching the new wood at all. Oh, and the spot where I fit the new gas tank in. I'm sure there will be a net gain in foam once I'm done.

Thanks,

Matt


----------



## BYOB Fishing

JonBoatfever said:


> Any updates..., or surprises? [-o<




Does console and bow 7" Lowrance HDS w/ structure scan qualify as a surprise? YES! hahaha

Now if I can figure out how to install it. The trolling motor setup is going to be very tricky with the giant HDS transducer.


----------



## fordwrench

Nice Build....I have an 80 Bass Tracker II. Using it now, but plan to do some work on it over the winter.


----------



## JonBoatfever

BYOB Fishing said:


> JonBoatfever said:
> 
> 
> 
> Any updates..., or surprises? [-o<
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Does console and bow 7" Lowrance HDS w/ structure scan qualify as a surprise? YES! hahaha
> 
> Now if I can figure out how to install it. The trolling motor setup is going to be very tricky with the giant HDS transducer.
Click to expand...


Sounds Great!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Just for fun, I've updated the costs page. I think I've spent a little more than that on some hardware, but I'll take a look at what I've bought and try to fix the costs the next time I update it...

The cost breakdown is on Page 3 of this thread.

Matt


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I've been busy over the last two weeks doing wiring. I purchased some good 14ga marine grade wiring from genuinedealz, and been testing out all of the connections with the switches. I also purchased a fuse panel from Bass Pro, and a Trac trolling motor wiring kit, which I'd have to say seems like a great purchase. It comes with 35' of wire, a 50amp circuit breaker, really good plug connections, wire loom, and the expanding rubber trolling motor bolts. It was a little pricey, but I think it was worth it. I tested all of the switches on the new-old by wiring up the circuit, and they all work and light up. The gages also light up, but I have no idea how to wire them, and I'm not going to worry about them for now. I'm going to re-use the grounding strip from the old console, and wire both the fuse panel and the grounding strip with the leftover wire from the trolling motor kit. I started hooking up all of the new wiring by using marine grade connections with a good amount of heat shrink around them. All of the pumps and lights are wired up, and I've covered almost every wire with plastic wire loom...until I ran out of it. I also carpeted both of the interior side boards and plan to attach both of the structurescan modules to them before building up the deck. I think it will be easier to run wires before what I'll call the "electronics" compartment is enclosed. The electronics compartment will be in front of the driver's console and will be where the wires are ran to the front. I won't have enough left over wire to place the fuse box or grounding strip inside, but on most boats those items are located under the console anyway...so that's where I plan to put mine. I'll attempt to get a tupperware type box that will cover the fuse panel and grounding strip to keep everything looking good.

The next issue I have is wiring up the HDS units...and mounting the transducers. The transom mounting won't be a problem, but the trolling motor HDS transducer will be a challenge. My trolling motor has the skeg on the forward end of the motor, so there is no room to fit the larger transducer between it and the prop. I'll have to rig something up that extends the transducer out past the skeg if I want to utilize downscan directly below the trolling motor like I planned. I'm not sure of my options here, but I don't like the idea of an exposed $150 transducer...And I really want to stay away from having anything that looks rigged up. They have to make some sort of a bracket that will come off the side of the motor, at a 90 degree angle to the skeg, and allow the unit to work properly and yet look professional. My google search on this slow POS laptop makes me too fustrated to spend much time looking. Maybe I'll have to invent and patent something hahaha.

Here are some pictures. I'll post again when everything's done.

Matt


----------



## TNtroller

I've got a HDS 8 with SS package, and I mounted my SS ducer on the transom. The HU is mounted at the console. You seemed concerned about having the SS ducer exposed, but with it mounted to the TM it will be exposed for sure to stumps, rocks, etc., They do make a TM mounting bracket for the SS TD and people have made up their own as well. If you do mount the SS TD to the TM, whenever you move/use the TM to control the boat, the SS picture will be distorted due to the movement of the TM itself and the related movement of the SS TD. Nice work for all you've done.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

I've actually got two structure scan units. One for the transom, and one for the trolling motor. They have two different transducers, and two different ss control boxes. I was told that it's the only way to have true downscan off the front of your boat. I planned on linking them together so that waypoints would be shared between the two. The transom mounted one is pretty straight forward, it's just the trolling motor mounted transducer is throwing me for a loop.


----------



## Gators5220

I've never used a structure scan, but I've heard that they are nice. Do you think they make that much of a difference?


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Gators5220 said:


> I've never used a structure scan, but I've heard that they are nice. Do you think they make that much of a difference?



I'm hoping so...got alot of money wrapped up in it. I've fished as a co-angler with guys that have it, and it didn't really help me much...but we were'nt catching fish either, so maybe that was telling us something. The plan is to spend a lot of time learning to use it properly before the 2013 season starts. I'm hoping to use it to mark waypoints when I'm pre-fishing. If I'm using the structure scan to locate spots on tournament day, I'm probably in trouble.

I still haven't figured out how to mount it to the trolling motor. I havent got around to doing much research yet, though.


Back to carpeting!

Matt


----------



## Gators5220

A lot of guys use big hose clamps to attach them to the trolling motors.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Gators5220 said:


> A lot of guys use big hose clamps to attach them to the trolling motors.




Not gonna work in this case. The fin on the trolling motor is in the way. See pics above.


----------



## Gators5220

O ya good call hmm, well honestely not that much difference from the trolling motor and the front of your boat if you can figure a way to mount it.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Gators5220 said:


> O ya good call hmm, well honestely not that much difference from the trolling motor and the front of your boat if you can figure a way to mount it.



I was thinking of using the transom mount that came with it and building it up off the motor past the fin somehow. I'll have to think on it a bit more I guess, I don't really want it to look rigged up in a bad way. Worst comes to worse, I can sell the structure scan unit and just put the regular transducer on...


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Well it's been a few weeks since an update has taken place, so here are a few of the things I've been able to do in that time. I've purchased some new trailer wheels and tires. I went with rims and radial tires from https://www.trailer-wheels.com which seem to be working out just fine, and they look good too. I purchased some decals for the side of the boat to dress it up a bit. I also pin striped the trailer and added a non-skid pad on top of the fender. I used a carpet decal on the vinyl seats to cover up the Crestliner logo..this is a Bass Tracker anyway hahaha, even though I don't have any Bass Tracker logos on it right now. I've also been able to put in the floor and carpet the rear deck, side panels and floor. The layout of the tackle storage and rod lockers has me doing some thinking, but I believe I'm ready to get a start on that this week, as I don't have to be back at work until the 7th. I'm going to put in the tackle storage on the right side, rod locker in the middle, and an electrical/storage compartment on the left. Then, I'm going to extend the deck back to cover it all, and mount the console on top of the deck. I have an idea for a locking bar that will go across the hatch lids to secure all of the rods and tackle, so I will install some of the needed hardware into the deck before installing it. Almost ready!!

Let me know what you think! It's been a long process and I'd sure like to hear some good comments. All I've been hearing is how much it's costing us! hahahahaha













Thanks again!!

Matt


----------



## russ010

Matt - you have done an amazing job on this build. It might have taken you a while to get here, but wow was it worth it!

The paint job and stickers turned out awesome - that looks like a brand new boat. 


I don't know what you ended up doing for your structure scan mount - but with the new Gen 2 transducers, about the only way you're going to get that mounted safely on your trolling motor is to upgrade to new Fortrex 101... I'll double check the distance between the fin and the prop tonight when I get home. 

I've had structure can on the transom for a little over a year now, and I haven't had any problems. I thought about putting it up front, but I can read the 2d sonar and then just run over it with the SS on the transom if I can't figure it out. 

You'll be the only person I know who has 2 structure scans set up like this. I've seen guys put the SS ducers on the front TM, but I've never seen people run one on the front and the back!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Thanks Russ

I'm still looking for a fix to the stucturescan issue..I might just go with the standard transducer on the trolling motor. One other reason, besides the fact the big sidescan transducer won't fit, is that I'm only running two batteries, and dual sidescan units will probably drain the trolling/sonar battery much quicker. I'll probably be better off selling the second sidescan unit and raising some $$ for the needed motor repairs.

Thanks again,

Matt


----------



## russ010

I'm running a HDS 8, HDS 5x, Structure Scan, livewell pumps and satellite radio off one Cabelas AGM 24 battery. No problems with that battery. I had a Duralast Marine 24 group battery, and after about 8 hours, it was getting weak. Stepped up to AGM and no worries whatsoever.

For the front TM, get the Puck style transducer. Then you'll have a spare for the transom when it goes bad (for some reason, I have to replace mine about every 2 years. 

Keep an eye out on Bass Boat Central BEFORE you upgrade your units to the new software updates too -- let them figure the problems out and then decide if you want to do the updates. Never hesitate to contact me either, I pretty much try to stay as much up to date on that stuff as possible.

One thing you can do, and it's just a thought... if you really want to run structure scan up front, build a removable transducer bracket for the front of your boat to use. You can set it up with a bolt and a wing nut. Just put it down when you want to fish, and take it out and store it when you don't use it. If you have the structure scan module up near the front, it shouldn't be too hard to take on and off. It will be a PITA, but you can make it work. 

Honestly, if it were me and I've been using these units for a while, you have to turn the trolling motor pretty slow to see what's around you. To me, it really didn't help at all and that's why I moved mine back to the transom... not to mention about the $300 you'd have to shell out to replace that transducer should something happen to it. I bumped a stump with mine, and the guys from Lowrance called me back and told me that it busted the crystals in the transducer. Not a scratch on the outside, but the inside was toast.


----------



## JonBoatfever

The carpet and decals turned out great!


----------



## Kochy

Is that pole for pulling a tube?


----------



## russ010

Kochy said:


> Is that pole for pulling a tube?



that's a shallow water anchor... It's strong enough to hold a boat in high winds, but I don't know about pulling somebody!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

No, I don't think it could pull a tube :LOL2: and since it cost $1100, I'm not gonna try to either :LOL2: :LOL2: 

The power pole was originally designed for redfishing I think. It was so successful there, that almost all Bassmaster Elite series and FLW pros have some sort of shallow water anchor on their boat, either the power pole or the MinnKota version, the Talon. I've fished out of boats with Talons mounted on them, and it was a good experience. I've spoken with folks that have power poles, and they said it will change the way you fish, and you won't be able to fish without one..

Here is a video to get a better idea of how it works:

https://youtu.be/6HbD4lj1tjE

Matt


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Here is a little better shot of the Power Pole.

I've made a slight bit of progress with the deck project. I'm extending the front deck back 30". I'll post some pictures later.

I just love this view of the boat. I think it looks awesome from this side, even with all of the hardware store bags and junk stacked around it!




Thanks,

Matt


----------



## BYOB Fishing

As promised, here are the pictures showing the progress over the last two days. Between yesterday and today, I think I have about 10hrs into the rod locker, compartments and electronics mouting/testing. I had to cut some aluminum for the rod locker...This will more than likely be one of only a handful of 1983 Bass Trackers with locker space for a 7-1/2' rod :LOL2: . I mounted the new fuse panel and the old negative terminal and tested all of the electrical systems. Everything seemed to perform properly, even at the same time. I mounted the Structure Scan unit as well. I figured it was easier to mount these items now while I have access to this area. Once I place the deck on top, the only access will be via the hatch lid, and that will be much more akward to try and get to with the rivet gun.

I've placed descriptions on each picture to try and better explain what you're looking at.


----------



## JMichael

Boat is looking great. Not to knock your carpenter skills here but in your last picture you might want to do something a little differently. The 2 horizontal pieces of wood that run fore and aft. If they were 1.5" longer and the 2 vertical pieces at each end were ¾" shorter, they would support much more weight without having to worry that the joints won't hold.


----------



## jasper60103

JMichael said:


> Boat is looking great. Not to knock your carpenter skills here but in your last picture you might want to do something a little differently. The 2 horizontal pieces of wood that run fore and aft. If they were 1.5" longer and the 2 vertical pieces at each end were ¾" shorter, they would support much more weight without having to worry that the joints won't hold.



Yea, I noticed that too. Maybe he can just sister the 4 vertical pieces to add more support.


----------



## JMichael

jasper60103 said:


> Yea, I noticed that too. Maybe he can just sister the 4 vertical pieces to add more support.


Yea, that would probably be the easiest and fastest way to address the joint strength but it would also add more weight. Another option I was thinking about would involve a little more work but it would give the horizontal pieces more strength/less flex for floor support. Excuse the rough drawing but I don't have cad software so I have to resort to my crayons (aka windows paint).


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I think you're totally correct, and if I had to do it over I would use that method. Unfortunatly everything is drying from the spar varnish application, and I only have shorter pieces of wood. I think what I can do is cut some more vertical supports and butt them up against the existing ones, doing effectivly the same thing, but without the need to tear what I've done apart. I had planned to do the same thing in the middle to provide some support there as well.

Thanks again,

Matt


----------



## russ010

what will work just fine by butting them up against the other vertical pieces...


----------



## hookedontronics

boat looks awesome, keep it up!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Thanks!

Got a few things to do the next couple days, so that should give the varnish plenty of time to dry. Probably will get back to it on Saturday.

I think I've decided to sell the second Structure Scan unit. I'll keep the HDS7 and just link up both the bow and console with the transom sidescan. Between battery life concerns, space concerns, not having enough wire handy to wire them both up, and then the transducer mouting issue, it was just getting to be too much. Anyway it's on eBay for sale now if anyone is interested!!

Matt


----------



## hookedontronics

i see you've pulled all the foam out of the front of the boat. Is this common? Do you forsee any problems with boyance or the boat not sitting level in the water?


----------



## russ010

hookedontronics said:


> i see you've pulled all the foam out of the front of the boat. Is this common? Do you foresee any problems with boyance or the boat not sitting level in the water?



Foam only helps if you were to flip over, it's what will keep it from sinking. Taking it out won't have any effect (atleast in any of the boats I've modded) on buoyancy or how the boat sits in the water.

I wouldn't take it out of smaller boats (12' or less).. and I'd actually be hesitant to take all of it out of a boat that's 1436


----------



## hookedontronics

good to know, thanks


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Thanks Russ.

I had to remove the foam in the rear end because I didn't want any foam near the new transom wood, as well as to make some space for the gas tank. I added all new foam under the tray in the bilge, under the floor and along the side boards under the carpet. In the front, I removed the foam because I thought I might have to run the rod locker along the left side of the boat, but I decided to put it in the middle because there was already an opening in the aluminum bracing there, and I would have one less cut to make. I have already bought foam to replace what I took out in front.

Thanks again,

Matt


----------



## hookedontronics

how is the rod locker comming?


----------



## BYOB Fishing

The rod locker structure is all finished and installed. I purchased some 1/4" plywood to use as dividers between compartments. The plan is to cut the wood to size, varnish, then cut carpet to cover it. I'll install the wood, then use the contact cement to place the carpet inside the compartments. At least, that's the plan. After that will be the deck...Which I've already noticed a problem. I'll probably have to grab a photo of it though, cuz I don't think I can explain it in words....


----------



## BYOB Fishing

After quite a bit of hard work, I'm happy to say the BYOB Bass Tracker is complete! Sorry for the lack of updates over the last few months while I was finishing it up. At times I only had a few minutes at a time to spend on one small part of it. But, it's a big relief to have the bulk of the work behind me. So, I'm calling it done..for now. A few details left, but it's fully functional, looks good and performs exactly how I'd expected. The first couple times out were the testing runs, but I've been able to get it out a couple of times to fish also. I ran it for an entire 8-hr tournament day and it didn't miss a beat. At this point I wouldn't change anything about it, and the only minor issue I have is a leakly livewell pump. Thanks again for everyone's comments and advice along the 2-1/2 year journey, it's been fun!

I hope to update with some better shots soon. If you'd like to see anything specific or need some advice on how I did things, please drop me a PM.

Thanks again!!

Matt


----------



## bigwave

Wow.....the boat looks killer....great job. =D>


----------



## cleghorns finest

Awesome build. I have been using this build as somewhat of a template for my boat revival. How is the steelflex holding up? I'm thinking about adding some to the bottom of my boat.


----------



## BYOB Fishing

cleghorns finest said:


> Awesome build. I have been using this build as somewhat of a template for my boat revival. How is the steelflex holding up? I'm thinking about adding some to the bottom of my boat.




So far it's been great. The downside is that I have to leave the boat hooked to the winch when backing down the ramp, or it literally will slide off the trailer.


----------



## jvanhees

Looking professional! Nice boat and work done!


----------



## shmelty

Gorgeous boat! Congrats on the great job! You should be very proud! =D>


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Just got done washing it. It's amazing how fast the aluminum turns dark near the water line.


----------



## meonline06

Great looking boat! It's definitely one of the best looking bass rigs on this site. It's come a long way from the $400 boat you first brought home.


----------



## Hydro

Great build ! I really enjoyed watching this move along... 

Hydro


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Thanks guys, I appreciate the compliments!

Matt


----------



## shaggs

Great read and a job well done
Reap the rewards

Regards
Shaun


----------



## inlovewithsurfin

your boat has turned out amazing! seriously amazing!!! got a question for you... how do you like your rod locker where it is? i am about to re-do the front deck of my bass tracker and was considering putting a rod locker in the same place you did. as a fellow tournament bass fisherman i just wanted to make sure it works for you before i put mine there too?


----------



## BYOB Fishing

So far it's been great. The rods can reach all the way up to the front, and as long as I have Rod Gloves on them they won't tangle. I can probably get an 8' rod in there with no problems. I'd definitely reccomend doing it there if you haven't already.

Matt


----------



## lpotter

Have you noticed the black paint getting unbearably hot to touch while fishing....It looks amazing!!!!!


----------



## BYOB Fishing

Yes it does get a little warm. The grey carpet doesn't help much either, as the ice in the cooler is usually melted after about 4hrs. But I'm not one of those guys that fish barefoot so I don't notice it too much.


Btw, the boat is now FOR SALE. PM for details


----------



## JMill

BYOB, do you remember whether there was a thickness difference between your old transom board and the new one? And were you able to reuse the top cap? I recently got an 89' Tracker very similar to yours. It needs a full overhaul, transom included, and I'm trying to get all of my ducks in a row before starting. I'll probably fish it this summer then tear it down during the winter. Thanks


----------



## BYOB Fishing

The wood I used was a little thicker. I didn't have any problems with the transom cap, but the cast brackets wouldn't fit and I actually broke one using the hammer to try and make it fit. I had to fabricate new ones from sheet. The biggest problem I had was actually fastening the support brackets on the inside. I cover that in one of the pages of this build. Basically I tried to match up the holes in the bracket with the holes in the hull, drilling at an angle through the new wood. I couldn't make a bolt sit flush with the hull and water tight by drilling at an angle. So I fit a new piece of wood and used lag screws instead.


----------



## derekdiruz1

I've read through this probably 10x. I seriously love it. Sorry to revive an old thread, but this is awesome!


----------



## Alphahawk

I'm late to this party also. Great job!


Regards


----------



## floridabrahmer

I have the same boat just starting to rebuild it, but i gutted mine out completely. The foam in these boats gets very heavy when it starts soaking up the water so I did away with all of it.


----------



## srreynolds2003

floridabrahmer said:


> I have the same boat just starting to rebuild it, but i gutted mine out completely. The foam in these boats gets very heavy when it starts soaking up the water so I did away with all of it.



Do you need foam in these boats? 
I'm getting ready to start a rebuild on my dads old bass tracker and was thinking I could use that space as storage.


----------



## floridabrahmer

srreynolds2003 said:


> floridabrahmer said:
> 
> 
> 
> I have the same boat just starting to rebuild it, but i gutted mine out completely. The foam in these boats gets very heavy when it starts soaking up the water so I did away with all of it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do you need foam in these boats?
> I'm getting ready to start a rebuild on my dads old bass tracker and was thinking I could use that space as storage.
Click to expand...


im not going to use any in mine, but it is basically up to you. its just in case you sink to keep you afloat. so if you dont use any you just have to make sure you have life jackets etc. 

i think the best flotation to use is some type of sealed containers. the foam is so heavy when waterlogged i dont see how it could even float.


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## BYOB Fishing

Thanks for commenting, and yes, the others are correct, the foam is very heavy when wet. I took out quite a bit of sopping foam when doing the conversion. The foam I left came in handy though, as I nearly swamped her on Carlye Lake in Southern IL a couple years ago. I really shouldn't have been out, but it was a tournament and I decided to chance it. We barely made it back. My recommendation is, to remove the old foam, but replace it with something. Pool noodles, sealed 5 gallon buckets, etc. You may have life jackets, but you'd hate to see all your work sink to the bottom of the lake if you're stuck out in the wind.

Matt


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## rusty503

Actually i would recommend using urethane expanding closed cell pourable foam. Being closed cell, it will not absorb water. It is available in different weights. The lightest is 2 lb. That means a cubic foot weighs 2 pounds. It is also the most buoyant. 

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## BYOB Fishing

rusty503 said:


> Actually i would recommend using urethane expanding closed cell pourable foam. Being closed cell, it will not absorb water. It is available in different weights. The lightest is 2 lb. That means a cubic foot weighs 2 pounds. It is also the most buoyant.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk




Yep, anything would be better than nothing. And that stuff sounds pretty easy to install, too.


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## bonz_d

rusty503 said:


> Actually i would recommend using urethane expanding closed cell pourable foam. Being closed cell, it will not absorb water. It is available in different weights. The lightest is 2 lb. That means a cubic foot weighs 2 pounds. It is also the most buoyant.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk



Not to burst your bubble but even the closed cell pourable foam absorbs water over time. If you like I'll send you pictures.


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## BYOB Fishing

Maybe if a guy'd make it easier to get to, that way it can be removed and replaced over time, that would be the best? Like rivet on a couple of sheets, that could be drilled out and re-poured over the winter or something, after a few years of water absorption.


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## bonz_d

Unfortunately nobody has come up with a better alternative to foam.

I have one with the inherent problem that no matter how high I raise the bow all the water will still not drain out. But on the same note I've had a 25 year old Lund and a 25 year old Alumacraft that when I pulled up the decking as the foam was still as dry as could be.


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## BYOB Fishing

I wonder what the buoyancy factor of a sealed up bucket vs a block of foam the same size would be?? Or maybe just pour in a bunch of ping pong balls...hahahaha


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## gatorglenn

I've got it 06 Tracker then I'm going to re-carpet sometime when it warms up a little bit LOL. I plan on taking the foam out of those back to big sponson fenders on each side of the bilge hatch. I'm going to cut pool noodles, to go in there wired together in a bundle so that they're sitting up off the floor and have airspace between the walls. This will let all the water drained out of the boat and still have flotation if it's swamps. The problem with the closed cell foam. Is that manufactures shoot it in with pressure to an area that is sealed off therefore water that gets in around it cannot get out that's why over time it will degrade and hold water. Foam that has ventilation around it Will not degrade overtime because it's not saturated constantly. There isn't anything better than a pool noodle they sit outside for many years in the sun in the weather and they still float and I never Degrade and hold water. if you push one under how hard is it pushing back to come back up.


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## BYOB Fishing

Yep as I probably said before the biggest thing about these old boats is to get the nasty soaked foam out. Especially if the boat sat outside uncovered for a long period. Sounds like there are several easy options to replace.


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## LDUBS

BYOB Fishing said:


> I wonder what the buoyancy factor of a sealed up bucket vs a block of foam the same size would be?? Or maybe just pour in a bunch of ping pong balls...hahahaha



Heard of guys saving money by pouring expanding foam around empty water bottles or liter soda bottles. Might be hard to accomplish that with ping pong balls, but the concept is not all that bad.


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