# 2000 Tracker Pro Team 165



## sokmace (Feb 22, 2017)

Specs:
2000 Tracker Pro Team 165
1996 Force 40ELPT 2 Stroke
Motor Guide Pro Series 43# Thrust

I got this boat about a year ago and have been mostly reading up here before I really dive into the project. My father-in-law kept this outdoors/uncovered on Toledo Bend for the last 10 years. He decided to sell his lakehouse and since he has a number of other boats (and nowhere to keep this Tracker), he decided to give it to me for FREE. It's not exactly what I had in mind for my first boat, but I couldn't say no to a freebie. 

Now, my FIL is known for refusing to maintain his stuff. For some reason, he doesn't believe in spending time/money on upkeep. This boat is a prime example. When I went to pick up the boat, it was completely full of fallen leaves, debris, and was sopping wet. Every square inch of carpet was covered in thick moss and it was infested with bugs, mice, and a possum. It had it's own ecosystem within the hull. The tires were flat and off the 6" rims (pretty sure these weren't meant for highway speeds). The 3-hour drive home helped clear the leaves. When I got it home, I spent half a day with a shopvac and a scraper getting all the moss off. I really wish I would have taken a real before picture with all the moss, but I didn't. Instead, here's a picture of what it I'll call the before pic:







The carpet and seat upholstery is all destroyed from the decade-long exposure to the elements. I had fished on this boat before and knew going in that the 1996 Force 40 motor was hard to turn over, but would run OK once it was started. The hull is solid and doesn't leak. There are some electrical issues caused by some botched attempts to Jerry rig a few things. Otherwise, the boat works and I've caught fish on it - even if it's ugly.

What I thought I knew about the motor was quickly updated as I tried to identify the starting issues. I was able to get it started with the help of a little fuel/oil mix sprayed into the carb. The motor would start, but died quickly if I didn't open the throttle a bit. I cleaned the carb and tried again, but got the same result. I bought a fuel pump kit, cleaned the pump, and again the motor wouldn't run on it's own for more than 10-20 seconds. I was about to start replacing lines when I found a much bigger problem: the water tube that runs from the pump in the lower unit all the way to the bottom of the power head was completely loose. The schematics show that this tube is supposed to be bolted to the bottom of the exhaust plate with a plastic coupler/clamp (Part #3 below).






This clamp is my first example of why Force motors have the reputation they have. It's made of plastic and is literally bolted to one of the hottest points on the engine - the exhaust tube. That clamp had melted and got flushed out the water/exhaust exit at some point. The bolts that held the clamp were still in place on the bottom of the exhaust plate. There isn't really a telltale/pisser on this Force motor, but you can see water sort of spurt out of the exhaust on the back of the engine. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that the motor ever got overheated. It was really only used for trolling around the creeks where our family lakehouse is. I should have run a compression test prior to pulling the powerhead a few weekends ago to make sure it doesn't have blow gaskets. Lesson learned. Once I get the parts I need, I'll be checking compression before I try to run the engine. 

My immediate plans/projects:
-Pull powerhead & identify water tube problem (done)
-Clean engine/housing/cowls (done)
-Extract broken bolt from adaptor plate (in progress, I've broken a drill bit and an extractor already...beginning to lose hope on this and may have to take it to a machine shop)
-Remove interior: seats, carpet, console, decking, and trim panels (done)
-Inspect foam integrity (done)
-Clean and degrease everything. I'm OK with ugly, but I like my stuff to be clean and functional (in progress).
-Replace floor/deck with 3/4" marine plywood sealed with resin
-Extend front deck to console to maximize storage. I'm going to completely redesign the front deck hatches so the rod locker is in the middle instead of on the side and will fit longer rods. I'll also add 2 storage lockers on each side of the new rod locker in the middle. 
-Replace carpet: 20oz gunmetal grey
-Replace seats
-Reinforce/cover console with fiberglass and redesign gauge area to fit either a 5" or 7" Humminbird Helix
-Spray gunnels and console with truck bed liner
-Polish hull
-Build custom front deck panel and add trim switch/wiring for networked Helix unit.
-Replace fuse panel, switches, and wiring at console (a lot of this stuff had been cut out, but Tracker customer service sent me wiring diagrams)

Here's a few more pics of my progress so far. I have a long road ahead of me...






I was surprised at how simple outboards are. This is the first time I've ever done this and it was really simple - especially with the help of this forum.





Carpet is shot: 





The sprayed foam from tracker appears to have been formed in trash bags, then sliced into chunks so it would fit under the deck. The creases in the foam still have small shreds of the bags they were formed in haha. It seems like they could hvae sprayed it directly under the deck and it would have formed a much better mold of the hull. I don't think Tracker understands how spray-in works...





17 years of 2-cycle mix, dirt, grime, pine needles, leaves, insect nests, and rodent bedding...but nothing some degreaser and elbow grease can't handle: 





Much better. Couldn't even decipher the red plate before. 





When I drained the tank, it poured out some pretty cloudy fuel. I had siphoned out a lot months ago when I was trying to get the engine running, but it's clear now that it may have been bad gas causing problems. I also pulled the sending unit and the float wasn't attached. It had pulled off somehow and was rolling around inside the tank. I managed to pull it out, but I think it could have also contributed to the fuel supply issues by blocking the intake. I reassembled it and secured the float so won't fall off easily again. Hopefully the unit is still good and gas will work. I'm also thinking about abandoning this big tank altogether and buying a smaller 6-9 gallon tank. I don't ever make long runs when fishing, and this big tank really just adds a ton of weight because I have to keep it more full than necessary because the pickup is a bit high in the tank.

I'm finished removing all flooring/trim panels, and have stripped the carpet. I've also pulled the livewell/plumbing. Right now, I'm getting things cleaned up and sorting out what other issues need to be addressed. I have the engine parts on order, so that will be another week before I get back to work on it. Until those parts come in, I have a lot of cleaning to do. Also need to strip the old glue off the aluminum panels - I'm thinking of using my grinder with a rough pad attachment. Just need to make sure it isn't too abrasive. I may try some sort of stripper if there's too much scuffing. idk if it's really that big of a deal.

I have a lot on my plate between work, a 4 year old and 6 month old, and other countless obligations. So this will be a slow-going, weekend-warrior type project. I'm looking forward to fixing the mess that my FIL made and fixing Tracker's design deficiencies.


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## Johnny (Feb 22, 2017)

welcome aboard !!

wow - what an introduction !!

I don't know why, but I have always been intimidated with
the outboards...... slowly dealing with it. (OMC-OCD??).


good job !


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## gatorglenn (Feb 23, 2017)

What a job. I'll be following this. You have your work cut out for you. 


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## sokmace (Mar 15, 2017)

It's been 3 weeks...I suppose it's time for an update here. I've been travelling for work a lot, so I haven't been able to get as much done as I'd like. I've spent what little free time I've had cleaning up the boat. The splash well area was coated with 2-cycle mix and grime, so all of that is now cleaned up well and I should be ready to reassemble the fuel tank/lines shortly. I have the fuel filler/vent/feed hoses on order, along with new SS hose clamps. Now that I'm getting closer to reassembly, I'm beginning to think about the redesign of the front deck. I could only fit 6' rods in the stock locker, and that won't do since most of my rods are 6'6"-7'. Here's a rough look at what my plans are:






First, the gunnels and trolling motor area at the box are all raw aluminum. I really like the painted look of the newer pro teams, so I'm planning on painting the top surface black. There's also some horizontal aluminum surfaces at the stern around the splashwell/motor. I've heard that spraying aluminum can be tough, but have done some reading and it looks like it can be done. I plan on doing a lot of surface prep/cleaning/scuffing, cleaning with acetone, spraying self-etching primer, and then finishing with color. I'm still undecided, but I may go with a truckbed liner finish from Rustoleum. 

The area in blue will be the new front deck. I was initially thinking about ending at the back side of the console, but I'll really need to make it even with the front of the console to fit 7' rods. Based on my measurements, the new center rod locker should be 7'4", which I think is sufficient. The new rod locker will be in the center (See the "RL") and will be hinged a few inches behind the front seat post. Although the deck will extend all the way through the console, I plan on leaving openings under the deck for leg room. So it will be open under the console, and then there will be a space for the passenger's feet as well. The existing rod box on the passenger side will be expanded to be one large storage locker. I'll put another one in front of the console, too. Ultimately, the front deck will be very similar to the new PT 195's, except the side lockers are moved forward a bit and the deck will be flush with the other side of the console:






I mentioned the new deck first because I'm excited to get things put together the way I want them. However, the reality is that I'm still getting past one hurdle on the motor. I broke a bolt that connects the adapter plate to the lower leg when I was disassembling the motor. Here's the bolt in question:






This is the only bolt that is between just the adapter plate and the lower leg. With the motor back on, there are 6 big bolts that sandwich the adapter plate between the motor and the lower leg. 

View of the broken bolt stuck in the Lower leg (just above the 3 holes on the right side):






I'm having a tough time getting that bolt out. I've tried soaking in PB blaster for over a week. I've tried torching it, letting it cool, torching, repeat. I started drilling from both sides and snapped extractors off in both directions. I cannot get this thing to budge. I've since put a cutoff tool to the part of the bolt that stuck out from the lower leg and ground it down even with the lower leg. If anyone has anymore advice about how to extract this bolt, I'm all ears. I'm at the point now where I'm thinking about leaving it and using a lot of high-heat RTV sealer on this mating surface to hedge off any exhaust/water leaks. I'm honestly not convinced a leak would hurt, though, since this is literally 1 inch above the port that spits out water/exhaust on the lower leg. I'd love some advice if anyone has done this before. I have all the new parts I needed to reassemble the motor, so this broken bolt is really putting a halt on reassembling the motor and getting it back on the boat.

I knew this project would take a LOT of hours going in, so I'm happy to have access to another boat to fish on while this is underway. My daughter is 4 and has "caught" fish before on a dock - but really that meant I threw a line with catfish bait for her while she played, and then I'd call her over to reel it in once something bit it. But now, I can finally say she is really catching fish! We went out together on one of my father-in-law's other boats this past weekend and she was flipping a baby brush hog with her 36" Disney princess fishing pole and pulled this out from under a laydown!






She was really excited for this one, and I have to say I'm really proud. When we got home, she pulled out one of my fishing magazines and started flipping through it for 30 minutes looking at pictures. I'd say she's hooked!

I expect to have some time in the evenings and this weekend to continue working. I should have another update soon, unless my daughter comes begging to go fishing again...surely I can't say no to that!


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## sokmace (Mar 17, 2017)

I had a few quick hours to spend working on the boat this afternoon. I'm waiting on one more gasket to ship in from boats.net, should be here tomorrow. So I decided to begin working on stripping the old glue off the deck/panels. I tried a spray can of aircraft stripper and scraping, but I don't like waiting so long. So I bought a scuffing pad for my grinder ($15 Harbor Freight special!) and went to work:






This thing works like a champ, and has lasted longer than I expected. I ran it for about 45 minutes and it's just now starting to wear down a little thin. I may be able to finish the job with this one, but have a spare if needed. Here's the progress:











I also cut out some foam on the bow to make room for the new rod locker. I'm beginning to think that a locker for 7' rods may be too much for such a small boat. I'm going to continue with the plan for now, but I may end up a little short. In order to really have enough room, the rod locker will have to extend about 6" from the bench where the driver/passenger seats are. It will be a pretty close fit that it may be a little uncomfortable sitting in the driver's seat. I'll really be pinned in there. I'm ordering the carpet tonight. Once I get the floor and console reinstalled, I'll be able to get a better sense of fitment for the center rod locker. If it's not going to work out, I'm still moving the rod box to the center. I can at least go 6'6" in the middle, but I'm limited to 6' with the existing side locker. I'm going to have to cut through the wall where the front deck currently begins:






I need to pick up a jig saw and metal blade so I can cut this panel out. I also need to swing by Home Depot to pick up a sheet of plywood, some aluminum angle for the framing, and a gallon of Welwood contact cement for the carpet. While the carpet is clamped/curing, I'll spray the paint down on the interior sides and top rail. That's it for today. Hopefully I can get a lot done tomorrow and add updates here again.


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## sokmace (Apr 3, 2017)

Made a little progress this weekend. I got the motor back together for the most part. It's back on the boat, but I still need to get it wired back up and reinstall the fuel lines. I decided to leave the broken bolt off and used a bead of copper RTV sealant to help keep everything sealed up tight. I feel comfortable with the 6 powerhead bolts keeping it from leaking exhaust or water. Even if it does end up leaking at some point, it would be outside the cowling, so it shouldn't cause any issues feeding back into the carb. Time will tell.

I'm in the Houston area, and the Bassmaster Classic rolled through town last weekend. I took the family out to the expo and spent the day there. I stopped by the Starbrite booth and picked up a bottle of their aluminum cleaner/restorer for $10 (normally $17.99):






I've heard a lot of good things on here about Starbrite products. This stuff definitely lives up to the hype. It's really simple to use and peeled off a 20-year old water line with a single wipe. Just spray it on, wait 3 minutes, wipe it with a scotch brite pad, and spray it down with water.

Before:






3 minutes after spraying:






After:






I cleaned all the sides + the bow as far as I could reach. Total process took me less than 10 minutes. The 64oz bottle should last me through another 4 cleanings. I only used about 10oz. As a bonus, Starbrite also does a great job of killing grass you may have growing up in the joints in your driveway! That grass you see in the after pick turned brown by the next morning! 

Now that the motor is back on, I can begin building the deck extension and new lockers. I picked up some aluminum angle from Lowe's. I got 2 lengths of 1.5" x 8' (1/16th thickness). I was a little concerned with the thickness at first (seems a little flimsy), but it's the same thickness as what Tracker uses for the OEM framing. I think it will be solid as a rock once I get everything riveted together. I may end up buying one more for additional reinforcement/bracing. Carpet has been ordered and should be here in a day or two. I'll pick up a few sheets of 3/4" marine ply this week.

Here are my plans for the next few weeks:
-Reinstall livewell pump. Buy/install new bilge pump, replace plumbing & hose clamps. Replace through hull fitting and add screen for pickup 
-Reinstall fuel cell and replace fuel lines. Replace through-hull fitting that goes through the splashwell (had to chop this off as the old hose would not come off)
-Paint interior gunwale and top rails. 
-Apply carpet to interior gunwale panels and install on boat.
-Cut plywood for new floor, apply carpet, install 2 drain holes, and screw it into the boat.
-Install aluminum angle framing for deck extension.
-Configure rod locker: cut holes in bulkheads for rods and install 2" PVC running into the bow (I'm hoping to have room for 8 rods up to 7')
-Carpet and Install front deck: need to make cuts for new storage locker hatches, seat post, and recessed trolling motor pedal. 
-Carpet rear deck and hatch lids and reinstall
-Paint and install console
-Button up wiring and see what's missing and needs to be fixed.


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## onthewater102 (Apr 3, 2017)

I'm working on a 1648 tracker hull flummoxed with the same issue with the rod locker and looking into the same layout as a possible solution. Don't know if this would work for you - but I'm working on some recessed seats similar to these:

https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36070#p399260

My idea is to replace the area where the original bench seat sat with a pair of these seats and the rod locker running between them, so there will be a basin for each seating position (helm & passenger) but the seat backs would fold down to extend the rear deck some. The rod locker would basically run from the front of the boat,with the forward sections being made of tubes as you're doing, with foam poured back in around them and a locking access hatch alongside the side console. The whole point for me is to be able to lock up the rods so I can travel with it & have some peace of mind no-one is going to bother with it if I'm staying @ a hotel. Not that a sturdy crowbar wouldn't get you into any aluminum/fiberglass boat's locker in 20 seconds anyway...


For your stuck bolt can you access it from the underside? If so try drilling into it from the opposite side after treating it with a penetrating oil mix - speaking of you should try in place of the PB Blaster a 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid - old timer formula that is much better than PB blaster in my experience.


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## sokmace (Apr 4, 2017)

onthewater102 said:


> I'm working on a 1648 tracker hull flummoxed with the same issue with the rod locker and looking into the same layout as a possible solution. Don't know if this would work for you - but I'm working on some recessed seats similar to these:
> 
> https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36070#p399260
> 
> ...



OTW, thanks for the link to that project. Those folding seats are a really good idea, especially with limited real estate on the back deck. I've actually considered connecting the front and back decks altogether with one long "catwalk" and basins for people to sit in while underway. I've decided not to do that for two reasons. 

First, on my boat at least, I've realized that I can fit longer rods if I simply extend some PVC guides further into the bow, so I don't need to extend the rod locker towards the stern since there's plenty of room at the front of the boat. I'll just have to mine some foam out of the bow and run the PVC. I'm going to use a holesaw slightly larger than the outer diameter of the PVC and then secure the tubing to the bulkheads using either silicon or JB weld. 

Second, I'm a little worried about being cramped under the console. It's already pretty narrow for me, so my sense is that having a catwalk connecting the front/back decks would make me feel a little too confined. Getting in and out of the driver's seat would be rather difficult for a bigger guy like me or my 70-year-old father. With that said, if this were a bigger boat, I would be more likely to consider doing that. 

Regarding the stuck bolt, I've decided to leave it for now. I used some of the copper RTV sealant and torqued the 6 main powerhead bolts properly. I have at least some confidence that this will be sufficient to stop leaks. Even if it does end up leaking, I don't see how it would have any effect on the motor. The point where the leak would be is below the lower cowling, so it shouldn't feed exhaust back into the carb. This spot is also about 2" from the exit for the water that has cycled through the engine. 






In this picture, you can see the broken bolt at the top right corner, just above the 3 holes. These 3 holes are the idle relief ports, which allows some hot water and exhaust to exit so there isn't as much back pressure on the motor at idle (I think that's the theory). So if I'm leaking a little exhaust or water, and it's outside the cowl, I don't see how it would be a problem even if it does end up leaking a bit. If it becomes a major issue, I'll pull the power head again (I've got it down to ~30 minutes at this point), remove the lower leg, and try again. 

I do have access to drill from the other side like you mentioned, but it's kind of a tight fit with my drill against the wall of the lower leg. Drilling from the other side requires that I go in at a slight angle, so I would probably wind up drilling into the threads. I think that would actually end up being a good thing, though, as it would probably loosen the stuck bolt and I could use helicoil to repair the threads. After breaking off a few drill bits and one extractor, though, I'm just not able to make much progress with a new bit because I'm drilling on hardened steel bits that broke off inside the bolt. 

Truth be told, I'm really just trying to find an excuse to justify repowering with something a little more modern and from an outboard manufacturer that isn't defunct. At least that's the justification I need to convince my wife :---)


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## onthewater102 (Apr 4, 2017)

Drilling from the backside when you've broken off is usually preferable because you're likely to loosen the threads up & drive it out in the course of drilling before you drill the whole thing out - that's why I suggested treating it with penetrator again before trying to drill it, but if you're going to mar up the lower leg with the drill chuck that's a good reason not to try.


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## sokmace (Apr 7, 2017)

If my life were a book, this chapter would be titled "The Grind"






I'm so happy to be finished with the old glue. I thought it would never end. Ready for carpet.

I decided to knock out a few things while I'm waiting for all the stuff I've ordered to arrive. What started as a core sample to determine the state of the foam ultimately turned into a complete removal of all foam under the floor and front deck: 






I filled 2 large bags, each weighing probably ~70lbs.






I'm really glad I pulled the foam. It always looked a little dirty on top, but seemed firm enough. I assumed it was fine underneath. But when I pulled it out, there was a thick layer of dried mud on the hull and the bottom side of the foam was black, flaky, and was holding water. There's no path for water to flow to the stern with this foam in there. The expanding foam fills every imaginable path for water and completely blocks the flow to the bilge area. I'm going to mine out a few channels under the bench and splashwell area using a really long drill bit I have laying around. 

The foam under the front deck seemed to be just fine since it sits higher up and water settles under the floor. I only removed the foam up front to make room for the new center rod locker and storage hatches on each side. With the foam out now I can start installing the PVC rod guides. I'm going to install plywood as floors for the side hatches. This should level it out and make the box look square as opposed to the slope of the hull. 






I'm going to replace with closed cell foam insulation sheets from Lowe's. I'm really not all that concerned with emergency buoyancy like it was meant to be, but I do think the foam insulates noise on the deck a bit. Using sheets will allow me to leave the channels free for proper flow to the bilge. 






Question for you PT owners: has anyone ever replaced the material on the bow panel where the trolling motor is mounted? Mine as horribly cracked and sunbaked, so I scraped a lot of it off and then hit the tough spots with the scuff pad on my grinder. I'm going to paint this area, but I really like the finished look of the textured padding I see on some newer boats. If anyone has a source for some sort of padding here, I'd love to hear it. I'd really like to find a 1/4" foam pad that can be glued down with contact cement.


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## sokmace (Apr 9, 2017)

This giant roll of carpet showed up yesterday






But before I start carpeting, I needed to get the rails painted. I went with Duplicolor Gunmetal Metallic
















These pictures don't really do it much justice, and these were taken before applying the clear coat. I sprayed the rails, gunwales, console, rigging area, and the splashwell. I've decided I like this color so much that I'm going to strip the decals off the hull and paint the sides and transom. I may wind up replacing the Tracker decals after paint with something that matches this color, but I definitely want the color to be more prominent. It has a beautiful flake and looked great in the sun






The paint really cleaned up the console really well. Hopefully I'll be able to cover up the cracks with a nice graph soon

As part of the prep for paint, I washed everything down with dish soap and rinsed really well before wiping clean with acetone. I jacked up the front end of the trailer on blocks and intentionally sprayed a lot of water while I was rinsing to see how everything flowed to the back after removing all the foam yesterday. There were a few spots where it was somewhat slow, but it's much better now. 

I stopped at Lowe's this morning and grabbed a sheet of 1/2" for the floor, 3/4" for the front deck, 1" foam sheets (the blue stuff), welwoods contact cement, and a box of 100 razors. Once I get everything framed out, I'll likely grab another sheet or two and try to pack in as much as possible. I'm also thinking about turning the space directly in front of the console into a built-in cooler lined with aluminum and insulated really well all around the box. 

With that said, I think I've officially hit the point in a project where one starts getting into the "well, while I'm at it..." mindset. It's really easy to think that way when you've got something stripped down and it's a blank canvas. I really need to buckle down, start carpeting, and get this thing on the water before my wife loses her mind! She's been really supportive, but I'm pretty sure I've far surpassed the allowable hours she expected to give me for the restoration. The sooner I can take her fishing on it, the better. Then it will all be worth it.


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## gatorglenn (Apr 9, 2017)

Man this is really looking good. But I had picked that color to. So will just be matching. On the front pad. Lowe sale a pad in roll form to cut as needed. Black with the raised 1/2" squares. It's 3/16" thick. That I used on a center seat mod. For a step to back deck. That I contact cement on.






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## gatorglenn (Apr 9, 2017)

Sorry mine are round but they do have squares to


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## sokmace (Apr 9, 2017)

Glenn it's a great looking color on our PTs. I've seen your boat around here and on BBC and you've got a newer model than me with the wider rails, so you'll have more surface area to show off than me. 

I've been looking at pads just like that. Is that foam or rubber? I really like the material of the tool drawer liners you can buy in rolls. It's like a thin soft/pliable rubber material. Only thing is I'd also like some kind of pattern or texture like what you have for your step, or maybe diamond plate pattern or something. Good news is I've got a ton of time before I'll be ready to mount the trolling motor, so I'm in no rush.


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## gatorglenn (Apr 9, 2017)

Yes sir it's rubber. And super durable. It's hard enough that fishhooks don't stick to it. But it's soft enough that your shoes grab it and it's not slick.


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## gatorglenn (Apr 9, 2017)

It is what they call a shop rubber mat 


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## VAbassin (Apr 9, 2017)

Man I love when people redo these old trackers. So much potential. But I had one of those force motors in a 9.9. Let me tell ya, always had issues with it. I was never able to get it running right. I put way too much time and money in that thing. Its like they were designed and built only on mondays and fridays... anyways, I love that paint. Let us know how well it holds up! Ill def be following this build!


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## sokmace (Apr 9, 2017)

Thanks VABassin. I've never been that interested in labels/name brands, but I will surely disown a brand after giving it a fair chance and seeing avoidable problems like I ran into with the plastic clamp on the water tube. I think the motor will get me by for a while - at least I hope so after all this work. My mechanical capabilities ends when the you open up the block. So if a ring goes out or something I'm going to replace it altogether. Using the USCG formula, I could technically go up to a 90 on this boat, but think that would be overkill. I'd really like a 50-60, something from the last 10 years would be nice. 

Time will tell with the paint. I don't think it will be especially durable, but I'll keep some extra cans on hand for the occasional touch up. I think I'm going to focus on everything else before I spray the hull.


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## VAbassin (Apr 9, 2017)

sokmace said:


> Thanks VABassin. I've never been that interested in labels/name brands, but I will surely disown a brand after giving it a fair chance and seeing avoidable problems like I ran into with the plastic clamp on the water tube. I think the motor will get me by for a while - at least I hope so after all this work. My mechanical capabilities ends when the you open up the block. So if a ring goes out or something I'm going to replace it altogether. Using the USCG formula, I could technically go up to a 90 on this boat, but think that would be overkill. I'd really like a 50-60, something from the last 10 years would be nice.
> 
> Time will tell with the paint. I don't think it will be especially durable, but I'll keep some extra cans on hand for the occasional touch up. I think I'm going to focus on everything else before I spray the hull.


Neither did I! For a long time I had the mentality that a 2 stroke is a 2 stroke and I can make it run no matter what. I mean no matter what the brand, a motor can have issues But that motor gave me serious Hell. I luckily had 2 part motors for it but I always had something happen with it each time out. I'd spend a good chunk of every outing with the hood off just messing with it. The last straw for me was when the pull chord broke... Lol sold it with the 2 parts motors for 200 bucks and went and got me a 87 8 hp Evinrude and never had issues. So that's why I got another Evinrude with my new boat. It's all personal preference. But I hope it treats you right! 

But I really like that graphite color. Looks real good! 

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## VAbassin (Apr 9, 2017)

sokmace said:


> Thanks VABassin. I've never been that interested in labels/name brands, but I will surely disown a brand after giving it a fair chance and seeing avoidable problems like I ran into with the plastic clamp on the water tube. I think the motor will get me by for a while - at least I hope so after all this work. My mechanical capabilities ends when the you open up the block. So if a ring goes out or something I'm going to replace it altogether. Using the USCG formula, I could technically go up to a 90 on this boat, but think that would be overkill. I'd really like a 50-60, something from the last 10 years would be nice.
> 
> Time will tell with the paint. I don't think it will be especially durable, but I'll keep some extra cans on hand for the occasional touch up. I think I'm going to focus on everything else before I spray the hull.


But 50-60 is a good size motor for that boat. But then again if you do get another motor I'd go up to what it is rated for. I have my 15 ft vhull with a 30 max. And that's what I put on it lol nothing says you have to go full throttle but it's Def nice to have when you want it! 

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## sokmace (Apr 9, 2017)

According to the plate on the boat, it's only rated up to 50. I heard about the USCG formula and looked up the Code of Federal Regulations and read it for myself. I took the measurements and the formula says it could go up to 87.## HP, and you round up to the nearest increment of 5. So legally Tracker could have plate rated this boat at 90 but nothin stops them from rating it lower. I think they do that as a marketing ploy. "Hey here's our 50HP boat, but if you want a 90 you'll have to upgrade your the PT175."


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## VAbassin (Apr 9, 2017)

Yea that makes sense. The make you go up a foot a longer for the extra motor. But then again it makes you think if they cut a corner on the transom and didn't make it strong enough for that bigger motor. So they stamped it for the motor they think the transom would support. Who knows though. Nothing a little Welding can't fix. 

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## sokmace (Apr 11, 2017)

Ya, so the carpet is going to take forever. I did the driver's seat bench last night and it took me an hour and a half.












I feel like it looks pretty good for the first piece I've ever carpeted, but it takes so long. A brand new razor only made 2 cuts before it started shredding the edges. On this piece, where the carpet wraps around a sharp edge, the carpet sort of parts away and you can see straight through to the backing. Anyone know of a way to avoid this? Am I stretching it too tight? I really didn't tug on it at all - just wrapped it around and applied pressure so the contact cement could bond. I'm not so concerned on this piece because it'll be hidden for the most part once the boat's back together. But I'd like to put a stop to it before I get to the more prominent pieces. Here's what I'm talking about:






This only happened on the edge where the carpet has to make a 180 degree turn, which won't be visible for the most part. The 90 degree angles look good, and those are the one's that you'll be able to see. I'm just a little concerned that this will weaken the material and start coming undone sooner.


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## VAbassin (Apr 11, 2017)

Hm iv never seen that. Maybe it's just that piece. Take your time with the carpet man. You'll appreciate the time put it a few months later when it looks fantastic 

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## gatorglenn (Apr 11, 2017)

If that's the sharp edge of the metal then yes that is normal. On 90° bends just don't over tighten it. Is that 16 ounce or 20 ounce carpet


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## sokmace (Apr 11, 2017)

This is the 20oz. I figured I'd see something like that in 16oz, but not the thicker stuff. I did the other bench panel today and it did the same thing around the right bends, even if I was really loose with it. The closer I look at it, the more I think it's purely cosmetic. The woven part and rubber backing is still intact. 


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## VAbassin (Apr 11, 2017)

I mean when you screw it down you shouldn't see it. I think you'll be good

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## gatorglenn (Apr 11, 2017)

I know you should see the root of the carpet some. But you should not be able to see through it. You said it's 20 but are you sure they actually ship 20


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## sokmace (Apr 13, 2017)

I exchanged the treated plywood for untreated and got the floor and part of the deck cut and sealed with epoxy resin today:






All the black spots are those little love bugs that are swarming this time of year. Guess they like the scent of resin because they flocked to it. I decided to wrapp the floor with a layer of fiberglass. The floor ply is only 1/2". Between it being the lowest point where water will collect and me being a big guy, I felt like it could use a little extra protection. In the above pic, I'd only glassed half at the time and then realized I didn't have a 3" hole saw for the drains. Quick run to Lowe's, cut the drain holes, and glassed the other half. 

After fitting the front deck on the boat, I measured out the length/width of my Motorguide TM pedal and figured out where I wanted it. I'll have to put it further back than I'd like, though, because there's a bulkhead that runs the width of the boat right at the front lip of the hole I cut out. It supports the deck, so I didn't want to cut through it. This will place the pedestal mount a little further back too. There will be another 3' of deck behind this, so it should be plenty of room






While the deck and floor are curing, I went ahead and cut up the 1" foam board and put it in the space under the floor. One 4x8 sheet filled this area in just fine. The 1" was just the right thickness for the middle where it's deepest, and it bends without breaking to fit the contour of the hull. In the pic below, between each stringer there are 2 long sheets that span the width of the hull, and then some small pieces in the middle. I'm going to pick up 2 more sheets to fit around the boxes under the deck.






Since I'll be installing the deck soon, I needed to get the rod guide tubes put in as well. Here's a pic of the loose fit:






I had to leave space in the top/center for the recessed trolling motor tray I'll be fabbing up soon. By using the tubes as guides and getting the angles right, I was able to get much longer lengths than I originally expected. The bottom left and right tubes are the shortest of all them and will be able to fit 6'6" rods. The 5 that are kind of in the middle can fit 7" rods. The 2 at the top can fit up to 8' rods. These lengths are based on extending the deck 36" back to the console and have a lot of extra wiggle room to get rods in/out. I'm going to play around with it and see if I really need to go back that far. 






One thing that was really helpful in gaining every possible inch here was cutting the PVC ends to fit the contours of the hull and stringers. Doing it this way gives about 2" extra inches on each tube. 

I'm going to give the resin a few days to cure before I carpet the deck and floor. I need to carpet the bulkhead before I can install the floor anyway (the bulkhead where the rods will go into the PVC). I'm trying to decide how I want to finish the rod guides. I'll wrap the carpet and through the hole a bit, but that may be all. I found some things online that resemble a whisker biscuit for a bow that I thought about using to cover the PVC guides, but at this point that would be purely cosmetic. 

Now that the cleaning/scraping/grinding days are mostly through, I've got to say I'm really enjoying myself now. It's pretty cool to get to make a little progress and start to see the vision come together


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## onthewater102 (Apr 13, 2017)

I see I'm probably too late in suggesting this, but have you looked into the thin-walled non-pressure rated Sch. 40 PVC designed for gravity drain lines? I believe it was Richg99 had a post at one point about how you can take a wine bottle, heat the bottom with a torch and use the contoured bottom to flare the PVC almost like you would a hydraulic brake line. It would give it a nice finished look when you secure it using silicone to the cutout areas as the flare covers up the silicone and any over drilling that occurred.

I'm pouring expanding foam insulation in around the rod tubes after I secure them in place. That space isn't going to be good for anything else anyway.


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## sokmace (Apr 13, 2017)

I actually was looking for the thin walled PVC first, but they were out of it at Lowe's when I was purchasing materials last weekend. I looked up the post from Richg99 and found what you're talking about. Here's the youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2uYj_qUqzc. The guy in that video only really talks about the process, but there are additional links to people doing the actual work in the related videos on the side of the screen.

I think I might test this out to see how it works on thick-walled PVC I already bought and cut to fit. I did see a post where Richg99 said he's done this with the thicker PVC and a heat gun, so it's worth a try on a test piece to see if I like the result. Although, I may need to try a propane torch because I don't know if my $7 harbor freight heat gun gets hot enough for something like this. I'll give it a shot. If I can get it to roll into a tight lip, I'll do all of them. Then, I could sand it smooth and spray paint the lip and first few inches of the inside of the tube with some leftover gunmetal metallic to match carpet (also gunmetal). 

I'm going to silicone to secure the tubes to the bulkhead, but I also need to pick up some perforated duct straps to hang a few from the bottom of the front bulkhead. 

Do you know where to find the expanding foam that's meant for this application? I assume this isn't the Great Stuff expanding foam made by Dow Chem, right? My sense is that there's some special closed-cell stuff that comes in just the right density to maximize buoyancy per sq ft. I've been planning on filling this gaps around the tubes with another sheet or two of the blue 1" insulation foam Like you said, the space isn't going to be good for anything else. Seems like the expanding foam would be a MUCH better option for this type of space because it would get all around the rod tubes and fill it up just right. I'll just need to make sure I have a space for the trolling motor pan.


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## onthewater102 (Apr 13, 2017)

https://www.uscomposites.com/foam.html

You want the 2lb density foam. You mix it 50/50. I like using Solo cups as they have the ribs on the side that make for easy measurement & mix with either a Popsicle stick or a disposable plastic utensil as the foam will just about ruin whatever container/tool you mix it in/with because it gets quite sticky. Try mixing 1/2 a Solo cup worth first (with a 1/4 cup of each part A and part B - I reuse the Part A & Part B measuring cups as I'm doing my pouring) and you'll get a sense for how much expanded volume a 1/2 cup of material will make. You can make multiple pours into the same cavity to get it full - you just have to wait ~15 minutes or so between pourings. The two parts are different colors so when mixed it has a uniform light creamy color.

It expands best if you warm the materials up to ~80 degrees either by working during warmer months or by leaving the cans on a heat vent in your house. I stored them in my shed and tried mixing some foam while they were ~55/60 degrees from the over night chill and it really made a difference in the expanded volume, or lack there of as it worked out.

Just make sure you've figured out how your drainage from the front will be working before you go pouring this stuff because it will expand and get into everything. It is a liquid when you first pour it. If you have areas you don't want it getting into I suggest sealing them off with caulk ahead of time. I tried to use duct tape to block off seams and while it stops the liquid from getting through it seems the expansion lifts the duct tape out and allows the foam through. Next time I use this I'm taking the time to cap the drain channels in the bottom of the boat with 1/2 cut pieces of PVC pipe (sized so that when cut the top of the 1/2 pipe is level with the top of my support ribs) and sealing them down all the way around with caulk before pouring foam. This way any water running along the underside of the boat shouldn't be able to sit in contact with the foam and yet the foam can fill the bottom of the boat between the ribs. Filling these voids with expanded foam not only dampens the noise running the boat in rough water but also supports the floor from flexing in chop which will help keep the rivets from working themselves loose (this is a concern for me as my hull is riveted).

Drainage turned into a problem on my 1436 build and was a nuisance to fix after the fact. I wish I'd spent more time prepping the drainage channels before I poured the foam and I won't be making that mistake with my Tracker.


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## sokmace (Apr 15, 2017)

I had a fairly productive day. I was able to get a number of pieces carpeted, including the floor and the panels that run along the gunwales. Also carpeted the control box panel. Basically, I want to get the pieces covered that need to go in before I can begin building the new deck section. 






I let everything dry for 3-4 hours and then started screwing it back into the boat. It got dark on me quick tonight, so I didn't get any good pics of everything reinstalled on the boat. I'll pull it out of the garage in the daylight this weekend for the photo shoot. It's looking great!

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but last time I had the boat on the water was around this time last year. The trolling motor cables coming off the pedal were really hot (burned my foot  ) and the momentary switch worked sporadically. At the time, I had no idea what the red switch was on the side of the pedal (label had fallen off) - constant on/momentary/High bypass. I flipped it around randomly and continued to fish with it toggled to constant on. The entire time I thought it was only running when my foot depressed the button.

Anyway, I schooled up on TMs the last few months and figured out what the 3-position red switch does, and I also figured out why the momentary button wasn't really working. The microswitch on the pedal had gone out. I found a replacement on boats.net last weekend. It arrived today and I installed it. I also picked up a new 50 amp circuit breaker, so I wired it all up to a battery and ran some function tests. I'm happy to report that everything works now, including variable speed for constant/momentary mode, as well as the hi bypass. There was a lot of rust/corrosion going on inside the pedal due to the hardware used, but I got it all cleaned up. You'd think that Motorguide would get on the stainless steel bandwagon for their products. 






I ordered a long roll of carbon fiber vinyl ($11 on Amazon Prime) that I'm planning on using to cover a sheet of aluminum as a dash panel to cover some gauge holes that I'm omitting from the console and cover some cracks. I may also use it in some other "spots", but that's top secret for now 8) 

Anyway, this is what I got from USPS yesterday. Thanks, Obama.






The entire package was smashed, so I shipped it back today and got a refund. It has a really sweet low-gloss/matte finish and I like it a lot, notwithstanding the tragedy pictured above. So I went ahead and re-upped on a replacement roll from the same supplier. Hopefully this time the postman will treat it a little more gently.


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## onthewater102 (Apr 15, 2017)

Yeah - the post office doesn't have a reputation for attracting the best and brightest. Just received a package in CT that was from MD but it took almost a week and a half to get here because they sent it to Michigan, then Massachusetts, then NEW HAMPSHIRE and FINALLY to CT...clearly being a union monkey does not require a 3rd grader student's understanding of geography. Another package I received this week also took a week and a half to get here, this one coming from Memphis TN where it was picked up on the 4th, status was "in transit" starting on the 5th but not until the 11th did it FINALLY make it to the Memphis TN origin facility...so it just drove around in the delivery guy's truck until the light finally came on in his brain to move that package he's been looking at for a solid WEEK to the sorting building from the truck. Its so hard picking things up, reading, putting them down.


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## sokmace (Apr 17, 2017)

The Easter Bunny was good to me
















This was handmade by a friend of mine that I go to church with. Turns out, he's also a member here. Thanks, Adam (aka super_dork)!

Profile view with the pedal in the flat position






I cut the deck with a circular saw and then test fit for these pics. That's why it's not perfectly flat. I'm planning on using a router to take maybe a 1/8" strip off the top so the lip of the tray will sit flush with the deck. I'm going to support the bottom of the tray, so I'm not too worried about weakening the deck. I'll seal up the edges with resin again to ensure it's solid and water tight. Obv this will get the gunmetal grey treatment...

Heel all the way down:






I tested it out and it feels like your feet are standing on the same ground when the pedal is flat. It's really close to flush with the deck. I had planned on using much smaller dimensions, but I'm glad I got this one a little bigger than one I would have made. 

I also got the stern deck back together so I can begin carpeting. 






Knocked out the livewell, hatch lid frame, and the panel where the rear pedestal mount goes. I probably should have waited on the rear deck and reinstall the the fuel, bilge, and livewell plumbing while it was all still uncovered, but I was anxious to work and I'm waiting on pumps/hoses for the time being. 

Progress is slow but steady. It's really starting to look like a bass boat again


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## onthewater102 (Apr 17, 2017)

Was there a support column beneath that rear seat mount? I have one on the Tracker III that is in the way of putting the fuel tank in the same position you've got it in there. I'm toying with putting a pair of channels spanning the area behind the fishtank for the seat bolts to anchor to, but they'll be both heavy and expensive. I don't want to use wood anywhere in the boat, but I suppose if I had to put one piece under there even if it went bad I could easily swap it out from the underside without having to totally re-do the entire boat.


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## sokmace (Apr 17, 2017)

So you have a vertical support that runs from the bottom of this crossmember/panel down to the floor of the splashwell? I agree that would be a pain and really limit the possible configurations of the tank and batteries. When you say channels, are you referring to something like the aluminum bracing that runs on the bottom of the deck hatch lids? You said heavy and expensive, but that doesn't add up to me, so I must not understand you're plans. If it's heavy, I assume you mean wood, which isn't really expensive at all. And when you say heavy, I imagine a series of aluminum support braces that you have tig welded into place to bolster the strength of the panel (expensive, but much lighter than wood). 

Here's a description of what my looks like. I can try to take some pics tonight if you need them, but won't be able to pull it all the way off as I've already riveted everything back into place. If you zoom in closely on the 3" hole in my last pic, you can see there is a layer of plywood under that panel. The plywood is 1", and the aluminum panel itself is a beefy 1/8" thickness. It ain't bending for anyone less than 500lbs - I'd bet on it. And with a co-angler in that weight class, we'd already be past the USCG plate rating for weight, so bending that panel would be the least of my worries. 

The shape of the aluminum panel on mine is designed specifically to rest on top and around the 1" plywood. On the sternside, it has a lip for the splashwell deck lid. But on the livewell side, the lip folds under the plywood so that it holds the wood tight against the bottom of the aluminum panel. There are 3 bolts + lock washers on each end of the panel that go into a small piece of angle aluminum to hold it at the right height. Lastly, the front edge of the panel is riveted to the dividing wall that separates the splashwell from the livewell area. 

I assume folks have this fear with wood because of 2 things: weight and propensity to rot. If you're making some kind of custom-built race boat out of carbon fiber and grams matter, the weight issue makes sense. But the rot issue has always been strange to me. There are ways to inhibit degradation like sealing in resin and wrapping in glass. Even using a coat or two or three of urethane could extend the shelf life of a piece of wood on a boat. Worst case scenario: you design the piece to be easily changeable and call it a sacrificial piece, like an anode on an outboard. 

I wrapped & resin'd all 3 wood pieces in the boat (front deck, floor, and the 1" ply cross-member on the rear deck). I don't plan on getting the interior of my boat wet, maybe only if I get caught in the rain. I will also be keeping it in the garage and I have a shop vac and carpet fan to use on it to air everything out after I fish. I fully expect any wood on my boat to last longer than I'll own the boat.


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## onthewater102 (Apr 17, 2017)

I have a much thinner piece of plywood and much thinner aluminum, so it's got a vertical brace I'd like to do away with.

I was either going to use this type of aluminum channel:
https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1063&step=4&showunits=inches&id=298&top_cat=60
, which is rather heavy and expensive for the little bit that will go into it, or I was going to go to heavier wood & seal it knowing it may rot. 

My opposition to wood in this is I'm taking the time to go through and rebuild everything - I never want to have to do any of this again. I do not have a garage to store this in, and while I cover it as best I can pooling rain water or snow on occasion get by the cover and get the inside of the boat wet.

Was there foam along the sides when you removed the covering panels? I'm hoping there wasn't as that would give me somewhere to add foam evenly should I add more storage to the front in place of some of the foam up there.

Rod rack is looking nice - I'm assuming you'll be building a box around it the rest of the way as you go.


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## sokmace (Apr 17, 2017)

Your take on wood is fair considering you know it will be exposed to the elements. I'd probably do the same if I didn't have space in the garage for my boat. 

My opinion on an aluminum channel like the one in your link is that it's probably overkill. I'm sure it would do the job, but I agree that it's heavy and expensive. I think you could probably get plenty of strength from some square aluminum tubing that you can pick up from Lowe's: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Steelworks-3-ft-L-x-1-in-W-x-1-in-H-Aluminum-Plain-Square-Tube/3053655. I wonder if you could get rid of the plywood altogether and replace it with a couple of aluminum tubes running along the edges of the panel instead. If you could find the right size tubing, you could get rid of the wood, have lighter material, and probably even strengthen the panel more so than the plywood.

I'm going to use this exact size tubing as the vertical supports in the frame for my deck extension. It's 1" tubing and is 16 gauge (1/16th" walls), so I think it would be plenty strong. I bet you could find a way to run some of this tubing under the panel to add some rigidity and allow you to omit the vertical brace. Plus side: it's much cheaper and is very light.

There was no foam under this panel on my boat. The panel covers the back of the splashwell and is the part that the hinge for the splashwell hatch is riveted to. It's just an empty space below there. I say it's empty - but it's where the fuel cell and batteries will live once I get the tank mounts and battery trays riveted back into the splashwell. All the foam on my boat is under the aluminum panels on the sides of the splashwell (where my tools are sitting in the 2nd to last pic). With that said, if my mind were set on adding foam, there's plenty of room to do so - especially if I downsized to a smaller 6 gallon fuel tank. I also have quite a bit of space I could add expanding foam around the livewell itself. I just don't see a need for it as I never took any out of the back of the boat. I do plan on replacing a lot of the foam I removed up front, though.

The rod storage is getting close to taking shape. I'm extending the deck back to the console and there will be a hatch that goes right down the middle from where you see the tubes going under the front deck. This hatch will be hinged right above where you see the rod tubes now. I still need to heat up the rod tubes and mold them over a bottle to create a flanged lip. I'll hopefully get to that this week and then begin framing out the deck extension. Like I mentioned, I'm using 1" square tubing for the vertical parts of the frame, and connecting those using 1 1/2" aluminum angle (1/16th").


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## onthewater102 (Apr 17, 2017)

My question about the foam wasn't about the rear portion of the boat - but the sides running along where your rod locker will be built


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## sokmace (Apr 17, 2017)

Oh sorry, I guess I didn't understand what you were asking about. Here's a pic to reference as I explain the layout: 







The red lines indicate where the expanded foam was prior to removal. The black box in the middle (just above the white lines, which indicate the PVC rod guides) will be the new rod locker hatch. The space to the left/right of the black box was empty - it was just empty space above the floor. The front deck ended where the PVC goes into the bulkhead. All that was there was the floor, although there was foam under the floor. I'm going to reuse the old locker that runs along the right side in this pic, and I'm going to create an insulated box to the left of the new rod locker. I'll use the space on the left as a cooler and it will be between the console and the existing front deck section. 

The only foam on the front end was where you see the red boxes on this image. I removed all of it to I could reconfigure a few things. First, I needed the space at the bottom freed up so I could insert the PVC rod guides into the bow. The red boxes on the sides needed to be cleared because I'm adding storage lockers that will fit my tackle boxes. I'm going to add new foam into the yellow sections as well as all around the PVC rod guides in the middle and in front of the bulkhead at the bottom of the picture. The expanding foam seems to have a pretty steep price point, so I'll likely cut up a a few sheets of the blue foam insulation board from Lowe's. This section of the boat should always be higher than the back of the boat, so even if there's standing water in the hull, the foam shouldn't get water logged.


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## onthewater102 (Apr 17, 2017)

Sounds like you should have a good amount of foam up front when you're all done, probably more than what you started with if you can fill in between those rod tubes well.


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## gatorglenn (Apr 17, 2017)

It does sound like you'll have plenty of foam front. But be careful not to put too much. You want the boat to float level when it is swamped. Too much in the front will calls the rear to sink. Rule of thumb I've always used is measure the volume that you took out replace that if any extra weight is put in the boat if the weight is distributed equally throughout the boat then add a little more foam also throughout the boat. If all the weight is in one area than that's the area to concentrate on extra foam


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## sokmace (Apr 19, 2017)

It's almost time to mount the deck, so I spent some time this evening working on a few things that need to be completed prior to fastening it in place.

Since I have the new recessed TM tray now, I had to remove the cross brace and move it back quite a bit. It's at the back end of the TM tray, and a few inches from where the pedestal mount will be installed. I also needed to make a few relief cuts so the rod guides won't bend or rub.






After I chose the final positioning for the deck, I measured, marked, measured again, and finally cut out the storage lockers that will be on each side of where the PVC tubes are. Each storage locker is 24" x 16" (at the narrow end up front). Plano 3700s are 14x9x2", so I should be able to fit a dozen boxes on each side. The 1-1/2" aluminum angle braces were riveted in place and will split duty for supporting the deck, hatch, and another section of carpeted plywood that will be the vertical wall at the front of the locker. You can see the carpeted floor already fastened into place.






The rod guides will also have to be complete prior to screwing the deck down. I decided to give it a go with the flange some folks have recommended. I used my cheap, low power Harbor Freight heat gun and the bottom side of an EZ Swivel pedestal mount. I did some test runs on a few scrap pieces, and I'm glad I did. I was initially heating too far up the tube. When I compressed the tube against the form, the PVC would buckle a few inches above the area I was trying to flange. I also got it too hot. Here's the result I got on a few of the tubes that were good enough to install:











Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the way these turned out. I'd like to sand them a bit to really smooth out the edges and make them look as professional as possible. Some folks have tried to talk me out of painting them, but I'd really like to put some color on them and see how it holds up. I can always touch it up on occasion. I use rod gloves for all my rods, so I really don't think it will get scratched up that much.


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## onthewater102 (Apr 19, 2017)

Those came out amazing! Thanks for the heads up with the buckling - probably would have wasted a piece not expecting that.

You can paint PVC - you just have to find the right primer.


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## gatorglenn (Apr 19, 2017)

Boy they did turn out great [emoji106]I agree I would paint them to 


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## sokmace (Apr 21, 2017)

Well, it finally happened. I ran out of carpet tonight Looks like I'll be placing an order to finish the job. What's surprising is just how short I was. I've carpeted the floor, front & rear deck, bench, and two large gunwale panels. I also covered two small pieces of plywood for the tackle lockers on the front deck, but they were small enough that I could use scraps. I started with 6x25'. Out of curiosity before I bought the carpet, I got on a chat with Tracker support and asked them how much they used at the factory. The lady went off to research for 20 minutes and came back to tell me they used 16 feet on the 2000 Pro Team 165 - ya there's now way that's accurate. The boat has 16 feet of horizontally carpeted surfaces alone. 

I'll have more in about a week. I was thinking a minimum order of 10 feet should do it, but I'm going to take some measurements and really plan out what I need. One thing I didn't think about up front was the direction of the carpet and how that plays into the cuts you make. I ended up making every piece run to the back of the boat, so a lot of the pieces had to be positioned in a less-efficient way on the roll when I cut it out. 

Anyway, Here's how far 25 feet of carpet will go on a PT 165:






I decided to place all the remaining pieces in their places so I could see what's left to carpet, and also really just to sit back and appreciate how good it's starting to look. 

For the trolling motor tray, I wanted the lip of the tray to sit flush with the deck, or as close to flush as possible. I don't have a router and didn't want to spend money I'll likely never use again. So I used a circular saw with the blade set to 1/4" so I could take a little material off the deck and allow the lip to fit nicely into position. I went slow and test fit the tray often so I could ensure I wasn't going too deep or getting outside the lines of where the lip would land. 

You may be able to see in the below pic, but I also pre drilled holes near each corner to the tray will be held tightly within the recess. I guess you could say I have a recessed, recessed trolling motor tray now!

Since the moment I started building the front deck panel, I've constantly had strength in mind because I'm a bigger guy. I don't want to have to baby the trolling motor pan because I'm afraid it might break. To help calm any fears, I riveted into place a section of 1-1/2" aluminum angle directly under the middle of the tray. Now, the weight will be spread across the plywood deck as well as the aluminum angle that's part of the bulkhead framework..


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## craigman (Apr 21, 2017)

sokmace said:


> It's almost time to mount the deck, so I spent some time this evening working on a few things that need to be completed prior to fastening it in place.
> 
> Since I have the new recessed TM tray now, I had to remove the cross brace and move it back quite a bit. It's at the back end of the TM tray, and a few inches from where the pedestal mount will be installed. I also needed to make a few relief cuts so the rod guides won't bend or rub.
> 
> ...


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## sokmace (Apr 21, 2017)

craigman said:


> sokmace said:
> 
> 
> > It's almost time to mount the deck, so I spent some time this evening working on a few things that need to be completed prior to fastening it in place.
> ...



I made these on recommendation from a few guys on here. There's a guy on here that talks about how to do it, Richg99. You take a heat gun or propane torch and heat up the ends of a PVC pipe until it's pliable. Then you'll push the PVC down onto some kind of mold. I've heard a lot of people say the neck of a wine bottle works well. I used the bottom side of an old seat pedestal mount. Just spin the PVC while your work it with the heat gun and it flares out like that. I kept a bucket of water right next to me so as soon as I got the shape right, I could dunk it to set the shape permanently. Also, you don't want to let it get too hot or heat it up too high on the tube. I used schedule 40 PVC (thick-wall) and even the thick pipe would buckle a few inches higher than you'd like.


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## sokmace (Apr 24, 2017)

It floats!






Ignore the junky seat, bare wood/aluminum hatch lids, and the mess under the trolling motor. Between being stuck waiting for carpet and generally being tired of working on the boat but not fishing, I decided to pull a late-night blitz on Saturday to get this thing on the water Sunday afternoon. I haven't gotten the big motor running yet, so my daughter and I trolled around for a bit. I didn't throw too many casts, maybe 2 dozen times. I spent most of the time helping her fish and doing function checks. 

I got all the wiring sorted out, installed bilge/livewell pumps, console, steering, old switches (and they actually work now!), etc. etc. I put about 4 gallons of fuel mix in the tank, primed the bulb until it was hard, and turned the key. It started right up, but died within 5 seconds. After that, I checked spark and fuel . I know gas was getting to the carb because I originally had the hose clamp too loose and some gas came squirting out the carb. Tightened that up and the bulb would get hard and no more leaks. 

So I don't know what the problem is yet, but I didn't chase down every possible issue either. We were happy just trolling around the docks.






Before I spend any more time on the motor, I'm going to do what I should have done a year ago when I got the boat and run a compression test. I think O'Reillys has them available for rent, so I'll run it by the store and test it so I can hopefully rule out the worst-case scenario. Fingers crossed. If compression is good, I think it has to be either the pump or something wrong with the carb. The motor turned over really strong, just wouldn't fire after that first time. Sounds like a fuel supply issue.

Question: is there an acceptable range for compression on an outboard like mine (1996 Force 40 ELPT)? From what I've read, it seems like ~120 is about right.


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## sokmace (Sep 13, 2017)

At the end of April, I promised my wife I'd take the month of May off from working on the boat. Next thing I know, it's August and the boat became just another shelf in the garage. I finally got back to work recently and have a lot of updates to show, but first...

Story Time:

I live in an annexed suburb of Houston (Kingwood), about 30 minutes northeast of downtown. As I'm sure you're aware, we got hit hard by Harvey the last week of August. All of our creeks, rivers, and bayous swelled pretty quickly due to receiving nearly 50 inches of rain over the course of 4-5 days. Kingwood is on the San Jacinto river, which feeds into into Lake Houston in the southeastern border of the suburb. The river began to go out of bounds on Sunday 8/27. Downtown Houston was also under water. A county judge held a press conference and made a statement describing how first responders were already inundated with rescue calls from residents trapped in their homes. He put out a plea for anyone with a boat to consider assisting with rescue efforts. I was sitting in the AC watching cable TV and playing on my phone while friends and neighbors were losing everything only a few miles away. So I stayed up until 3AM that night getting my boat ready to serve. My motor troubles are well documented on this thread, and that night proved no different. I decided that even my trolling motor was better than doing nothing. 

Here's some pictures from the first day of search & rescue in Kingwood, Texas:






^^^This is a main road, appropriately named West Lake Houston Parkway. It served as a public boat ramp that day. We were the third boat out on the first day. 






For the first rescue, we paired up with some other locals and helped an elderly couple out of their home. The water had not risen to their house yet (pic of their driveway^), but you'll see later that they made the right call evacuating the first day. 

I used to live in these apartments until I bought my house in 2012. I have coworkers and friends that still live there, but fortunately on the 2nd/3rd floors. 






Texas Forever






Monster truck guy showed up at 5PM when I was loading up. This was probably the most practical vehicle of the day.






It got much worse on day 2, but let me explain something to ya'll before we get to that. This Force 40 motor has not been run any longer than a few seconds in over the last 4-5 years. I've cranked it over countless times and it would not start 9 out of 10 times. Only a handful of times was I able to get it to run, but even then it would die within 5 seconds. Even after repairing a number of things and replacing some fuel and ignition components, it would not run - ever. When we unloaded the boat and started to head to the first address that called for rescue, I didn't even bother trying the motor. I put the trolling motor down and started on my way. However, there were 2 big problems: the water was not always deep enough for the trolling motor and second, the current was far too powerful for a little 43 lb thrust TM to handle. So I said a quick prayer and began to go through the same 2-stroke startup sequence I had tried dozens of times before with no success. That motor started on the first turn of the key and ran like a CHAMP ALL DAY.

I don't believe in karma or fate or destiny. What I do believe is that God caused that motor to run for three days straight so I could be at the service of others. I'm thankful for that. 

Day 2: The next day, things got much worse. Up river is Lake Conroe, which under normal conditions maintains a water release rate of about 2,700 cubic feet per second. With all the rain they were receiving in Conroe, the San Jacinto River Authority made a decision to open the dam at a record rate - nearly 80,000 cubic feet per second. Combining a wall of water with 30-40 inches of rain (up to that point) caused the river to rise exponentially. The flooding capped out between the 800-year and 1,000-year floodplain lines. The first day, my boat was dragging bottom in some areas. Day 2, you couldn't see stop signs at those same spots. 






A nursing home put out a call for help after water rose into their first floor and forced the residents to hunker down on the second and third floors. They had 130 residents to evacuate, plus a handful of staff. They were well taken care of, but were beginning to run out of food and water and they had no running water either. We teamed up with about a dozen other boats manned by the coast guard, Texas state police, Game Wardens, HFD/HPD, the Cajun Navy, and a lot of ordinary people just like you and me. We carried about 130 residents down to the boats and led them to higher ground where they were transferred to shelters. It was heartbreaking to see.


























There were Blackhawks, Apaches, and HH-65 Dolphins doing extractions from rooftops. C-130s and C-17s were flying overhead surveying the area. 

Houston's Finest:






Day 3: The rain stopped, the sun came out, and the water levels began to go down. But much of Kingwood/Houston was still under water. We spent the day taxiing friends and strangers to their flooded homes so they could survey the damage and grab clothes and other essentials. 

That motor never stopped running...











My lower unit was beat. My prop is absolutely ruined, the skeg is bent, and I have no idea where my trim tab went.

The aftermath:






The edges of 2 of the 3 prop blades were completely bent out of shape with the leading edge of the blade turning towards the front instead of facing behind the boat. Aside from dragging along shallow roads, hitting curbs/fire hydrants...I think the final blow was a submerged brick mail box I hit with at open throttle so I could get through a section with a pretty strong current. After that, full throttle would get me no better speed than as though I were idling.






Day 4: After three days of search & rescue, the water levels receded and allowed us to shift focus from saving people to saving homes as the threat of mold creeped in. I'm still in awe with how people responded to a disaster and stepped up to serve their neighbors. Kingwood alone had hundreds of homes flooded. We had about a dozen boats working the first day, but I stopped counting at 70 boats on the second day when the flooding was at its worst. I had to wait an hour and a half in line before I could launch my boat on day 2. I had about 30 people that were rescued on my boat, but I believe the total numbers of rescues in Kingwood was about 300-400. Once the water levels went down, literally thousands of people showed up to help with demo and worked for 10 days straight. I led a crew from my church, which had about 100 volunteers split across 10+ crews each day. We started with demo work for our church members who lost their homes, and then just started going door to door until each home in the neighborhood was dry and ready for contractors. As of Saturday 9/9, only 10 days after beginning the clean up, nearly all of those homes have been gutted out, in large part to volunteers. 






Note the water line on this 6 foot fence. This is next door to the home where we did our first rescue - the elderly couple I mentioned earlier. 






I'm encouraged by this city, my church, my neighbors, and the work God can do with a junky old outboard. I think I understand why it's called a Force now. 

Just wanted to share a more personal side of Harvey that you may not have seen in the media. Check back soon and I'll have an update on the build with new pics!


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## onthewater102 (Sep 13, 2017)

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>


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## ncfishin (Sep 13, 2017)

Amen my brother. You, and people like you, are the first responders. Not politican, but it's great to hear that Americans do what Americans do. God bless you, and all of our brothers and sisters.


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## ncfishin (Sep 13, 2017)

politikin 
not sure if that's how it's spelled.


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## Mike B (Sep 14, 2017)

Thank You, what else needs said. It is always nice to hear stories about how God gave you the "Force" to help out.


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## Dirtmonkey (Sep 14, 2017)

That's awesome man! People like you are the true heros down there. I wish I could have made the haul down there from VA but my boat is completely torn down right now. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## sokmace (Sep 14, 2017)

Thanks guys - I appreciate the kind words, but I'm definitely not one who deserves the attaboys! I had very little to with any of it and would have been sidelined without a whole lot of divine intervention. I was happy to have the opportunity to just be the hands and feet of something far bigger than me. 

Now, here's a little update on the boat!

Having the opportunity to run the boat during Harvey really gave me some motivation to get back to work. With my new miracle motor, I finally have a fishing rig with all your standard functionality. 

I knew going in to this deck that doing this would require a complete redesign of the console mounting and quite a bit of light fabrication. I finally settled on a design and went to work.

The framing is made from 1/16" x 1.5" angle aluminum paired with 1" square aluminum tubing for the upright supports. 






The extension adds 37 inches of fishable decking and supports up two 8' fishing rods, three 7' rods, and four 6.5' rods. I'm using the same 3/4" plywood I used for the front deck. Once I finish mocking it all up and instal hardware, I will wrap everything up in fiberglass to keep it water tight.






Some of the rod holders on the right side will be a little tricky to get rods in and out, but I tested it out during the mock up and it works...I'll put my flexible, slower action rods and my daughter's fishing poles on that side.






The rod locker lid will have to take an odd shape to fit around the console, but still open wide where it hinges up front. The console will be installed using raise tabs I riveted to the aluminum framing and will then screw into a 2x2 wood frame incorporated into the molding of the console. 











The space under the console and on the passenger side will be left open for foot room while cruising. The area in front of the console is going to be a built-in cooler. I'm going to line that box and the hatch lid with sheet insulation, and then order a drop in cooler insert so I can easily empty melted ice. On the opposite side, in front of the space where the passenger's feet will go, I'll add some walls using 1/4" plywood wrapped in carpet. That space will be another utility storage space for my gear.






Still need to square up the decking and cut a little relief to make room for the 20 oz carpet that will meet at the seems.






I noticed the new deck section sits a little lower than the front deck even though the framing for both the existing front deck and the new extended deck sit flush. You can kind of tell what I'm talking about in the picture below. I suspect this is due to the added thickness of the fiberglass and carpet that's already on the front deck. The front deck also has carpeting around the vertical bulkhead where the PVC rod guides start. That probably adds at least another 1/8-1/4" of rise. If the deck doesn't sit flush with the front panel after I glass it and add carpet, I think I may be able to shim it up a bit with some leftover strips of carpet or aluminum. Adding strips of carpet between the aluminum frame and the wood deck would also help absorb some noise. 






You'll notice that the two storage hatches on the front deck on each side of the trolling motor tray are currently hatch-less. When Harvey arrived, I had yet to wrap these in fiberglass and did not have enough time to allow the resin to cure before going out the next morning. Needless to say, the plywood lids I had planned on using got soaked and delaminated. So I also need to rip some replacements from some 3/4" ply I have left. 

That's about it for now! I am going to wait until payday to order the carpet I need to finish up. Until then, I have a number of cosmetic odds and ends to work on: 

-Cut out the hatch lids for the cooler space, passenger side storage box, and replace the two front lids that were ruined in the rain.
-Create 2 console trim panels: one to cover the old gauge holes and a second one to replace the weathered switch panel. I plan on using lexan/plexiglass and then wrapping in carbon fiber vinyl.
-Apply UV-resistant texture vinyl sheeting at the bow to give the front end a finished look. Will have to remove and reinstall the trolling motor for this.
-Rivet driver seat panel into place
-Reinstall hinge on passenger seat panel and rivet into place.
-Replace cracked factory bilge hose between pump and thru-hull fitting. Right now, I have a cheap plastic hose routed to my livewell - which is clearly less than ideal - but it was the only viable option I had at 3AM as I prepped for the flood!
-And last and certainly the most important task: get learned up on carburetors, setting idle right, etc. so the motor will idle without having to engage the throttle before it dies.


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## wcre777 (Aug 21, 2019)

Newbie 1st post. Thanks for the add. Your build looks great. Do you have any pictures of your rod locker finished? I have a 2004 PT 165 and looking to build a rod locker to fit up to 7'9" rods.
Thanks, Johnny


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