# Poconoboss' Tracker Topper 1542 Conversion - SHE IS DONE!



## PoconoBoss (Apr 1, 2012)

Hi everybody, my name is Len, I've lurked here for a while gathering info and ideas from everybody's posts.

Now the time has come for me to use all that info on my own conversion.

I picked up a brand new Tracker Topper 1542 from the Bass Pro Shop and I began my conversion this weekend. Here is a list of what I am planning:

1. Front deck with storage and mounted seat.
2. Seats mounted on mid and rear bench.
3. Bilge pump.
4. Running lights and head lights.
5. Fish finder.
6. Auxiliary 12V outlet.
7. Rear deck with gas and battery concealed.
8. Carpeted floor.
9. Various items such as cup holders and rod holders etc.
10. Switch panel for all electric items with fuses.

I have a 5HP gas motor that I picked up used but was never used and is basically brand new and I bought a Minn Kota trolling motor as well for the times when I fish on electric only lakes.

Ok, so here are some pics of what I accomplished this weekend, the wiring was very time consuming and used up most of my weekend.

Here is the new boat.







Here is the hole I cut for were all my wiring will go.




Here is the output of the bilge pump.




Wiring the headlights and front running lights.




Here is where all the wiring comes together.




Here is the gas and battery compartment with a fuse block for the trolling motor (as recommended by Minn Kota)




Here it is with the decking around it complete.




Here is the rear decking complete with the seat mount installed.




Here is a close up of the switch panel, fish finder and aux. outlet.




Next weekend I hope to complete the flooring and the front decking and the misc. items.


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## Kochy (Apr 2, 2012)

Its looking good so far, keep it updated with pictures, I want to see how this turns out.


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## Vermonster (Apr 2, 2012)

Hi Len - welcome to the site, and nice looking boat! 

Is the hatch for your fuel tank vented?


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## overboard (Apr 2, 2012)

looking good. 
judging by your user name, are you setting it up for the delaware?


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 2, 2012)

Thanks for the comments, I'll post more pics this weekend when the work will continue.

As far as the vent is concerned, I have a 2" x 4" cutout for the hose, so you think that is enough for venting or do you think I should open it up a bit more? Thanks for bringing this up, I almost forgot about that! 

And, yes I do plan on taking it on the Delaware, but mostly on other lakes in my area.


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## FuzzyGrub (Apr 2, 2012)

Probably not. Fuel vapors that collect in the hatch area would be prone to any electrical spark. Portable tanks are not meant to be enclosed. The tank vent is usually built into the cap/gauge and there isn't a way to attach hose to extend it out of the enclosed area.


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 3, 2012)

I'm going to reconfigure the rear hatch to better ventilate the gas can area....thanks for the tip.


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## novaman (Apr 4, 2012)

Looking Good =D> . What are the front lights, spot or flood, LED or halogen? Looking for ideas to make mine better this time. Thanks


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 4, 2012)

Well, I couldn't wait until the weekend...lol, I had a spare hour last night and started the framing for the front deck.

It was pretty nerve racking drilling into the bottom of a new boat, I screwed the "nailers" into the rib on the bottom of the boat. The rib arcs up about 1 inch and my screw goes into the rib about 1/2 inch, but I was still nervous that I would screw up (pun intended) and go right trough the bottom of the boat. :roll: 

Here are 2 pics.







Novaman, I used small 55watt halogens I picked up at Walmart in the auto section.


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## FuzzyGrub (Apr 4, 2012)

I usually make a homemade drill stop so it can't go through. As you use the bit, it gets duller, so you excert more pressure, and your pull-back reflexs get slower. If the bit can't retract far enough in the chuck, I have made a spindle out of duck tape, or a small section of dowl rod. I drilled over 200 holes over the last couple of weeks. If I hadn't made a stop, I'm sure one of them would have maxed out my 1.5" buffer.


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 4, 2012)

I did use a drill stop, but it is still a bit disconcerting drilling into the bottom of a brand new boat... :shock:


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## freetofish (Apr 4, 2012)

You park your boat in the laundry room???????????????? wow, oh maybe your single
nice boat.


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## Hanr3 (Apr 4, 2012)

Great progress so far and it looks great too.

Might I suggest moving the switch panel and accessory outlet off the deck top. One day someone will step on them, or worse yet water will pool on them. Then would be better protected in a box next to the fish finder. Take a look at the Alumacraft tiller model boats for some ideas. 

Otherwise great work so far. =D>


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 8, 2012)

freetofish said:


> You park your boat in the laundry room???????????????? wow, oh maybe your single
> nice boat.




Lol, no that is my garage (which also acts as a laundry room) and I am most definitely married.


I made some more progress yesterday, I had the day off and I completed the flooring and finished framing out the front deck. I should finish the front deck tomorrow. The last major item left is mounting the center seat. I am framing the perimeter of the center bench and it will have a plywood base that is hinged and opens up so that I can still use the livewell. Then I have some misc. items like rod holders etc and I have to mount the transducer for the fish finder.

Here are some more pics.

Flooring done.



Front deck framing.



Fire Ext. mounted.



I used plastic washers and caps with all my decking so that I can conceal the screws, here is a closeup of what they look like.


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## Hanr3 (Apr 8, 2012)

Looks great!

I was looking at those boats last night at BassPro. Not a bad boat to begin with.


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 8, 2012)

I finished all the major work this weekend, here are some pics.


Building the seat for the middle seat, my son was keeping me company with his legos...lol

I built the middle seat with a door that flips open so that I can still use and access the live well.


















Here is the front deck with seat, cooler and 2 storage hatches and a cup holder.











The whole boat.


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## fool4fish1226 (Apr 10, 2012)

Looks great =D> plus the locally brewed adult drink is a nice touch (Just guessing your in PA)


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## 1munford (Apr 10, 2012)

nice job, looks good


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 11, 2012)

fool4fish1226 said:


> Looks great =D> plus the locally brewed adult drink is a nice touch (Just guessing your in PA)



Yes I am located in the Pocono Mts. in Pa.

Thanks for the comment.

I'm actually heading down your way for 2 weeks on Saturday, I'm going down to the Keys for some BIG fishing! So my finishing touches on the boat will have to wait a few weekends.


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## fool4fish1226 (Apr 11, 2012)

PoconoBoss said:


> fool4fish1226 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks great =D> plus the locally brewed adult drink is a nice touch (Just guessing your in PA)
> ...



I will be in the keys the week of the 23rd also (work related but will have some free time). Good luck with your fishing should be a good time. Will it be your first trip to the keys?

I was born and raised in summerset county PA been in florida since 1987


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 11, 2012)

fool4fish1226 said:


> PoconoBoss said:
> 
> 
> > fool4fish1226 said:
> ...



I go to the keys every spring, my Dad lives in Islamorada. His condo has a 400 ft. pier that goes out into the water, I have caught so much stuff right in his backyard, Nurse sharks, Barracuda, Tarpon, Needle fish, Box fish, Lobsters, you name it.

Last year I took my wife on a charter for Dolphin, she had a blast, she never did anything like it. I think this time I will rent a boat and do some patch reef fishing.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn NY, moved to PA about 16 years ago to get away from the city life.


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 11, 2012)

I did a little more work tonight, I added some rod holders, cup holders/accessories holder and some cleats.

Some more pics:


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## JFDBasser (Apr 12, 2012)

=D> That looks great. Perfect fishing machine. Only thing I'd check is the rear seat location. Most people mount the seat towards the starboard side so you can run the tiller easier on the outboard. I like the washercaps, wish I would have thought about that when I did my 1232. If i ever carpet my Alumacraft I'll be stealing that idea


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## PoconoBoss (Apr 12, 2012)

JFDBasser said:


> =D> That looks great. Perfect fishing machine. Only thing I'd check is the rear seat location. Most people mount the seat towards the starboard side so you can run the tiller easier on the outboard. I like the washercaps, wish I would have thought about that when I did my 1232. If i ever carpet my Alumacraft I'll be stealing that idea



I tested different positions and I find it most comfortable in that position. What I do is, swivel the seat to the right, which allows me to hold the tiller comfortably as well as see the fish finder and also makes it easy to look behind the boat.

The hardest part is now waiting for the better weather to get her out!! :mrgreen:


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## JFDBasser (Apr 12, 2012)

Haha, I hear ya. I finally finished my 16' Alumacraft. Going crazy wanting to use it.....hoping the weather holds out for this weekend.


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## TimRich (Apr 12, 2012)

Very nice! Looking forward to some pics of her on the water!


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## PoconoBoss (May 26, 2012)

Well, I finally picked up my trailer last weekend and got my registration in the mail, she is all ready for her maiden voyage tomorrow!

I cut 2, 4" circles into my gas/battery compartment and put grills over them for venting and I got a friend of mine who makes decals to make my boat name and registration nos. I scraped off the Topper Tracker 15 decal and put my custom decal in it's place.

My wife and son and I are taking her out tomorrow for her first trip on the water, hope all goes well.

Here are some pics of the finished boat.

Here is the vent:




Boat ready to go:







Name decal:


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## Bugpac (May 27, 2012)

The name is awesome!!


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## Gramps50 (May 27, 2012)

Bugpac said:


> The name is awesome!!



x1


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## TheMaestro (May 27, 2012)

Nice rig! The black looks very sleek. What kind of rod holders do you have?


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## Scott1298 (May 28, 2012)

Nice rig, I've picked up a few new ideas from you! I noticed you have the boat sucked way up on your new trailer. Any troubles backing up, or with the tailgate coming down? I've got the same boat and a 14' max trailer. With the tailgate up I can't see my trailer without the boat (and borderline with the boat on), so i've been dropping the tailgate for visibility. I want to travel with my 6 hp motor in place on the boat and I'm trying to decide how far to move the boat up on the trailer to support the transom; I either leave that last foot of the boat hanging out the back, or move the winch up over the hitch?


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## PoconoBoss (May 28, 2012)

TheMaestro said:


> Nice rig! The black looks very sleek. What kind of rod holders do you have?



They are Scotty Rodmaster II's, got them at Amazon for about $19.


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## PoconoBoss (May 28, 2012)

Scott1298 said:


> Nice rig, I've picked up a few new ideas from you! I noticed you have the boat sucked way up on your new trailer. Any troubles backing up, or with the tailgate coming down? I've got the same boat and a 14' max trailer. With the tailgate up I can't see my trailer without the boat (and borderline with the boat on), so i've been dropping the tailgate for visibility. I want to travel with my 6 hp motor in place on the boat and I'm trying to decide how far to move the boat up on the trailer to support the transom; I either leave that last foot of the boat hanging out the back, or move the winch up over the hitch?



I moved the winch up so more of the boat would sit on the trailer mainly so that it would fit in my garage.

So far i have no problem backing up, but I plan on installing vertical guides for better visibility.


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## slipsinker (May 31, 2012)

im thinking on purchasing the 1542 topper... are you satisfied? hows the paint holding up? ( i heard there was problems with peeling ) is it stable?


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## bigwave (May 31, 2012)

Very nice mod....have fun in the keys. =D>


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## kylebacc (May 31, 2012)

Nice build! The only thing I worry about, and I am no expert on the matter, would be having the battery and the fuel tank in the same compartment. Just wouldn't be comfortable with it, vented or not. Any particular reason you chose not to separate them? Or was it not a conscious decision, anyway?


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## fool4fish1226 (Jun 1, 2012)

Gramps50 said:


> Bugpac said:
> 
> 
> > The name is awesome!!
> ...



x2 boat looks great


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## Scott1298 (Sep 2, 2012)

I hope you've had a good summer fishing! Where did you get the cup/accessory holders on your back seat?


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## PoconoBoss (Sep 5, 2012)

Scott1298 said:


> I hope you've had a good summer fishing! Where did you get the cup/accessory holders on your back seat?



I picked up all the cup holders etc. at Bass Pro Shop.


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## PoconoBoss (Sep 5, 2012)

kylebacc said:


> Nice build! The only thing I worry about, and I am no expert on the matter, would be having the battery and the fuel tank in the same compartment. Just wouldn't be comfortable with it, vented or not. Any particular reason you chose not to separate them? Or was it not a conscious decision, anyway?



Honestly, I just didn't think about it, having the battery covered in a case and having the compartment vented, I just didn't think it was an issue.


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## PoconoBoss (Sep 5, 2012)

Well, I've spent the whole summer getting out almost every weekend with my son and wife.

We have had a blast, this was one of the best purchases made, we have had so much enjoyment out of it, even on days where my wife doesn't feel like fishing she sits on the front deck reading her book and sunning herself.

The boat is very comfortable and very stable with the 3 of us. There is plenty of room to move around and fish. The 5HP outboard pushes it along nicely. The big surprise was how well the Minn Kota trolling motor pushes this boat, I was very surprised! There are some electric only lakes we have gone on and it worked very well, my wife loves it because it's so quiet.

Here is the only problem.....we love boating so much now....we want to get a bigger boat...lol.


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## atuck593 (Sep 6, 2012)

Nice work... I have the same problem as you with developing the want for a bigger boat. More room and more speed would be nice. Depending on how far up in the Pocono's you are have you ventured down to Beltzville or Mauch Chunk at all this summer?


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## Bilgediver (Sep 6, 2012)

Looks great, have fun fishin'.


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## PoconoBoss (Sep 6, 2012)

atuck593 said:


> Nice work... I have the same problem as you with developing the want for a bigger boat. More room and more speed would be nice. Depending on how far up in the Pocono's you are have you ventured down to Beltzville or Mauch Chunk at all this summer?



We fish on Beltzville lake all the time, it's only about a 30min drive.

I have been to Mauch Chunk (or Jim Thorpe) but not to fish...what bodies of water is good fishing there?

[edit] I just realized you meant Mauch Chunk Lake (thought you meant the town, which is what Jim Thorpe used to be called) No I haven't fished that lake yet, is it good fishing?


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## atuck593 (Sep 7, 2012)

Nice... Mauch Chunk "Lake" lol is nice (plus I live 5 min from there). Much smaller and shallower than Beltzville but its an easy lake to fish. They will hit on just about everything there. The only drawback is that the fish don't have too much size to them around 10 - 12 in. Its also nice to not have large boats flying past you with their wakes because Chunk is electric only. I have made it a point to fish Beltzville a lot more this summer. (usually week nights weekends are crazy up there!) I have seen some nice fish pulled out of there while fishing tournaments the biggest being over 6lbs. I hope to land one of them soon lol.


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## Nobody (Sep 7, 2012)

Bilgediver said:


> Looks great, have fun fishin'.



Ditto =D>


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## PoconoBoss (Oct 12, 2012)

atuck593 said:


> Nice... Mauch Chunk "Lake" lol is nice (plus I live 5 min from there). Much smaller and shallower than Beltzville but its an easy lake to fish. They will hit on just about everything there. The only drawback is that the fish don't have too much size to them around 10 - 12 in. Its also nice to not have large boats flying past you with their wakes because Chunk is electric only. I have made it a point to fish Beltzville a lot more this summer. (usually week nights weekends are crazy up there!) I have seen some nice fish pulled out of there while fishing tournaments the biggest being over 6lbs. I hope to land one of them soon lol.



Beltzville can get crowded on the main section of the lake, but there is a "finger" near the boat launch that goes back to a nice quiet spot (it goes under a road bridge). There are some nice nooks in there that produce fish quite easily. Also there is a spot just past the bridge where the depth gets to about 52 feet for when the fish are holding in deep water. Surprisingly, most people never fish that section?

When fishing is slow, that section is almost guaranteed to at least get some panfish (nice sized ones).

I almost never fish the main section of the lake...just too busy, not to mention those pesky jetskis.


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## overboard (Oct 12, 2012)

Time to fish B-Ville, may-june & Oct>ice on. 
Boat traffic is minimum, and fishing ain't bad! If you want to launch at Preachers camp, (south side, off 209), your in a large no wake area.


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## IDAHOAUGER (Oct 12, 2012)

Excellent job! I like it!


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## SCBassin (Oct 18, 2012)

Hey i was looking at this boat for christmas and i was wanting to mod it like yours how stable is it?


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## CaseyP (Oct 18, 2012)

Just wanted to say you did a fine job on this boat! I'm slowly getting materials rounded up to fix mine up.


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## PoconoBoss (Oct 24, 2012)

SCBassin said:


> Hey i was looking at this boat for christmas and i was wanting to mod it like yours how stable is it?




It is VERY stable...no issues at all.


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## trueblue1970 (Oct 24, 2012)

PoconoBoss said:


> SCBassin said:
> 
> 
> > Hey i was looking at this boat for christmas and i was wanting to mod it like yours how stable is it?
> ...




I 2nd the stability of the 1542. We took ours out for the 1st time this past weekend and it was very stable. I stood and fished all day with ease. I also have a 1431 that we use on some of the local fresh water canals and a small lake, electric only...and the difference is night and day. 

Nice rig by the way, you did a great job. I lived in PA for a while...in Lake Ariel. Loved fishing Lake Wallenpaupack and the lake in the Hideout. Good fishing in your area. In Florida now and have to say the fishing here is amazing.


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