# '89 Tracker Pro 17 Investigation (lots of pics to come)



## kofkorn

Hi All,

I purchased an '89 Tracker back in early October for what I thought was a good price (~$1400). It has an Tracker Evinrude 40HP (bad lower unit), Bow mount trolling motor, fish finder, new deep cycle battery for the trolling motor, Dual bank marine charger and a couple of new seats. The decking was replaced at the beginning of the year with marine grade plywood and some higher end carpeting from Cabelas. 

I picked up a complete parts motor for $300 that I am going to remove the lower unit from. As a bonus, it came with an operational power tilt/trim unit that I'm going to swap out for the original manual hydraulic tilt assist. 

I'm suspicious of some seriously waterlogged foam under the rear deck, and I want to get into it and replace what needs to be removed. The boat sits pretty heavy on the tires, which bulge out a little more than I think they should for the ~550lb weight of the boat plus 220 for the motor, plus accessories. The tire pressure on both sides is ~30 PSI with a max rating of 35. This, in addition to the fact that I can squeeze water out of the one piece of foam that I have access to leads me to believe that I'm carrying significant extra weight on board. 

Tonight, I started pulling out the accessories in the bilge. I've already discovered some issues that the prior owner glossed over or didn't understand. 

1st thing was taking out the VRO tank and pump. I've come to the conclusion that I'd rather replace a spark plug here or there as needed instead of replacing a powerhead if the VRO fails. As I removed the oil line from the front of the motor, I noticed that the color of the fluid at the port was a very light blue color. Uh oh, that's water. I pumped the bulb a few times, and got pure water out of it. I got out my rag and pumped away. I probably pumped about 8 or 9 times before I saw any hint of oil. I never pumped enough to get the rest of the water out of the tank. Two things came to mind: 

1) Thank god I decided to remove this now instead of some time next year. I wouldn't have had a motor to worry about then. 

2) This probably explains why the P.O. was having problems with his motor. He couldn't keep it running (thankfully). I'm guessing that a 50:1 ratio of gas to water doesn't do very well for smooth idling.




I checked the compression before purchasing it and I got 110 PSI on both cylinders with a pretty ratty old gauge. Before realizing the state of the VRO, I did get it started and it ran pretty rough. After I got it started and put back away, I noticed that the little lever for the fuel bypass was in the wrong position. So, not only was the VRO pumping a gas/water mixture, the fuel bypass was open and flooding the engine. It was a wonder the motor started at all. 

Knowing what I know now, I'm going to do another compression check to make sure that nothing is damaged or causing any serious issues. Can anyone shed some light on what else I should look for???

Continuing on, I pulled out the two seat boxes and found another disturbing issue. It appears that for all of the money the P.O. spent on good materials, he didn't really pay attention to doing the build the right way. When i flipped over the little cup holder between the two seats, I noticed a significant amount of mildew. The P.O. just took the marine plywood and applied the glue and carpet over the bare wood. [-X 




So now I'm getting suspicious. I opened up the front compartment and felt under the bow casting deck. Yep, same thing. I'm thinking I've got two options: 
a) leave it, let the water get to it and when it goes bad, replace it the right way. - Any estimates as to how long this might take?? 
b) attempt to tear off the carpeting that is there now, apply a proper resin coating to the wood and replace the carpet. 

Neither option is particularly appealing. I'm thinking that if I go as far as tearing out the carpet, I'm not putting new carpet in its place. I never really understood why bass boats are carpeted. It holds moisture and fish stench and promotes rot. My thought is to do some sort of a textured paint over the resin coating. Maybe the epoxy coating I used on my garage floor?? 

Digging a little further, I found a spot where some critters had begun chewing through the wire loom near the controls. You can see in this picture that he managed to get through the PVC jacket on the power lead to the trolling motor. :shock: 




(I'm sure he got a pretty good tingle in his teeth when he got that far). But the really surprising thing was that the P.O. didn't do anything about it. Makes me suspicious about all of his work completed. 

I wasn't planning on this being an entire rebuild, but it appears that it is turning out to be one  I'm on a fairly limited budget, so I'm going to be re-using as much as I can. 

Boat before any work done on it:


















Some additional pictures of the tear down so far:


----------



## Brine

Glad you figured out the motor problems now and not later. 

Still think you got a good boat at a good price, even if you end up redoing the carpet and decks and if you end up needing to replace both, I'd fish it until it needs it.


----------



## jigngrub

I'd go ahead and rip that carpet off now, it looks like you can save most if not all of that expensive marine plywood.

Honostly, I've never seen a deck paint job that looked worth a crap... especially the non skid/slip type.

You may want to consider the Nautolex marine vinyl, I just redid my boat with it and everyone says it looks great (I think so too).

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22516

It sheds water like paint, but looks better IMO.


----------



## kofkorn

I took a quick look at the Nautolex online. Seems pretty reasonable cost, I can probably do what I need to for about $150. 

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll certainly keep that in mind as I go through my build.


----------



## FuzzyGrub

It kinda sounds like the PO left the plug in and the boat filled with rain water. While you have the foam out and before sealing everything back up, check all electrical connections for corrosion. Some amount of them were probably underwater. If you are seeing any green or white powder in them, consider replacing now, or cutting wire back and making new connection. If you haven't already, check gas for water. If the battery went under, but it may have already been replaced post flood, it will probably die within a season. 

Consider additional bilge pumps, or other electrical or plumbing work before buttoning up. 

I am carpet hater, so I vote for removal now.  

If your motor is wasted, which I doubt, consider going to a 60-75HP.


----------



## kofkorn

Hi Fuzzy, I'm not sure that it went that far, but I suspect that a good amount of water got into it. I haven't had any significant issue with electrical, and actually all of my circuits are working with the exception of the flasher/sounder. 

I got into it a little further this evening. I removed the console and removed the screws holding down the decking. I was hoping that the P.O. had wrapped each piece of the flooring individually before putting the decking down, but unfortunately, he did the side panels as one piece with the flooring. So to get the deck out, I had to cut the carpet.  Well, I guess the carpet vs Nautolex decision was made for me  

As I started removing the carpeting, I noticed the carpeting toward the rear of the deck, where the seat boxes were, came up much easier, peeling similar to what Jay415 noticed during his adhesion tests: 

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22430

The wood underneath was damp, allowing me to scrape away nearly all of the old glue. Everything in front of that was completely dry. 







This sets up two questions for the group to help with:

1) Can I apply an epoxy resin over the remainder of the glue after I scrape away everything that comes off with a scraper? If I'm not able to do this, the wood is a loss. There appears to be no way to remove the glue from the surface of the plywood.

2) How long should I wait to allow the plywood to dry out before applying the resin coating? It appears it is soaked through pretty well, I did dig down into the next layer, and found that it is wet at least that far down. I may drill a 1/2" hole through the rear area for additional drainage as well as to get an idea of how deep the moisture goes.

I removed all of the screws and tried lifting the deck out. However, it didn't want to come up. I am concerned that the P.O. may have used construction adhesive to attach the deck to the support frames. I'll give it another go this weekend.

Progress for tonight:


----------



## whistler

Had a couple of VRO models and had water problems also. No drain plugs were left in allowing the boat to fill with water. However the boat was kept outside uncovered. I realize that's not the best way but??? In several instances the VRO tank got water to the point of seeing it in the bottom of the tank. The tank was located under a small driver console so some protection was offered. However during a hard blowing rain water would and could blow onto it. The tank was made of plastic with a very tight fitting cap. Never did understand how water could get into the tank this way, so I still wonder how water found it's way into the tank? I had to watch very close for water in those units. I removed that tank and dumped them several times. Ultimately both motors with the VRO's failed and one cylinder was trashed. Can't say whether it was water related or the VRO problem. Good Luck, Stay on top of this situation!


----------



## kofkorn

Yeah, after this issue, I have no faith in the VRO system. It's out for good. I assume that the bilge was left uncovered during a few rainstorms. The cap on the VRO tank is vented and cupped downward, meaning that any rain that hit the cap was funneled down into the tank. 

Anyway on to better things. 

I took a quick look at the damp decking this morning and saw a visible difference already. I am hopeful that it will dry out fairly quickly. 

Anyone have any thoughts on soaking the carpet and laying it back down on top of the decking to loosen the glue? I think it might be a good way to remove the adhesive that is there. 

Thanks!


----------



## jigngrub

1. Don't apply resin over the glue. Use a belt or palm sander with 36 grit to remove the remaining glue.

This is what my plywood looked like after pulling the carpet off.







This is what it looked like after 2 coats of filler (fairing compound mixed with epoxy) and 2 coats of epoxy.






I used the 635 epoxy with the medium hardener for here:

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

... and bought a quart for the fairing compound to mix with it to fill the checks (cracks) and blemishes

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

I bought the 1/2 gallon package which is 1/2 gallon of resin and 32 oz. of hardener. I also bought the pumps they sell, it makes measuring a breeze.

2. It's going to take at least a couple of weeks for your ply to dry in a warm dry room, a lot longer if it's cooler. Check your ply by taping a piece of plastic the the wet section that has dried, if moisture forms on the underside of the plastic it isn't dry yet.

Your decking may be a tight fit, especially with the wet swollen plywood.


----------



## FuzzyGrub

Corrosion will not raise its ugly head to long after the event that caused it. It will start with intermittent electrical problems, that will drive you bonkers. With some of the close-ups you provided today, I see water tight connectors. Shouldn't have to worry about those. Be suspicious of anything that doesn't look like a factory install.

Keep air moving across the plywood and on both sides to help quicken the drying process. If anything, error on the side of caution. You probably can't let it dry too long. Sealing it with moisture inside, will promote rapid rot. I can't remember what those little handheld moisture detectors cost. Might be worth checking out.


----------



## kofkorn

Today's update:

As Fuzzy suspected, the main deck was really jammed in there. I managed to get it free by applying a little bit of smart force. I was able to get a strap through a drain hole and one other small hole I drilled in the plywood. I attached the strap to my come-along and attached it to my overhead beam. I gave it a bunch of cranks, and it pulled the center of the plywood up enough that it popped free. 




My wife and two dogs were in the living room directly above and when the board popped up. She said the entire floor shook and the two dogs bolted out of the room. :shock: Whoops, probably should have warned them 

Now that the deck is up, it is obvious that the bottom is more damp than the top was. I will have to dry this out really well to make sure I don't have any issues. You can clearly see that this was already headed in a bad direction, the entire port side of the deck was pretty wet and already had significant mildew.




So the label on the bottom shows that it was Arauco plywood. Not too bad. I'm glad that I know for sure. Under the deck, the original foam had been replaced with some foil backed styrofoam. The P.O. had stated that he had taken care of that much at least. 

I pulled off the two aluminum panels on the sides and exposed the foam underneath. These hadn't been touched and were still the original foam. Probably about 90% of the foam was in ok condition, but the foam toward the bottom of the boat had some absorbed water in it.




As I continued on, I found more evidence of critters, with another section of the trolling motor power cable exposed. It would only be a matter of time before one of these exposed sections touched some bare aluminum and blew the fuse. At this point, I'm less concerned with corroded connections than I am about more damage due to mice.




Additionally, this white hose is the water pressure line from the motor. 




So based on my understanding of how the water pressure line works, I imagine that this tube was continuously pumping water into the boat while the motor was running. 

The deeper I get, the more I am happy with the decision to tear this flooring up. My only real fear is having to remove some of the rivets that go through the hull to get the rear deck off. I'll be looking for some suggestions to get this all put back together. 

Thanks for all of the comments!


----------



## jigngrub

I figured you'd use that come-a-long to pop that deck out of there when I saw it in your previous pics.

That white foam is trash, get rid of it and get either the blue or pink polystyrene sheets from Home Depot or Lowes. The blue is a little better than the pink, but they're both closed cell foam.

The white tube looks like the water pressure tube to your speedometer to me, and yes it would leak water into the boat whenever the boat was under power.

The hull rivets aren't as bad as you might think. For as many as you may have to take out you can replace them with the heavy duty closed end blind rivets like in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MA1-5NXjs&feature=related

It's an easy one man installation, and if you're going to put down the Nautolex vinyl you should rivet your decking down anyway and will need the heavy duty rivet setting tool to do that too.


----------



## FuzzyGrub

While the water intrussion may be just from speedo tube, rain, and splashover, it would be best to test for leaky rivets now with the decks and foam removed. Make sure the boat is supported well on the trailer, and slowly fill to about 3-4" water depth. or if you can, high enough to test all rivets below the waterline. Be careful, it will weigh allot. Any drips will indicate leaks. Most rivets can be tightened up vs needing replacement. When I did our starcraft, I thought I was just wasting my time, but did find a few leaky rivets.


----------



## kofkorn

That is certainly in the plans. Might as well do as much as possible now to prevent as many issues in the future as possible. I don't live on a lake, so leaving it on the water for any significant length of time is not likely to happen, but I would be foolish not to consider it while the boat is already open.

Thanks!


----------



## Bhockins

I'm redoing an 89 Tracker also - mine has a 50HP. 

It started when I noticed one of the U bolts on the stern (for tying down to the trailer) was loose. Simple fix. Replace the U botl and go fishing! But as soon as I got the old bolts out, it was obvious the transom was rotted. What I thought would be changing a simple U bolt had turned into a major project. 

I tore out the old transom and replaced it. Not as hard as I thought but messy as hell. Later, I was inside the boat and a section of the decking collapsed. It was also rotted. Hadn't noticed because the carpet looked OK. 

Right now I've removed all of the decking down to the bare hull. The styrofoam is in good shape but I'm making the drain holes between the sections about 1/4" larger so the boat will drain better from front to back. 

I'd say you're doing the right thing to inspect everything the PO did. Sounds like some corners were cut. I'd tear it all out from bow to stern and replace any suspicious wiring, I'm going to resin the decking before I replace it and I'm also installing all new carpet. For me, it's a winter project but what I enjoy most is knowing when I'm done in the Spring, I'll have a bass boat that looks great and is as solid as one just out of the factory. That means it's not work, it's a labor of love. 

Keep at it. It's a great boat and well worth restoring.


----------



## kofkorn

When you redid your transom, did you have to cut the welds on the corner caps? What did you do to re-secure them? I think my transom is ok, I've done some lifting and pushing on the motor and I don't get any movement, but I have always been curious how to take the transom cap off with those welded corner caps.


----------



## kofkorn

Got a little more done today. With two small kids, it's not easy to find chunks of time to get projects done. 

I got the carpet off the back section. i had to use a chisel to remove all of the carpet backing. Now the only thing left is some glue residue. Are there any easy ways to get the remainder of the glue off? or do people just leave it and reglue over it?

I was able to remove the forward panel on the rear deck. It required that I remove the side rails that had the navigation light storage and the side controls attached. After that, I ground the rivets that held the forward panel on and it came off fairly easily.




Now I have access to the foam in the side compartments. I remember from someone else's project that the large batches of foam on the sides are segmented into three compartments. A little digging into the foam shows that most everything about the floor level stayed pretty dry. However, the foam underneath is pretty waterlogged.





One thing that I am happy about having available is my right angle drill. Without this, I am sure that many of the rivets I am removing would have been an extreme hassle. Right tool for the job....




Thanks for all the help so far!


----------



## Bhockins

The corner caps on my 89 Tracker were held on from the sides with SS phillips head screws. No welds. They came off easily. 

Yours is coming along. Good tip on the right angle drill.


----------



## jigngrub

Most people use a wire cup brush (kinked) to remove the glue residue on metal surfaces, some use the ones for a drill and other use an angle grinder. The cup brush leaves a nice uniform roughened surface for the new glue to grab.


----------



## whistler

jigngrub said:


> ....................
> The hull rivets aren't as bad as you might think. For as many as you may have to take out you can replace them with the heavy duty closed end blind rivets like in this video:
> It's an easy one man installation, and if you're going to put down the Nautolex vinyl you should rivet your decking down anyway and will need the heavy duty rivet setting tool to do that too.



jigngrub, I always feel as if I have to justify myself before asking a "WHY" did you do this type question. I'm not second guessing you only asking. Now If I've got my rivet terminology correct your boat came with a one piece buck style rivet. You replaced it with a two piece style closed end blind pop rivet. My question is why did you select these rivets? I think I know why but maybe there's more to it than I know?


----------



## whistler

jigngrub said:


> Most people use a wire cup brush (kinked) to remove the glue residue on metal surfaces, some use the ones for a drill and other use an angle grinder. The cup brush leaves a nice uniform roughened surface for the new glue to grab.




When using these cup brushes do you get pieces of wire flying loose from the cup occasionally hitting you?


----------



## kofkorn

My Father-in-law told me that he has some solid "buck-style" rivets available that I could use. Having no experience with these, what is the procedure for installing them? I'm guessing it's some kind of hammer/anvil situation. Can they be installed using normal hand tools??


----------



## jigngrub

[/quote]jigngrub, I always feel as if I have to justify myself before asking a "WHY" did you do this type question. I'm not second guessing you only asking. Now If I've got my rivet terminology correct your boat came with a one piece buck style rivet. You replaced it with a two piece style closed end blind pop rivet. My question is why did you select these rivets? I think I know why but maybe there's more to it than I know?[/quote]

Actually, only the hull rivets are the solid rivets... and I haven't replaced any of those... yet. All of the interior framing is put together with blind rivets from the factory. If I replace any of the solid rivets whith blind rivets (which I may have to in the future if I get a leak) it will be because the blind rivets are an easy one man job.

The closed end 1/4" aluminum blind rivets with the steel mandrel aren't your wimpy little run of the mill gutter and down spout 1/8" open end aluminum rivets. A child or woman (unless she's a very stout woman) can't set one of these rivets, it takes strength and effort to set one of these rivets. The closed end blind rivets also provide a waterproof and vaporproof seal when set properly, open end rivets do not.



whistler said:


> jigngrub said:
> 
> 
> 
> Most people use a wire cup brush (kinked) to remove the glue residue on metal surfaces, some use the ones for a drill and other use an angle grinder. The cup brush leaves a nice uniform roughened surface for the new glue to grab.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When using these cup brushes do you get pieces of wire flying loose from the cup occasionally hitting you?
Click to expand...


Yes you do!... and it is absolutely necessary to wear eye protection, and better yet a full face shield.


----------



## jigngrub

kofkorn said:


> My Father-in-law told me that he has some solid "buck-style" rivets available that I could use. Having no experience with these, what is the procedure for installing them? I'm guessing it's some kind of hammer/anvil situation. Can they be installed using normal hand tools??



The solid rivets are cheaper than the blind rivets.

Installing the solid rivets requires 2 people, one on the outside of the boat to stick the rivet through the hole and the back it up with a bucking tool or piece of heavy steel like a sledge hammer head... and the second person inside of the boat hits the rivet until it flattens out to a flange. Not only is it a 2 man job, but it's a lot of beating and banging too.

Blind rivets are more expensive, but it's a quiet one man job.


----------



## kofkorn

That makes sense. I suppose that this is the same method used when trying to re-buck any leaking rivets as well. Other than cost, are there any significant benefits to one vs the other??

Thanks for the info!


----------



## jigngrub

Being able to do the job by myself when I need it done instead of having to wait for someone to find the time to come help me is a huge benefit to me.

... btw, you need to make sure that those rivets you'll be getting for free are the correct length and diameter. Those are the 2 most important things to know when installing rivets... what length and diameter do I need.

This site will help you with that.

https://www.rivetsonline.com/additional-information/solid-rivet-lengths-for-various-grips.html

They're also the place that I order my blind rivets and tools from.

Rebucking rivets is only a temporary fix, the leaking rivet has already been weakened and will eventually leak again... and if you're going to take the time and effort to rebuck a rivet, it only takes a minute longer to go ahead and drill the rivet out and replace it.


----------



## kofkorn

Well, after a day off, I managed to get a little more done today. When I finished up on Saturday, I figured that removing the livewell would be relatively easy. Just remove the rivets from within the bilge area and it should come right out along with the brace for the rear seat. And it would have been just that easy, except for one thing: the livewell drain. I don't know who the turkey was that thought it would be a good idea to encase the livewell drain hose in expanding foam, but it certainly makes removal nearly impossible.


Unfortunately, even after excavating the foam around the hose clamp and loosening it with a bunch of socket extensions, I still couldn't remove the livewell. The way the hose was attached, I needed to pivot the assembly out of the way. With the livewell attached to the front panel of the bilge and the seat support, this wasn't possible. So I needed to remove the plywood from under the seat support so I could drill out the rivets that were clamping the livewell to the bilge panel.


Once I did this, the livewell came out easily. I also removed the bilge panel and the seat support easily. One more item to the list, the livewell fill hose had a pretty severe kink in it. Not a whole lot of water getting through this:


Now I was able to see the first pieces of foam under the center of the deck. Tracker used foam panels in the middle to keep the two middle channels clear of the poured foam. These pieces are the ones that retained the most water. I pulled out one 12" x 18" piece of foam from the bottom of the boat under the livewell and weighed it. It came in at 7.4 lbs.


Now the surprising part: Most of the foam under the two side compartments was relatively clear of water. I found water in about the bottom 3/4" only. The rest of it was pretty dry.


Now removing the rest of the bilge floor is pretty easy. This gave me access to the rest of the foam under the center compartment. I estimate that I'll pull out between 80-100 lbs of waterlogged foam by the time I'm done. Not nearly as much as I expected, but now I know. 


One more critter home, and some damage to the bilge vent hose. One more thing to replace. Not that the mice needed to do much to it anyway, if you looked at the vent hose wrong it fell apart.



Ok, so here is where I expect to get a bunch of opinons. With the discovery of how little water is in the foam, I am thinking of not pulling apart the two side compartments. My thought is that I can undercut the foam for each of the compartments and slide a new piece of foam under each. 


This will retain most of the strength that the pour-in foam provides. I understand the argument about the quality of the older pour in foam, but from what I've been able to see so far, it is in reasonably good condition. I feel comfortable with the foam in these two compartments providing the flotation needed for the amount of time I would need to get help. 

This pretty much takes care of the majority of the de-construction. I feel it went pretty well and even without finding 300 lbs of waterlogged foam, I feel that the issues I've uncovered between the water in the VRO oil, and the chewed components, I have saved myself at least as much effort as I put into it, never mind the cost of the motor if that had failed. 

I am really interested in hearing any suggestions to keep any additional critters out during the winter months, as this appears to be the biggest issue this boat has seen.

So let me have it...


----------



## whistler

jigngrub said:


> Actually, only the hull rivets are the solid rivets... and I haven't replaced any of those... yet. All of the interior framing is put together with blind rivets from the factory. If I replace any of the solid rivets whith blind rivets (which I may have to in the future if I get a leak) it will be because the blind rivets are an easy one man job.




Gotcha! I thought that was you in the Video. I think he was using the blind rivets in the Hull on that demo? I may be wrong but I might question whether the closed end blind rivet is up to the same standard as a bucked rivet? Easier and more convenient.....absolutely.


----------



## jigngrub

whistler said:


> Gotcha! I thought that was you in the Video. I think he was using the blind rivets in the Hull on that demo? I may be wrong but I might question whether the closed end blind rivet is up to the same standard as a bucked rivet? Easier and more convenient.....absolutely.



If you'll read here:

https://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Rivets.html

You'll see that some blind rivets can be as strong or stronger than solid rivets.



> Strength of blind rivets (compared to solid rivets )
> 
> The strength of blind rivets as given in suppliers tables is generally the ultimate strength at failure. In comparing the strength of blind rivets with conventional solid rivets (same material ) the solid rivets are generally stronger than blind rivets for the blind rivets where the blind rivet mandrel breaks off below the shear line. For the blind rivets where the mandrel breaks off above the shear line the blind rivets are generally stronger.



As I've stated before, the closed end blind rivets aren't your normal run of the mill wimpy pop rivet, and until you've used them you probably won't understand.


----------



## kofkorn

I managed to get a few more hours of work in over the past few days. I got the rest of the water logged foam removed and cleaned up. Under cutting the side compartments wasn't really as difficult as I expected it to be. I used a long sawzall blade with a hand grip and just sliced through it all and removed it in chunks. I cleared out the drain channels, as they had filled with the poured in foam.




I spent some time removing some of the glue from the aluminum decking. I tried several different methods, and I found that the fastest way was using my angle grinder with a 50 grit fiber disc. I used the knotted steel cup as well, but it doesn't remove the glue as quickly. However the 50 grit disc gives a much more aggressive surface finish than the steel cup. 



Here are what I used to get the glue off. When using the knotted wire brushes, be sure to use eye protection and gloves. I can't count the number of pieces that flew off the cup while using it.



Finally today, I took it out and floated it to see if there were any leaks in the hull. I was pleasantly surprised to only find two small leaks, one coming from the livewell drain hose, and the other coming from one of the guides on the bottom of the hull. It was leaking right at the point where the weld started. I wouldn't be surprised if it came from the factory that way. You can see them both in the picture here:


Are there any suggestions to seal the leak in the guide? I'm thinking I could clean it up and then mix up some epoxy and heat it to get it to flow into the hole. It's not really a bad leak, I maybe had about 1/2 oz of water in about 20 min of floating.

I've got a few things on order, next is to finish cleaning the carpet off all of the covers and other accessories. After that I need to make a few measurements to see how much vinyl I'm going to need. Hopefully this weekend I can get the new foam cut and placed. I'm also planning on replacing the main deck plywood. I've had it sitting off to the side for a few days now and it hasn't gotten significantly drier. As a matter of fact, this morning, when I checked, it had a coat of mold over the entire surface. I'm going to get a new piece and properly seal it so I can be sure of good wood. I can always use the other piece somewhere else later. 

So any suggestions to help me seal that leak?? I'd prefer to stay away from re-welding if possible.


----------



## jigngrub

Loc-tite makes a 2 part epoxy weld for metals, you can find it in the paint department of Wal-mart. I used it on a crack in my bow and it flows nicely to fill the void. Some other folks use JB weld.

Good call on replacing the lower deck plywood.

Aren't you glad you decided to go ahead and pull the decking now.


----------



## whistler

jigngrub said:


> If you'll read here:
> 
> https://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Rivets.html
> 
> You'll see that some blind rivets can be as strong or stronger than solid rivets.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Strength of blind rivets (compared to solid rivets )
> 
> The strength of blind rivets as given in suppliers tables is generally the ultimate strength at failure. In comparing the strength of blind rivets with conventional solid rivets (same material ) the solid rivets are generally stronger than blind rivets for the blind rivets where the blind rivet mandrel breaks off below the shear line. For the blind rivets where the mandrel breaks off above the shear line the blind rivets are generally stronger.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jigngrub this is turning into a peeing match and that's not what I intended to do. Sorry this is happening. In your quote above I would like to ask for my better understanding what is the deciding factor as to where the mandrel breaks off? Is it the type rivet used or just a some do some don't luck of the draw type of thing?
> 
> 
> 
> jigngrub said:
> 
> 
> 
> As I've stated before, the closed end blind rivets aren't your normal run of the mill wimpy pop rivet, and until you've used them you probably won't understand.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


I am aware of the type rivet you're speaking of I have several and my tool will not set them. For discussion purposes and to help everyone including myself understand and maybe learn a thing or two, how do you explain that all boat manufactures (that I've seen) use solid rivets for the hulls of their aluminum boats. All of our aircraft and the all aluminum Freightliner truck uses solid rivets. Again I'm not saying they are absolutely better but there's got to be something for the majority of the aluminum manufacturing process, when structural integrity in needed they use solid rivets. Maybe with the gauges used after setting them they can be more absolute that every single rivet is up to snuff and correct. Again jigngrub don't take this that I'm putting anything that you're doing as 2nd rate. I'm sure after reading your post your are up to the task, an anything you do will work fine. Are we OK with that part?


----------



## kofkorn

Managed to get the front deck off this morning. The entire thing was glued to each of the supports. Luckily I was able to remove it without damaging the plywood. The plywood on the front deck was in much better shape. I am going to sand it down, and coat it the same as the lower deck. I also picked up a new piece of arauco plywood for the lower deck today. Now I need to wait for the epoxy resin to arrive and then I can start on the building side of the job. 

I've started making some measurements of the panels so I can get an idea of how much vinyl I need to order. I may try to layout the pieces in my drawing program so I can get the best fit for all of my pieces with the minimum amount of waste. 

I've still got a bunch of cleaning to do to get rid of the remainder of the residue on the panels. But at this point, all seems to be going well.


----------



## kofkorn

One additional question: Does any one know if the Nautolex Vinyl is a directional pattern? Will I need to orient everything the same way, or can I place items as I need to minimize usage?


----------



## spotco2

I would just clean it, scuff it and apply a marine epoxy. You can always water test it in the shop by putting water inside the boat to see if it leaks back out.

I'm glad you are doing these pics. I've got a 90 model that I am gong to have to go through before to long and wondered how some of the interior was assembled.

I would recommend completely replumbing that live well drain. There are a lot of people that have leaks in that area and it is almost impossible to fix without taking half of the boat apart. 

Keep up the good work.


----------



## kofkorn

Spotco, the reason that I decided to do the post was that I couldn't find a thread that showed the images of how to take the whole thing apart, and I figured it might be a good reference for others in the future. Glad that I can help. I'll look into the livewell hose. I know from other posts that when the livewell drain goes, you can be looking at a whole bunch of water in your boat really quickly.

I took some measurements yesterday and played around with the layout of the vinyl, trying to figure out how much I need. I don't want to buy too much extra, as there isn't any way to return any less than 3 feet that's uncut. 

Here's the layout of the boat as I measured it: The position of the console and seat boxes are approximate.



After playing around with the arrangements, I figure I need about 24 feet of 72" wide vinyl. 

That's a LOT more than I was originally expecting to use. I gave myself about a 3" border around all of the original shapes to allow me to wrap the vinyl around the edges and tack it down. This has to be ordered in 3 foot increments. I might be able to reduce it by three feet by not redoing the console and seat boxes, but I might as well do it right...

I have a full scale editable copy of the layout in a .SVG (Scaled Vector Graphic) format if anyone wants it. It can be edited using a free program called Inkscape. Just send me a PM, I can't upload it here.

Now on to the painful step of ordering the material. Oh, well, in for a penny, in for a pound.


----------



## kofkorn

I've been working on the long and tedious task of removing the old carpet backing and glue from the various parts and pieces that were covered. It's been about 4 days of work with about 3 hrs per day. I've been using a sharp chisel to scrape the glue off of the aluminum parts, as the sanding disks and wire brushes are loading up with glue too quickly to make them useful. I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with one seat box, the front casting deck and the front vertical panel left to do. I'm hoping the casting deck goes quickly with a sanding disk, but we'll have to see. 

I've got boxes of parts and tools arriving daily. It feels like Christmas already  I'm thinking that I'll be starting the rebuild within a week or two. My hope is to be completed before the Christmas break. 

I got in a new water pressure gauge and line yesterday along with a trim gauge. Unfortunately, I think the trim sending unit off of the parts motor is bad, which is not something I expected to replace. I'm having a real hard time finding the correct part number to order, as the sending unit is not showing up on any of the parts diagrams online. 

Some pictures of the bad unit:





If anyone has a similar part on their motor, can you let me know what the part# might be? Even your model and year of the motor could help me track it down.

Thanks!


----------



## jigngrub

Yes, the Nautolex vinyl is directional... and you can really tell when a piece is turned the wrong way. I saw a pic of some someone had done with a piece turned the wrong way and it stuck out like a sore thumb.

I used 33 linear feet for my 17' deep V.

Remember, the piece you cut out of a hatch hole will not cover the hatch for that hole! You want to have the same 3" wrap on the inside of your hatch holes and on your hatches too. You need to order extra for all of your hatches.


----------



## kofkorn

Well that really bites... the amount of waste that I'm going to have is huge. I'll have to look into updating my order  It didn't look directional from the sample pictures I saw, but oh well. 

Thanks for the comment on using the cutout for the same compartment. That's what I had planned on. I was going to use the bilge cutout for the livewell covers. The bilge is much larger, so it shouldn't be a problem. 

On the good side, I just found the part number for the sending unit. It was in the steering swivel and tilt portion of the parts diagram and very faded and difficult to see. One 0583690 Sender unit on order!


----------



## jigngrub

Sorry about the late answer on the vinyl being directional.

Your top drawing of the boat pieces is how I did my boat, I designated one end of the roll the "bow" and went from there. I originally ordered 27' of vinyl and had to order back 6 more feet. :roll: 

You may not have as much scrap left as you think, after all was said and done with mine I had considerably less than a square yard left.

You may want to go ahead and use what you have ordered and then order back when you have less parts to figure, because some of your scrap will be useable on other parts.


----------



## kofkorn

Thanks for the info anyway. It's certainly better to know what I need instead of having to figure it out later. I've crudely played with the layout to reorient everything in one direction, and I think I'll be able to get away with the amount that I have. I might do a little patchwork with something less important like the seat boxes or something like that, but I think I can make it work. I might be able to seam one of the side panels behind the console or something. I'll update the layout tonight.

I dread having to go back to my wife and let her know that I need to order even more... :shock: I am way over budget already...


----------



## kofkorn

OK, here's the updated layout with all of the items oriented in one direction, to give the best appearance:



I received the vinyl in last night, and upon initial inspection, I don't think that the orientation is very obvious. I'll have to check again when I get a chance to cut a larger piece off and inspect it better. 

Last night I played around with some of the electrics, and I managed to get the flasher/sounder running. The power/sensitivity switch was not functioning properly, not supplying power to the flasher unit. I opened the switch enclosure and bypassed the switch contacts and got it running. Now I'll just have to install an external power switch. 

It's a good thing to have the flasher running, but now I need to find a location for my Trim/Tilt gauge. I'm thinking I'll make a small panel in the location where the stereo head unit was. Additionally, I was going to use the mounting bracket for the flasher transducer to mount my Garmin 300C transducer. I'll have to add a second mount onto the transom now. 

Oh well, more work to keep me busy.


----------



## whistler

kofkorn, I guess everyone around here uses carpet from Lowes, so I don't know that I've seen the Nautolex before. Is there anything you can compare it to that I might get a pic in my mind of what you're dealing with. I went to the website but that didn't help. Your project sound like some of mine, you get started and it just keeps getting deeper but it's easier and cheaper to do it now than to cut corners and have to lick your wounds later. Keep up the good work.


----------



## jigngrub

I just did my boat in Nautolex:






What are you doing with a flasher KK? Gonna fish straight down like fishing through a hole in the ice? :wink: 

My HB 747 has a flasher mode, but I don't ever use it.


----------



## kofkorn

Hi Whistler, 

I went into this expecting some re-work, but I didn't think it would go as far as it has. I was really hoping to only have to re-carpet the rear deck, thinking that the front and main casting decks were in good condition. I was going to just remove and put back the livewell and bilge covers, and re-carpet only what I had torn up. When I found that the plywood had been untreated before applying the carpet, it turned into a whole different project. At this point, I've taken so much apart that I decided to go with the vinyl instead of carpet. I hate having wet carpet, it never drys out and gets your pants wet when you kneel down. Now I need to replace every piece of carpet on the boat, a much larger and more laborious task than I originally hoped. 

I am still very glad I did it, as I probably wouldn't have found half the issues that I've seen without it. 

As to the flasher Jigngrub, I am a tinkerer at heart. It was as much of the challenge of getting it going again as finding a use for it. My thought is to use it more as a depth sounder than a fish finder. I've already got an Eagle 320 on the trolling motor, and I'll take my Garmin 300C and mount it so it is visible to the driver and the rear casting deck. In the end, it may get yanked anyway . But I would have had to take it apart to find out what was wrong with it, as it would bother me to no end until I found out . 

I'm an engineer, and no questions can go unanswered... I have about a 95% success rate at finding out what is wrong and about a 75% success rate getting it back together after  I've been this way as long as I can remember, and my wife just rolls her eyes and lets me go... Good woman 

JnG, wanted to tell you that you did a great job on your boat. I hope mine turns out half as well as yours did. Mine didn't start with all of the nice aluminum trim around the covers, so it's certainly going to look a lot more plain.


----------



## jigngrub

I'm glad you mentioned the aluminum trim KK, I've been meaning to tell you about that.

There wasn't a single piece of aluminum trim in my boat before I ripped the carpet out. Carpet is a lot thicker and the pile/knap hides a lot of cracks and gaps, vinyl does not. You will find that your hatch openings will be a lot bigger than the hatch itself. You'll want to "fir" your hatch openings in with wood firring strips to make them smaller... but not too small.

I left about 1/4-5/16" on both sides and 3/8" on the front where the handles to the hatch are. This allows the hatch to open easily. I then fastened aluminum angle to the hatch lid to cover these gaps and hide any irregularities. All of the aluminum trim in my boat is aluminum angle, and all of it is hiding cracks/gaps and irregularities... I call it *Sin Remover*.

All I couls see is 3 hatches on your boat, 4 if you count the bilge cover... so you have half as many as I do. You may be a better saw man than I am and may be able to get away with tighter tolerances than I did and not need any angle at all... but I think it does give the final job a nice finished appearance.

It is imperative that you do a "dry fit" with your hatches in their openings before applying the Nautolex to your decking and hatches to make sure you have the fit you want... as a matter of fact, you should dry fit all of you plywood in your boat before applying the vinyl to see if you need to add any firring here or there for the fit you want... and since you're an engineer, I'm sure you'll finger it out with a lot less problems than I had.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask or PM me.


----------



## kofkorn

Good point on the gap openings. One of the biggest problems I had with the carpeting that the PO did was that it made the compartments extremely tight. I had to use two hands to open each one. It was another reason for the switch to vinyl. 

I'll be sure to do a dry fit as you suggested. I can probably quickly staple the vinyl to the wood pieces and maybe use some clamps or small applications of hot glue to tack the vinyl in place on the aluminum panels. The good thing is that I really only have two compartments to worry about, the Bilge and the Livewell. The cover on the front compartment doesn't set into a frame, and is just a panel over a hole, so there won't be any edge gaps to worry about. With the tight fit on the other two compartments, I'm hoping the gaps won't be too large, but I can easily adjust for them by adding in some wood spacers. 

When you did your hinged compartments, did you go over the hinge with the vinyl, or did you cut it and leave the hinges exposed?? If you covered the hinges, how does it look when you open the compartments? Do you get bunching? 

I'm waiting for the rivet gun and a few other miscellaneous pieces to come in so I can get started re-assembling in the next few days. 

Thanks for the info!!


----------



## spotco2

The hinges in the pic on page 3 look exposed to me.

I'm not sure that you could go over the hinges and make it look good.


----------



## jigngrub

Hinges exposed, wrap decking and hatches individually, then install hinge on hatch, then install hatch in decking, then install decking in boat.

I did mortise (notch) out 1/8" for the hinge in the deck pieces so the hinge edge of the hatch would fit snug to the decking when the hatch was closed. You can see the cuts on the left and right sides of this pic.





Here's a pic of the hatches wrapped





With only 2 hatches, it'll be a breeze for you. :wink:


----------



## kofkorn

Thanks for the details! The carpet that I removed went over the hinges, so now they are covered in the adhesive. I'll have to brush them well to get rid of it all and clean them up. 

The hatches I have are all on the aluminum parts of the boat, so the hinges are welded onto the cover. That's going to make the vinyl have an edge near the hinge. I'm hoping the glue will be strong enough to prevent edges from peeling up.

I like the trim idea, It might be my fall back if the dry fit doesn't look too good. 

I had a night off last night, but I'll be back at it tonight. 

Thanks for all the help!


----------



## jigngrub

I got the angle for the trim at Home Depot, they sell it in 8' sticks.


----------



## whistler

jigngrub said:


> I just did my boat in Nautolex:



It absoultly looks great and like a brand new rig! You did a great job on the install. How does it feel to touch or walk on when wet? I might be asking dumb questions but everyone around here either leaves their boat as it comes from the factory or installs carpet. I live in a rural area and we have NO boat dealers closer than and hour. Even those carry minimal aftermarket supplies but give you the " we can order it for you" speech. I can't go look at this type of stuff. I'm just wanting to get some idea of what Nautolex is from a personal description and not what a magazine says about it.


----------



## jigngrub

whistler said:


> How does it feel to touch or walk on when wet?



It is a smooth raised pebble grain finish to the touch (hand) and is very non slip wet or dry. It could actually be considered abrasive under the right circumstances, like if you make a fist and drag your knuckles over it while applying pressure... you'll end up with scraped knuckles. I know this from using the roller to install it and letting my knuckles get a little too close to the vinyl. It's kind of like a sidewalk, but smoother to the touch. I think the only thing that would make it slick is frost or ice, but everything is slick with that stuff on it.


----------



## whistler

jigngrub said:


> whistler said:
> 
> 
> 
> How does it feel to touch or walk on when wet?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is a smooth raised pebble grain finish to the touch (hand) and is very non slip wet or dry. It could actually be considered abrasive under the right circumstances, like if you make a fist and drag your knuckles over it while applying pressure... you'll end up with scraped knuckles. I know this from using the roller to install it and letting my knuckles get a little too close to the vinyl. It's kind of like a sidewalk, but smoother to the touch. I think the only thing that would make it slick is frost or ice, but everything is slick with that stuff on it.
Click to expand...


Thanks jigngrub that certainly helps. This marine grade stuff is all new to me. As mentioned if not green paint as from the boat factories or gray carpet also from the factory or Lowes, I just don't know much about it. when you fellows start talking about vinyl I can't keep from thinking about my kitchen floor. In case my wife reads this I like our kitchen floor  I just don't want a boat full of it! Thanks Again jig!


----------



## kofkorn

Tonight I finished removing the carpet from the aluminum panels and prepped them by quickly hitting them with a 36 grit disc. 



I also took all of the carpet backing off of the casting deck, getting that ready for sealing. This was a little more challenging than I expected. It really took a lot of concentration to take off the carpet adhesive without digging into the wood too much. The surface of the plywood is really uneven now. I may flip it over to use the bottom side which didn't need as much sanding.



I used my angle grinder with a 36 grit disc with a backing disc. The glue was very intensive and really gummed up the discs. I had an older sanding belt eraser that really extended the life of the sanding discs. Even still, it took two discs to clean off the casting deck. You can see the little stub of the eraser that I used, it certainly has paid for itself many times over. 
Here's the disc before hitting it with the eraser:



and immediately after cleaning it:



Now I've got a huge mess all through the boat and the garage to clean up before I get around to applying the sealer to the plywood panels. Hopefully I can get started on those this weekend.

One additional question for the group; What's the best way to get the solid rivets out of the hull? I am concerned that I won't be able to drill exactly in the center of the rivet and may have issues removing them. Should I grind them close to flush with the surface and then try to drive them through with a drive pin?



I've gotten most of my components and tools in, so now I should be able to move forward more quickly. Keeping my fingers crossed that I won't get too much snow on my car before the project is finished


----------



## jigngrub

You should be able to carefully grind those rivets off.

Looking good on the adhesive removal.

What are you going to use to seal the plywood with? Urethane? Epoxy?


----------



## kofkorn

I can grind the rivet flat from the inside, but they are under the stickers on the outside of the boat. I was hoping to keep from damaging them too badly. 

I had been thinking that I could grind the inside flat, cut the outside sticker around the rivet and then use a nailset to drive it out. However when I grind the rivet flat, the edges disappear, and it becomes really difficult to find where to drive. I may try to reveal the edges using a bit of oil. 

I received the 635 epoxy yesterday, so I can get started sealing this weekend. I'm sure it's going to take a while to dry, as the temps have dropped quite a bit. Hopefully today I can cut out the main deck and then clean up all of the dust. I need to give myself some space to work.


----------



## jigngrub

Use a marker and make some reference points around the rivet like a 2" square or right angle from the center of the rivet before grinding, then measure over to the center of the rivet if you need to.


----------



## kofkorn

Great idea! thanks!


----------



## kofkorn

Jig, your comment on marking the holes worked great. I had a bit of an issue figuring out where the rivets were that I had previously ground down, but the others worked very well. I had to back the side of the boat with a support, as the side would bounce when I struck the rivet. Once I put the board there and fixed it with my foot or knee, it took 2 or 3 strikes on the rivet to pop it out.



I cleaned out the back of the boat and started putting the vertical panel behind the seats back in place. I'll need to rebuild the entire rear compartments before covering it all with the vinyl. Getting the rivet holes aligned is quite a challenge. I had to use some persuasion to get them aligned and popped. I'm especially concerned with the through-hull holes, as I don't want to drill any extra holes through the hull. I was able to get them aligned this way.



However, there is a bit of an issue, as I am unable to access one rivet on each side. They are blocked by the wheel well on the trailer. I may have to find a way to either raise the boat or slide it back past the wheel well. I'm thinking that for the short time I'm going to need to get it riveted, that I should be able to raise it up with a jack and a few supports near the transom. If I slide it back I'll need to either remove the side bunks or carefully work around them. If I don't have the rivet tool square to the surface, the rivet won't be flush to the boat. 



I am REALLY disappointed in the rivets that I purchased. On about half of them, the mandrel isn't properly captured in the rivet body. After you pump the tool the first time, the mandrel drops down, so when you go to re-grip it with the tool, it doesn't allow you to pull on the rivet any further. I end up having to use Vice grips to pull the mandrel out and then drill the rivet and re-set it with a new one. Don't get these if you have a choice!!



More to come...


----------



## jigngrub

Where did you get those rivets KK?


----------



## kofkorn

I cut out the main deck this morning, using the original as a guide. I took out the hole in the center of the board and added a few drain holes at the back of the deck. My thought was that the water is always going to run to the edges and towards the back and never in the center of the deck. 



I got the first coat applied to the top of the decking. It's like trying to spread Elmer's glue, but I'm sure that it will protect the wood well. It looks like I should have enough to give two good generous coats with the amount I've got. As I expected, it's going to take a good long while to dry off. I'm going to see if I can get a hold of a kerosene heater to warm up the garage a bit and speed up the drying time.




I've been playing around with the idea of a little extra storage under the front casting deck. The foam under the front casting deck leaves a lot of extra room underneath. It's too tempting  I'm thinking about a small storage box in front of the seat that I can use for a few of my plastic cases and other fishing accessories. I've also thought about a couple of tubes that I can use for rods or maybe I can use the tubes for the navigation light storage and then use the space on the side of the deck for rod storage. That's the one thing that I feel is missing from this boat, rod storage.




Jig, the rivets came from McMaster Carr, which surprises me, as I've always had good experience with their products before. The sealed end rivets are fine and work well, but the open ended ones are a PITA. I might contact them and get my money back. It's not worth the hassle. 

On top of that, I got the shortest handled version of long handle rivets I could find. They work well, but even these shorter handles limit where I can put rivets. I really wish I had the money and need for a pneumatic rivet gun


----------



## kofkorn

Managed to get a couple of more hours in tonight. The epoxy is drying VERY slowly. I set up a Kerosene heater to elevate the temp in the garage, to help it set quicker. I'm hoping to be able to flip it tomorrow and do the first coat on the bottom sides. I am sure that the second coat will take three times as long. 

I tackled the livewell this evening. It had a whole bunch of deposits built up over the years and looked pretty cruddy. I first tried the cupped wire brush, and while it cleared off the gunk, it took a really long time. So next I went to some steel wool that I had available. That actually worked pretty well, and was faster than the cupped brush. After a bit, I decided to hit the deposits with some Simple Green cleaner. Wow, what a difference. I was able to spray it on, wait a minute and then wiped everything off with a rag. It took nearly all of the deposits off without any effort.




I also started cutting foam to replace what I took out when I opened everything up. I'll use 2 pieces of 2"x2'x8' insulation under the rear casting deck, plus 1 piece of 1.5" x 2' x 8' for under the two side panels. The PO had replaced the foam under the main deck, so that's going back down. 



It feels good to be finally putting things back together


----------



## spotco2

Looking good!

A tip for jacking the boat up in the back so you can get to those rivets behind the fenders.

Drop the jack in the front all of the way down, support the transom of the boat and jack the front back up as far as it will go. This will hold the rear of the boat up and push the rear of the trailer down. Just don't forget to chock the tires while the boat is suspended. 

If this does not raise it enough, put some support blocks between the bottom of the boat and the bottom bunks to keep the boat up, drop the jack and do it again with taller blocks under the transom.


----------



## kofkorn

Thanks for the suggestion Spot. I have to put new bunks on the trailer, so I may try to kill two birds with one stone. I'm thinking of taking one of the new bunks, use some floor jacks and lift the entire side of the boat with the new bunk. Then I can set the rivets, and replace the rotted bunks at the same time. Then flip and repeat for the other side. I just got my new bunk slides in today, so I can get to it pretty soon.


I also got my new bow roller in today. The old one looks pretty beat up. I'm thinking of adding another roller near the middle support, as the local ramp here is pretty steep, and the last time I launched it, the keel scraped on the support when I was retrieving. 




I flipped the main and casting decks and started epoxying the bottom side. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to have enough epoxy to finish the bottom side of the casting deck. Since the bottom side of the casting deck didn't show any evidence of water, I'm going to use a few good coats of polyurethane instead. I can pick it up tomorrow for a heck of a lot less money. I did use the last of the epoxy to do a border around the outside of the casting deck, which is where the vinyl will be attached.



I also set up our kerosene heater to keep the garage a little warmer. The first coat was able to be handled in a little over 24hrs, so it wasn't as bad as I had feared.



I fit all of the foam under the rear casting deck. It went quite well using a handle made for a sawzall blade. There is one small area that needs to be filled with a piece of 1" foam to level the foam. 




Finally starting to see some progress in the right direction. I'm looking forward to seeing the final result.


----------



## whistler

kofkorn, The next time (not wishing any bad luck on you) you need to clean something like that live well again you might try a product called CLR. If you're not familiar with it CLR stands for Calcium, Lime, Rust, it removes most deposits from metal surfaces. Just a suggestion might ease the pain.


----------



## kofkorn

Thanks for the suggestion Whistler, I was honestly surprised at how easily it cleaned when I hit it with the Simple Green. I've used the CLR in the past, but didn't need it in this case.

I went to Home Depot today and picked up a quart of Spar Urethane. I used that on the bottom side of the casting deck, and I managed to put two solid coats on it today. I'll give it one more tomorrow after it dries.



I used my dremel to clean out the leaking weld. Then I coated it with JB Weld Marine. I'll let that set for the next couple of days.




I'm guessing that it is going to be pretty busy over the next few days. It'll give the epoxy on the decks a good chance to solidify before I start applying the vinyl.

Have a great Turkey Day!


----------



## jigngrub

Looking real good KK!

You may want to sand the epoxy before applying the adhesive for the vinyl to give it some extra grip, I used 120 grit to dull the shine on mine.


----------



## kofkorn

Definitely a good idea. I'll wait until after the holiday, as it's still tacky right now. 
Thanks!


----------



## kofkorn

It's been a slow few days with the Thanksgiving Holiday and prepping the house for Christmas. I managed to get a little done, but most of my efforts have been to finish up the urethane on the front casting deck and to arrange all of the little details related to the plumbing on the boat. 

I ran the new hose for the water pressure gauge from the port on the motor with little problems. I stretched the tubing out for a day or two before running it. It made a world of difference as it was all coiled up in the package. I originally tried to pull it through by using some electrical tape to connect the end of the old hose to the end of the new and pull it through the wiring loom. That really didn't work, so I got out my wiring fish tape and just ran it separate outside of the loom. I'll just snip the old tubing as much as I can to get it out of the way. 

I also received in my new livewell drain hose and fill tubing. Now getting this out was a serious challenge. It made me think that my original goal of leaving the foam side compartments in was not so swell. I was able to free both ends of the livewell drain hose by using various tools to remove as much of the foam around the hose as possible. Once I was able to get the ends free, I was figuring that I should be able to apply a bit of force to pull the hose through the opening that was there. This is where working blind really hurt me. I found out (after the fact) that the hose is held in place to two of the frame members by plastic loops. I figured that they placed it in the correct spot and let the expanding foam do its job. So after pulling, wrenching, destroying and scraping my knuckles raw for about a half an hour, I managed to get it free by using my longest sawzall blade with a manual handle and slicing the hose lengthwise. When I did this, I cut through the plastic loops as well. This made it fairly easy to pull the hose through as I was originally intending. Running the new hose was fairly straightforward. I did discover that Tracker used some pretty cheap plastic hose for the drain. The same stuff that is listed online as not to be used for below waterline use.




I also took my palm sander and cleaned up the bilge floor. Again pretty straightforward except for the gunk under the VRO tank. This stuff gummed up my sanding disk quickly, and even after scraping as much as possible with my chisel, it still gummed up another one before it was gone. But it looks pretty nifty right now compared to where it was.




I also put the floor back in place, now that the drain hose was in. This was pretty easy, but aligning the original holes on the second side took a bit of effort. I managed to get all of the original holes re-aligned and riveted. I'm really hoping to not have to drill any new holes, although I know it really wont affect anything.




Over the next few days, I'll be starting the work on the vinyl. I am concerned, as the epoxy still doesn't feel right yet. When I touch it, it still leaves a sticky residue on my hands, I did sand it down (again sacrificing a number of sanding disks), but even then, it feels like a residue is on the surface. If I prep the surface with Acetone, will this remove the residue, or am I looking at a major problem? I certainly don't want to lay down $250 worth of Nautolex to find out that it doesn't adhere to the surface. Any suggestions from the group??


----------



## kofkorn

I finally got a couple of the last pieces of plumbing in that were holding me up from buttoning up the rear area. In particular, I was having issues with the livewell plumbing. All of my own making of course. I ordered the wrong style of livewell pump, receiving one that attached to a ballcock instead of having a thru-hull fitting. I figured, no problem just get a thru-hull with a pipe fitting on it. Well after a bunch of searching I discovered that there is no such thing. So I settled just getting a thru-hull with a barbed connection and a barbed to NPT fitting to go on the pump itself. So I ordered my parts, got the thru-hull in and it was the wrong size. Who's fault??? Mine, of course. Oh well. All's right now. I just need to tie in the bilge pump to the existing thru-hull and it'll be complete.



So I used the 3M 5200 to seal the thru-hull and livewell drain hose. Man is that nasty stuff. It sticks to everything and does NOT come off. I'm guessing it'll be days before I get it off my hands. But I am sure that anything sealed with that will never leak. After that, I was able to put the entire rear deck back in place.



It's really starting to come back together. I picked up some acetone today to wipe down the epoxy on the plywood sheets. It specifically states on the container that it is an excellent product to use on fiberglass jobs to remove residue. I'm hopeful that it will take care of the residue on the epoxy. 

I also picked up a can of pimento red paint that I'm going to use to add some accent colors in various locations around the boat. It should match the new seats well and should dress it up nicely. I'm thinking of doing the two aluminum rails inside the main deck (where the light posts are mounted and near the controls) and maybe the seat mounts. Should be interesting


----------



## kofkorn

I can't wait to see this thing done. It's really starting to come together. This weekend I did a little painting, and some foam cutting to finish up the floor. 

Ever since I got the seats from AHAB, I've been really wondering how to bring some of the color into the boat. The outside has some good looking (Albeit, old) graphics that have multiple shades of red, black and white on it. So I went to Lowes and picked up a can of "Heritage Red" that matched the seats exactly. It matches one of the red shades on the graphics perfectly as well. So I decided to adapt the graphics on outside to the inside of the boat. I took the two aluminum rails that cover the side panels and masked them off for paint. Here is the result:



I thought they came out pretty well. I used the Heritage Red and a satin black together. I also hit the seat bases with the satin black. I think with some stainless screws, these will look really sharp.



I also mixed up a batch of epoxy to coat the little console between the two seats. I coated the light poles at the same time. They were really bad, giving me fiber splinters every time I touched them. I'm not quite as happy how the poles turned out, as there were some small bubbles in the epoxy that didn't come out, but they are functional.



And finally this weekend I finished up the foam in the main deck. The PO had replaced the original foam with some basic Styrofoam. I had some extra of the blue and pink left over, so I decided to use that instead.



The biggest trick with this was managing the wiring harness and cutting the foam to fit. I ended up using some aluminum tape that is used to seal flue pipes. This stuff is REALLY sticky and held the harness in place perfectly. A few cuts in the foam, and everything was all set.



I cleaned the epoxy coatings with acetone this weekend. It really did the trick, getting rid of the tacky feel and really solidifying it up. I've been dragging my feet getting the vinyl started, as I'm not entirely comfortable cutting into the expensive roll, but I really don't have a whole lot left to complete. 

More to come!!


----------



## fool4fish1226

Getting closer and closer!! Keep up the good work, it is all worth it in the end


----------



## bulldog

Looking great so far. Great posts also. Lots of info for other Tracker owners.


----------



## kofkorn

Thanks for the encouragement guys! The main reason for this thread bulldog is that I couldn't find the info I was looking for on this site originally, so I figured I'd put it up here to help out the next guy. That and the ability to have a good record of what I've done for future reference by myself  It's amazing what you can forget about once you cover it up...


----------



## bulldog

kofkorn said:


> Thanks for the encouragement guys! The main reason for this thread bulldog is that I couldn't find the info I was looking for on this site originally, so I figured I'd put it up here to help out the next guy. That and the ability to have a good record of what I've done for future reference by myself  It's amazing what you can forget about once you cover it up...



I couldn't agree more. I'm going to sell my rig soon and my build thread will be a huge help for potential buyers.


----------



## kofkorn

I finally got around to cleaning the two side panels last night. I used a wire cup brush on my 3/8 drill and it worked like a charm, but it still took me about 1 hr to do both panels. 



I also enlisted the help of my wife to install the two painted side rails for the side panels last night. I needed her to press and align the rivet holes while I popped the rivets in place. I tried doing it by myself, but the grip range of the rivets is on the very limit of the thickness of the stacked up materials. Once I had her helping, it worked great.



I had to play with the routing of the wire looms through the foam to align them with the holes in the aluminum side panels. Now that it's all lined up, I can get around to laying the vinyl.



And lastly, I replaced the throttle controls. It took a little effort to get the holes re-aligned, but I got them in the end. So far, no new holes have been drilled 



Tonight, Vinyl. I swear...


----------



## JonBoatfever

Looks great!


----------



## donutman

opcorn: Good stuff in here and a GREAT job! So this is what it feels like to be addicted to day time soaps. Can't wait for the next installment.


----------



## kofkorn

I had my first real "UH OH" moment this morning. I started on the vinyl last night, and I'm a bit confused by the instructions on the Nautolex 88 adhesive. It states that you should apply the adhesive like a thick layer of white paint. For installation over fiberglass, apply a thin coat to the bottom of the vinyl as well. Then wait until the "Wet" stage is over and the adhesive is tacky and put the layers together and smooth out the bubbles. 

Well I applied the adhesive to both the casting deck and the vinyl and waited a while. It certainly felt tacky, but there didn't appear to be any visible difference vs when I applied the adhesive. I then put the two layers together and rolled out the bubbles. 

I went down into the garage this morning to check, and it appears that the adhesive didn't work at all. It was no better than slapping a layer of peanut butter on both surfaces and put them together. As a matter of fact, it sounded just like peanut butter when I peeled them apart. 

I'm hoping Jigngrub will pop in with a little experience on his end, as he seems to have had good success with his vinyl. How long should it dry before applying the vinyl to the decking? There is no timing anywhere in the Nautolex instructions, so I'm flying blind here. 

Anyone else with experience with this type of water based vinyl adhesive???

I will say, if I get this right, it should look really nice:


----------



## jigngrub

I'm here KK.

The 88 adhesive is a little tricky. I wait for it to dry enough so that when I touch it with my finger it is still sticky/tacky but it doesn't stick to my finger (my finger comes away clean and not with a gob of glue on it). The 88 bond isn't immediate, as a matter of fact it takes about 3 or 4 days to cure to a strong bond, longer than that if the temps are cool. I'm thinking your vinyl would've been ok had you let it cure.

Are you using the carpet roller to press the vinyl into the glue? Rolling your pieces once a day until the 88 cures will keep air bubbles from forming as well.

How are you doing your edges and the fold around to the back?


----------



## kofkorn

Thanks for the info JNG. I hadn't peeled up the whole thing, only one corner to see how the adhesion went. I might take the panel out of the garage and put it into our finished basement tomorrow. I'll let it set there over the weekend and see how it reacts. I'm encouraged by the fact that the drying time is that long. It is definitely cool down in the garage, maybe around 50 or so. 

I was planning on letting the main surface dry enough to prevent any movement and then use some 3M Super 90 contact adhesive around the edges, along with some Monel or Stainless staples to fix it in place. I figured that this will hold the edges more quickly, and since they will be tucked under the deck and trapped between the wood and aluminum frame, they wouldn't go anywhere. 

I'll keep on going with the 88, I'll just have to set out a bunch of drying racks 

Thanks!


----------



## jigngrub

The 88 may take a week or 2 to completly cure at 50*.

Your plan for the edges and back sounds good. If you staple, use the stainless because they don't bend as much as the monel... you'll spend more time pulling mangled monel staples back out than stapling.

I bought a box of 1000 stainless 3/8" staples for $10 online at Home Depot with free shipping.

As I mentioned earlier, roll your finished pieces once a day for any air bubble that may form... I had a few. You can spot the bubbles if you'll tilt your piece up and view it at an angle, it's really hard to see them straight on because of the texture of the vinyl.


----------



## kofkorn

So thanks to Jigngrub from walking me back from the edge. It appears that for some reason, the issue is really only with the corners. When I looked a little closer, the edges of the glue around the rest of the sides appeared to be adhering pretty well. So last night I continued on a little more and did a couple of the smaller panels using the scrap material that was left from the first cut. 

I am much happier with the results so far.




I made a trip to the local Lowe's this morning looking for the stainless steel staples. I found them in the hardware area, hanging on a peg. I ended up getting some 5/16" staples, as I've had problems with the staples being too long. Anyway when I got home I was disappointed to discover that I had purchased Monel staples instead of Stainless. They were side by side, with only one length of each. I figured I'd at least give them a try instead of making a run back to Lowe's to replace them. To my surprise, they worked perfectly. I haven't had a single one bend over yet. I wonder if the staple length is more of an issue than the material.




So today with the spray adhesive and the staples, I folded the edges of the casting deck over and stapled them in place. I am VERY happy with the results. The staples hold very well, I tried them on a scrap of material, and they are very hard to remove. Plus with the spray adhesive and the fact that the folded edges will be captured when I rivet the boards down, I am quite convinced that this flooring is going nowhere.



When it comes to the edges of the aluminum panels. I may end up using extra rivets a various locations to ensure a mechanical fix as well as the adhesive. The edges do appear to be sticking OK, but I am concerned that they will come up over time. I think this will be especially critical when it comes to the rear casting deck. I am also thinking about using some clear silicone adhesive to seal the edges all around. I really don't want those to start peeling.



I also did a quick dry fit of the livewell cover to see how big of a gap I need to deal with. The gap is enormous, nearly 1". I am sure that will be a little less when the vinyl is in place, but I am thinking of filling in the gaps with some wood shims. That, in combination with the aluminum angle trick that Jigngrub did should cover any gaps that remain.




So more vinyl to come tonight...


----------



## shmelty

Looking great!!


----------



## kofkorn

Hi Shmelty, thanks for the compliment! I was down in Bridgewater last weekend visiting a friend. Nice area. 

I enlisted the help of my wife tonight on the vertical panel between the casting deck and the main deck. I figured it would be challenging, as it's difficult enough to manage the flat horizontal panels by myself. 

I was at Lowes this weekend and walked through the flooring dept to look at the tools. I noticed a spreader for sheet adhesive that seemed to be perfect for what I am doing. So I picked one up. What a difference!! This spreads the adhesive MUCH faster and far more evenly than I could do with a brush. I highly recommend one if someone else is planning on doing this in the future.



In this case, I pre-cut the panel to fit, using clamps to temporarily hold it in place. We then spread the adhesive along the back of the vinyl and the front of the vertical panel. With help, we positioned it and used a strip of plywood along the top of the panel to hold the top flap in place.



Then we used one of the scrap pieces of styrofoam to put some pressure on the vertical portion of the panel. I had noticed when removing the carpet previously installed that the adhesion on the vertical panels was pretty poor. I am hoping that this will promote better adhesion in these areas.




I also laid out and adhered the vinyl for the main deck. This went much smoother with the use of the spreader and the extra experience I've already gotten. 



Tomorrow night I'll cut out and fit the rear deck. I'll probably also be fixing the edges of the main deck too.


----------



## kofkorn

Progress has been stead and busy, with Christmas shopping and family activities tossed in. 

The vinyl on the vertical panel under the front casting deck went quite well. The styrofoam pressure that I put onto it seemed to do a good job of adhering the vinyl to the aluminum. The only thing I would do differently would be to back it up with a piece of plywood to spread out the force a little more evenly. I still need to cut out the access panel and fold the edges back. 



I also folded and stapled the edges on the main deck. I must say, I am surprised by the Monel staples. I've probably shot about 300 of them, and I haven't had a single one bend over or fold up. I'm using 5/16" long. I wonder if the length is more of an issue than the material.



I cut out the rear casting deck and positioned it in place. I am concerned with the ability to keep the edges from peeling up once it's glued down. I am planning on using rivets at various locations, particularly in the corners to mechanically fasten the vinyl down to the deck. I may use some silicone sealant around the edges as well to keep them from peeling.




As I was positioning the vinyl, I started looking at the gaps for the livewell and bilge covers. I did consider doing the same thing that Jigngrub did with the aluminum angle, but I think I'm going to reduce the gaps using thin shims and covering them with the vinyl. I did all of the cutting last night to minimize the gaps.




I kept the shims for the hinges just a bit lower so that the top of the cover matches the top of the rest of the deck.



I found a 1/8" aluminum plate that I took a strip off of to use at the back of the bilge cover, where I won't be using vinyl to cover it. 



And tonight, I took all of the pieces and coated them with the last of the epoxy I had from the decking. Since these are under the vinyl, the epoxy is probably unnecessary, but at least this way, there will be no question. 



Tomorrow, I'll use the 5200 adhesive to secure the shims in place and then I'll get to adhering the vinyl in place. I see a lot of little details in my future. I'm thinking that my hope of finishing this before Christmas may not happen...


----------



## Brine

Your build is looking great man. Congrats. Not sure if you mentioned it earlier, but where did you buy the vinyl, and what was the cost?


----------



## kofkorn

Hi Brine, 

Thanks for the compliment! I'm really pleased with the progress, but I'm wanting it to be done. I need my car back in the garage. 

I ended up ordering the vinyl from Defender.com. They easily had the best price for the Nautolex. I think I paid about 18.99 / yd for the 72" wide material. I ordered the Storm Grey. They are close to me, so it arrived overnight with just ground shipping. I've seen other renovations online that used Defender as well. They seem to consistently have the best price on the Nautolex.


----------



## kofkorn

Quick work tonight. I just used the 3M 5200 to adhere the shims to the openings for the livewell and the bilge cover. It went smoothly. I'm glad I've been saving all of those bar clamps over the years...



Other than that, I worked a little on the console, filling the hole left when I removed the radio by putting in the new trim/tilt gauge, a 12V socket and a DPDT switch to flip the bilge between constant on - Auto on (float). 

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to glue the vinyl over the rear casting deck.


----------



## kofkorn

I got the rear deck vinyl on tonight. I only glued the top portion tonight, allowing it to dry before gluing the front of the deck tomorrow. 

I did a final check of the gaps for the bilge cover and livewell covers before laying out the vinyl. 



I used a few rivets to hold the position and stretch the vinyl out, and then put a few bags of wood pellets on top to add pressure to improve the adhesion.



And a couple of images of the extra panel I added to the console for the trim gauge:


----------



## kofkorn

Well it's been a very slow week, with Christmas shopping and wrapping and all of the holiday stuff, I've had a very limited amount of time to work on the project. The rear deck vinyl came out well. Due to all of the panels, rivets and seams in the deck, it doesn't lay very flat, but the texture on the Nautolex hides a lot. 

I did try to use a piece of plywood to support the foam insulation that was pressed up against the vertical panel. However when I would start adding some pressure to the board using the angled 2x4's, the whole foam sheet and vinyl panel would ride upward, leaving a large bubble at the top corner. So I scrapped the sheet of plywood and went back to using the 2x4's directly on the foam:



With all of the panels so far, the vinyl has been oversized and then cut to fit after gluing. However, the rear deck design doesn't really allow you to do it this way easily. So instead, during the installation of the vinyl on the rear deck, I used a few rivets through the vinyl to hold it in position and to keep it stretched out. You can see one in this image in the top left corner. I had one rivet in each corner of the deck to hold it tight and in position while gluing. I had my wife stretch and hold the material while I drilled and popped the rivets.



Now, I'm down to the last piece of vinyl off of the roll. It ends up being A LOT closer to the exact amount of vinyl I need than I expected. I took all of the remaining pieces and laid them out on the sheet to get an idea of the fit.



Last night, I glued the two livewell covers. The edge of the vinyl directly against the hinges does not get wrapped. I was concerned about this peeling up using just the vinyl adhesive. So I used some of the remaining 3M 5200 adhesive along this one edge. You can see a little bit of the white 3M on the edge of the vinyl against the hinge. 



One suggestion on the 3M is to wrap the tip of the tube with some electrical tape or similar tape and squeeze a bit of the adhesive out when it's wrapped. This allows the extra material that is squeezed out to form a new "Cap" that prevents the adhesive inside the tip from curing. I've used this same tube for over 3 weeks now without any issues at all, even though the tube says to use all of it within 48 hrs.

I also started wrapping the edges of the bilge cover yesterday. I am not planning on wrapping the vinyl under the cover edge, so I'm using some rivets to prevent the material from completely peeling up. I don't trust the contact adhesive over the long term without some mechanical backup method.



After cutting up the last piece of vinyl, I had JUST enough. I would suggest that anyone copying this order an extra yard of material (9 yds instead of 8), as I don't have a single piece of material larger than 10" x 12" left over, and I had to reduce the size of a couple of edge wrappings to make it all fit.




I have a vacation week next week, so I'm hoping to be able to squeeze in a little work among the holiday festivities  Happy Holidays to all!


----------



## spotco2

It's looking better and better with every post!

I bet you can't wait to get it finished and out on the water.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.


----------



## whistler

Been stopping by and taking a peak at your progress. Sorry I haven't jumped in and gave some positive feedback. Really is an outstanding job and not a half Ace fix. A fellow needs an attaboy every now and then. =D>


----------



## kofkorn

Thanks to both of you guys. I'm definitely very happy with the progress. I'm sure when I'm done that I'll have a brand new boat for less than 1/4 of the price. That's always been one of my joys in life, rehabbing older items. I've owned several 80's era motorcycles and I rebuilt one of those too. 

You always get more satisfaction out of something that you've put your own effort into. I can't wait to get it all finished up.

Thanks again!


----------



## fool4fish1226

kofkorn said:


> Thanks to both of you guys. I'm definitely very happy with the progress. I'm sure when I'm done that I'll have a brand new boat for less than 1/4 of the price. That's always been one of my joys in life, rehabbing older items. I've owned several 80's era motorcycles and I rebuilt one of those too.
> 
> You always get more satisfaction out of something that you've put your own effort into. I can't wait to get it all finished up.
> 
> Thanks again!



I agree there nothing like seeing a project from start to finish and then getting to enjoy it. You are doing a really great job with the boat I can not wait to see your future progress


----------



## whistler

kofkorn said:


> I've owned several 80's era motorcycles and I rebuilt one of those too. Thanks again!



and what might those be while I'll try not to derail this nice build you have going here.


----------



## kofkorn

I started out on a 1980 Yam XS400, moved up to an 81 Honda CB900F which I rebuilt and repainted, then finally an '85 Honda VF750 Magna. The Magna was my dream bike for a VERY long time. Unfortunately after owning it for about a year, I realized that it was a little too small of a frame for me and I wished I'd kept the CB900 instead. I never paid more than $2000 for any of the bikes I bought. Each of them needed a little elbow grease and a carb cleaning and were operating like tops when I got rid of them.

That was all until my daughter was born. Then out went the bikes and in came my little 14' Meyer boat. Much less risk on the fishing boat than on the bikes, much easier to get approved through the boss  And honestly, I had more fun working on them than I did riding them. 

Hence, the new project :mrgreen:


----------



## Bricball

I have 2 buddies that have this same boat....and bOTH of them had the same problem with pressure sending lines. I don't know if Tracker just put in shoddy lines or that this is just the first thing that fails? I don't know if Evinrude manufacture's the line or if its a 3rd party? but needless to say...it can cause MAJOR headaches like what you are going thru on this rebuild/refresh. After you are done...this boat will last 10 lifetimes. Keep up the good work. =D>


----------



## kofkorn

I don't know that the new line that I put in was of significantly better quality than what I took out. In my case, I think the line was fine right up until the mice got to it. I'm going to make sure that I do everything that I can to keep any future critters out. Mothballs and D-Con seem to be the most widely used. 

Progress is moving along. I finished up the openings for the livewell and the bilge. I used the 3M Super 90 spray adhesive with rivets to provide a mechanical backup. I'm not terribly concerned with the gaps in the vinyl in the corners. I may clean those up later. The spray adhesive provides a very good bond, but I riveted the flaps because I wasn't sure how the adhesive would hold up over time.



I also finished the livewell covers and assembled them in place. The gaps worked out very well, with only the slightest bind when I open them. I forgot to account for an extra thickness of vinyl when I wrapped the corners to cover the corner gaps. If not for that, the gaps would have been perfect. However, I am not disappointed with the results.





I also placed the port side panel back on. It's really starting to show what it is going to look like all together. I'm getting excited to see it finished.



I also worked on the triangular panel that covers the steering cable and the front panel for the bow casting deck. These two provided a new challenge because of the inside corners. I ended up using some longer wood scraps and my clamps to hold the vinyl in the correct position while drying. Next I need to wrap the edges.




I started wrapping the seat boxes, I'll wrap three sides before making the final length cut and then adhering the last side. 



One quick tip on putting rivets through the vinyl: If you simply pick a spot and start drilling, the wood/aluminum chips build up under the vinyl and are difficult to get out. Instead, I used a scrap piece of wood on top first. Then drill through it all, with the vinyl sandwiched between. This prevents the chips from getting under the vinyl and gives a clean hole. You can re-use the same hole in the scrap wood many times without issue.

I made a trip to Bass Pro Shops yesterday, to use couple of the gift cards that I got. It's nice having one about 20 min away. Anyway, I came away with some nice goodies


----------



## kofkorn

Well, the vacation week that I planned to use to get so much done on this project didn't work out as I expected. However, now I'm back in the regular routine, so I should be able to start wrapping things up. I did manage to get a few things done here and there, and it really looks good.

I finished up the bilge cover. The vinyl looks good, but I was a bit off on the thickness of the shim, and the cover stands a bit pround. Nothing ridiculous though. 



I also added the rear seat mount. I like the satin black against the vinyl, it looks sharp.



The starboard side panel went on quite well, even with the wiring routing through it. After that I was able to replace the cover over the steering cable and the cover over the warning alarm. I've made an effort to reuse all of the original holes, but in the case of the warning alarm cover, I probably should have done my own. It sits at a slight angle that is going to bother me. 




and lastly, I finished one of the seat boxes this week. This was relatively easy and looks great. 



One IMPORTANT comment. I ran out of the 3M 90 High Strength adhesive, so I went to get some more. Home Depot had both the 3M 90 High Strength and the 3M 80 for Rubber and Vinyl available. I decided to try the 80, as it should be better for applying vinyl. BAD IDEA. The 80 adhesive doesn't work half as well as the 90. I ended up pulling apart the wrapovers that I had used the 80 on (and they came apart easily) and redoing all of them with another can of the 3M 90. I remember seeing a discussion on another thread about the 80 vs. 90, and I can positively say that the 90 is a far better adhesive for what I am working on.

More to come tomorrow.


----------



## 89Suburban

OUTSTANDING work man!! =D>


----------



## shmelty

That's it!! I am going to have to stop posting updates to my build :| It will never even compare with this quality workmanship!! Great job!!! =D>


----------



## kofkorn

Trust me, the Nautolex is an amazing material and hides a whole lot of screw ups. When you really start to look at the decking closely, I see all kinds of issues. But thank you both for the compliments. I always hate having to redo something that wasn't done right the first time. I have a bathroom floor that I let someone else talk me out of doing my way. The stupid thing has cracked tiles and grout that is coming up. Now I will have to pull up the entire bathroom to redo it. :-x 

My wife knows when I get on something like this, it's the right way or not at all.


----------



## kofkorn

More work on the seat boxes and the console lower yesterday. If I'm correct, this should be the last of the vinyl application to be done. I had JUST enough to finish the project, and I actually had to piece together two scraps to finish one of the pieces of the seat box. Luckily, it went together well, and the heavy texture and random pattern of the Nautolex really hides the seam.



The back of the seat has an extra support piece that is riveted to the top. I had to seam one of these together (the one under the paint can):




I've also placed the front panel in place just to check fit. Looks good. Now to punch out and wrap the cutouts.



I also found a couple of other pics I had taken that show how I wrapped the corners of the bilge and livewell covers. This really cleaned up the corners and hid any evidence of the edges of the covers.





I'm working on the placement of a couple of seat bases in the main deck that I can use for additional passenger seating for the kids when we go out as a family. I'm thinking one directly in front of the console (snug fit) and one more kind of kitty corner to the console and slightly further back. The second one may be used as a fishing seat for a third person in the middle of the boat. I'd like to keep it symmetric to the first one, but if I did that, the second seat wouldn't be able to swivel. My thought is that using the removable bases, I will be able to remove the seating and have open deck when there is only one or two people. 

I'll be finalizing the layout tomorrow.


----------



## kofkorn

Boy is it really starting to come together. Last night, I finished nearly all of the vinyl wrapping. The only pieces left are to wrap the cutouts for the access door on the front storage and the holes for the tilt and fish finder on the front panel. 

The seat boxes came out great, and the console looks awesome. I am running into a bit of an issue with the width of the side panels across the bottom of the boat. For some reason, they are not laying fully up against the foam, and they are making the sides a little tighter than they should be. You can see in the picture that the seats when placed together with the little spacer in between don't fully sit flat on the floor. I'll have to do a dry fit of the floor to see how bad it is. 




I was originally planning on using my new stainless seat bases on the floor of the main deck, and the black painted seat bases up on the casting decks, while using a couple of older seat bases that came with the seats that I got from Captain Ahab on the seat boxes. However, there was an issue with the depth of the hull. The seat bases I bought were locking versions that are significantly longer than the non-locking seat bases. The depth of the hull from the top of the floor supports is about 2.5". So I can't use the locking bases in the main deck. I ended up using the locking bases on the casting decks, moved the black bases to the seat boxes and I'm going to cover the older bases in vinyl and put them on the main deck.




I did a dry fit of the front casting deck and it looks great!



I also took measurements of the ribs so that I'll know where to fasten the decks once they are in position. I thought it might be useful to other Tracker owners who may be looking for information about the structure.






I was able to play around with the deck layout a bit and managed to get everything in position as I expect to have it. I will have a removable seat just in front of the console for one of the kids, where I can put my tackle box if I'm alone. I'll also have an additional removable seat centered between the rear seats and the casting deck, and beside the console that could become a third fishing position and fourth seat for the kids. To get the seat in front of the console, I had to shift it backward by about 1 inch. 




So hopefully tonight, I'll be placing the seat bases on the main deck and doing a dry fit to see how everything lays out. Almost done!


----------



## 89Suburban

Excellent job man, what are those red and black pieces along the sides near the gunnels?


----------



## kofkorn

They are the tops of the side panels where foam insulation is covered. The insulation is about 1 1/2" thick below these rails and the exterior hull is exposed above them. They were originally bare aluminum, as you can see here in the picture. The holder for the navigation light is screwed into it:



I took them off and painted the red and black to match the stripes on the decals on the outside of the boat. 



The red also matches the color of the seats that I got from Captain Ahab. I'm really considering painting the plastic seat bases black. I think it will look AWESOME with the red seats, matching the rest of the color scheme, but I'm concerned about the durability of the paint on the plastic.


----------



## fool4fish1226

Looks awesome!!!!! Great Work =D>


----------



## kofkorn

Last night I was able to get the floor laid down and fit into place. It's definitely a tight fit with the side panels, but the weight of the flooring seems to spread the side panels apart with a little extra persuasion. I drilled holes for the additional seating locations and added the covered swivel bases before I dropped the floor in place.




The addition of the floor thickness and width took care of the problem I was having with the seat boxes. They'll drop right in place now. 



I also put the hinged cover for the seat boxes in place to check the new height. The previous seats sat directly on the plywood cover. The new Tempress seats require the swivel bases, so they add a few inches to the overall height. They are not too high, but they make it a little difficult to see some of the gauges and switches. Not really a big deal though. 

I'm still stuck on whether to paint the currently white seat frames black. I think that it will really look good, but as I stated before, I'm concerned that the paint will chip and flake at the drop of a hat. What's the opinion of the group?? Keep them white or go black?


----------



## fool4fish1226

You could do a little test section to see how well the paint would hold up. I think the black would look real good however the white looks good too so I say what ever you decide


----------



## spotco2

I think the white looks pretty nice.


----------



## TNtroller

excellent workmanship going on. Would some of the paint designed for plastic work on the seat bases, like that Krylon or whatever brand it is. I have seen it advertised as designed for painting plastic, so may work for you. Again, some very nice work you've done on that boat. =D>


----------



## dyeguy1212

Man that vinyl looks awesome.. I've always wanted a boat with an all vinyl interior. Be sure to update up on how it holds up.


----------



## kofkorn

Thanks for the comments guys! I love how it's turning out. I've gotten through most of the quick stuff, now it's on to the smaller details. 

Between Friday and Saturday nights, I did some final fitting details and adjustments. The floor was a tight fit between the two vinyl covered side panels. I don't really know why the two side panels didn't fit back the same as when I pulled them out. It almost seems like they are about 1/2" wider than before, causing them to not fit back correctly. In the end, I trimmed the wrapped over vinyl off of the bottom of the panels and tried to force them in place as much as possible. That, along with some extra attention when I riveted the deck back in place got everything pretty close to original. I did have to do a little trimming on the lengths of a couple of screws for the swivel bases, as they were interfering with the structural aluminum ribs.



I riveted the floor in place. Based on the experience I have with a few of the areas I used screws over the vinyl, when the screws tighten, they twist the vinyl around them. The rivets allow me to fasten the decking down without disturbing the vinyl.



Once the decking was in place, I was able to wrap the opening for the casting deck storage. I clamped the back sides overnight to make sure that they held properly.



I then attached the storage cover, with the twist lock that was originally used.



I repainted the black plywood seat bases and re-attached the supports for the center cupholder. I just need to rivet everything together for final assembly. I need to clean the upholstery with some Armor All to get them nice and clean too. I think I'm going to keep the seats white for now. I'll see if they bother me during the year and may paint them black later.



Only major thing left to do is to get the center console back into position. Then I'll be stuck with all of the smaller detail work, wiring, accessories, etc. But today, I need to get the other bay cleaned out so that my wife can get her car back in the garage


----------



## SilverFox

It took me a while tonight to read all 8 pages and look at the pictures but man this looks awesome. Great job. 

I don't own a Tracker and I'm not in process of rebuilding anything but I'm ready to see how this turns out. I know you are also.


----------



## 89Suburban

kofkorn said:


> They are the tops of the side panels where foam insulation is covered. The insulation is about 1 1/2" thick below these rails and the exterior hull is exposed above them. They were originally bare aluminum, as you can see here in the picture. The holder for the navigation light is screwed into it:
> View attachment 1
> 
> 
> I took them off and painted the red and black to match the stripes on the decals on the outside of the boat.
> 
> 
> The red also matches the color of the seats that I got from Captain Ahab. I'm really considering painting the plastic seat bases black. I think it will look AWESOME with the red seats, matching the rest of the color scheme, but I'm concerned about the durability of the paint on the plastic.


Oh,ok, so you just painted them that color then, I got it. Nice work again man.


----------



## fool4fish1226

Almost there =D> That thing is turning out really nice!!!!!!!


----------



## kofkorn

Not a whole lot of significant visible changes, but still a lot of effort required to get it done. Over the past few days I've focused on the console and seats. I tied in my extra gauges and switches and wired in the new fuse panel. The wiring itself is a mess, but since it's under the console and everything functions properly, I'm not going to worry about re-wiring the whole thing to clean it up. I labeled the circuits on the fuse panel for ease of troubleshooting in the future. 




Once the wiring was updated with the console off, I was able to re-attach the steering and replace the console. A quick suggestion for getting the steering wheel close to centered: manually center the motor in the back of the boat, center the steering wheel, then feed the steering cable in. When the cable is completely assembled in, note the angle of the steering wheel relative to the center position. Remove the steering cable again, then pre-position the steering wheel at the same angle in the opposite direction. Feed the steering cable back in, and it should be pretty close to centered. 



One thing that I am considering doing is to put the seat boxes on a small shim (<1/8"). I noticed when removing them from the carpeted deck that the insides of the seat boxes never dried out. There was no air circulation, and any water that got in was trapped. By adding the shims, it should make it a little drier inside. 

I also cut out the holes for the trim panel and fish finder on the front casting deck. I'm going to add a couple of aluminum measuring sticks to use for my fish pics when I catch the lunkers... Here's what it ends up looking like:



And a view of the front end of the boat, all tied together:



I've still got a little clean-up in the bilge, putting the battery boxes and charger back in place, and tying in all of the wiring. I'm also still trying to figure out the best arrangement for my Anchormate. You can see the basic positions in the pictures. The largest amount of work left is on the motor itself. I've got to swap out the lower unit with my parts motor, and then add the power tilt/trim unit off of my parts motor as well. I'm hoping to be able to pull the wiring harness for the TNT off the parts motor, but I have no issue with building a relay circuit to drive the motor if needed. 

I'm not sure how much of this I'm going to complete now or save until the springtime. I'll keep plugging for a little bit and then make the decision.

Thanks for the support!


----------



## Trackerpro17

Boat is looking good! I also have a 1989 Bass Tracker Pro 17 but with a different motor. I was wondering if your boat might also have some hair line cracks between the rivets that are on the outside edge of the bottom of the boat? It's the rivets that hold the main floor braces to the bottom of the boat. My boat has 6 different spots with these cracks all being on the outside edge of the bottom of the boat between the rivets. I have heard that these year models are known for this problem. I have tried JB Weld and it works for a while but eventually cracks too due to the flex of the aluminum I think. I might have to try to have the cracks welded up if that is possible from the outside. Any suggestions? Good luck with finishing your project!


----------



## kofkorn

I did take a close look at the bottom of the boat when I bought it and a few times more when I floated it looking for leaks and installed the new trailer bunks. I didn't notice any cracks between the rivets. I was aware of the issue as it was noted by several other threads on here during my research. I think that it has been relatively lightly used from the condition of most of the hull. This boat has transferred hands several times, as close as I can tell from the ghosts of old reg numbers on the hull, I'm at least the 4th owner. 

I don't think that you would suffer any weld quality issues if you only welded from the outside, but I'd be really concerned about any of the foam igniting. If you got the old waterlogged stuff in there, you will probably be ok, but I wouldn't chance it. There aren't many places in the bottom panel of the hull that are more than 1" away from some kind of foam, and aluminum loves to spread the heat around. 

I'm not sure how significant your cracks are, but would you be better looking at something like Steelflex? The likely hood of visually finding all of the smaller cracks visually isn't very good, so you'll probably be constantly chasing them as they continue to show up. 

Good Luck!


----------



## kofkorn

Well, I've been slowly fiddling here and there, wrapping up some of the small details before finishing up for the winter. 

I spent a couple of days re-routing the wiring in the bilge and cleaning up the plumbing for the livewell. It took longer than I expected mostly because of the funky angles that I had to contort my body into while trying to install various rivets and screws. I got the 2-bank charger re-installed and used a couple of small plastic cleats to use as a cord wrap for when the unit isn't plugged in. I'll end up tucking the trolling battery in the location where the VRO oil tank was originally installed.



On the other side of the bilge, the battery is not going to easily fit in the other compartment with the new battery boxes I purchased. The top of the battery box interferes with the wiring coming through the access hole. So I decided to move the battery into the main bilge area and I'll use the box strap to hold it in place. I may take a couple of pieces of aluminum angle to lock it into position as well.



And lastly, I installed my Anchormate to the bow. I ended up using a couple of pulleys that I had previously purchased and installed in my 14' Meyer. I chose the port side of the bow, even though it's certainly a tighter fit, so that the trolling motor will be a little farther away from my anchor rope when both are in the water. I'll tend to drop the anchor when I get to a spot that I like and want to fish for a little bit, and I've had issues in the past with the anchor banging up against the TM when I drop or lift it up.





I think that this is going to be about it for the winter. I'm going to drain the carbs and wrap her up. I've got a little bit of a wish list to work on when spring rolls around, but we're getting some forecasts for snow, and it's time to bring the car back in.

Things that I've got left to do come spring time:
- Fasten down the bilge pump
- swap out the lower unit
- add the power TNT unit to the motor including relays/wiring as necessary
- add a couple of AL angle pieces to the console to help hold accessories
- add rod holders to the side of the console
- swap out the bow roller
- consider adding vinyl gutter to the bunks instead of standard slides

I'll add a few pics all tidied up before putting her away.


----------



## kofkorn

Well, I wrapped her up for the winter. Still a few things left to do, but the basics are all there. I'm very pleased with the end results and I can't wait to get her on the water in the spring time. I'm sure that our family will have lots of fun, and plenty of room until the kids get a little older. 

I have a thought to take the cover from my Johnson parts motor, which is in better shape and paint the top black, with a maroon stripe, using the paints I used on the side rails. I wouldn't cover the decals, just use some color to tie the whole thing together. 



Here are a bunch of pics to show how it looked before covering:











I bought a few D-con baits and put them in likely locations, as well as a bunch of mothball sets around the boat. And finally I used a couple of saw horses and a 10ft 2x4 to frame up and then wrapped the whole thing in a tarp. All wrapped up for the winter:



I'll be sure to update a little more when I pull her back out to finish everything up.

Have a great winter!


----------



## fool4fish1226

Looks great, good luck over the winter


----------



## kofkorn

Well, after lots of anticipation, I finally got the boat out on the water today. I LOVE IT!!! It's nice and stable, handles very well, and has good pickup. 

I tried getting it out there last week, but I couldn't get it running except for holding the choke in. I figured I needed to do a full carb cleaning. I was a little hesitant to get into it due to the link n' sync that would be involved, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. In the end, I swapped the carbs off of my parts motor, as they were cleaner to start with. I finished it all up this week and put it on the water today. Purrs like a kitten, and growls like a tiger when you push her. 

The whole family got out today and had a picnic on the water and caught some sunfish and baby bass. Here's a pic of the final product:


I apologize for the mess on the deck, We were setting out for a family trip. 

And a few pics of the kids having fun on deck:





Now while everything was working well, I've got a project for next winter. While routing the plumbing, I drilled a test hole into the bottom of the transom. The wood came out clean, but wet. I've done some solid checks on the transom and don't find it to be weak in any locations, but I'll replace that this winter as a precaution.

But that will be after taking in this year's limit!!! Good Luck to all!


----------



## jigngrub

I love resto stories with happy endings!!!

The boat looks good, and it looks like the kids were having fun.

That transom was probably wet from all the water it took on before the resto. Keep your boat dry and in a sunny warm location and recheck the transom this fall. That wood will eventually dry out under the right conditions, but I don't know if your summer will be long or hot enough for that.

There's a new product coming out this year called NewWood that is specified for marine applications like transoms, keep an eye out for it.

https://www.newwood.com/

It's available on the west coast now, and is supposed to come eastward soon.


----------



## Coy

kofkorn said:


> Thanks for the encouragement guys! The main reason for this thread bulldog is that I couldn't find the info I was looking for on this site originally, so I figured I'd put it up here to help out the next guy. That and the ability to have a good record of what I've done for future reference by myself  It's amazing what you can forget about once you cover it up...


Just wanted to say great job on the rebuild, and thank you so much for all of the postings/pictures. I just purchased this same exact boat, and the floor is shot. I will be taking on this project sometime in the near future, but thought all of your hard work deserved a thank you post from another tracker owner :wink:


----------



## kofkorn

Thank you for the compliment. I really enjoyed doing the rebuild and honestly, I got more help out of the replies to my comments than I expected. I would definitely suggest you start your own thread and post any challenges that you encounter. Certainly a great group of guys here and I'm sure that most problems have been resolved before. 

Good luck! and you you have any questions or need additional details, send me a PM.


----------



## kofkorn

So it's been 2 years on the water now with the tracker and I wanted to provide an update. I love the size and stability of the boat for two guys fishing. It's tight when I have my wife and kids on it, but we've had some fun anyway. 

I made a couple of upgrades since the rebuild. The largest was adding a Minn Kota Powerdrive with I-pilot to it. I love the compass feature and use it almost exclusively. If I'd known ahead how I use it, I would have gone for the Co-pilot instead. I rarely use the GPS tracks or anchor lock features. 

I also added an additional hatch onto the casting deck to access the storage below the deck. The small vertical door at the back of the casting deck was almost useless and made the storage area only useful for rarely used items. With the new hatch, I use it far more than before.





The Nautolex has held up very well. There is no evidence of wear at any location, and when it's dirty, a quick soak with a hose and a brush with a broom will clean anything up. The only complaint is that it is quite rough and I can only kneel on it for a very short period of time, however, it is also very good for standing with out slipping. 

The one issue that I have with my build is the edges of the vinyl have come un-glued. This happened quite quickly, within the 1st two or three warm months. So I would definitely recommend NOT using the 3M spray adhesive. It never fully cured and started letting go at the first sign of heat. Any of the edges that were glued using the Nautolex adhesive or were mechanically held in place with rivets have held up really well. I would suggest taking the time to use the Nautolex and letting it cure while the edge is clamped in place.






Additionally, the shims I used around the live well have completely come apart. Even with the good soaking I gave them with the epoxy, they barely made it through the summer. 



The good thing is that all of these spots are covered up when the hatches are closed, and it still looks great 

And the fish certainly haven't cared...









I'm going to be pulling in plenty more in the future too!


----------



## djuban

This was a really great read and the boat looks really nice. I created an account just to post how much I enjoyed this. I appreciate all the pics/info you have provided. It has really inspired me to finish mine. I took mine apart with the intentions of doing what you did here but got overwhelmed with all the work involved so I gave up for a while. I am going to go start on mine tomorrow. Hopefully I can get mine to turn out looking something like yours. Thanks again for all the info.


----------



## kofkorn

I'm glad you got motivated to finish yours up. These are great boats and honestly, while it took a while, the work wasn't really hard. Good luck with your rebuild and be sure to post any questions you have. This is a great group for helping.

Good luck!


----------



## djuban

Thank you. I have posted a thread to see if I can get a few answers to the questions I have. Please check it out if you have time. I would like to get your opinion on them. 

I also have a question on the 3m spray adhesive you used. You said it didn't work well for you, do you think it was due to the vinyl or the product itself? I was going to use that with my carpet but started having second thoughts after I seen the results you had. I'm wondering if maybe the rubber backing on the carpet would help it from coming loose.


----------



## Blake.

Nice work. 

Saving for future reference. My dad has one of these boats and we will be doing some work to it soon.


----------



## kofkorn

Thanks! Good luck with your build and don't hesitate to ask questions.


----------



## jigngrub

It doesn't matter what type of adhesive you use, loose edges that aren't fastened mechanically will curl eventually. This is inherent with the Nautolex vinyl and is explained in the installation directions that come with the vinyl.

That's one of the reasons I trimmed my hatch covers out with aluminum angle around the edges:



I fastened the angle with rivets to the lid and this sandwiches the vinyl between the lid and the angle. This pic is 2 1/2 years after the vinyl was installed.

The vinyl on your lids will eventually curl all the way off of the lid if you don't do anything to them.

I see you also have some curling/separation at your flat butt joints in the vinyl too, this will also get worse if not taken care of. A piece of flat aluminum bar stock or even a wooden strip screwed down over the butt joint will prevent further curling.

As far as the adhesives go, I used the Nautolex 88 adhesive of some of my vinyl and was not pleased with it. I found the 7 day set/cure time unacceptable for my schedule and the 88 produced gas bubbles under the vinyl that had to be rolled out daily until the adhesive had cured. The 88 is also latex/water based and isn't nearly as water resistant as the solvent based *Dap Weldwood Contact Cement*. I'm not talking about spray can adhesive, the *Weldwood* is the stuff in the metal paint can that you brush on. Don't be stingy with it, porous surfaces (the back of the vinyl) take 2 coats and smooth surfaces take one coat.

Nautolex vinyl is a wonderful product, but there are some strict rules that need to be followed when installing it.

This is a link to my installation if anyone is interested:
https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=21629&p=288212&hilit=+tracker+pro+deep+v#p288212


----------



## pescador

kofkorn,

New " Old Timer" to this forum.
Great job, thanks for sharing your info and photos.

I have a question, just bought a 1993 Bass Tracker Pro 16. Narrowed down a leak, somewhere on the livewell drain, which empties off the side of the boat, below the waterline.

I just want to plug this line off from the outside, and use the livewell for storage. Do you think one of those expandable drain plugs would work?? Or??????

Thanks and Regards,
pescador


----------



## kofkorn

Hi Pescador,

My livewell drains below the waterline on the port side of the transom. I don't see any reason that a normal drain plug wouldn't work perfectly to seal off the livewell. The only thing I'd be careful of was to make sure that you don't expand the plug too much and crack the plastic fitting. A 20 year old plastic fitting will be brittle, and as it's below your waterline, that could make for an interesting trip.

If you're looking for a permanent solution, you may be better off using some 5200 around the plug instead of expanding it. It would be a bear to get out if you wanted to remove it, but you wouldn't have to worry about ruining the fitting. 

Good luck!


----------



## pescador

kofkorn,

WOW! I thank you so much for your information. I have never used this 5200 product, but I will search for information. This is exactly something I was looking for. Is there a special name other than just 5200?

Regards,

pescador


----------



## kofkorn

It's 3M 5200 Sealant:
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/2209713402074509928
You can pick it up at Home Depot, or most hardware stores. Definitely available at a local marine shop.

It's intended for marine use and is approved for under the water line. It will stick to most anything and can usually only be removed by cutting it off. So if you glue your plug in place, be prepared to destroy the entire fitting to get it out. 

Before you glue it in place, I would take some sand paper and remove the gunk from inside the fitting first. Then use the 5200 and let it set overnight at a minimum; 1 week is better if you are able. 

I bonded a mount for my fish finder to the back of the transom with nothing but this sealant. Haven't had any issues and it's held perfectly.

Good luck!


----------



## pescador

Thanks again for all your helpful information, and for taking the time to answer.


----------

