# Cali27's 1436 Tracker Mod



## cali27 (Apr 20, 2010)

First off thanks to everyone for all the amazing knowledge!

Sorry but these were all taken with my cell phone. I will get the wifes camera and update with better quality pics when its finished later this week.

Its all 3/4 inch plywood, sealed with Thompsons. I tried using a bunch of types of self tapping SS screws, I found that they did not hold very well. I used toggle bolts for all areas going into the aluminum, they worked very well. Also the boat got 2 nice coats of Steelflex, to be honest i wish I had more because i would have liked a third coat. The carpet is the marine grade from Home Depot, used staples and outdoor carpet glue to secure.


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## cali27 (Apr 20, 2010)

pics


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## BassinFool (Apr 20, 2010)

Nice I have the same boat how exactly did you attach the wood to the bench seats? did you use anything under the metal or just the toggle bolts?


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## cali27 (Apr 20, 2010)

BassinFool said:


> Nice I have the same boat how exactly did you attach the wood to the bench seats? did you use anything under the metal or just the toggle bolts?


I just used a 5/8 drill bit to drill the holes in the bench seats. Honestly it is super secure.


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## Brine (Apr 20, 2010)

Nice job =D>


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## cali27 (Apr 20, 2010)

got some more done tonight after work. Im off tomorrow so I should get everything finished but the wiring. I will post pictures of what the finished product will look like tomorrow.


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## cali27 (Apr 21, 2010)

new pics.

All finished other than the electrical part that my electrician friend is going to do for me.

Very happy with how everything turned out.


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## cali27 (Apr 21, 2010)

posting pics is a time consuming task


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## cali27 (Apr 21, 2010)




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## cali27 (Apr 27, 2010)

So i wired the trailer myselft today because my electrician buddy is too busy and it all actually worked. Here are more pics out of the garage






Also i put my motor on the boat today, i fired it up and it smoked a whole hell of a lot. is that normal. i let it run in my makeshift water basin for like 15 minutes. I bought the motor from a marina. The guy that owns the place ssays he would fix it if ever anything happened to it. Also he said it had not been used in years, could this be why it is smoking? Here are some pics of the motor mounted on my boat











Do i have to bolt the motor using the hole provided or are the vice style tighteners enough


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## cali27 (Apr 28, 2010)

:?: :?:


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## rcgreat (Apr 28, 2010)

Cali, Boat looks fantastic, I like what you did with the front the storage is a bonus. As for the motor, did it smoke the whole time you had it running? It should have burned off any residual oil that might have been left in the chamber. Also what ratio of oil are you running? I do believe it should 50:1. which would 16 ounces oil to 6 gallons fuel. The motor does not have to be bolted on but if you dont plane on taking it off it would make it that much more solid. 

How much do you have in the mods to your boat? I might have to copy what you have done.

Gary


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## cali27 (Apr 28, 2010)

rcgreat said:


> Cali, Boat looks fantastic, I like what you did with the front the storage is a bonus. As for the motor, did it smoke the whole time you had it running? It should have burned off any residual oil that might have been left in the chamber. Also what ratio of oil are you running? I do believe it should 50:1. which would 16 ounces oil to 6 gallons fuel. The motor does not have to be bolted on but if you dont plane on taking it off it would make it that much more solid.
> 
> How much do you have in the mods to your boat? I might have to copy what you have done.
> 
> ...


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## nick4634 (Apr 28, 2010)

since its only a 15hp i wouldnt bother bolting the motor unless theres a chance of it gettting stolen.


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## UtahBassKicker (Apr 28, 2010)

Don't bolt the motor and take the boat to a lake and run it and see if the smoke issue clears up. A motor sitting in one spot spiting out smoke seems a lot worse than a motor pushing a boat. Once you get moving it might not seem to smoke as much.


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## Sader762 (Apr 28, 2010)

Looks great!


Maybe later on mod the middle seat and add just behind it a livewell and some storage?


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## ober51 (Apr 28, 2010)

Nice build. I wouldnt bolt it on but def keep an eye on it. Mine isnt bolted on my mini jacker and its been fine.

I am not sure if it was mentioned, but maybe try and find some fenders as it cleans it up and protects the wheels and whatnot.

I might run some sea foam through the engine, or you might have to clean teh carb.


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## cali27 (Apr 29, 2010)

UtahBassKicker said:


> Don't bolt the motor and take the boat to a lake and run it and see if the smoke issue clears up. A motor sitting in one spot spiting out smoke seems a lot worse than a motor pushing a boat. Once you get moving it might not seem to smoke as much.



That makes sense, I will try that out and see what happens


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## cali27 (Apr 29, 2010)

ober51 said:


> Nice build. I wouldnt bolt it on but def keep an eye on it. Mine isnt bolted on my mini jacker and its been fine.
> 
> I am not sure if it was mentioned, but maybe try and find some fenders as it cleans it up and protects the wheels and whatnot.
> 
> I might run some sea foam through the engine, or you might have to clean teh carb.



Ya i need fenders, the ones that came with trailer where to bent from getting used as a step. 

What os the sea foam?


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## cali27 (Apr 29, 2010)

Sader762 said:


> Looks great!
> 
> 
> Maybe later on mod the middle seat and add just behind it a livewell and some storage?



Once i can afford it I am looking at the Toho rig Livewell, https://www.baitwells.com/shopping/browse.aspx?cat=28&SiteID=1

cheaper here than BPS


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## ober51 (Apr 29, 2010)

cali27 said:


> ober51 said:
> 
> 
> > Nice build. I wouldnt bolt it on but def keep an eye on it. Mine isnt bolted on my mini jacker and its been fine.
> ...



https://www.seafoamsales.com/

It's been used with some good success - smokes like crazy at first, but is a good treatment to run through every once in a while. Also, google it, there is plenty of info on this stuff - and a pretty detailed tutorial somewhere on how to use it most effectively (if I am remembering correctly).


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## cali27 (Apr 29, 2010)

ober51 said:


> cali27 said:
> 
> 
> > ober51 said:
> ...



thanks, I will give it a try if she is still bad after i run her out on the lake.


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## SnowmanJon (Apr 29, 2010)

just my 2 cents....

The boat needs to come down on the trailer as in elevation....I learned this the fisrt time I put mine in....with it sky jacked you gotta back it way far down in the water...leaving you less room to stand while loading the trailer. make it as close to the frame of the trailer as you can.I'm actualy gonna redo mine this comming weekend just to make it lower so I can actually stand two footed while loading my boat.

JON


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## cali27 (Apr 29, 2010)

SnowmanJon said:


> just my 2 cents....
> 
> The boat needs to come down on the trailer as in elevation....I learned this the fisrt time I put mine in....with it sky jacked you gotta back it way far down in the water...leaving you less room to stand while loading the trailer. make it as close to the frame of the trailer as you can.I'm actualy gonna redo mine this comming weekend just to make it lower so I can actually stand two footed while loading my boat.
> 
> JON



I was actually thinking it might be too high, I will try to launch it and see how it is. If I have to fix it, oh well its an excuse to hang out with the boat some more....lol


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## dyeguy1212 (Apr 29, 2010)

SnowmanJon said:


> just my 2 cents....
> 
> The boat needs to come down on the trailer as in elevation....I learned this the fisrt time I put mine in....with it sky jacked you gotta back it way far down in the water...leaving you less room to stand while loading the trailer. make it as close to the frame of the trailer as you can.I'm actualy gonna redo mine this comming weekend just to make it lower so I can actually stand two footed while loading my boat.
> 
> JON



x2


I did the same thing with my 1432. I think its best to put the bunks in a horizontal orientation as opposed to vertical like that. Tends to put less wear and tear on the bottom of the boat with the larger surface area as well.


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## SaltyBuckster (Oct 8, 2010)

Very nice looking boat resto.I'm sure that it is very fun on the water.


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## cali27 (Oct 9, 2010)

azslabber said:


> Very nice looking boat resto.I'm sure that it is very fun on the water.



Hey thanks man. Ya it's been fun fishing out of this year.


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## rber1596 (Feb 9, 2011)

hey man i wana say very nice mod there ... i just picked up the same boat tracker 1436.. i wana put a deck on it just like yours. i want to use plywood guessing 3/4.. just want to know exactly what hardware you used to mount the deck to the boat what kind of screws to do this and how to do it .. sorry im really new to this i dont have pictures of boat yet.. also i saw the 2x4's from the deck ran to the bottom of the front seat but doesnt look like they where screwed in if you could please help me id greatly appreciate it!


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## STCROIXbassman (Feb 21, 2011)

i love what you have done to the boat simple and sweet design i think i will do the same thing to my vhull instead bravo! =D>


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## cali27 (Feb 22, 2011)

STCROIXbassman said:


> i love what you have done to the boat simple and sweet design i think i will do the same thing to my vhull instead bravo! =D>




Hey thanks man, its been good to me. Cant wait to get rid of this snow up here and get her back in the water.


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## BaitCaster (Feb 22, 2011)

cali27 said:


> STCROIXbassman said:
> 
> 
> > i love what you have done to the boat simple and sweet design i think i will do the same thing to my vhull instead bravo! =D>
> ...



ditto!


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## cali27 (Apr 14, 2011)

Installing a front casting deck on my boat. I ripped out the small existing deck and started the frame for the new one.

One problem I'm going to have is that Home Depot no longer carries the carpet that I used for my bench seats and flooring so I will have 2 different collies of grey carpet.


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## Ictalurus (Apr 14, 2011)

Your new front deck looks stout. After fishing out of the boat for one season, you must not have a stablility problem and decided to go with the new high deck. I bet the 9.9 pushes your tin quite well. I do have a question for you, how do you like the fish finder mounted at the rear of the boat when you fish out of the front? I couldn't decide if I wanted it in the bow or stern, just settled on a RAM mount in the middle seat, considering moving it to either location though.


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## cali27 (Apr 14, 2011)

Ictalurus said:


> Your new front deck looks stout. After fishing out of the boat for one season, you must not have a stablility problem and decided to go with the new high deck. I bet the 9.9 pushes your tin quite well. I do have a question for you, how do you like the fish finder mounted at the rear of the boat when you fish out of the front? I couldn't decide if I wanted it in the bow or stern, just settled on a RAM mount in the middle seat, considering moving it to either location though.



Ya after 1 season im really comfortable eaising the deck. Hopefully getting a 15hp soon. As fpr the fish finder im going to move it to the front of the boat for sure. I think i will use it more up there.


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## cali27 (Apr 15, 2011)

So this morning I swapped my 1998 Johnson 9.9 hp for a 1997 Johnson 15hp. It was just serviced and it needs a coat of paint but I am going to love the extra 5 hp. The gentleman was older and has a 12 ft aluminum and just wanted a smaller motor for him and his wife.


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## BaitCaster (Apr 15, 2011)

Nice trade. Your boat should scoot nicely with that 15hp!


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## cali27 (Apr 16, 2011)

Had a little time today before work so I finished the framing for the front deck. Also ordered a olive colored hatch for the deck from Tempress.


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## cali27 (Apr 18, 2011)

I had about an hour in garage today and got a couple little things done.

Got some new seats on sale at BPS.





Ran some thermostat wire the length of my boat so I could move the fish finder to the front.





Cut out a section of my floor and set my cooler livewell down in it.










I'm off tomorrow so if the wife doesn't have my day planned hopefully I can get the front deck cut out.


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## cali27 (Apr 24, 2011)

Got a little more done this weekend. Just waiting for my hatch to come from Tempress. I hope the "cut out" dimensions on their website are right.....lol. I'm really happy with how it's turning out


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## BaitCaster (Apr 26, 2011)

Nice work.


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## franner11 (Apr 26, 2011)

awesome job and thanks for the ideas on a deck frame! i might do the same to my 1542 tracker.
curious if you used stainless toggle bolts for the frame...if so, where'd you get them?


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## cali27 (Apr 26, 2011)

Thanks Caster.

Franner, no they are not SS toggle bolts. I just put a piece of rubberized tape over the umbrella part that actually contacts the aluminum.


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## cali27 (Apr 27, 2011)

Finished the deck.







I totally recommend the Tempres hatches. Those things are sturdy.

Next project will be sanding and painting my motor.


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## cali27 (May 18, 2011)

Went to BPS today with the family and picked up a few goodies for the boat. I grabbed the "rod saver" straps, and a really nice adjustable pedestal seat. Taking her out Saturday and I really can't wait.


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## FFDOZIER (May 18, 2011)

Good deal Brother the boat looks great.


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## BaitCaster (May 19, 2011)

Awesome job. I'm seriously considering a pedestal seat just like that for my boat. If you don't mind me asking, how much did it set you back?

Where are you heading this weekend? Saturday looks like it is going to be nice. I'm thinking about Scugog for some Walleye and Crappie.


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## cali27 (May 19, 2011)

BaitCaster said:


> Awesome job. I'm seriously considering a pedestal seat just like that for my boat. If you don't mind me asking, how much did it set you back?
> 
> Where are you heading this weekend? Saturday looks like it is going to be nice. I'm thinking about Scugog for some Walleye and Crappie.



Thanks man. All together the seat, adjustable pedestal and mounts I spent just over $100.

Im taking the wife to Mountsberg for some hammer handle little pike action.


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## Brine (May 19, 2011)

Nice work cali. Boat looks great.


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## HILLDADDY88 (Jul 11, 2011)

hey man love the boat have the exact same and beginning my own mod! what did you paint the bottom of your boat with? is it just a basic glossy pait or is that more of a protective coating deal? lookinf got something like that for mine since i do alot of river fishing down here in ga. have the same ideas as you for mine but making all my mods easily removeable for cleaning and repair.


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## cali27 (Jul 12, 2011)

HILLDADDY88 said:


> hey man love the boat have the exact same and beginning my own mod! what did you paint the bottom of your boat with? is it just a basic glossy pait or is that more of a protective coating deal? lookinf got something like that for mine since i do alot of river fishing down here in ga. have the same ideas as you for mine but making all my mods easily removeable for cleaning and repair.


 
Hey man thanks. It's called Steelflex. Use the search function for the site, there is a really good thread called "everything steelflex".


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## hueydr (Jul 12, 2011)

Cali the boat looks fantastic!! Is that front hatch big enough? It looks as though you have a ton of staorage up front but do you have enough access with the 1 hatch? The pictures are probably deceiving.


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## cali27 (Jul 12, 2011)

hueydr said:


> Cali the boat looks fantastic!! Is that front hatch big enough? It looks as though you have a ton of staorage up front but do you have enough access with the 1 hatch? The pictures are probably deceiving.



Thanks! Um ya I can access everything under the deck. The hatch measures 23in by 11in so it's easy to get my arm in there. Of course another hatch would be nice, maybe a little project for next winter.


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## HILLDADDY88 (Jan 24, 2012)

Hey Cali whats the weight like in your boat? iv finished all my mods and the boat is pretty level im just nervous about putting a new 9hp merc on the rear with me the batt and a full tank of gas makes me kinda nervous been thinkin about droppin down to a 6hp instead


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## JonBoatfever (Feb 13, 2012)

How did the motor turn out?


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## IDAHOAUGER (Sep 19, 2012)

Very nice Mod and clean, simple and practical. I like it! I have a Lowe 1436 I am working on and I like your raised casting seat upfront but was curious if you have any center of gravity issues when fishing up there? Again vey nice work and inspiring too!


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## inlovewithsurfin (Sep 19, 2012)

i love what you did with your boat! hows the 15horse push your boat along? check out my Lowe 1436 build thread (link in my signature)


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## SantaClo (Jan 30, 2013)

Very nice modifications you did there! As a 1436 owner I'm looking at good mod example like this to inspire me.

I'm just wondering, since the 1436 has a max load capacity of only 580 lbs, isn't too much adding all this in the boat??


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