# 2000 basstracker flats/duck hunting rebuild



## Dirtmonkey (Aug 21, 2017)

Alright so I traded a rifle for this thing a few months ago. I've had it out about 4 times since I got it but like always, I can't leave anything alone. My plan is to take it all apart, replace the decking, reconfigure some weight distribution, paint, rewire, and make it as versatile as possible. I'm also going to make it a center console and mount the batteries under it to even out the weight. I honestly don't know what all I want this boat to do so I'm sure itll change through the build. The trailer has a ton of rust on the back end past the axle so that is going to be a major part of this build as well. This is going to be a rather slow build since I have a 5 month old little girl and have daddy duty everyday after work.













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## Dirtmonkey (Aug 21, 2017)

The other night I got a little bit done. Got the front deck torn out, got the majority of the carpet and other rear deck pieces and hatch lids. Hopefully tonight I can get the rest of the decking out so I can start stripping the carpet glue 















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## Dirtmonkey (Aug 21, 2017)

I got some time tonight so I got into disassembling the console and all of the wiring. It almost seems like tracker believed that butt connectors made boats float lol it was a mess under there.






Anyways, I pulled the throttle cables off the motor and shifter and got the side finish panel pulled off so I can start pulling and tracing wire. Does anyone know of a way to reuse the side console shifter onto a center console? I'm not going to do anything stupid but I want to be able to either keep it or at least use it as a mock up when I build the new console. I've seen some people mount the gear side of it on the inside of the console and all that hangs out the side is the throttle handle if that makes any sense. 

I also am having issues separating the steering cable from the helm. Any ideas? It's rotten in between the steering wheel and the steering box and I can't get the two separated. I guess I can cut it out lol







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## Jim (Aug 22, 2017)

Wow like at that wire mess..... :lol: 

This might be over the top for some folks, but this is premium in my opinion. https://www.ezacdc.com/


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## Dirtmonkey (Aug 22, 2017)

I thought about doing that on my last boat but I just sucked it up and sorted it out. Most of it is just engine wiring so I'll either organize it or maybe lay it out and build my own harness for it 


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## Dirtmonkey (Sep 3, 2017)

Got some work done today. Got the livewell, gas tank, foam and got the trolling motor off. It's pretty much ready for a good cleaning and start the prep for rebuild

It was a major pain to get the foam out from under the cross members. I don't know how the floor has lasted 17 years because absolutely no water could flow through the boat. 

I've been throwing ideas back and forth about how I want to run the wiring, fuel lines, throttle and steering cables up the middle to the new center console. Any suggestions??

















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## SeaFaring (Sep 4, 2017)

Wow, what a mess. Was that wiring factory or had the previous owner been messing with it. It looked like there had, at some point, been an effort to organize it. 


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## Ebug (Sep 4, 2017)

I have a 2012 tracker Grizzly, and I am 100% positiveness that the guy that put Dirtmonkeys wiring harness together still works at Tracker based on the harness that was in my boat.

I am willing to bet that there is not a single employee at Tracker that has a business card that says "Electrical Engineer".

Rob


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## Dirtmonkey (Sep 4, 2017)

SeaFaring said:


> Wow, what a mess. Was that wiring factory or had the previous owner been messing with it. It looked like there had, at some point, been an effort to organize



Well most of it was factory but the guy I bought it from said he "rewired" it [emoji849] but I've pretty much sorted it out. Im trying to weed it down to using just the engine harness then actually re doing everything else myself. I'm really OCD about wiring and keeping it clean and simple.


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## Dirtmonkey (Sep 12, 2017)

Well I got some more done the other night. I broke out the sander and realized that the aluminum was pretty corroded on the transom under the motor bracket, under the tie down U-bolts, and around the drain plug. I originally was going to leave the back foam areas alone and beck back on top of them but I've been left with no option. I went ahead and tore the sheeting and aluminum out so I can access those areas. Guess I might as well cut the splash well out and replace the transom while I'm in there. The foam was pretty nasty on the bottom so I'm glad I went ahead and did it. So far I've probly torn 300lbs of saturated foam out of this thing haha 










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## KRS62 (Sep 14, 2017)

Nice start! While you are there, take a close look at the ribs in the boat. They are know for cracking. I have a Tracker project boat myself. 

KRS


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## Dirtmonkey (Sep 14, 2017)

I'll check them tomorrow. Even after ripping all the foam out in the ribs I haven't seen anything but thanks for bringing it to my attention 



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## SeaFaring (Sep 15, 2017)

Dirtmonkey said:


> SeaFaring said:
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> 
> > Wow, what a mess. Was that wiring factory or had the previous owner been messing with it. It looked like there had, at some point, been an effort to organize
> ...



It's amazing to me that anyone, especially a factory, tolerates substandard wiring in an aluminum boat. OK, 12v probably won't start a fire, but it will dissolve the boat. 

Sheesh. 

The fresh start approach seems wise. 


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## Dirtmonkey (Sep 15, 2017)

SeaFaring said:


> Dirtmonkey said:
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> > SeaFaring said:
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That's pretty much where I'm at with this entire boat. These things are extremely substandard is more ways than not. The hull construction isn't too bad but everything else is 


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## sokmace (Sep 15, 2017)

Wow you've really gotten a lot done in only 4-weeks time - keep up the good work! 

I started to disassemble the rear deck when I was tearing out foam, but I opted out after I drilled out the deck rivets on side and could not get the deck panel to separate from the foam for the life of me. When I realized how big the foam block was back there, I figured there was plenty of dry foam that was still useful, so I left it. 

If you're thinking about reusing the same controls, you might be able to incorporate them into the arm rest of the seat - assuming you plan on building some sort of bench or leaning post. If you're planning on using the rear deck as a seat, you may just be able to reuse the control box panel if you add something to close off the back side of that panel. Might be easier to just build a wood box and wrap it with whatever you're using on the rest of the boat. I'm imagining something like the pic below, with the red rectangle being a slim arm rest type box that you mount it to. You could probably route the cables down below the deck pretty easily and have them come up in the splashwell. For routing wiring from the console, I would think you'll have to run that harness under the deck if you want to keep everything clean. My father in law built an alweld CC and just has his wiring wrapped in tube rigging and laid on on the deck. It doesn't look as clean or finished and it creates a tripping hazard. Not to mention the damage you can cause repeatedly stepping on wiring over the years. You may be able to drill out a few holes in the stringers under the decking, but above the bottom of the hull so it stays above the water as much as possible. 






With the wiring, I'm also in the same boat (literally and figuratively). 






It appears we both have some "personal edits" made by prior owners. Electrical is my biggest weakness, so I had to create a diagram of the entire circuit from battery to fuse block, switches, and accessories. I still havent figured out what a few things go to, but I definitely have what I need now.


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## Dirtmonkey (Sep 16, 2017)

I've thought about doing the box idea. I used to have a old 73 mako CC and some jack nut before me decided to put a side console control on it and mounted it with some flimsy aluminum. That ended up breaking while i was out on the water so I ended up building a wooden mount/ storage area to mount it to. I'm either going to put a bennicle on it or mount the one I have to the left side of the console if I can't flip it. 

As for wiring, I was pretty timid about it a couple years ago too. My problem was I over complicated it in my mind. 12v is super simple and once you grasp the concept, there's nothing to it. Maybe this might help:





Last year I built a pilot house on my 22' angler and me wanting to make things cool, I decided to wire all of my electronics over head. That opened up a major can of worms trying to build channels in the walls to run all of that wire up top haha















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## Dirtmonkey (Sep 26, 2017)

So a good friend of mine gave me a trailer because mine was complete rotten. The new trailer is super heavy duty and I guess it was set up for like a 18' center console boat or something. Needless to say it was too big for my boat so I cut it up and welded it all back together. I ended up cutting a foot out of the middle and it sits perfect on it now. Just have to get the tongue mocked up and welded back on once the weather clears up






















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## Dirtmonkey (Oct 4, 2017)

Well I got the tongue welded back on last weekend. Everything is completely level and square. Pulls and tracks perfect plus the boat fits perfect now. I took the old bow stop and winch off the old trailer and welded it to this one. I couldn't ask for any better results. Time to get that old jack off, new bunks, sand and paint.


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## Dirtmonkey (Nov 5, 2017)

So I finally got about 2 hrs to get some work done. I got the boat flipped over and found a ton of corrosion, holes and sloppy repairs. This boat must have spent its entire life in salt water and never got sprayed down. In between the keels where the trailer bunks sat is really bad. There was also a spot where someone hit something and found a mug welder.... I've never seen so much weld build up in my life. Time to start sorting all of this out so it can be prepped for paint 


















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## Dirtmonkey (Nov 14, 2017)

After fixing all of the corrosion on the bottom and transom I got the boat flipped back over and stuck in the garage where it's going to live for a while. Got some materials ready and the actual build is about to start. 







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## eshaw (Nov 15, 2017)

What did you do to address the pitting?


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## Dirtmonkey (Nov 15, 2017)

I used t21 fusor and JB weld to fill the pits 


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## Prowelder (Nov 21, 2017)

Looking good. You should check out my build I have a 97 with similar issues






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## Dirtmonkey (Nov 26, 2017)

Well I've been getting a lot done on the boat over the last week. I got the front deck framed for all of the hatches and gas tank, got the rear deck framed out and got two tough boxes mounted as well as the livewell, painted the whole inside of the boat, got the center console mocked up and got the raised floor ready for paint, got my battery tray done and started laying out the console a little bit. I have a little bit more to do to the console before it can be prepped for paint, still have to finish framing the boxes for the front and then comes all of the wiring. I'm really starting to get anxious now that the majority of the framing is done 






































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## Dirtmonkey (Dec 1, 2017)

Got some more done tonight. All of the floor boards are painted, console is painted except the outside because I'll be spraying that after all of the body work. Got the whole back deck laid out on the wood and cut it out. It's definitely moving along now!












Had my little helper out with us tonight 






















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## SeaFaring (Dec 2, 2017)

Looking good! There’s a lot of progress in this post. 


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## Dirtmonkey (Dec 2, 2017)

SeaFaring said:


> Looking good! There’s a lot of progress in this post.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Thank you, it was a really slow start but it's coming along!


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## Dirtmonkey (Dec 8, 2017)

Prowelder said:


> Looking good. You should check out my build I have a 97 with similar issues
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I was just scrolling thru Craigslist and saw your boat. small world because im in Virginia beach haha beautiful build man 


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## Prowelder (Dec 8, 2017)

Dirtmonkey said:


> Prowelder said:
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> 
> > Looking good. You should check out my build I have a 97 with similar issues
> ...


Thank man

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## Prowelder (Dec 8, 2017)

If you need some metal work let me know

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## Dirtmonkey (Dec 12, 2017)

Prowelder said:


> If you need some metal work let me know
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk



I might cut the splash well out and replace the transom while I'm this far but I haven't committed to it yet. Do you have a tig machine or are you using a spool gun? 


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## Prowelder (Dec 12, 2017)

Everything is tig Welded

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## Dirtmonkey (Dec 12, 2017)

Prowelder said:


> Everything is tig Welded
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk



Well do you have an idea of what you'd want just to do the transom caps? 


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## Prowelder (Dec 12, 2017)

Dirtmonkey said:


> Prowelder said:
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> > Everything is tig Welded
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I usually charge $25 an hour . 2 hr minimum. It would probably be less than 2 hours work if you get it all ready 

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## RedHatRedNeck (Dec 12, 2017)

[/quote]I usually charge $25 an hour . 2 hr minimum. [/quote]


Damn where are you located? Might be worth the drive if you're not too far for some metal work if it could be worked into schedules.


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## Dirtmonkey (Dec 12, 2017)

Prowelder said:


> Dirtmonkey said:
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> > Prowelder said:
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Cool man, I'll have some other work for you too. shoot me a text so I have your number, 332-2937 


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## Dirtmonkey (May 27, 2018)

Well time to wake this thread up! I’ve taken a big break on this thing and now that the weather is warming up again I’ve gotten the itch to get this thing in the water. Quite a bit has gotten done since my last updates. 

I finally got some man time in the garage last night and got a bunch of work done on it. Got the majority of the wiring, decks, hatches and lights mocked up. I can’t believe how much wire Ive stuffed into this little boat lol I still have to take everything out of the console and paint all of the wood on the inside. I’ve grown to be pretty OCD and wiring and especially in boats so here it is roughed in...



















I also wanted to have a light in the console in case of an emergency but I didn’t want it to be one all of the time with the rest of the hatch lights. My solution was to run it’s one circuit with its own switch inside of the console. Keep in mind all of this wiring is just mocked up. I still have to pull it back out to paint the inside of the console.





It’s the little details to matter to me haha






So I found these lights at Walmart that are water resistant and they are made to go in the bed of a pickup. This whole time Ive been planning on doing L.E.D strip lights but these things were way to bright and convenient to pass up. Come to find out they fit absolutely perfect in the HDPE “tuffy” boxes I’m using as inserts in the back. These boxes are cheap and support over 200lbs on their own. That being said they are now removable if I ever need to access any wire or rigging.








I also took some time last night to sort through the factory harness and get rid of all of the factory non sense that has been replaced or isn’t needed. That’s a lot of useless wire. The second pic is what’s left of the harness and it’s mainly just for the engine and throttle assembly









I also made up some new power wire for the motor out of some 6/0. Even tho I wouldn’t have used it, the old wire wouldn’t reach anymore because I’ve moved the batteries from the back up to the console. 


One more thing I got done last night is got the gas tank finally mounted in its new home in the front deck. Major pain in the butt getting everything lined up and fit correctly. The filler neck is now flushed into the front deck. Even tho there really isn’t anything to see, here is the filler neck in all of its glory! (Sorry the boat is a absolute mess)





Next on the agenda is getting the boxes built for the front deck, getting the lights mounted up there and start coating the decks with spar and non skid. 


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