2013 Tracker Topper 1436 help

Hey guys,

I'm brand new to this site but have been reading for about a month or so. I was led here from bassresource.com. I'm in my mid 20s and have been fishing since I can remember. I live in Southern California and plan on fishing lake Mission Viejo for giant bass. :roll:
Lake mission viejo is medium sized, gin clear water, and electric only.

Anyways, I'm in the market to buy my first boat, trailer and gear.
Starting with the boat, I think I have made my decision on a tracker topper 1436. I have been looking on Craigslist for used but have had no luck. I plan on buying a new one from my closest BPS. I would like suggestions or opinions regarding this boat and how to mod it. I was planning on putting a large front deck so I can stand on and fish and a smaller deck in the back maybe with a seat. I would like simple, yet efficient. Foot controlled trolling motor in the front and another electric motor in the back. Fish finder/another reader up front. Some lights, a couple of areas I can store gear. Nothing very exstravagent. But as you can tell I'm really unsure about anything except that I would like a larger front deck.

I bought the bolt together boat trailer from Harbor Freight. I am waiting for it in the mail. I plan on assembling it, registering it and then picking up my boat a.s.a.p. it says a 14' boat will just fit on there but 12' is ideal. Anyone had any problems with this? I live next to the lake so I will not be traveling far with the trailer and boat just quick launching and transport home when I'm done.

I have some other questions that I plan on asking once I can get the boat, I'm just trying to think ahead of time so I don't run into any issues. I also plan on posting a lot of photos and updates as I work on my project.

Thanks for the help

Welcome to the site! If I were you, I would browse around and look at other people's builds. You will find what you are looking for and will probably find answers to questions you haven't thought of before. The only downside is that you WILL find several great ideas that you will also want to use on your boat. I'm speaking from experience! :LOL2: If you can't find what you are looking for, feel free to ask. We love pictures, too.

I'd just buy a used 1436. New boats are so much less work though.

I was set on a 1436 until I got to the dealership and stepped into the 1542 --- a little more stable and a little more capacity

How large of a fella are ya? A casting deck on a 1436 isnt a good idea. If you are set on a casting deck, you should be looking at a 1448 at the smallest IMO.

Hey guys,

I'm on a pretty tight budget and as far as I have read, I should the biggest I can afford. I'm a smaller guy 5'11 about 160-165 pounds. I have been surfing for quite a few years so I would like to say my balance is pretty good. however, tipping my boat can be serious and quite frankly dangerous so I'm not trying to take this too lightly. But on the other hand I'd like to have a nice higher casting deck in the front and I'm pretty darn stubborn.

I saw a video on youtube of a couple younger guys both standing and fishing on tracker topper 1236 with a pretty high deck and they didn't seem to have any issues.

Also, I know this thread in pretty useless without pictures, but I promise I will get them up as soon as I have something to work with.

Thanks again for the help fellas.

Hey Johnny I am in the same boat so to speak whoa did I just write that. I too love fishing Mission Viejo lake and live probably very close to you off of Alicia. In June I bought a Coleman Crawdad for $300 off of craigslist and I believe it is 36 inches wide and near 12 feet long jon boat. Now I am 30 lbs heavier than you but I could not imagine putting a casting deck on a 36" wide boat.

Fishing this small plastic boat alone is fine for me but adding 1 more person is pretty rough - in fact the 1st day I took the boat out my buddy went right into the water where you pretty much launch the boat. I have no pictures :/ So for the last 6 months I have been set on buying the 1542 Topper since I can't really find much on craigslist. When I do find a boat it is always leaking rivets. The 1542 is 42" wide. I mean if you are primarily fishing alone I would say a 1436 could be ok. For $350 more you get more stability and a larger boat so I would suggest minimum 1542.

Because of the quagga mussel scare I need 2 boats because of the 1 month quarantine at LMV :/ So I guess the coleman crawdad will be used in Dana point harbor and Newport and now I am thinking about buying a Tracker Grizzly 16 foot. The 1448 Tracker Grizzlies that you can rent for 10 bux an hour are super nice and stable, would love to buy a used one if they ever sell them. It's terrible they don't have a high post and seat in the front like they do in the rear - I just don't understand it. Anyway good luck on w/e you choose.

Goldiegoo said:

Hey Johnny I am in the same boat so to speak whoa did I just write that. I too love fishing Mission Viejo lake and live probably very close to you off of Alicia. In June I bought a Coleman Crawdad for $300 off of craigslist and I believe it is 36 inches wide and near 12 feet long jon boat. Now I am 30 lbs heavier than you but I could not imagine putting a casting deck on a 36" wide boat.

Fishing this small plastic boat alone is fine for me but adding 1 more person is pretty rough - in fact the 1st day I took the boat out my buddy went right into the water where you pretty much launch the boat. I have no pictures :/ So for the last 6 months I have been set on buying the 1542 Topper since I can't really find much on craigslist. When I do find a boat it is always leaking rivets. The 1542 is 42" wide. I mean if you are primarily fishing alone I would say a 1436 could be ok. For $350 more you get more stability and a larger boat so I would suggest minimum 1542.

Because of the quagga mussel scare I need 2 boats because of the 1 month quarantine at LMV :/ So I guess the coleman crawdad will be used in Dana point harbor and Newport and now I am thinking about buying a Tracker Grizzly 16 foot. The 1448 Tracker Grizzlies that you can rent for 10 bux an hour are super nice and stable, would love to buy a used one if they ever sell them. It's terrible they don't have a high post and seat in the front like they do in the rear - I just don't understand it. Anyway good luck on w/e you choose.

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Hey man! That's awesome you fish lake mission viejo and are local. I live right off Alicia too! Hah. The quarantine is a drag and I figuring I could mod my boat during the 30 day waiting period. They got to do what they got to do to protect the integrity of the lake and not to mention those 20# largemouths in there.

I really would upgrade to a 1448 or atleast a 1542 if I could but I'm pushing my budget with a 1436 as it is. I've been waiting a couple years to get this going and I would really love to start fishing as soon as possible. I'm hoping maybe the extra 2' may benefit me a little more than a 12' even though both are 36" wide bottom.

You got any tips for dealing with L.M.V.A that you have had with experience? I know the rules of the lake, etc. but have never owned a boat for the lake before.

Owning a boat for LMV has it's perks You get to night fish and get to stay out till lake closes I think the times are 10 PM in winter and 11 PM in summer but you would need to ask the guys what the exact hours are. BTW night fishing is great . But the rules are pretty much the same as they are for a rental boat.

The Topper 1436 is a great boat! I would have kept mine if I was only ever taking out 2 in my boat. It's little too small for repeated casting with 3.

Check out my electric-only Tracker 1436 build for some ideas:
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=21927&hilit=Chub+tub

For the highest speed, I recommend getting the batteries as far forward and as low as possible. The transom creates a lot of drag in the water, so the higher it's out, the higher the speed. Keeping the batteries low and in the center creates better balance. I had one battery on the bow floor and two directly behind the front bench.
There was plenty of room to move around for each passenger and keeping the decks low kept the boat stable. Also having the added weight made the boat a lot more stable then when it was brand new.

For the middle deck I used 5/8" plywood with 3/4" square aluminum tubing attached between each rib. Light and plenty stiff.
I added wood on the benches for extra support so as to keep the thin aluminum from bending when you leaned in the seats.

For the most recent bow deck, all I did was make it level to the bottom of the bow bench.

Good luck and enjoy!

Hey guys,

Finally..an update. I received my trailer last Tuesday, had it assembled, primed and painted it from red to black by Thursday and went to pick up my boat on Friday.

I'm starting to "deck" my boat out now and currently waiting for front deck to dry after its second coat of alkyd spar varnish. I plan on doing 3 coats of it on all the wood going in my boat. It takes forever to dry but this stuff really is nice. I plan on putting a removable carpeted floor in the middle, and on the last bench by the stern I plan on putting plywood/carpeting and maybe putting a seat for my old man.

Couple of questions for you guys that I'm running into.

1. How should I attach my front deck to the front and middle aluminum benches already in he boat? I can't find stainless steel toggle bolts locally and don't want to cut corners on this part. I would prefer to secure it down, as opposed to some guys who can remove their front deck.

2. Batteries and electronics. I was planning on putting my two batteries in the very back of the boat. I will usually be fishing on this 1436 by myself casting from the front deck. So I figured that the back would be the most logical place to put 100 pounds worth of batteries for weight distribution. I plan on having 55+ pound trolling motor up front with a GPS/fish finder.
Since I fish a pretty small electric only lake I'm not sure if the bow mounted trolling motor is okay for my main and only propulsion for the boat. Maybe I can add a cheaper BPS prowler trolling motor by the batteries for a backup? Also, wiring, I have ever installed electronics in a boat. Am I shooting myself in the foot by screwing down/carpeting my deck before I get my electronics. I'm just concerned how I can get all my wiring in the front of the boat all the way to the back where my batteries are.

I apologize about the photos I'm trying to figure out how to post them frm my ipad..frustrating :x
I will post more as soon as the wood dries and I can lay the deck in the boat.

Also, I used tinboat member "Froggy" ideas for the trailer modification I had to do. Thanks for your thread man! Really helped out.

Hey, I have the same exact set up that you have!!!!! How funny. The 1436 and the trailer from Harbor Freight.

The way I ran my wiring around the boat is with 1/2" electrical pvc conduit. You can run it in between the side of the boat and the seats with a little force and minor cutting. All you need to do is take some tin snips and cut the top and bottom of the flange where the groove is on the sides. Then take some pliers and bend the flap a little. Then you can bang the conduit through with a mallet. You will need to cut the same part of the bench on the other side and it helps to have a little help. Because the benches are hollow the conduit won't just slide through, but if you have someone put a screw driver in the other end and guide it through, it helps a lot. Then you can bang the the flanges back down so they don't create a cutting hazard.

You can have conduit running through both benches on both sides so you can keep all the wiring clean and separated.

I also think that the best place to put the batteries are just behind the front bench. If you put two batteries in the back you will be popping a wheelie down the lake. I would also be careful with that 55# trolling motor. I almost tossed myself out of the boat before I had the deck built with a 30# trolling motor. It is also pretty rough only having the front motor. It is very hard to put the boat on the trailer and it is also a pain in the booty when you are making a decent run around the lake. If you can, I would put a decent sized transom mount trolling motor on the back. It makes it a lot easier to get around and get the boat up on the trailer.

I can add some pics if you need a visual. I hope that helps.

Goody32 said:

Hey, I have the same exact set up that you have!!!!! How funny. The 1436 and the trailer from Harbor Freight.

The way I ran my wiring around the boat is with 1/2" electrical pvc conduit. You can run it in between the side of the boat and the seats with a little force and minor cutting. All you need to do is take some tin snips and cut the top and bottom of the flange where the groove is on the sides. Then take some pliers and bend the flap a little. Then you can bang the conduit through with a mallet. You will need to cut the same part of the bench on the other side and it helps to have a little help. Because the benches are hollow the conduit won't just slide through, but if you have someone put a screw driver in the other end and guide it through, it helps a lot. Then you can bang the the flanges back down so they don't create a cutting hazard.

You can have conduit running through both benches on both sides so you can keep all the wiring clean and separated.

I also think that the best place to put the batteries are just behind the front bench. If you put two batteries in the back you will be popping a wheelie down the lake. I would also be careful with that 55# trolling motor. I almost tossed myself out of the boat before I had the deck built with a 30# trolling motor. It is also pretty rough only having the front motor. It is very hard to put the boat on the trailer and it is also a pain in the booty when you are making a decent run around the lake. If you can, I would put a decent sized transom mount trolling motor on the back. It makes it a lot easier to get around and get the boat up on the trailer.

I can add some pics if you need a visual. I hope that helps.

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Hey goody! Thanks for the reply man. Pictures would be really helpful.

So do you think I would be better with a smaller sized bow mounted trolling motor up front and then an average transom mounted trolling motor in the back as well? Will two batteries power 2 trolling motors and a fishfinder all day? The transom mounted trolling motor would be mainly used, like you said, if I need to get somewhere quicker and to help load my boat on the trailer.

Also, if I would be spending 70-80% of my time in the front wouldn't it be too much weight up there for the batteries as well? I figured if I put the batteries in the back, cooler and supplies in the middle and than me up front it would distribute the weight better? I can't really think of anything I'd put in the back of the boat with any weight but an occasional buddy or maybe an anchor lol.

Thanks for the help guys. Please, it would be cool if more people could chime in..im getting down to the wire here...literally. I'm about to start putting my fromt decking, which is all sealed into my boat and screwing it down. I will post pictures later today.

RE batteries in back; I actually heard a bit about peoples stern swinging around without a skeg of some sort in the stern. I wonder if the batteries back there would be helpful. However, I also know that you want a really short run from the battery to the trolling motor otherwise the cables get a lot of resistance. If you want them in the back, you gotta use some 6# probably. Have to check the charts. It might be more. I also imagine the bow can take a lot of weight whereas the stern can get bogged down. I was thinking of using the front trolling motor to get around mostly but if I was getting serious and needed to cover some ground, I would certainly put a larger stern mount tm on it. It just seems more efficient. you can get a 70lbs stern mount for an ok price.

i'd love to see more pics of the Harbor Freight trailer with the 1436 on it. I still throw my Topper 1436 in my truck bed. But this is getting old. How do you all like the HF Trailer? I will launch in the salt sometimes so I may have to go Galvinized. But the HF price is nice.

I love my 1436. Just gotta accept it's limits. No deck for me. Gonna stay dry. But more power to you if you wanna try. Enjoy

JIMMYTHEFISH said:

i'd love to see more pics of the Harbor Freight trailer with the 1436 on it. I still throw my Topper 1436 in my truck bed. But this is getting old. How do you all like the HF Trailer? I will launch in the salt sometimes so I may have to go Galvinized. But the HF price is nice.

I love my 1436. Just gotta accept it's limits. No deck for me. Gonna stay dry. But more power to you if you wanna try. Enjoy

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I have mixed feelings about the HF trailer ill post up pictures as soon as I make a little more progress.

Pros of HF trailer: fairly easy to assemble, pretty inexpensive with a coupon, mine came with extra bolts and accessories that I used in the modifications that I needed for it to fit my boat. You will need to buy a winch and some extras for it to be really be complete.

Cons of HF trailer: coupler doesn't fit 1 7/8" ball, needs modifications for a flat jon boat, not best quality in construction. I live next to the lake so it's really to going to be used to long distances just daily fishing across the street.

Keep in mind I have yet to even have this trailer for more than a week so take that with a grain of salt. My opinions could completely change down the road(hopefully for the better).

Gotcha,, Thanks man. Good luck with the build.

Hey, if I purchase two trolling motors, one for the back one for the bow, can I run them off the same battery? Everywhere I'm reading it says to not run your electronics and trolling motor on the same battery, so would I need a third battery for a second trolling motor if I decide to go that route? Really could use some insight here guys. I have the wiring guides bookmarked for when I am ready but I'm not too sure about this.

Hey Johnny,

I am only running one battery and have it in the middle like I said and then wire running from the back to the battery and the front to the battery. If you are going to buy an actually bow mounted trolling motor I would go as small as you can go which is 42 lbs. I think. Make sure you run a the wire through a 40 amp circuit breaker so you don't catch your boat on fire. I have the MinnKota Power center that has one built in. It's basically a bad *** battery box with two cigarette lighter adapters on it so you can run Navionics on your smart phone without draining the battery. I have run the 30# T.M. all day and still had over half of my battery left. It also depends on the wind! The only reason I suggest the middle of the boat for the battery is so you can get close to on plane with the motor and you sitting in the back. I am eventually going to get a gas outboard for the back but don't have the funds for it now so I am taking the gas tank into consideration as well.

I am a pretty big guy, 6'-3", 250, so I need my weight in the middle of the boat. Like you, I grew up Surfing and Skateboarding in San Clemente so my balance is pretty dang good. Just to be safer I am putting a tall pedestal, bicycle type seat to lean on when fishing up front on the deck. I am also mounting the seat on middle bench which is a lot further back then a typical bass boat set up.

I will post some pics later showing how I ran the conduit down the sides.

As far as the HF trailer goes, I have towed it a couple of times and it works well. The tip with the ball mount is to not tighten the bolts too tight. Keep the bolts loose and put it on the ball and then tighten a few turns and test it. I ran into the same problem while putting it together. I too made some mods to accept the flat bottom boat and didn't install any of the rollers since they just dig in to the flat parts of the boat.

I added a bow eye to the boat since it doesn't have one and added a winch from HF for about 25 bucks. I just need to pick up a spare tire and spare tire holder.

The other issue is I can't see the darn thing while I am towing it so I took some old surfboard wall racks (Since I live near Sacramento, no need for them anymore ) and bent them to a little over 90 degrees and added a 4' stick of 2" PVC pipe with a cap and some reflectors so I can see it when backing down the ramp and towing it.

Definitely don't get that trailer if you are going to launch in the Salt. It will rust very quickly. A thing to watch out for while running the electrical is to make sure you scratch off the paint around the stud bolts that hold the tail lights on. The lights won't ground through the paint. I went crazy dealing with that and wound up paying a mechanic to tell me that. It was only 20 bucks but that's 3 or 4 bags of Senkos!!!!

I hope that helps. I will post some pics of my build. I have a thread on here and wasn't getting any help so I haven't been posting anything. I plan on doing some work on the deck this weekend so I will take some pics and post them.

Have fun. There is something pretty awesome about fishing out of a boat that you have built most of!!!!! I am done rambling now.

Johnny,

Here's a link to a tracker 1436 I did a couple of years ago: https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=16622

I also had essentially the same trailer, but was from Northern Tool. Stability with the boat was never and issue for me. Leaking definitely was. The places where rivets leaked were near the trailer bunks, and I believe the problem was amplified by the weight that was added to the boat. Hitting potholes with a cheap trailer and a thin boat with added weight was a bad combination. I made some bunks out of 2 x 6's laid flat to help distribute the impact and that seemed to help. Ultimately wound up getting a welded boat. I caught a lot of fish from that tracker, and I think the leaking was something I caused or at least contributed to. Just some things to keep in mind during your build. Good luck, and look forward to your progress.

This forum is a great resource, and I learn something new every time I poke around here. Like this, if you haven't been told it already: always use either alum. or stainless steel, and never use treated lumber. Over time, other metals (like galvanized brackets) and copper from wood treatment solution will cause your boat's metal to deteriorate. Never would have known that without the fine folks here.