1980 Bass Tracker lll Rebuild

[Jet1932]

I have been fishing out of a kayak over the last year....I decided I wanted to cover more area and not have to worry about space. I thought I could not afford it...until I found this sight. I looked on CL for months until I found something that fit everything that I was looking for. I would have liked to have something a little bigger....mainly wider....but I had a buddy selling this Bass Tracker lll. I picked it up for a decent price....so now I find myself in the middle of a rebuild. I have had the boat about a month now and I can't wait to slime it up!!!

These are some pics from when I picked it up.....

 

[Jet1932]

I stripped a lot of it out.....

 

[Jet1932]

I am extending the casting deck and I will be using aluminum on the front deck and floor...but decided to stick with the wood on the back. I am adding several hatch doors to maximize my storage options. Thanks to the help from this sight I was able to set up the wiring to fit my needs. I will be using it to fish around the Central Texas area so I will be hitting small lakes. I target bass and I fish solo 99% of the time...

 

[Jet1932]

I have the wiring all set up and ready to go....the front casting deck is coming along nicely!

 

[smackdaddy53]

Coming along very nicely! I like the layout.

 

[WPS]

Looks good!

Keep us posted with a lot of pics!

 

[Jet1932]

Thanks guys!!! This is my first attempt...its addicting! I am already catching myself planning the next one!

 

[shawnfish]

I would have ditched the Styrofoam blocks up front, they take up a lot of room. and for your lakes you fish is there really a possibility of capsizing?? I guess theres always a slim chance but id rather have the storage space...

 

[smackdaddy53]

I would have ditched the Styrofoam blocks up front, they take up a lot of room. and for your lakes you fish is there really a possibility of capsizing?? I guess theres always a slim chance but id rather have the storage space...

What about sinking? With the right amount of foam you can at least salvage your boat and not let it sink to the bottom.

 

[Jet1932]

@ Smack....I thought your name looked familiar. I have been checking out your build.....very impressive work! It's funny....I have been talking to some friends about my project, I always pull up your build to show them what is possible and how much this forum helps. Thanks for all your work posting and providing us with info!

I do have a question on the Tuff-Coat. What are your thoughts on it now? I will trying to get the prep work done so I can apply it on my boat this weekend. I heard that spraying it is much easier vs. roller...and it will spread more evenly. I read some reviews that said spraying will make the gallon last longer? Do you think that is true? I don't have an air compressor....so I would have to buy one? In your opinion, would it be worth it for me to be able to spray?

Also, I have the wood in the back and I sealed it with spar urethane. Should I still use the regular wood primer for the tuff coat to stick?

As far as the styrofoam....I thought about ditching it. I rarely fish in rough water and rarely seem to be on water deeper than ten feet. I decided to keep it for the peace of mind. I hope I never need it...but it will be nice knowing it's there.

 

[Jet1932]

Tuff-coat applied this weekend. It went well once I realized I could dilute it. I ended up using the tuff-coat roller. So far...I really like the way it turned out. I was able to have enough left to do any touch ups that I might need in the future.

 

[gillhunter]

Looks great =D> . You've got a really good looking project going. I'm sure you're getting anxious to finish and get it wet.

 

[Jet1932]

I am ready to hit the water as soon as possible!!! I installed the new steering cable and steering system last night. The cable is a little long so I had to move the console up a few inches so it would fit. It was so close to the front deck it really didn't make much of a difference....I could have done my wiring a little different if I would have known about this sooner. I still don't have a plan for seats....I guess I will use the Yeti until I get it on the water.

 

[Jet1932]

I brought the boat home in early September...I got to get it wet this past weekend for the first time. I had trouble with the motor...but I think it will be an easy fix. It was good to be back out on the water! Fishing was slow...but I was more concerned with the functionality of the boat.

 

[TNtroller]

Very nice work on the re-hab you did.

 

[cprince]

Nice bass!

Terrific work on that boat! Do you have any close up shots of the joints or your aluminum framing? What sized rivets did you use? What was the thickness of the aluminum skin and frame?

Thank you!

Craig

 

[Jet1932]

Thanks! I used .125 on the casting deck and .090 for the flooring. I used 1 1/4" X 1/8 for the framing. I don't have any close up pics of the joints...but I just used 3/16" rivets that were 1/2" long. I zoomed in on a pic so I hope it shows. Everything seems very solid so far. I was surprised by the strength of the aluminum angle and the rivets early on. I ended up buying the aluminum angle and sheets of aluminum from "Metals4u" for a reasonable price. The aluminum angle was $25 for 25'.