1984 16' Bass Attacker Complete Rebuild

[Bigwrench]

Well sadly I have to put this build on hold temporarily. Blew my 200 Merc today on the lake and have a trip planned for May so I'm gonna have to put all funds and emphasis on getting the Ranger back on the water asap ! To be continued .....

 

[Bigwrench]

The Bass Attacker restore/rebuild will continue most likely the first week in June so stay tuned , I ain't giving up on this build unless I'm pushing up daisies !

 

[onthewater102]

if you're using aluminum for the decking and want to use aluminum for the bow controls area you could rivet the aluminum & glass over the riveting just like you would compound drywall...best of both worlds - clean final product, with the permanence and durability of the aluminum...you'd need to paint everything but if you're using a roll-on floor coating over aluminum decking that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Bigwrench]

Just wanted to drop in and let everyone know I'm still kicking and that the Mercury rebuild is taking more time and money than I anticipated
I'm almost done but it has been a nightmare from the start lol
Finishing up the wiring this weekend

Hopefully getting the lower unit on tomorrow and maybe a test run here in driveway if all works out ok.
I'm not giving up on the Tin rig for any reason short of The Good Lord calling me home so stay tuned
If Jim will allow it there is a complete rebuild thread on the 200EFI rebuild (Nightmare) on another site I can link to so you guys can check it out.

 

[Bigwrench]

Mercury nightmare rebuild is DONE ! It runs like a new one ! My sons playing in The All Stars baseball league and our schedule this weekend is crazy but hopefully I will get the tin rig back in the garage Sunday !

 

[Bigwrench]

Ok so had a couple hours tonight and decided I absolutely had to make some progress on this thing !
I should point out that during the Mercury build the tin rig was outside covered with TWO boat covers and still somehow took on water , was pointed bow down and there was like 2-3 foot of water in it ! Good thing was it did not leak a drop anywhere so this thing is sealed up really good ! Bad news is I had to really clean everything up again and wash it all down ! Rusted up a lot of stuff and all my cardboard templates were
Ruined but that's ok cause I got a running Merc lol
Right now I can't spend any more money but I have a lot of stuff already here and ready to go so I started working on things that I can do and put the stuff off that's gonna cost me more money (Front Deck Welding)!
Started out taking measurements of my back deck area, it is one flat sheet and relatively easy to cut so I cleaned up everything and got to work

Laid one edge in square and marked the height of the deck against the sides. I should also note that with all the decking out of the boat the sides sorta spread apart so I had to account for that. Once the piece is cut square I will fasten one side and then pull the other side up tight with a ratchet strap to make sure the rear sides of the boat are square with the transom.

I had trouble keeping the jig saw cutting straight because the little blade has a tendency to walk or bend easily so I tried to leave a sharpie marker tip width for my cut line tried using a 2x4 as a guide . It worked ok but I think for long straight cuts I will use a skill saw and have a helper spraying lubricant.

The cut wasn't as nice as I wanted it but here's where I got creative and using the piece I cut off I flipped it so the factory edge was even with my mark , clamped it to it and filed, sanded and ground it flush until I had an almost perfect cut

Close up

Using several power tools

It took a little more time and effort but I'm happy with this piece

Installed

I'll get the splash well area cut out next and the start working on locker cut outs.

 

[Bigwrench]

Squared up that piece and clamped it , also used a large ratchet strap to pull the sides together tight. From underneath the panel I marked all the available access holes and seat post hole. Also marked the front (seat back area) cut lines and using a skil saw and plenty of protection I cut that front area out .

Clamped it back in place so I could smooth out all the sharp edges. I'm going to file or sand all the sharp corners and edges smooth and round and hopefully it will look like it seamlessly joins the floor joists at the edges.
Now that all the access holes are marked I need to decide where to put the storage and what type of storage I want to have. I also have to take into account my gas tank height which will be in the middle , more to the front against the seating area back panel.
I do not want the storage compartment lids sticking up above the deck so most likely need precut aluminum "boxes" that have a flange on top for riveting to the deck and then will need a frame for the lid to fit flush. If that makes sense? They will need strength to be able to walk on them. And of course long hinges that are hidden if possible. I'm going to have to search ch trough some of yalls builds and get some ideas.
So throw them ideas or suggestions my way. I'm going to try and draw up a plan for the rear deck tonight.

 

[Bigwrench]

Made a lot of progress last few days
Rear deck area tentative design

Got some help from my little buddy !

Armed with a sharpie and a flashlight he traced out the two remaining compartments

Making sure he isn't asleep lol

He was afraid of spiders

Great job , flipped it over and started laying out my cut lines for the splash well

All perimeter cuts for rear deck finished !

Dry fit ! Looks great !

Time to make some hanger brackets to "float my boat"

Redneck ingenuity!

 

[Bigwrench]

Trailer time again
LED tail light upgrades

Soldered , heat shrink and then taped up wiring

Let's see if they work

Laying out bunk boards and making a list of needed hardware

Bow winch and strap location

Need to order some mounting hardware today and probably run by Lowe's and get some SS bolts .
Gonna get down to business in a few minutes and cut the main deck lower floor out ! Got all day to play with it so let's get to it !!

 

[Bigwrench]

Think the time has come to get started back on this protect
Apologize that it’s been so long but as some know there have been some major challenges to overcome in my life the last couple years.
We are slowly getting back in business and will be limited on what can be done by myself but will have others who can do some of it too.
With that being said I need TIG welding advice so if any of y’all are serious Aluminum TIG Welders message me
Please if you have time.
Stay tuned for more
Progress soon

 

[New River Rat]

Great build and thread! Looks like changing oil in vehicles does pay off.... =D>

I like that your "helper" is in there with you learning as he goes, and baseball and tinboats are a great way to learn some life lessons. Good luck on everything.

 

[Bigwrench]

Great build and thread! Looks like changing oil in vehicles does pay off.... =D>

I like that your "helper" is in there with you learning as he goes, and baseball and tinboats are a great way to learn some life lessons. Good luck on everything.

He is definitely growing too fast for my comfort but I’m glad to be able to share these experiences and pass on what I can.

 

[kalninm]

Just subscribed to your post, can't wait to see how it finishes up!!!

 

[ckhenshaw4]

Great build. Can't wait to see the finished product.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[Bigwrench]

Ok so back in business there’s several updates since the last couple posts. I’m still limited on what I can do myself but getting stronger by the day so I’ll attempt to get caught up to where I am now on this project.
All 3 main pieces of the deck flooring are now cut to size and installed.

Center floor area installed and playing around with a rod locker configuration.

All the bunks are built and installed.

3m 5200 on all through bolts with all new mounting hardware

Slotted the heads to make it easier to countersink the bolts

Excess bolt length cut off to allow the bunks to swivel on the brackets.

Installed and adjusted to the boat hull.

 

[Bigwrench]

Installed a new trailer jack

Winch strap

Winch is temporarily backwards so I can work with the location of the hill on the trailer without hitting my jack.
Had to make a new sleeve for the new front roller and just used an old spare tire lowering handle out of a Chevy.

Worked perfectly

Installed and adjusted temporarily until I can figure out the front bow stop situation

 

[Bigwrench]

Also should add that this build just went to a whole new level [emoji3]

Getting ready to start making some serious progress with unlimited options real soon.
Stay tuned and thanks for hanging around throughout my long recovery time.

 

[Bigwrench]

After some cleaning and organizing the garage we got to work cutting out storage areas.

Nice clean cuts and then started making a pattern for the drop ins.

 

[Bigwrench]

Mocked up some seating arrangements

Installed the rear lower deck flooring

Cut out another rear access door today and pulled everything back out done some hull cleaning/vacuuming

and laid down some foam.

Ran a couple sets of wires up through the chine tube

 

[Bigwrench]

Need some ideas on a permanent below deck fuel tank.
There’s this one available fr m
Several locations that is 12 gallon plastic

And this one that is more of a street rod auto type, Aluminum 17gallon that I think would work fine also.

What have you guys done or do you have a preference pros/cons?
I do know that I do not want a portable tank setup so just kicking around ideas