1996 Bass Tracker TX 17 Build- Updated Progress Pics

[clarego]

im may get a peek underneath the deck before she goes into storage but i hate to say it i may not go the foam route i have till the middle of october id rather fish for now then go into a project :mrgreen:

 

[Ictalurus]

jigngrub

While I've never owned or remodeled a Tracker, I've heard of and seen many pictures on this site described the expanding foam problem in Trackers. In the picture of your boat, it looks like Tracker only cut out two drain holes down the centerline of your boat.

 

[cooter brown]

Dang! It must really suck to be Tracker owners like y'all eh?

I love my Tracker!!!

Not at all! I love this boat too! I was't complaining, just stating that this situation existed with my boat. No one here is slamming Tracker. If you look closely at the pics of the ribs in my boat, they are solid in the middle from the bracing. I have no holes cut in my center of the ribs like your boat does. The only path for water to run on my boat is in the v channels of the hull under the ribs. Those were the channels that were blocked in my boat and other TX 17 Trackers that I have seen on this forum. The TX 17's are modified V's, not V hull designs like yours. The angle of the hull is not as steep and all of the water has to run along those outer hull channels 'cause there is not center channel hole.

 

[cooter brown]

Like many others I was not looking forward to removing the 15 year old carpet glue from all the aluminum panels, hatches and deck framing. I had decided that I would just use a cup brush and a big electric drill. I found some old varnish remover that I had around from a gun stock refinishing project. I brushed it on and let it sit for about 30 minutes. What do you know, it worked great. You may have to leave it on some stubborn stuff for longer, but does work and much easier and faster than the cup brush. Here is a panel i used it on and the can of the remover. It is called Bix and I bought it from Lowes, I believe:

 

[mmf]

Look like it works good, brother. Keep up the good work!

 

[jigngrub]

jigngrub

While I've never owned or remodeled a Tracker, I've heard of and seen many pictures on this site described the expanding foam problem in Trackers. In the picture of your boat, it looks like Tracker only cut out two drain holes down the centerline of your boat.

That's just camera angle.

All drain holes are clean, present, and accounted for.

 

[cooter brown]

Got a little time to work on the boat this morning. My boat is actually located about 35 miles from where I live. I live in a town house and don't have room for a boat. I keep it at my buddy's house and it's not easy to find time to get down there.

Today, we added some additional bracing to the deck structure. It went surprising quick since we had everything all leveled up and actually had a game plan before we started. Below are some pics of the progress....

I'm going to have to add some more bracing depending on what gauge deck sheet I go with. Structurally speaking this thing is very strong.

I have a little situation going on the port side. The factory "L" bracket has been hacked up. I can't get a rivet gun in there because it has been cut off so close to the port gunnel. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to tie it all together on the sides.

I hope to get down there tomorrow AM and will update soon.



Eric

 

[butchertony]

A few weeks back, I got a good deal on a 1996 Tracker TX 17 Tournament. The boat had some issues but the motor had good compression and ran well. The front deck structure and rod locker had been removed by the previous owner. He was going make a raised deck for bow fishing but realized it wasn't stable enough to build on.

Here are some pics of how it looked when I picked it up:

Nice stainless prop

Here's where things get a little more interesting. In the pic below, you can see how the deck structure was cut out:

On to the teardown.....

shoot yea thats what I need

 

[mmf]

Got a little time to work on the boat this morning. My boat is actually located about 35 miles from where I live. I live in a town house and don't have room for a boat. I keep it at my buddy's house and it's not easy to find time to get down there.

Today, we added some additional bracing to the deck structure. It went surprising quick since we had everything all leveled up and actually had a game plan before we started. Below are some pics of the progress....

I'm going to have to add some more bracing depending on what gauge deck sheet I go with. Structurally speaking this thing is very strong.

I have a little situation going on the port side. The factory "L" bracket has been hacked up. I can't get a rivet gun in there because it has been cut off so close to the port gunnel. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to tie it all together on the sides.

I hope to get down there tomorrow AM and will update soon.



Eric

Looks good cooter, Is it possible you could SS bolt a new plate in thru the gunnel.?
Sometimes I use SS cap bolts with an allen head, they look like a big RIVET when installed.
You can get them from McMaster-Carr in Atlanta much cheaper than the hardware! :wink:

 

[cooter brown]

Well, it's been a while since I updated this build. I've been really busy at work and haven't had too much time to get to the boat.

Here we added some additional bracing.

Here you can see the test fit of the main deck sheeting. The front area will be a separate panel held down by button head SS screws. This way, I will always be able to get to the trolling motor/ light harness. It also maximized the 1/8" 4x8 sheet of aluminum. The seat post base will be up here.


I had some old signs that I was planning to use for the floors. I was going to put foam board under the floor but the more I thought about it the more I didn't like the idea of saltwater being trapped under that the foam. The signs were just too thin to use without the foam board. The only way that they would have worked would have been to add additional braces to the factory ribs. I bit the bullet and purchased another 4x8 sheet of 1/8" aluminum. It hurt my wallet but I'm happy I waited and got the right stuff.

Shiny new floor! You can also see the additional bracing for the front section in this pic.

Got the vertical bulkhead panels cut and installed. I used a piece of the angle at the base for a trim piece to give it a finished look. The side panel on the right is not installed. It's just kinda leaning over there.

The front section is still not installed. It's just up there to get an idea of how it will look. I still have to figure out exactly where I want my seat base.

Next, I will start to work on the side panels. They will have to be extended a little. The starboard panel is not cut straight at all. I plan to use the foam board behind the side panels.

It's getting closer and closer..... more to come.

-Eric

 

[mmf]

Oh yea! I like it Cooter, I'm watching your build.....

 

[cooter brown]

Oh yea! I like it Cooter, I'm watching your build.....

Thanks, if it turns out half as good as yours, I will be happy!

-Eric

 

[cooter brown]

Well, it's hard to believe it has been so long since I last posted an update. I have been really busy at work and haven't had time to work on the boat until the last few weeks. I got most of the wiring done today. Thankfully, I took pictures of the wiring before I took everything out. It was still slow going figuring everything out. At least everything works. List of things I still have to do:

-Mount Trolling motor (going to order this weekend)
-Trolling motor wiring/ onboard charger wiring
-Interior lights
-Adjust Carb
-Mount front seat post base
-Front lights
-Install Hydroturf
-Trailer (replace broken bunks, bearings, new tires, new lights, new jack

Here's some pics of how it sits right now:

More to come soon......

-Eric

 

[Gators5220]

Nice build thus far, are you gonna stay with that force or go a little larger with the motor?

 

[cooter brown]

Nice build thus far, are you gonna stay with that force or go a little larger with the motor?

Thanks. I would love to get my hands on something a little larger. The boat is rated for 70.
__________________


I have been working on the boat the past few weeks and got quite a bit done. I ended up ordering a Minn Kota Riptide SP Autopilot in 55lb trust. I originally wanted a 24V, but just didn't want to deal with the 3rd battery. I have the 12 gallon fuel tank in the back. I didn't think there would be enough room for three batteries and my onboard charger back there. I also didn't want that much weight in the rear of the boat. I found a screaming deal on the 12V, so I pulled the trigger. The onboard charger I decided on was the Minn Kota MK-210-D. Batteries are new Exide group 29 deep cycle marine for the TM and group 24 marine starting for everything else. If you have an Academy Sports in your area, they have really good deal on the Exides right now. I have no idea how they will hold up. I'm hoping that they will last a while since I have an onboard charger now to keep them topped off at all times.

I ended up mounting the trolling motor on the right hand side. It just seemed to make the most sense. The boat is a side console and putting the trolling motor on the left would just eat up deck space while it is stored. With it on the right, the front deck is wide open when it's stored. There are so many times in both fresh water and salt water when you have grab a rod and run to the front of the boat to cast on schooling fish. It is nice to have a wide open deck for things like that.

I have a few odds and ends to finish up. The main thing now is the trailer. I just got some new tire and wheels. I have to replace bunks, deal with the bearings, and replace the lights and wiring. I did pickup a Reese galvanized 1000lb jack onsale the other week at Tractor Supply for 26 bucks! It works great so far.

The hydroturf turned out pretty good and was easy to work with. I didn't get the peel and stick style. I used DAP Weldwood red label. I still want to do the sides but need to order another sheet to do it right. I'm going to finish up some other areas and trim this weekend.

Anyway, thanks for looking and on to the pics:
_______________________________________________

I used some aluminum cleaner on the boat and it made a huge difference. I still need to go over it again.

How y'all like our crappie beds in the background? They aren't attracting many fish to the yard! Got to get em in the water soon.

Trolling motor on the right. I caught a bunch of grief for this but it just make sense to me.

I'm going to redo the rod holders. They are not going to stay where they are now.

Updates coming this weekend..

-Eric

 

[fishingmich]

Instead of redoing the bearings, take the hubs off and take them to tractor supply, You can get a whole new hub assembly. Bearings packed already and the whole nine yards. I had to do that a couple of years ago when me and my son were in the U. P. of Michigan. One of my hubs went to hell when we were in the middle of nowhere and I had to limp it almost 50 miles! I got mine at NAPA and they were $35 a piece. Just open the package they come in and slap em on! Sure beats messing around trying to repack the bearings and hoping they're ok. That way you can buy an extra set to take with you on trips, leave em in the package and they're redy to go if you need em. Already packed!

 

[bigwave]

Awesome job, this boat looks better than new. =D>

 

[fool4fish1226]

Boat looks great, you did a really nice job =D>

 

[Vermonster]

Great Job indeed!

 

[MrSimon]

That hydroturf stuff looks great (as does the rest of the boat).

Can you take any high-res close-ups of that stuff?