1997 Bass Tracker Pro Team 17.5

rico1063 · Sep 27, 2012

Just as many viewers and subscribers have stated, I have followed this site for a couple months now and finally took the jump. I am in the process of restoring a 1997 Bass Tracker Pro Team 17.5. I say restore however, I will be making several custom addition and pirating several ideas that I have seen on this site. As you can see in the pictures, the boat is in pretty good condition. The engine is a 25hp Tracker motor and fired right up. 45lb thrust trolling motor with 3 batteries and on board charger. All fired right up on a charge. Everything sounds good.... Hull is solid found only 1 leak. Transom was solid. Now for the bad. I get the boat home, release it from the truck and I can't even push the boat or budge it. It weighed a ton. I have owned and worked onw larger boats that I could move with ease on the trailer. First thought was bilge... dry... then the nightmare hit like a ton of bricks which I read numerous times on this site -- Water logged Foam and clogged channel drains from the foam in trackers. I poked around and I found some foam in the water.... I also founnd that my main deck floor is wood and swimming in water. All in all, I am happy with the challange and look forward to the tear down and rebuild. My final plans include a yellow and black paint scheme and a 70 hp motor to say the least amongst other ideas built in as I go. Just as I love looking at pictures and watching the progress, I will post a plenty.

rico1063 · Sep 27, 2012

nick4203 · Sep 28, 2012

nice project

cyberflexx · Sep 28, 2012

Thats a good looking boat.. Good luck on the restore..

TNtroller · Sep 28, 2012

I have an 04 PT175 with a 60, the 70 you plan will make it scoot. I can run high 20's per gps at only 4K rpms, so be careful when you get the 70 on there.

I have always stored my boat inside, I would guess most of your discoveries are from the boat being stored outside in all types of weather. Once the carpet gets wet on these boats, the rainwater just flows inside thru all the storage compartment openings imo. I've been caught out in the rain a few times, and it takes a long time for the interior to dry out. After you finish your build, suggest you get a good cover or store inside if possible. Seal the new flooring up good as well. Luckily, the flooring in mine is still solid, but I have stored inside since day one, so I know I'm lucky in that aspect.

Good luck, and post up lots of pics as you'll have a great boat when you get it done.

rico1063 · Oct 11, 2012

I have finished dismantling the casting deck and the main deck. After removing the decks, I found the casting deck to be in good condition and the main deck to be rotted right through. Shockingly enough, I found all the foam to be saturated to the core. After several days, I have finally removed all the foam and 25 gallons of water underneath the foam. The foam I would estimate to have added an extra 250-300 lbs to the boat. After reviewing the posts on the forum, I have found that a 11/64 drill bit works great on rivets. It is just enough to pop the head and the bottom falls out. I have also used a flat head screw driver, and a well placed blow with a hammer to shear some of them off. It is amazing how good you become after doing so many. It is on to cleaning the hull inside and out, steel flex and paint. Hopefully the weather holds up just a bit longer.