88 Tracker TXS 17 rebuild

[lukeduke07]

Brand New Member, Been a lurker for years. Recently bought an 88 Tracker TXS 17ft with a trailer for $600 (no motor) and just started tearing it down to build back to its former glory. My original plan was to make it an electric only reservoir boat but after seeing all the rebuilds on here of similar boats my wheels are turning!

 

[lukeduke07]

I started tearing everything down and it seems like its in relatively good shape. The foam was the worst!! completely saturated and smelled like gasoline and death. Took three full days to get it all out.

 

[lukeduke07]

There is a small dent in the gunwale cap and I,m not sure how to repair it.

Any suggestions?

 

[maintenanceguy]

We need a picture of the gunnel cap.

 

[GYPSY400]

There is a small dent in the gunwale cap and I,m not sure how to repair it.

Any suggestions?

What I would try in that situation is take a slide hammer from the top, while squeezing the sides with a C-clamp.. while warming it up with a propane torch. Then you would need a welder to fill in the screw holes from the slide hammer.

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[lukeduke07]

There is a small dent in the gunwale cap and I,m not sure how to repair it.

Any suggestions?

]What I would try in that situation is take a slide hammer from the top, while squeezing the sides with a C-clamp.. while warming it up with a propane torch. Then you would need a welder to fill in the screw holes from the slide hammer.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

Ill try it out! thanks!

I have plenty more questions and ideas to bounce off everyone and will upload more pictures when i get home. Stay Tuned.......

 

[maintenanceguy]

I think you can get that mostly back into shape with a block of wood under the gunnel, a second one on top of the gunnel, and a couple of C-clamps to draw them together. You'll need to come up with some spacers as you get it closer to flat.

I don't think it will go back to perfect. Once it's close, I've used automotive body filler to fix minor damage on aluminum boats before. It doesn't stick great to aluminum so drill a few holes to give it some purchase.

 

[lukeduke07]

Not much progress on the boat so far. Just been steady tearing it down and scraping off carpet and glue.

I've changed my plan 100 times since i bought the boat. :LOL2: Latest plan is to convert to a Center Console and set it up like my Seapro 208 Bay as much as I can with the space I will have.

Next up is tackling the transom replacement. Not looking forward to this at all. the wood is clad with a thin sheet of aluminum on the inside so its hard to tell if its completely rotten so I've talked myself in and out of replacing for weeks now. Have access to some 1/4" aluminum sheet that is left over from some planter boxes we had built for work and thought about just welding a piece to the back and calling it good.

 

[lukeduke07]

Going to work on the layout this weekend by making a mock up of the center console.

Thanks to Ebug for sending me the CAD plans he used for his build which is similar!

Im constantly looking for a good used reliable motor if anyone knows of one in GA for sale. Hull is rated for 80hp max so looking for at least 50hp but most likely want 70-75hp.

 

[lukeduke07]

Cut the splashwell/transom cap yesterday.

Like a complete ******* I cut way too deep into the gunnel. Guess I’ll have some patching to do.

Any ideas on how to fill the gap? I have some brazing rods I planned on using to fill the 250 screw holes the previous owner was kind enough to leave me all over the boat. Think these will work with these cuts?

 

[lukeduke07]

Finally got some time to get the transom wood out. It came out in one piece but was soft in places.

 

[lukeduke07]

I've been going back and forth about replacing the transom with plywood or going back with an aluminum frame. The existing wood is 1-1/4" so I bought a sheet of 5/8" CD exterior plywood from Lowe's. I did my math several times and checked is several more. Nominal 5/8" plywood is actually 19/32 so in theory, when I sandwiched two layers I should come up with slightly less than the 1-1/4" thickness.

I cut two pieces larger than the transom and glued together with gorilla glue. Then used some old 80lb quickcrete bags that were left over from a deck rebuild project at my house that i've been putting off hauling away (knew id need them again )

 

[lukeduke07]

Don't know if it was the glue or the wood was mislabeled at Lowes but my new transom wood is thicker than 1-1/4" after gluing two sheets together.

I have my epoxy to coat but i dont know if it will fit.

I have a metal fabricator that does a lot of work for me that has some 1/4" aluminum plate scraps as well as some 3/4" square tube that is probably enough to make this thing out of aluminum. I think i'm going to try and fab one out of the aluminum with the 3/4" tube and a layer of 1/4" plate on either side and then determine which one I want to use.

 

[LDUBS]

If I was just a whisker or two over, I would take it down with my trusty hand plane, belt sander, or router. Should be good if you are going to encapsulate with epoxy.

 

[lukeduke07]

Realized I haven't posted an update in quite a while. Sent my wood transom that i made too thick over to my metal fabricator that I work with all the time. He had some 1/4" Aluminum Plate and some 3/4" square tube scraps at his shop so I asked him to make me an all aluminum transom frame with the tubes at all the holes for mounting for strength.

with a little lost in translation he made me a solid as a rock all aluminum all welded transom that will be stronger than anything i could have made from wood.

 

[MrGiggles]

It was the Gorilla glue. The stuff foams up and expands a lot.

 

[lukeduke07]

Wow! life comes at you fast........

I haven't abandoned the project. We sold our house for a ridiculous profit and are trying to rehab a double wide to live in until we start building the permanent home on 24 acres.

that seems to be taking all my time but rest assured i will finish this and not be banished to the dungeon with all the other rebuild threads that die!!!

 

[CedarRiverScooter]

Good luck on the house.

Sounds like you won't have time to fish for a while anyway.

 

[k13west]

Realized I haven't posted an update in quite a while. Sent my wood transom that i made too thick over to my metal fabricator that I work with all the time. He had some 1/4" Aluminum Plate and some 3/4" square tube scraps at his shop so I asked him to make me an all aluminum transom frame with the tubes at all the holes for mounting for strength.

with a little lost in translation he made me a solid as a rock all aluminum all welded transom that will be stronger than anything i could have made from wood.

That transom looks great.

Looking forward to the next set of updates.

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[lukeduke07]

If anyone was wondering (not that i expect any of yall to wonder) I am still alive and the tracker is still a project. The COVID boogeyman hasnt got me yet!

Hopefully ill get back on it sooner than later. My daughter wants to join the High School Bass Fishing team and they are required to have a boat so now I have a deadline.