Derek's Tracker TX-17 rebuild

[Derek]

Steelflex is complete, well for now. I did the whole bottom and the lower section of the transom. I pulled the tape when I was done and it ran on the transom bad. I will touch that up at some point when the boat is flipped back over. Aside from the transom it went fairly well and covered well. I couldn't get good picture, so this will have to do till I can get it out of the garage.

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

Looks good bud.

Is the empty hull light enough for 2 people to move/flip?

Wanting to paint mine this comming winter

 

[Derek]

No way. Mine still has 4' of front deck still in it and the whole rear deck in it, so its heavier but still. Now if it was bare 2 can flip it over in the grass, but going to need 4 guys to carry/flip it without putting it down (like when just painted). I used large straps to make slings and hang it from the garage, rolled it over in the slings then set it back on the trailer.

 

[Derek]

My plan is to be back on the water at some point this weekend. I was able to make up brandy new bunks for my trailer last night. They will go on the trailer before I put the boat back on. I also picked up a new impeller for the motor. I'll give it a face lift at some point, right now I just want to fish.

 

[Derek]

Well I busted my ass to get the boat back together this weekend. New impeller installed in the motor and everything is working as it did last year when I took it apart. I was even able to get out fishing Sunday and picked up 6 slim darts. Going out today and Ill snap a few pictures.

 

[Derek]

Well Ive had it out a couple times and everytime I'm on the water I forget to take a picture. Its pretty easy to see why I picked the color.

Boated this 4+pounder friday afternoon.

 

[userspam]

Derek,
I have the same exact boat and am planning a similar rebuild next season. What did you replace the foam with under the front walking area?

 

[Derek]

I left the majority of the original foam up front. I only took out the last 1.5' before the wall.

 

[userspam]

Why did you remove just the last 1.5' ? Also what did you replace the back with?


Also i would just like to thank you on this post as it will be a HUGE help this upcoming winter. My trailer as well is rotting out!

 

[Derek]

that portion was waterlogged. the front section was still dry so I left it.
The rear sections I used closed cell foam board that I cut and fit into the space.

 

[userspam]

Derek maybe you can help me or someone else.

I currently have a powerdrive v2 40lb and a 6 gallon tank. I am upgrading to a 12 gallon tank. as for the trolling motor i wanted to add a terrova 80 (which as i'm sure you know is 24volt)..but i'm worried about carrying 4 batteries in the back with 12 gallon tank, i feel as if that is to much with the 40hp Force motor back there. I was thinking about adding compartments in the front to carry the 4 new batteries as there is plenty of room to work with as i do not use the rod holders. They are Interstate 29's and weigh in at roughly 62lbs PER battery so this would be an additional 248lbs in the front. Is this a major problem? I'm not sure if weight in the front matters or what. I also considered the terrova 55lb which would reduce me down to 2 batteries in the front. Or if i went with the 12volt 55lb I could keep the 2 batteries in the rear compartment. What would you do? If anyone has any idea's/suggestions that would be excellent!

Thank you in advance

John

 

[Derek]

I actually just went through this. I have had a 12gal tank in the back, fits great but uses 1/2 the space in that compartment. I used to run a 12v motor with the battery upfront in the pass side compartment. I now have a MG pro 75lb thrust 24v motor. I was able to fit 3 batteries (2-G31s and 1-G27) plus the 12 gallon tank in the back. There is not a ton of room left but I would think you could fit a 4th back there. Why do you need 4 batteries?
Due to my boat storage area I need to be able to pull my batteries out to charge them. So I had to use the rear compartment for ease of access. This caused porpoising issues even with my 70hp due to weight not being evenly distributed. There is just too much weight in the rear. I would love to install my 2-G31 batteries under the front deck. When I am able to plug the boat in I will likely install an on-board charger and move those batteries forward to more evenly weight the boat. Until then the hydro-foil I installed on the motor solves the porpoising issue.

 

[Derek]

Here is a little update on my boat, work has picked up and now I don't have as much free time online. But I am still fishing and working on the boat.

As I spoke about above, I picked up a Motor Guide Pro Series 75lb thrust 24v trolling motor. This thing has some serous power. My old 40lb motor seems like a toy in comparison. Since I need to be able to pull the batteries to charge them I utilized the rear compartment. I now have (2) group 31 batteries and (1) group 27 for cranking the motor. All new wiring was run for the 24v system. Works awesome.

All this weight in the rear of the boat caused porpoising issues. The boat is just too heavy in the rear. I solved that issue for now with a hydro-foil. It has completely got rid of it, boat planes out nicely. I lost 2 mph top speed, but I can live with that. When I have a place to plug the boat in during storage I will install a on-board charger and move the batteries under the front deck. I should be able to remove the hydro-foil and regain the speed back.

I installed red interior LED lighting. I put a 12" bar under the dash and one under the lip below the seats. I also built a little angle bracket for a 6" one on the rear deck. Also put a 6" strip under my trolling motor pedal. All the LEDs point down and do not shine in you eyes while fishing. They give minimal light on the decking and tons of light in the bottom of the boat, which is just what I wanted.

2 weeks ago I was taking my father fishing on the Conn river. Going through some road construction I hit a bump and heard something on the trailer break. Ended up being the D-side spring. It snapped from the center pin rearward. I was pissed but determined to go fishing. I ended up temporarily "fixing" it with a chunk of 2x4 and a couple ratchet straps. Drove to the ramp, launched the boat and then the 30 min drive home afterwards and the axle didn't budge. Time for some trailer work.

So I spent this last weekend repairing/rebuilding my trailer. The trailer had the adjustable brackets for axle position, just held on by 2 U-bolts per side. Also the springs were not a standard length slipper trailer spring. Kinda stupid IMO so I ditched it all together. I bought all new mounts and springs. Also went to a double eye spring instead of a slipper style. Moved the axle 10" more rearward. Welded on the new mounts and bolted everything up. Tows great and straight as an arrow. I built all new fender mounts and made them nice and stout. The front mount has a triangular portion where I will put a carpeted step. I also built a spare tire carrier up front, so I can get the trailer spare out of the back of my truck. Now I have to decide how I want to refinish the trailer, new parts just have primer for now.

 

[userspam]

My problem around here is a lot of lakes you can only use a trolling motor so having just two batteries for a 24 volt just is not enough. Need backups..

My batteries are plently for starting the little 40hp to so i do not need a starting battery. Would 4 29's be to much for the front? Any ideas?!?

 

[userspam]

Also..I wanted to keep them semi close for an onboard charger..

 

[Derek]

Have you actually worn out (2) batteries on a 24v system? I fished 6hrs with trolling motor only and my batteries were still at 80% so said my charger. I would think 4 up front would work, but never tried that much weight up there.

 

[userspam]

I think what you are saying is what I should do..stick to two onboard trolling batteries..i can always keep an extra set in the car if i'm camping out for a full weekend.

I think im gonna add alot of storage out front as the rod holders are useless for 7' poles. Probably gonna run my starting battery out of the drivers side front as my trolling batteries are in the back left.

What was under the foam in the front?

Thanks,

John

 

[Derek]

I would think the boat would get on plane alot easier without the extra 100+ lbs.
Under the foam up front is just the boat hull, has ribs that run diagonally forward with the shape of the bow. Ya the rod holders were useless to me as well. Boat has more storage now without them.

If you go back to the 2nd post in this thread there is a picture

 

[userspam]

hey derek, could you give me a rough estimate on how much carpet i will be needing to recarpet the entire boat?

 

[Derek]

8'-6" x 25'-0" was the size of the roll I got and I used ALL of it aside from the scraps