Dirty Dave's 1860 Tracker

[dirty dave]

Got the other side board cut and drilled. I'm gonna cut the carpet when I get back to work in 30 minutes or so.

Got my light bar mounted. Started off making a template out of a cardboard box. Then used a punch to make a dimple, small drill bit, then a large one. It was kind of hard to get the nut on the bottom of the bolts, had to put silicone on it to stick the washer to nut, and nut to my finger.

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[dirty dave]

Got my side bunks carpeted and bolted on. They turned out pretty well for never having done any carpet work before.

Amazon order came in the other day with wire, switches, and bilge pump. Thinking about getting a cheap cutting board to mount bus bar and fuse block too. I found a 6 fuse, fuse block today under my helm, so gonna use that and the 4 that came with my switches instead of one team blue sea fuse block. I also have just about all of the old wiring out. Time to start fresh!

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[Jake26]

You have any plans for the spare console you got? I could take it off your hands...think shipping to Florida would be cost prohibitive?

 

[dirty dave]

Shipping would probably be pretty expensive. I am thinking about swapping to the aluminum console. It has a few cracks but i might get them welded up. The fiberglass has a bunch of holes in it and am probably gonna remove it and swap for a cleaner look. It just depends on a few things but If I ever am gonna get rid of it I'll let you know.

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[Jake26]

Cool, I am slowly acquiring parts for a remote steering conversion, last thing is steering cable/setup. Still trying to talk myself into stick steering, but i just love console storage capabilities. Not too much room to stick stuff on a jonboat....

 

[dirty dave]

Got the bow fishing deck brackets cut off the boat. I don't really plan on bow fishing so I cut these brackets off. My transom trolling motor adapter will be welded on where the right side bracket was. Used a cutting wheel and a grinding disc, along with a chisel and hammer to get these off. I have got the welds smoothed out and blended with the boat now.

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[DavidPrestonFishing]

Great build man! I'll be following along for sure,Can't wait to see the paint job I'm thinking about painting mine as well so I'm gunna follow your process lol

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[dirty dave]

The plan for paint is rough up the already painted surfaces with 40 or 80. Self etch prime the bare aluminum, then go over with color. Haven't decided on what product yet but I will keep yall updated. I'm on vacation this week so not much progress.

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[dirty dave]

Started on the bottom trailer bunk boards today. I put my boat on my parents ski boat trailer, their boat is in dry dock, so that trailer normally just sits empty in the yard. I had to hammer a crowbar between the boards and trailer to hold pressure on the bolts so they wouldn't spin. Got both of the old boards off.

I got the new board's holes marked and drilled, and and countersunk. Them got 1 board completely carpeted. I forgot to take finished pictures.

I am gonna hit parts of the trailer with the wire wheel, clean it up and paint some spots that are easy to get to with the boat off.

I start back working at my summer job on Monday. Less time to work on the boat but more money to put in to the project.
Next on the list is paint. Probably gonna order some parkers duck boat. I also really need a new steering cable, I found one in the classified section that might work. If that falls through I will just order one online.

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[dirty dave]

Cleaned up where the boards will be with a wire wheel and sprayed with black spray paint. I ran out of paint but I am gonna get some more tomorrow and touch up the trailer while I have the boat off and it's easy. Got a picture of the bunk boards that I finished. I ran out of staples so I'm gonna pick them up tomorrow when I get paint.

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[dirty dave]

While I was cleaning up and painting the trailer I decided to take out the old wiring. I'm at the point while I might as well start fresh and know it will work than have to deal with shotty wiring. Here are some pictures of before I pulled the wiring, a bunch of wire nuts and electrical tape.

One of my trailer tires was flat yesterday. It seemed to have a small blow out, bulging and wires were showing. I have a spare but am probably just gonna replace that tire, and paint the rims while I'm at it.

Went to the beach last week and fished off the gulf state park pier, and off the beach. Caught a few croaker, 1 lady fish, a catfish, and 2 sharks. Turned out to be a pretty good trip!

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[dirty dave]

Cut the uprights off the trailer. They were pretty flimsy and were welded poorly. I forgot to take a picture but I got the welds ground down then cleaned off the rust with a wire wheel. My new led tail lights will go back in the original location under the rusty piece in the picture. I started my summer job last week so I will have some income for more parts. Plan on taking boat to welder, and picking up 3 of these camp seats for $140 for all, once I get paid.

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[dirty dave]

Got 3 camo boat seats today, and got trailer boards put back on. The weather has really been slowing me down this week.

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[cajunrebel]

Went to Lowe's today and spent $100 on stainless hardware, pressure treated lumber, and outdoor carpet. I am gonna replace the trailer bunks, since half have carpet and the other half doesn't. I should have pics tomorrow

I'm thinking the bilge pump and wire should be here today. Gotta tear out the rest of the old wiring and get started with the new.

Next thing on the list after I get bunk boards is paint. Think I am gonna go something like this with a green base and bottomland over the top.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But, treated lumber and aluminum don't mix. They react when in contact and cause aluminum to corrode. You should change them out for regular lumber. Hopefully you can remove the carpet you installed and put it on some new wood.

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[Johnny]

Dave - you have done an awesome job on your rig so far !!! a great transformation.

and yes, the popular vote is not to use P/T lumber on or with a boat.
"treated lumber and aluminum don't mix" is the rule - but not the law.
the rule should read: "treated lumber and BARE aluminum don't mix"
if there is a layer of insulation between the two, such as carpet and primer and paint,
I.M.H.O, it is ok to use it as trailer bunks covered in carpet. IF the boat is properly primed and painted.
I have had P/T bunks with outdoor carpet for over 15 years with zero ill effects.
I didn't even glue the carpet down - just the generic "Arrow T50" staples. (not even stainless).

I feel that in dry states such as AZ, TX, NM and FL, I think that once the P/T wood
fully air dries down to 10% or less, the preservative is locked within the wood cells
and does not leach out like fresh, wet pressure treated wood will do.
- - - - your boat = your call - - - -

the only concern I have is with your trailer.
some of the welds look really suspicious. When you trailer your boat, please ensure
you use the correct tie-down straps (not bungee cords) and the anchor points are secure.
[such as 1/2" eye bolts or shackles bolted to the frame - not welded].






,

 

[dirty dave]

Cajun, Yes I know about PT wood and bare aluminum, for this there will be a layer of carpet and at least one layer of paint between them. In addition this boat will never be in saltwater so I'm not worried about corrosion.

And Johnny, the previous owner did a hack job of welding additions to the trailer, I'm taking it to the welder this week to have some welds re-done. I took 2 years of welding in high school so I have a basic amount of knowledge about welding and know that these welds are not up to par. There is a lack of penetration with most of them and a problem with porosity. As for tiedowns I have some off brand ratcheting boat buckles bolted with stainless bolts and nylocks through the rear of the trailer.

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[Johnny]

Good Job young man, good job indeed !!
looking forward to the grand finale' !!

 

[dirty dave]

Good Job young man, good job indeed !!
looking forward to the grand finale' !!

I feel like im really far from where i want to end up with the build, but I dont have a deadline to meet nor want to rush anything. So it will be a slow and steady build. I plan on keeping this boat for a while, as the size is good for what I use it for. I figured I could put 2k or so into a rebuild and have pretty close to a new boat, setup the way I like for 1/3 of the price of a new setup. I just started back at my summer job so I have more funds, but less time. Before I started working this summer, I was in school at UA and had more time but little money.

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[cajunrebel]

I am happy to hear that you are aware of the potential for corrosion issues. I know that I for one am a fan of a major inspection of a boat hull annually. It helps to catch issues like broken welds, leaking rivets, pin holes, corrosion, and wiring trouble. Your build is looking good. I will be keeping an eye on it for when I start to modify my boat in the next year or so.

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[dirty dave]

Going to the welder when I get off work this afternoon

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