Tracker 1448 Rear Deck storage

[bassboy1]

Been a bit too long since I've last posted any project pictures. Just been a bit too busy, and recently, a handful of what I've done has been carbon copies of boats I've already posted in the past - nobody wants to see the same deck extension in another one of the same boats.

Anyway, a local customer came to me wanting to add a bit of storage to his bare bones Tracker 1448. As the boat isn't used strictly for fishing, he didn't want to loose open floor space by adding a deck extension, instead opting for placing storage underneath the aft bench seat. Also, he decided to install a lid over the aft battery compartment, to grant some deck space in the area that used to be dead space.

Here's what we started with. A clean Tracker 1448 w/ 15 Mercury.

First step is to cut holes in a perfectly good boat, weld in brake formed angles, then blend and fair.

 

[bassboy1]

The next step is to carpet the boat.

Then, we fabricate some drop-in boxes, followed by bending a set of lids.

The shape of support lip for the box provides a built in coaming, thus all of the water that drains off the top of the lid will not go into the storage box, and will instead drain into the bilge.

Install a bimini top, and you have a boat that is ready for the lake.

Here it is ready to leave. I don't have any pictures during construction, but you can see the lid over the aft battery compartment.

 

[vahunter]

Now that's very nice and clean! I like that a lot

 

[scsdiver]

looks great. really nice job on the metal work and carpet! i think your hatches have inspired me to fix waht i dont like about the ones i just made!

 

[Ictalurus]

Nice job on the metal work =D> He's going to have a heck of a time running the tiller w/ the bimini there. The bimini slider tracts would work wonders for that set up.

 

[bassboy1]

Nice job on the metal work =D> He's going to have a heck of a time running the tiller w/ the bimini there. The bimini slider tracts would work wonders for that set up.

That bimini won't need to be folded down when on the lake. That had been an original concern, but he went ahead and purchased the bars that replace the rear straps, that way the bimini can be folded into the boot, but still standing, for times he doesn't want it open. We folded it down just for the interstate trip back to his place.

The boat is used more for cruising with his dogs/young son, so it is less likely to get in the way of fishing when standing.

 

[Ictalurus]

he went ahead and purchased the bars that replace the rear straps, that way the bimini can be folded into the boot, but still standing, for times he doesn't want it open. We folded it down just for the interstate trip back to his place.

Great idea, I see them in the pic now. I had the same problem w/ my bimini. A combination of a slider track and a jackplate work great on my boat, plenty of clearance for the tiller and can be moved extremely far to the stern. The bars seem like a great idea too.