2000 Tracker Pro Team 165

Specs:
2000 Tracker Pro Team 165
1996 Force 40ELPT 2 Stroke
Motor Guide Pro Series 43# Thrust

I got this boat about a year ago and have been mostly reading up here before I really dive into the project. My father-in-law kept this outdoors/uncovered on Toledo Bend for the last 10 years. He decided to sell his lakehouse and since he has a number of other boats (and nowhere to keep this Tracker), he decided to give it to me for FREE. It's not exactly what I had in mind for my first boat, but I couldn't say no to a freebie.

Now, my FIL is known for refusing to maintain his stuff. For some reason, he doesn't believe in spending time/money on upkeep. This boat is a prime example. When I went to pick up the boat, it was completely full of fallen leaves, debris, and was sopping wet. Every square inch of carpet was covered in thick moss and it was infested with bugs, mice, and a possum. It had it's own ecosystem within the hull. The tires were flat and off the 6" rims (pretty sure these weren't meant for highway speeds). The 3-hour drive home helped clear the leaves. When I got it home, I spent half a day with a shopvac and a scraper getting all the moss off. I really wish I would have taken a real before picture with all the moss, but I didn't. Instead, here's a picture of what it I'll call the before pic:



The carpet and seat upholstery is all destroyed from the decade-long exposure to the elements. I had fished on this boat before and knew going in that the 1996 Force 40 motor was hard to turn over, but would run OK once it was started. The hull is solid and doesn't leak. There are some electrical issues caused by some botched attempts to Jerry rig a few things. Otherwise, the boat works and I've caught fish on it - even if it's ugly.

What I thought I knew about the motor was quickly updated as I tried to identify the starting issues. I was able to get it started with the help of a little fuel/oil mix sprayed into the carb. The motor would start, but died quickly if I didn't open the throttle a bit. I cleaned the carb and tried again, but got the same result. I bought a fuel pump kit, cleaned the pump, and again the motor wouldn't run on it's own for more than 10-20 seconds. I was about to start replacing lines when I found a much bigger problem: the water tube that runs from the pump in the lower unit all the way to the bottom of the power head was completely loose. The schematics show that this tube is supposed to be bolted to the bottom of the exhaust plate with a plastic coupler/clamp (Part #3 below).



This clamp is my first example of why Force motors have the reputation they have. It's made of plastic and is literally bolted to one of the hottest points on the engine - the exhaust tube. That clamp had melted and got flushed out the water/exhaust exit at some point. The bolts that held the clamp were still in place on the bottom of the exhaust plate. There isn't really a telltale/pisser on this Force motor, but you can see water sort of spurt out of the exhaust on the back of the engine. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that the motor ever got overheated. It was really only used for trolling around the creeks where our family lakehouse is. I should have run a compression test prior to pulling the powerhead a few weekends ago to make sure it doesn't have blow gaskets. Lesson learned. Once I get the parts I need, I'll be checking compression before I try to run the engine.

My immediate plans/projects:
-Pull powerhead & identify water tube problem (done)
-Clean engine/housing/cowls (done)
-Extract broken bolt from adaptor plate (in progress, I've broken a drill bit and an extractor already...beginning to lose hope on this and may have to take it to a machine shop)
-Remove interior: seats, carpet, console, decking, and trim panels (done)
-Inspect foam integrity (done)
-Clean and degrease everything. I'm OK with ugly, but I like my stuff to be clean and functional (in progress).
-Replace floor/deck with 3/4" marine plywood sealed with resin
-Extend front deck to console to maximize storage. I'm going to completely redesign the front deck hatches so the rod locker is in the middle instead of on the side and will fit longer rods. I'll also add 2 storage lockers on each side of the new rod locker in the middle.
-Replace carpet: 20oz gunmetal grey
-Replace seats
-Reinforce/cover console with fiberglass and redesign gauge area to fit either a 5" or 7" Humminbird Helix
-Spray gunnels and console with truck bed liner
-Polish hull
-Build custom front deck panel and add trim switch/wiring for networked Helix unit.
-Replace fuse panel, switches, and wiring at console (a lot of this stuff had been cut out, but Tracker customer service sent me wiring diagrams)

Here's a few more pics of my progress so far. I have a long road ahead of me...



I was surprised at how simple outboards are. This is the first time I've ever done this and it was really simple - especially with the help of this forum.


Carpet is shot:


The sprayed foam from tracker appears to have been formed in trash bags, then sliced into chunks so it would fit under the deck. The creases in the foam still have small shreds of the bags they were formed in haha. It seems like they could hvae sprayed it directly under the deck and it would have formed a much better mold of the hull. I don't think Tracker understands how spray-in works...


17 years of 2-cycle mix, dirt, grime, pine needles, leaves, insect nests, and rodent bedding...but nothing some degreaser and elbow grease can't handle:


Much better. Couldn't even decipher the red plate before.


When I drained the tank, it poured out some pretty cloudy fuel. I had siphoned out a lot months ago when I was trying to get the engine running, but it's clear now that it may have been bad gas causing problems. I also pulled the sending unit and the float wasn't attached. It had pulled off somehow and was rolling around inside the tank. I managed to pull it out, but I think it could have also contributed to the fuel supply issues by blocking the intake. I reassembled it and secured the float so won't fall off easily again. Hopefully the unit is still good and gas will work. I'm also thinking about abandoning this big tank altogether and buying a smaller 6-9 gallon tank. I don't ever make long runs when fishing, and this big tank really just adds a ton of weight because I have to keep it more full than necessary because the pickup is a bit high in the tank.

I'm finished removing all flooring/trim panels, and have stripped the carpet. I've also pulled the livewell/plumbing. Right now, I'm getting things cleaned up and sorting out what other issues need to be addressed. I have the engine parts on order, so that will be another week before I get back to work on it. Until those parts come in, I have a lot of cleaning to do. Also need to strip the old glue off the aluminum panels - I'm thinking of using my grinder with a rough pad attachment. Just need to make sure it isn't too abrasive. I may try some sort of stripper if there's too much scuffing. idk if it's really that big of a deal.

I have a lot on my plate between work, a 4 year old and 6 month old, and other countless obligations. So this will be a slow-going, weekend-warrior type project. I'm looking forward to fixing the mess that my FIL made and fixing Tracker's design deficiencies.

welcome aboard !!

wow - what an introduction !!

I don't know why, but I have always been intimidated with
the outboards...... slowly dealing with it. (OMC-OCD??).


good job !

What a job. I'll be following this. You have your work cut out for you.


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It's been 3 weeks...I suppose it's time for an update here. I've been travelling for work a lot, so I haven't been able to get as much done as I'd like. I've spent what little free time I've had cleaning up the boat. The splash well area was coated with 2-cycle mix and grime, so all of that is now cleaned up well and I should be ready to reassemble the fuel tank/lines shortly. I have the fuel filler/vent/feed hoses on order, along with new SS hose clamps. Now that I'm getting closer to reassembly, I'm beginning to think about the redesign of the front deck. I could only fit 6' rods in the stock locker, and that won't do since most of my rods are 6'6"-7'. Here's a rough look at what my plans are:



First, the gunnels and trolling motor area at the box are all raw aluminum. I really like the painted look of the newer pro teams, so I'm planning on painting the top surface black. There's also some horizontal aluminum surfaces at the stern around the splashwell/motor. I've heard that spraying aluminum can be tough, but have done some reading and it looks like it can be done. I plan on doing a lot of surface prep/cleaning/scuffing, cleaning with acetone, spraying self-etching primer, and then finishing with color. I'm still undecided, but I may go with a truckbed liner finish from Rustoleum.

The area in blue will be the new front deck. I was initially thinking about ending at the back side of the console, but I'll really need to make it even with the front of the console to fit 7' rods. Based on my measurements, the new center rod locker should be 7'4", which I think is sufficient. The new rod locker will be in the center (See the "RL") and will be hinged a few inches behind the front seat post. Although the deck will extend all the way through the console, I plan on leaving openings under the deck for leg room. So it will be open under the console, and then there will be a space for the passenger's feet as well. The existing rod box on the passenger side will be expanded to be one large storage locker. I'll put another one in front of the console, too. Ultimately, the front deck will be very similar to the new PT 195's, except the side lockers are moved forward a bit and the deck will be flush with the other side of the console:



I mentioned the new deck first because I'm excited to get things put together the way I want them. However, the reality is that I'm still getting past one hurdle on the motor. I broke a bolt that connects the adapter plate to the lower leg when I was disassembling the motor. Here's the bolt in question:



This is the only bolt that is between just the adapter plate and the lower leg. With the motor back on, there are 6 big bolts that sandwich the adapter plate between the motor and the lower leg.

View of the broken bolt stuck in the Lower leg (just above the 3 holes on the right side):



I'm having a tough time getting that bolt out. I've tried soaking in PB blaster for over a week. I've tried torching it, letting it cool, torching, repeat. I started drilling from both sides and snapped extractors off in both directions. I cannot get this thing to budge. I've since put a cutoff tool to the part of the bolt that stuck out from the lower leg and ground it down even with the lower leg. If anyone has anymore advice about how to extract this bolt, I'm all ears. I'm at the point now where I'm thinking about leaving it and using a lot of high-heat RTV sealer on this mating surface to hedge off any exhaust/water leaks. I'm honestly not convinced a leak would hurt, though, since this is literally 1 inch above the port that spits out water/exhaust on the lower leg. I'd love some advice if anyone has done this before. I have all the new parts I needed to reassemble the motor, so this broken bolt is really putting a halt on reassembling the motor and getting it back on the boat.

I knew this project would take a LOT of hours going in, so I'm happy to have access to another boat to fish on while this is underway. My daughter is 4 and has "caught" fish before on a dock - but really that meant I threw a line with catfish bait for her while she played, and then I'd call her over to reel it in once something bit it. But now, I can finally say she is really catching fish! We went out together on one of my father-in-law's other boats this past weekend and she was flipping a baby brush hog with her 36" Disney princess fishing pole and pulled this out from under a laydown!



She was really excited for this one, and I have to say I'm really proud. When we got home, she pulled out one of my fishing magazines and started flipping through it for 30 minutes looking at pictures. I'd say she's hooked!

I expect to have some time in the evenings and this weekend to continue working. I should have another update soon, unless my daughter comes begging to go fishing again...surely I can't say no to that!

I had a few quick hours to spend working on the boat this afternoon. I'm waiting on one more gasket to ship in from boats.net, should be here tomorrow. So I decided to begin working on stripping the old glue off the deck/panels. I tried a spray can of aircraft stripper and scraping, but I don't like waiting so long. So I bought a scuffing pad for my grinder ($15 Harbor Freight special!) and went to work:



This thing works like a champ, and has lasted longer than I expected. I ran it for about 45 minutes and it's just now starting to wear down a little thin. I may be able to finish the job with this one, but have a spare if needed. Here's the progress:





I also cut out some foam on the bow to make room for the new rod locker. I'm beginning to think that a locker for 7' rods may be too much for such a small boat. I'm going to continue with the plan for now, but I may end up a little short. In order to really have enough room, the rod locker will have to extend about 6" from the bench where the driver/passenger seats are. It will be a pretty close fit that it may be a little uncomfortable sitting in the driver's seat. I'll really be pinned in there. I'm ordering the carpet tonight. Once I get the floor and console reinstalled, I'll be able to get a better sense of fitment for the center rod locker. If it's not going to work out, I'm still moving the rod box to the center. I can at least go 6'6" in the middle, but I'm limited to 6' with the existing side locker. I'm going to have to cut through the wall where the front deck currently begins:



I need to pick up a jig saw and metal blade so I can cut this panel out. I also need to swing by Home Depot to pick up a sheet of plywood, some aluminum angle for the framing, and a gallon of Welwood contact cement for the carpet. While the carpet is clamped/curing, I'll spray the paint down on the interior sides and top rail. That's it for today. Hopefully I can get a lot done tomorrow and add updates here again.

Made a little progress this weekend. I got the motor back together for the most part. It's back on the boat, but I still need to get it wired back up and reinstall the fuel lines. I decided to leave the broken bolt off and used a bead of copper RTV sealant to help keep everything sealed up tight. I feel comfortable with the 6 powerhead bolts keeping it from leaking exhaust or water. Even if it does end up leaking at some point, it would be outside the cowling, so it shouldn't cause any issues feeding back into the carb. Time will tell.

I'm in the Houston area, and the Bassmaster Classic rolled through town last weekend. I took the family out to the expo and spent the day there. I stopped by the Starbrite booth and picked up a bottle of their aluminum cleaner/restorer for $10 (normally $17.99):



I've heard a lot of good things on here about Starbrite products. This stuff definitely lives up to the hype. It's really simple to use and peeled off a 20-year old water line with a single wipe. Just spray it on, wait 3 minutes, wipe it with a scotch brite pad, and spray it down with water.

Before:



3 minutes after spraying:



After:



I cleaned all the sides + the bow as far as I could reach. Total process took me less than 10 minutes. The 64oz bottle should last me through another 4 cleanings. I only used about 10oz. As a bonus, Starbrite also does a great job of killing grass you may have growing up in the joints in your driveway! That grass you see in the after pick turned brown by the next morning!

Now that the motor is back on, I can begin building the deck extension and new lockers. I picked up some aluminum angle from Lowe's. I got 2 lengths of 1.5" x 8' (1/16th thickness). I was a little concerned with the thickness at first (seems a little flimsy), but it's the same thickness as what Tracker uses for the OEM framing. I think it will be solid as a rock once I get everything riveted together. I may end up buying one more for additional reinforcement/bracing. Carpet has been ordered and should be here in a day or two. I'll pick up a few sheets of 3/4" marine ply this week.

Here are my plans for the next few weeks:
-Reinstall livewell pump. Buy/install new bilge pump, replace plumbing & hose clamps. Replace through hull fitting and add screen for pickup
-Reinstall fuel cell and replace fuel lines. Replace through-hull fitting that goes through the splashwell (had to chop this off as the old hose would not come off)
-Paint interior gunwale and top rails.
-Apply carpet to interior gunwale panels and install on boat.
-Cut plywood for new floor, apply carpet, install 2 drain holes, and screw it into the boat.
-Install aluminum angle framing for deck extension.
-Configure rod locker: cut holes in bulkheads for rods and install 2" PVC running into the bow (I'm hoping to have room for 8 rods up to 7')
-Carpet and Install front deck: need to make cuts for new storage locker hatches, seat post, and recessed trolling motor pedal.
-Carpet rear deck and hatch lids and reinstall
-Paint and install console
-Button up wiring and see what's missing and needs to be fixed.

I'm working on a 1648 tracker hull flummoxed with the same issue with the rod locker and looking into the same layout as a possible solution. Don't know if this would work for you - but I'm working on some recessed seats similar to these:

https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36070#p399260

My idea is to replace the area where the original bench seat sat with a pair of these seats and the rod locker running between them, so there will be a basin for each seating position (helm & passenger) but the seat backs would fold down to extend the rear deck some. The rod locker would basically run from the front of the boat,with the forward sections being made of tubes as you're doing, with foam poured back in around them and a locking access hatch alongside the side console. The whole point for me is to be able to lock up the rods so I can travel with it & have some peace of mind no-one is going to bother with it if I'm staying @ a hotel. Not that a sturdy crowbar wouldn't get you into any aluminum/fiberglass boat's locker in 20 seconds anyway...


For your stuck bolt can you access it from the underside? If so try drilling into it from the opposite side after treating it with a penetrating oil mix - speaking of you should try in place of the PB Blaster a 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid - old timer formula that is much better than PB blaster in my experience.

onthewater102 said:

I'm working on a 1648 tracker hull flummoxed with the same issue with the rod locker and looking into the same layout as a possible solution. Don't know if this would work for you - but I'm working on some recessed seats similar to these:

https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36070#p399260

My idea is to replace the area where the original bench seat sat with a pair of these seats and the rod locker running between them, so there will be a basin for each seating position (helm & passenger) but the seat backs would fold down to extend the rear deck some. The rod locker would basically run from the front of the boat,with the forward sections being made of tubes as you're doing, with foam poured back in around them and a locking access hatch alongside the side console. The whole point for me is to be able to lock up the rods so I can travel with it & have some peace of mind no-one is going to bother with it if I'm staying @ a hotel. Not that a sturdy crowbar wouldn't get you into any aluminum/fiberglass boat's locker in 20 seconds anyway...


For your stuck bolt can you access it from the underside? If so try drilling into it from the opposite side after treating it with a penetrating oil mix - speaking of you should try in place of the PB Blaster a 50/50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid - old timer formula that is much better than PB blaster in my experience.

Click to expand...

OTW, thanks for the link to that project. Those folding seats are a really good idea, especially with limited real estate on the back deck. I've actually considered connecting the front and back decks altogether with one long "catwalk" and basins for people to sit in while underway. I've decided not to do that for two reasons.

First, on my boat at least, I've realized that I can fit longer rods if I simply extend some PVC guides further into the bow, so I don't need to extend the rod locker towards the stern since there's plenty of room at the front of the boat. I'll just have to mine some foam out of the bow and run the PVC. I'm going to use a holesaw slightly larger than the outer diameter of the PVC and then secure the tubing to the bulkheads using either silicon or JB weld.

Second, I'm a little worried about being cramped under the console. It's already pretty narrow for me, so my sense is that having a catwalk connecting the front/back decks would make me feel a little too confined. Getting in and out of the driver's seat would be rather difficult for a bigger guy like me or my 70-year-old father. With that said, if this were a bigger boat, I would be more likely to consider doing that.

Regarding the stuck bolt, I've decided to leave it for now. I used some of the copper RTV sealant and torqued the 6 main powerhead bolts properly. I have at least some confidence that this will be sufficient to stop leaks. Even if it does end up leaking, I don't see how it would have any effect on the motor. The point where the leak would be is below the lower cowling, so it shouldn't feed exhaust back into the carb. This spot is also about 2" from the exit for the water that has cycled through the engine.



In this picture, you can see the broken bolt at the top right corner, just above the 3 holes. These 3 holes are the idle relief ports, which allows some hot water and exhaust to exit so there isn't as much back pressure on the motor at idle (I think that's the theory). So if I'm leaking a little exhaust or water, and it's outside the cowl, I don't see how it would be a problem even if it does end up leaking a bit. If it becomes a major issue, I'll pull the power head again (I've got it down to ~30 minutes at this point), remove the lower leg, and try again.

I do have access to drill from the other side like you mentioned, but it's kind of a tight fit with my drill against the wall of the lower leg. Drilling from the other side requires that I go in at a slight angle, so I would probably wind up drilling into the threads. I think that would actually end up being a good thing, though, as it would probably loosen the stuck bolt and I could use helicoil to repair the threads. After breaking off a few drill bits and one extractor, though, I'm just not able to make much progress with a new bit because I'm drilling on hardened steel bits that broke off inside the bolt.

Truth be told, I'm really just trying to find an excuse to justify repowering with something a little more modern and from an outboard manufacturer that isn't defunct. At least that's the justification I need to convince my wife :---)

Drilling from the backside when you've broken off is usually preferable because you're likely to loosen the threads up & drive it out in the course of drilling before you drill the whole thing out - that's why I suggested treating it with penetrator again before trying to drill it, but if you're going to mar up the lower leg with the drill chuck that's a good reason not to try.

If my life were a book, this chapter would be titled "The Grind"



I'm so happy to be finished with the old glue. I thought it would never end. Ready for carpet.

I decided to knock out a few things while I'm waiting for all the stuff I've ordered to arrive. What started as a core sample to determine the state of the foam ultimately turned into a complete removal of all foam under the floor and front deck:



I filled 2 large bags, each weighing probably ~70lbs.



I'm really glad I pulled the foam. It always looked a little dirty on top, but seemed firm enough. I assumed it was fine underneath. But when I pulled it out, there was a thick layer of dried mud on the hull and the bottom side of the foam was black, flaky, and was holding water. There's no path for water to flow to the stern with this foam in there. The expanding foam fills every imaginable path for water and completely blocks the flow to the bilge area. I'm going to mine out a few channels under the bench and splashwell area using a really long drill bit I have laying around.

The foam under the front deck seemed to be just fine since it sits higher up and water settles under the floor. I only removed the foam up front to make room for the new center rod locker and storage hatches on each side. With the foam out now I can start installing the PVC rod guides. I'm going to install plywood as floors for the side hatches. This should level it out and make the box look square as opposed to the slope of the hull.



I'm going to replace with closed cell foam insulation sheets from Lowe's. I'm really not all that concerned with emergency buoyancy like it was meant to be, but I do think the foam insulates noise on the deck a bit. Using sheets will allow me to leave the channels free for proper flow to the bilge.



Question for you PT owners: has anyone ever replaced the material on the bow panel where the trolling motor is mounted? Mine as horribly cracked and sunbaked, so I scraped a lot of it off and then hit the tough spots with the scuff pad on my grinder. I'm going to paint this area, but I really like the finished look of the textured padding I see on some newer boats. If anyone has a source for some sort of padding here, I'd love to hear it. I'd really like to find a 1/4" foam pad that can be glued down with contact cement.

This giant roll of carpet showed up yesterday



But before I start carpeting, I needed to get the rails painted. I went with Duplicolor Gunmetal Metallic







These pictures don't really do it much justice, and these were taken before applying the clear coat. I sprayed the rails, gunwales, console, rigging area, and the splashwell. I've decided I like this color so much that I'm going to strip the decals off the hull and paint the sides and transom. I may wind up replacing the Tracker decals after paint with something that matches this color, but I definitely want the color to be more prominent. It has a beautiful flake and looked great in the sun



The paint really cleaned up the console really well. Hopefully I'll be able to cover up the cracks with a nice graph soon

As part of the prep for paint, I washed everything down with dish soap and rinsed really well before wiping clean with acetone. I jacked up the front end of the trailer on blocks and intentionally sprayed a lot of water while I was rinsing to see how everything flowed to the back after removing all the foam yesterday. There were a few spots where it was somewhat slow, but it's much better now.

I stopped at Lowe's this morning and grabbed a sheet of 1/2" for the floor, 3/4" for the front deck, 1" foam sheets (the blue stuff), welwoods contact cement, and a box of 100 razors. Once I get everything framed out, I'll likely grab another sheet or two and try to pack in as much as possible. I'm also thinking about turning the space directly in front of the console into a built-in cooler lined with aluminum and insulated really well all around the box.

With that said, I think I've officially hit the point in a project where one starts getting into the "well, while I'm at it..." mindset. It's really easy to think that way when you've got something stripped down and it's a blank canvas. I really need to buckle down, start carpeting, and get this thing on the water before my wife loses her mind! She's been really supportive, but I'm pretty sure I've far surpassed the allowable hours she expected to give me for the restoration. The sooner I can take her fishing on it, the better. Then it will all be worth it.

Man this is really looking good. But I had picked that color to. So will just be matching. On the front pad. Lowe sale a pad in roll form to cut as needed. Black with the raised 1/2" squares. It's 3/16" thick. That I used on a center seat mod. For a step to back deck. That I contact cement on.


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Sorry mine are round but they do have squares to


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Glenn it's a great looking color on our PTs. I've seen your boat around here and on BBC and you've got a newer model than me with the wider rails, so you'll have more surface area to show off than me.

I've been looking at pads just like that. Is that foam or rubber? I really like the material of the tool drawer liners you can buy in rolls. It's like a thin soft/pliable rubber material. Only thing is I'd also like some kind of pattern or texture like what you have for your step, or maybe diamond plate pattern or something. Good news is I've got a ton of time before I'll be ready to mount the trolling motor, so I'm in no rush.

Yes sir it's rubber. And super durable. It's hard enough that fishhooks don't stick to it. But it's soft enough that your shoes grab it and it's not slick.


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It is what they call a shop rubber mat


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Man I love when people redo these old trackers. So much potential. But I had one of those force motors in a 9.9. Let me tell ya, always had issues with it. I was never able to get it running right. I put way too much time and money in that thing. Its like they were designed and built only on mondays and fridays... anyways, I love that paint. Let us know how well it holds up! Ill def be following this build!

Thanks VABassin. I've never been that interested in labels/name brands, but I will surely disown a brand after giving it a fair chance and seeing avoidable problems like I ran into with the plastic clamp on the water tube. I think the motor will get me by for a while - at least I hope so after all this work. My mechanical capabilities ends when the you open up the block. So if a ring goes out or something I'm going to replace it altogether. Using the USCG formula, I could technically go up to a 90 on this boat, but think that would be overkill. I'd really like a 50-60, something from the last 10 years would be nice.

Time will tell with the paint. I don't think it will be especially durable, but I'll keep some extra cans on hand for the occasional touch up. I think I'm going to focus on everything else before I spray the hull.

sokmace said:

Thanks VABassin. I've never been that interested in labels/name brands, but I will surely disown a brand after giving it a fair chance and seeing avoidable problems like I ran into with the plastic clamp on the water tube. I think the motor will get me by for a while - at least I hope so after all this work. My mechanical capabilities ends when the you open up the block. So if a ring goes out or something I'm going to replace it altogether. Using the USCG formula, I could technically go up to a 90 on this boat, but think that would be overkill. I'd really like a 50-60, something from the last 10 years would be nice.

Time will tell with the paint. I don't think it will be especially durable, but I'll keep some extra cans on hand for the occasional touch up. I think I'm going to focus on everything else before I spray the hull.

Click to expand...

Neither did I! For a long time I had the mentality that a 2 stroke is a 2 stroke and I can make it run no matter what. I mean no matter what the brand, a motor can have issues But that motor gave me serious Hell. I luckily had 2 part motors for it but I always had something happen with it each time out. I'd spend a good chunk of every outing with the hood off just messing with it. The last straw for me was when the pull chord broke... Lol sold it with the 2 parts motors for 200 bucks and went and got me a 87 8 hp Evinrude and never had issues. So that's why I got another Evinrude with my new boat. It's all personal preference. But I hope it treats you right!

But I really like that graphite color. Looks real good!

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sokmace said:

Thanks VABassin. I've never been that interested in labels/name brands, but I will surely disown a brand after giving it a fair chance and seeing avoidable problems like I ran into with the plastic clamp on the water tube. I think the motor will get me by for a while - at least I hope so after all this work. My mechanical capabilities ends when the you open up the block. So if a ring goes out or something I'm going to replace it altogether. Using the USCG formula, I could technically go up to a 90 on this boat, but think that would be overkill. I'd really like a 50-60, something from the last 10 years would be nice.

Time will tell with the paint. I don't think it will be especially durable, but I'll keep some extra cans on hand for the occasional touch up. I think I'm going to focus on everything else before I spray the hull.

Click to expand...

But 50-60 is a good size motor for that boat. But then again if you do get another motor I'd go up to what it is rated for. I have my 15 ft vhull with a 30 max. And that's what I put on it lol nothing says you have to go full throttle but it's Def nice to have when you want it!

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