15' Bass tracker conversion to flats/floundergiggin machine

[shelton]

Hello,

I'm new to this site and completely new to this project I blindly promised my 11 year old son ? So any help , suggestions and guidance will be most appreciatted !

My father in law has had this 1984 bass tracker 1 in his backyard for years just sitting in the weather. Everytime we go up to visit my son would hound me about bringing the boat back home and making it his project boat , and so finally after several months "DAD" bit , and may of bit off more than I can chew ?

We brought the boat home and it's in the garage , we have completely tore everything out, all wood , carpet, seats livewell , everything. I'd be a liar if I didn't say I was also excited as well , I see the potential here to be a great lil fishing rig. The boat is aluminum , and in amazing shape. My father in law says it only has about 150 hours on it , and as skeptical as I was , I'm starting to believe him. It's powered by a 25hp mariner , which runs now , but I"m gonna have a buddy go through it completely and replace any seals and all fluids etc.... , peace of mind.

The first question >>>>>
The boat is stripped down completely , what should my first course of action be now ? I know things I want to do to the boat like build my own small center console and open the boat up a lil , wanting to add more deck to the bow as well as elevate the front 4' with lights mounted underneath. Now the boat is currently tore down to the bare bones with the exception of the foam in the floor , should I replace this ? it's dirty and obviously been exposed to water , just from sitting with rain , however what is the purpose to replace it ?

Definately want to paint the boat , should I have the bottom sprayed with "LINE-X" , I think it would be a fuctional seal , and make the it more durable ?

Basically with this project , I have tons of ideas , and many rescorces , but with no direction or idea where to start first ?

I hope to grab some ppl's attetntion , and gain some education with this and some direction !

Thank you and I'll be around !

John

 

[J.P.]

congrats on the project. i wish my father-in-law had a boat in his yard.......

check if the foam is waterlogged (sitting in the weather, it probably is), waterlogged foam is useless and is in fact a liability, so it needs to be replaced.

post a lot of photos, that is a sure way to grab attention here at tinboats.net

 

[BYOB Fishing]

Check out the Bass Tracker build in my signature below. There might be something you can use there. I replaced the transom in mine, hopefully you dont have to do that. Let me know if you have any questions..

Matt

 

[shelton]

Thank you Matt !

I checked out the link and also bookmarked it as a reference ! I'll be checking that out often I'm sure ! Need to try to keep ya in my mond as I'm sure I'll have a million questions !

Luckily I work at a place where I can get my hands on all kind of material such as aluminum tubing etc... I plan to take out all the existing framing for the front and rear decks , and completely frame it up the way it works best for me and my lil man ! I was planning on using plywood and have it completely encapsulated in the line-x material , I haven't had any suggestions from anyone else who's ever done that , the guy at Line-x assures me it's garunteed and has done it several times before ?

The transom is rotten , however I believe it's different from yours , the wood is exsposed from inside and rear of the boat , almost like a sleve that the replacement wood will slide into and two brackets that are riveted in to hold in place ?

I'm actually excited about it now that I'm elbows deep in it ! I'm gonna rip out all foam and framing this weekend and I'll post some pics as my starting point !

Again I sincerely appreciate the help and link , I'll do my best to keep up and keep ya posted !

John

 

[BYOB Fishing]

Take a look at this one too. Might be more of what youre wanting to do...

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=13410&hilit=Flats+tracker

 

[Vermonster]

Hey Shelton,
Welcome and congrats on the new project!

After you pull the water logged foam, you may want to fill her up with water and look for leaks first. Get those sealed/re-riveted. I think as far as framing you will be happy with the aluminum. It doesn't add as much weight as the wood and will last a lifetime.

Post some pictures of the transom if you can so we can get a better idea and try to steer you in the right direction.

If you're going to paint it, you will want to get all leaks, the transom, and your framing (if it's connected through the hull) done before you paint. Painting it before you add decks/carpet/seats will keep it lighter and easier to maneuver.

Looking forward to watching your build!

 

[fool4fish1226]

Hello,

I'm new to this site and completely new to this project I blindly promised my 11 year old son ? So any help , suggestions and guidance will be most appreciatted !

My father in law has had this 1984 bass tracker 1 in his backyard for years just sitting in the weather. Everytime we go up to visit my son would hound me about bringing the boat back home and making it his project boat , and so finally after several months "DAD" bit , and may of bit off more than I can chew ?

We brought the boat home and it's in the garage , we have completely tore everything out, all wood , carpet, seats livewell , everything. I'd be a liar if I didn't say I was also excited as well , I see the potential here to be a great lil fishing rig. The boat is aluminum , and in amazing shape. My father in law says it only has about 150 hours on it , and as skeptical as I was , I'm starting to believe him. It's powered by a 25hp mariner , which runs now , but I"m gonna have a buddy go through it completely and replace any seals and all fluids etc.... , peace of mind.

The first question >>>>>
The boat is stripped down completely , what should my first course of action be now ? I know things I want to do to the boat like build my own small center console and open the boat up a lil , wanting to add more deck to the bow as well as elevate the front 4' with lights mounted underneath. Now the boat is currently tore down to the bare bones with the exception of the foam in the floor , should I replace this ? it's dirty and obviously been exposed to water , just from sitting with rain , however what is the purpose to replace it ?

Definately want to paint the boat , should I have the bottom sprayed with "LINE-X" , I think it would be a fuctional seal , and make the it more durable ?

Basically with this project , I have tons of ideas , and many rescorces , but with no direction or idea where to start first ?

I hope to grab some ppl's attetntion , and gain some education with this and some direction !

Thank you and I'll be around !

John

I converted and 16' v to a flats boat (not a tracker) but you may get a few ideas from build, check it out if you a few free minutes. The build is in my signature.
Good luck with your project and remember we love pictures.