79 Bass Tracker Rebuild - Done!

[kkrueger]

Looks good. I like the vinyl. Might look in to that if I ever get a boat I plan on keeping for a while.

Show us the Hunting Bronco

 

[huntingbronco]

Ask and ye shall receive - well, within limits! Had some this or one other Bronco for the better part of the past 25 years.

Here you go - a few years ago on a coyote hunt with the boys.

No, we did not have any luck on that particular outing. Here's another outing at the range. Enjoy!

A freshening of the ole bronco might well be my project for winter 2012.

 

[kkrueger]

Cool, thanks. The bronco rocks. I've got a Bronco II for my hunting rig.

 

[huntingbronco]

Do you guys do anything on hatch lids like this to seal them? I am worried that water will enter the storage area below and I did not want to spend the money on fancy hatch lids. I placed supports on the backside to give strength to the hatch lids when stepping on them, but I did not completely surround the opening - really can't where the hinge fits anyways. Do you just accept wet storage? Put drain holes in?

Should I cut my vinyl so that it has 1/2 overlap on the outside and let it lay over the gaps? Doesn't seem like that will hold up well.

 

[huntingbronco]

Here is a shot of the rear deck with vinyl down. Only thing left to do is make a couple more tabs for bolting the deck down onto the framing. Once that is done, she'll get fastened down. The LED's were hooked up and power applied - they look good, but we did not check in the dark, so don't know exactly how effective they'll be. I'll get photo's of the lights when complete. You can see the hinges I used. Worked really well with the 1/2" plywood with Vinyl.

The rear deck is amazingly stable, even the seat on the pedestal, even before it has been secured to the framing.

 

[huntingbronco]

Well, we also got the wiring completely hooked up at the console. I went ahead and installed a bus bar for the grounds. Put lights in the aerator, livewell, rear deck, between the seats, more lights to be installed on the front casting deck and then in the rod locker, when we get that built. Two 12 volt accessory plugs, one at the console and one on the front deck. Nav and Anchor lights worked. Bilge and Aerator both ran. Yeah.

 

[huntingbronco]

Got the front bow deck bolted in and close to all of the forward wiring done. Still have to splice in the LED's for the casting deck and wire in the TM.

With the TM deployed, I have plenty of room to do the forward casting deck. My plan is to build a floor beneath the casting deck to set the TM batteries and some storage. (It would cover the drill in the next photo, but not extend fully forward.)

The casting deck will come in above that, high enough to clear the batteries, which turns out to be about 4 inches below the gunnels and extend back and tie into the side walls, which are about 4 inches below the gunnels. You can see this where the dark paint breaks on the boat before I painted it. Should be pretty roomy little casting deck.

Rod locker will extend from the bulkhead towards the port passenger seat, allowing for 7 foot rod storage. Just a little carpentry left...almost done. Just wish I could get the latch for the front cover on the motor working. (I think a local marine repair shop might have a line on some old stock, in which case, I'll be set for just $7)

 

[Derek]

looking good
Instead of a plywood floor for the batteries you could do just a frame to set them on. It would keep them off the bottom of the boat but leave it open for water to drain down from the front deck. I was thinking more about your question on sealing hatches. With the new carpet in my boat the hatches fit so tightly (even hard to open currently) that I think a very minimal amount of water will be able to pass into the hatches. I would assume the vinyl doesn't fit nearly as tight together. What if you added a piece of weather stripping to the edges? Something like the seal for the bottom of a garage door, or even just the flat foam style.

 

[huntingbronco]

Well, we've been thrashing hard for the past few weeks to get this ready for our trip up north. Got the boat on the water, but, alas, we have some engine problems to work out. Here are some pics just before heading out.

I noticed the hatches were not closed down in the photo - they do close flush...

Hatches were closed flush in this photo.

 

[huntingbronco]

Her she sits at the dock - trying to get her to start...

Here's a shot of her running on the water...

Now, if you want to help me with my engine problems - see my post for help in that section! Thanks for looking.

 

[Derek]

looks good dude, i still haven't got my motor running yet.

 

[huntinfool]

Looking good, keep the pics coming.

 

[huntingbronco]

Well, looks like I might be shopping for a replacement for this engine. I promised myself I would not spend very much on this old girl. The problems I am having are serious enough for me to look for much newer power. Maybe 2002-2003 or there abouts. My kids will be using the boat, we love the way it turned out - I need something I can trust.

So this one will go up on CL for cheap. Lots of good parts here, including fully functional controls.

 

[huntinfool]

I would not give up on your old motor yet. I posted on you other thread.

 

[fishingmich]

How did you do the stenciling on the boat? Thats pretty BA!

 

[huntingbronco]

Thanks. The stenciling was pretty easy - just need extra hands to hold it against the contour of the boat. Those hands do get painted. Used a mylar stencil from cabelas. Pretty cheap and just kept it clean as we went. Used a rattle can for the light colored stencil work.

 

[red95gtcoupe]

Looks great! I have an 88 bass tracker and planned on doing the same exact thing. I am hoping to get rid of all carpet and wood and use aluminum then cover it all with nautoflex. How easy was it to lay down? Does it fold over the corners easy? Do you know if this is the same stuff that war eagle uses?

Brian

 

[huntingbronco]

Brian - the vinyl goes down nicely, however, I was not impressed with their recommeded glue. I used it, but I used the 3M spray for corners and edges, as it tacks up really fast and seemed to hold well. Of course, working with wood, I was able to secure everything with Marine staples.

I can't be sure, but I don't think this is the same as what War Eagle uses. Here is why I say this - I have a 1999 War Eagle with factory vinyl. There are a couple of tears in that - it has a more fibrous backing than this stuff. Newer War Eagles might in fact use this stuff...don't know.

I would not hesitate to use this stuff - at least from a workability standpoint. It goes without saying, it shows your errors more clearly than carpet - so measure twice and cut once. (The aluminum and the vinyl.)

 

[huntingbronco]

Well, the fishing wasn't so great for us on this maiden fishing trip, but the boat was great. The boys did some casting, etc. We also used the trolling motor to pull some planer boards - worked great for hours on end. Here's a couple of shots of her sitting in the water.

I sure love the stability of these jon boats - he's hanging over the edge and its barely tipping.

Thanks for all of your help!

 

[Jay D]

NIce Boat. My dad had a 78 bass tracker with the 40 hp, We had a lot of good times AND we caught alot of fish off that boat, wish I had the space for the 16' hull, he sold it recently. Enjoy yours with your boys =D> .