87 Bass Tracker MV 16 rebuild and upgrade.

[rcaircraftnut]

Rivits came in today. Yay. Will get after the assembly of the transom Saturday.
Unfortunately everywhere there was wood on this boat has corosion and pitting so no go on cleaning with solvents. Brush is more effective at removing the white chalk left by oxidation so I can then paint what will be visible and at least stop the corosion on what isnt. Now I have to do a large portion of the inner hull where the plywood floor was. More corosion. I want it stopped so I can sell this boat someday with a clear conscience.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Got the console apart last night. I can save it with some fiberglass work, however since I already have to build one for the pontoon boat I am debating building a new one from wood. I am 6' and long legged so a taller slightly deeper console would be better. Ideas?

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Finished the last part needed to start transom reassembly Saturday. Going to drill oit all the holes that I filled with resin and may need to do a few touch ups on them as I am not sure I drilled them large enough now haha. Still working on the rest of the parts that need cleaning.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Going after a compressor in the morning then go find a few air tools ect at harbor freight and hopefully if the weather holds she will be ready for welding by Monday.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Got the compressor. Got some air tools also. Got the hull off the trailer last eve. Going to work on recarpeting the trailer today.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Figured out why the brazing rod I got wouldnt work. The jackholes at my local welding supply sold me TIG RODS! Got some actual aluminum low temp brazing rods yesterday from harbor freight and they work. Just need a hotter torch as the heat is wicking away to fast to keep the metal above 730°f. I will get a MAP torch Friday after work. Shot my wad this week on air tools lol.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Been working on the trailer today. Got all the old carpet off the runners. The main runners are still good, so will just recarpet them again. Need to make one side runner as one was rotted. Made new sections behind the fenders out of some shelf boards I had left over from another project. Will paint them with resin before I carpet them. Next is getting the lights working.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Final cote of poly resin on trailer fender parts. Will carpet soon. Gotta duck out this shop while this stinkin stuff kicks off lol.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

New wire came in yesterday so I had to make a caddy to keep everything nice and ready at hand when it is time to rewire these boats. Knocked this up in under 10 mins from scraps and leftovers in the shop. Took 3 times longer to gather all the bits and fix the table on my radial arm saw than it did to actually build it though. So wasted just over an hour haha.

 

[FishinFitz]

Hey I know the feeling, looked for my paint remover for 20 minutes today haha. Nice job on the wire caddy. What are your plans for the brazing rods?

 

[rcaircraftnut]

There is some serious pitting on the transom in just a few spots. Rather than carry it to the welding shop twice, I plan to fill the cleaned pitts and braze them up, then grind them flat with the panel ready for the new transom wood. There is one hole pitted through on the starboard side of the hull below the water line however it will still be açcessable after installing the transom and splashwell so the welder can tig it up while its there. Just trying to save money and time, mostly time with the brazing rods. Thanks for the comments on the caddy. It looks much better in pics haha.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Have decided that I just cannot live with the steerin wheel angle on this factory console so I am debating how to procede. I can either.....
A) Build a new one from scratch from Western Red Cedar.
B) Build a mold from MDF and glass up a new one. (Most time and total cost).
C) Modify the origanal one.
Still on the fence about painting the bottom with bedliner or leaving it bare aluminum. Lots of rocks, trees, stumps, ect, in and around Broken Bow lake and its rivers. So I think I am going to. Just have to get the keel welded first.

 

[LDUBS]

Have decided that I just cannot live with the steerin wheel angle on this factory console so I am debating how to procede. I can either.....
A) Build a new one from scratch from Western Red Cedar.
B) Build a mold from MDF and glass up a new one. (Most time and total cost).
C) Modify the origanal one.
Still on the fence about painting the bottom with bedliner or leaving it bare aluminum. Lots of rocks, trees, stumps, ect, in and around Broken Bow lake and its rivers. So I think I am going to. Just have to get the keel welded first.

I vote (C), modify the original one. If you do build new, keep it light.

I kind of view use of bed liner on the bottom of a boat as creating a potential royal pain in the "arm" in the future when it needs to be removed or patched for some reason.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Red Cedar is very lite weight. Actually less weight than similar thickness fiberglass. I am doing everything I can think of to save weight as I need to carry 3 batteries. 24v trolling motor. I want to add a second start battery but dont want the added weight. If I can get my hands on some lithium batts I will be in high cotton.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Trailer carpet done.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Pontoon trailer done at the same time. Customer not willing to lrt me blast and paint so its done except fixing the lites and tires.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Got the deck and carpet on the pontoon then called it a day. To dark for a pic. Plan to start installing the transom on the bass tracker tomorrow afternoon.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Started putting the transom together yesterday. Almost none of the holes line up on the inner panels. They line up pefectly with the outside though. All I can say is they must have done each hole with a hand drill as they are all randomly crocked. I used a drill press so all my holes are strait and true. So got to get longer rivits now so I can use a backer strip on the inside for the rivets to bite into. Always something lol.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

Transom is going back together. There are some places where the shorter rivets are used and I am cutting these down to the propper length. Getting that far at least lol. Will order some rivets friday.

 

[rcaircraftnut]

New wood is installed in the bow. As soon as I get a dry day off work I will start painting parts and nonskid the bow with bedliner where it originally had grip tape. Should work better and last longer. Got some more work done on dads pontoon as well this evening. It is coming along nicely.