greetings, first post here.
As the title says, I have a 1980 bass tracker III with a 60 hp. Evinrude 2 cylinder out board.(which I don't think is very common for trackers, but that is another thread) I bought it 4 years ago from my uncle used it a lot the first year and a half. It had a few issues, sometimes hard to start, depth finder issues. and the reason I have not used the boat in going on 3 years is the trolling motor died and I never replaced it.
I am ready to start getting her sea worthy again, but I know I need to do more than just slap a new trolling motor on it. the boat has always had some leaky rivets, my uncle always said just have a good bilge pump... Also some of the carpet is relatively new, some is really really old and wore out. I would like to change it all, probably change color as well. The floor in the bottom of the boat is rotten and soft. The wiring is probably shot. The Trailer is ok but needs new bunks and carpet and paint.
So I am thinking of stripping the entire boat down to the aluminum and starting from a blank canvas. But this kind of scares me. I know its going to be a big project. I am trying to think of all of the things that will need addressing. but I am getting a bit overwhelmed.
This brings me here looking for guidance and ideas, things to do and not to do.
There are some things I know I need/want to do differently from the original boat.
1)new trolling motor obviously but 12 or 24 volt? how many lbs of thrust.
2)in addition to the TM wiring, I want to rewire the boat and add some circuits but what is really needed?
3)need to address rod storage, even with modifications by my uncle its hard to accomidate rods over 6.5 feet.
4)Ive had some problems getting the outboard to start in the past, it is some sort of electrical gremlin. Im gonna have an outboard tech go over it with a fine tooth comb.
5)What do I need to do with the rivets?
6)the old depth finder at the console died, I had replaced it with a cheap humming bird but don't think I got the instalation right. so I would like to put in something better. my goal is something that will read at speed. but I don't even know if its possible
Ugh. My head hurts. Ill drag it out of the garage tomorrow for some pictures. Thank you for reading my ramblings and I look forward to any insight.
As the title says, I have a 1980 bass tracker III with a 60 hp. Evinrude 2 cylinder out board.(which I don't think is very common for trackers, but that is another thread) I bought it 4 years ago from my uncle used it a lot the first year and a half. It had a few issues, sometimes hard to start, depth finder issues. and the reason I have not used the boat in going on 3 years is the trolling motor died and I never replaced it.
I am ready to start getting her sea worthy again, but I know I need to do more than just slap a new trolling motor on it. the boat has always had some leaky rivets, my uncle always said just have a good bilge pump... Also some of the carpet is relatively new, some is really really old and wore out. I would like to change it all, probably change color as well. The floor in the bottom of the boat is rotten and soft. The wiring is probably shot. The Trailer is ok but needs new bunks and carpet and paint.
So I am thinking of stripping the entire boat down to the aluminum and starting from a blank canvas. But this kind of scares me. I know its going to be a big project. I am trying to think of all of the things that will need addressing. but I am getting a bit overwhelmed.
This brings me here looking for guidance and ideas, things to do and not to do.
There are some things I know I need/want to do differently from the original boat.
1)new trolling motor obviously but 12 or 24 volt? how many lbs of thrust.
2)in addition to the TM wiring, I want to rewire the boat and add some circuits but what is really needed?
3)need to address rod storage, even with modifications by my uncle its hard to accomidate rods over 6.5 feet.
4)Ive had some problems getting the outboard to start in the past, it is some sort of electrical gremlin. Im gonna have an outboard tech go over it with a fine tooth comb.
5)What do I need to do with the rivets?
6)the old depth finder at the console died, I had replaced it with a cheap humming bird but don't think I got the instalation right. so I would like to put in something better. my goal is something that will read at speed. but I don't even know if its possible
Ugh. My head hurts. Ill drag it out of the garage tomorrow for some pictures. Thank you for reading my ramblings and I look forward to any insight.
