Flipping 1984 bass tracker

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Kingbryce

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New member here. I have my grand dads 1984 bass tracker tournament tx that i am restoring. I have painted the exterior with duralux aluminum boat paint, and i am going to wetlander the bottom. I have enough people to manhandle this thing to flip it over, but i am concerned with where to rest the weight of the boat while it is flipped on its top side. It is a riveted boat, but after all of these years it is still water tight, and id like for it to stay that way. My comcern is that if i dont brace it appropriately it may flex in an undesirable way which i figure could cause issues. Is anyone familiar with this style of jon boat, and do you know if it is safe to flip and support on the top rails? It seems structurally sturdiest up.by the bow, and back by the stern. The boat weights 625lbs according to NADA but i currently have it stripped down. I would say it weights in the 500lb range as she sits. Should i be worried about crushing the top rails or deforming the hull by flipping it over? Thanks!
 
Welcome Aboard !!

I have a 14' 1959 Crestliner that weighs 200# hull only.
it has been turned over more times than Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven.
it has been twisted, flexed, twerked and torqued in so many ways it is not funny.
it is fully rivited and is still watertight today as the day we brought it home in 1959.

just use common sense - put the top rails (gunnels) on solid surfaces and it will be fine.

jus my Dos Centavos
 
Johnny, thank you for the reply! Im just nervous because when i grab hold of the gunwales and push/ pull i can get a substantial amount of in and out flex. Would you or anybody suggest as to how i distribute the load across the gunwales? I was going to flip it and set it on top of 4 4x4's. i have less fex in the gunwales up by the bow and back by the transom. Can i safely support in those 2 areas, or do i need to distribute more weight evenly Along the middle of the boat as well? Also, how do i post pictures on this forum?
 
Had to build a fence to keep our cat off of the boat...... necessity is the mother of invention...IMG_2109.JPG
 
I constructed 2 saw horses that were a foot wider than the boat
and 18" tall. two people flip the boat - position the saw horses
to the best weight distribuation points. Once it is all stabilized,
screw some wood blocks to the top of the saw horses to prevent
the boat from accidentily sliding off.
then you have one solid platform to work with.
some people use concrete blocks and a 2x6 - which is not so stable - but works.
just don't climb all over the hull and hold a square dance on it and you will be fine.

cat vs ugly orange fence ??? I woulda got rida the cat !!





.
 
Like Johnny said the mini saw horses works great what ever you use push them forward and back as far as you can to be plate and transom and your god to go try to stay away from the middle wide open section it really won't hurt it but better safe than sorry right


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I've got a alumacraft ncs which has a wife open center and when I flipped it last winter w a couple guys we were about to rest it on the gunnel for a second and I saw the flex and didn't like it at all. We repositioned and did it in one shot without setting it on its side. Maybe it would have been fine. Maybe not. But I'm not chancing it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hey guys thanks for the advice! Johnny i agree the fence is absolutely terrible! Ol' Pearl is my suburban shop cat. Shes part of the crew.LOL. Cant even believe my ol' lady lets me do what i do! I get some crazy looks when my garage is open. People drive down my street and break their necks trying to see whats going on. Im absolutely "that guy" on my street! Catchreleaserepeat, your scenario is what i believe i would run into. I have 8 guys for the flip. Hope that is enough. That boat is the HEAVIEST 600 lbs. i have ever lifted. If i do a build thread is this the section it would go in?
 
did you - are you - going to remove the foam?
did you check to see if it may be waterlogged?
if it is old and has been stored outside, you very
well may have 200 pounds of wet soggy foam.
(just a possibility). many members here have
experienced this road block in their builds.
 
The boat was always stored in a barn in arkansas, and every time my paw used it, it was dried out with open hatches and fans. I did a core sample and the foam is dry as a bone. I am aware that the foam currently in the boat is/ can be a bad deal. I would love to replace all of the foam under the back deck, but im under the gun to get this project done by the first weekend in June. If i had time i would have completly gutted the boat and re decked everything in a different fashion. I am replacing the foam in the floor and down the gunwales. NADA states that the boat is 625lbs. I am assuming that the measurment is without the outboard attached. I figure that i have removed at least <100lbs when i stripped the boat. It took 4 of us to get it off the trailer and it was pretty darn heavy. The awkwardness of it didnt help much though.
 
IMG_1998.JPGIMG_2001.JPG i believe this is just a heavy jon. There is quite a bit of aluminum back in the back.
 
Yes that number is dry weight. No motor, and everything taken out of the boat right down to the fire extinguisher. No fuel. As it would sit on a dealers lot. With no motor.
 
IMG_2129.JPGIMG_2123.JPGEZ PEEZY with ton of people. It seems to have worked out well. Found a couple of spots that were a little light on duralux paint...... i tried so hard..... total pisser... wetlander next weekend. I'm going to go ahead and start a build thread. Thanks for the advice on flipping my tracker!
 

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