1990 Bass Tracker TX17 won’t drain water. Help

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derooi_07

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I just purchased a 1990 bass tracker tx17 with a 40 hp Evinrude motor. While checking the boat out at first, I noticed it was holding water on the inside of the boat such as where you sit and thought it just had a plugged drain since there was one in the floor. After getting it home and trying to drain the water, we have had no luck. Upon reading other posts on here, seems to be a common problem with these boats to get water to drain. Was told this boat sat for a long period of time and after trying to blow air down the bottom ribs to get it unclogged I began to get chunks of carpet out so I’m assuming mice had been in it and plugged everything closed. The boat has almost a foot of water inside it and barely drips out of the drain hole. Was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction on how to get the water to drain or if I have to tear the whole boat apart. Help would be appreciated as I am at a loss.
 
derooi_07 said:
I just purchased a 1990 bass tracker tx17 with a 40 hp Evinrude motor. While checking the boat out at first, I noticed it was holding water on the inside of the boat such as where you sit and thought it just had a plugged drain since there was one in the floor. After getting it home and trying to drain the water, we have had no luck. Upon reading other posts on here, seems to be a common problem with these boats to get water to drain. Was told this boat sat for a long period of time and after trying to blow air down the bottom ribs to get it unclogged I began to get chunks of carpet out so I’m assuming mice had been in it and plugged everything closed. The boat has almost a foot of water inside it and barely drips out of the drain hole. Was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction on how to get the water to drain or if I have to tear the whole boat apart. Help would be appreciated as I am at a loss.

Might be worth it to get a long piece of wire with a hook bent on the end, run through the drain plug at the rear as far up as you can, see if you can dig some trash out and get it flowing again.

IIRC there's not much of a drain channel in these boats.
 
Mine wasn't quite as bad as that, but it wasn't great either. When they put the foam into the floors and compartments on these, they don't do anything to ensure drainage to the back of the boat. There are two channels that run the length of the hull that can potentially provide drainage. However, the expanding foam that Tracker used blocks these:

Pro17 Channels.JPG

I opened up the channels in mine when I pulled the floor and rear compartments out. I don't know if there's an easy way to get to them without pulling at least the center floor up. I don't think there's any way to get a snake or auger in there because of how limited the access is. Unfortnately, the drain channels aren't in the center of the boat, where it'd make sense.

Honestly, if it's sat for a long period of time, and you have a foot of water in it now, you'd be better off removing the existing foam. It's going to be completely waterlogged.

You can take a look at my teardown/rebuild for some reference images of what you're getting into.

Good luck!
 
kofkorn said:
Mine wasn't quite as bad as that, but it wasn't great either. When they put the foam into the floors and compartments on these, they don't do anything to ensure drainage to the back of the boat. There are two channels that run the length of the hull that can potentially provide drainage. However, the expanding foam that Tracker used blocks these:

Pro17 Channels.JPG

I opened up the channels in mine when I pulled the floor and rear compartments out. I don't know if there's an easy way to get to them without pulling at least the center floor up. I don't think there's any way to get a snake or auger in there because of how limited the access is. Unfortnately, the drain channels aren't in the center of the boat, where it'd make sense.

Honestly, if it's sat for a long period of time, and you have a foot of water in it now, you'd be better off removing the existing foam. It's going to be completely waterlogged.

You can take a look at my teardown/rebuild for some reference images of what you're getting into.

Good luck!


I tore up the floor around the console since it was junk and tried using a fish tape and air wand to get one of those 2 channels unplugged. Got a little trash out that looked like mice may have made a home underneath at one time and plugged it shut. I think I am going to have to remove the rear deck and get all the foam out anyway. Was just wondering how it comes out and how much of a pain it is to take it out? Thanks
 
Removing just the center floor isn't too bad. You have to take out the console and the two seat frames (the seats are different on the TX though). I ended up needing something to pull the floor out afterward. It took some serious force, but I didn't want to cut it up. If you cut it, just make sure you go between the supports, or don't fully cut through the entire plywood thickness.

The rear deck is far more challenging. I had to take it out piece by piece. Drill rivets and remove. Even then, I had to cut a lot of the foam out, as it held pieces in place.

It's not a weekend job.
 
I will finish tearing out the main floor and console this weekend and try once more to get something in those channels and get them unclogged. Don’t have much luck with anything as I just seem to hit the next support or 2 instead of going all the way through. Otherwise will start looking into removing the rear deck which seems like it might be the best option. Did you replace foam when you reassembled yours and what did you use?
 
Tear the floor out so you can get it fully dry. Otherwise it's gonna smell really bad soon.
When you put the new floor in, make it easily removable. Foam board works good under the floor, just don't plug the ribs.
 

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