1983 Bass Tracker 2 restoration

[Msky_Hntr]

I picked up an 83 tracker that I'm restoring to Musky fish from. Does anyone know if I can remove everything except the console or will that cause structural issues?

 

[kcassells]

Let's get some pics up. Welcome aboard.

 

[Msky_Hntr]

Here come the pics

 

[Msky_Hntr]

Reserved incase I ever get the boat finished lol

 

[Msky_Hntr]

Here is what she looked like when I brought her home.

I found a little bonus left by the PO.

The floor was rotted to the point the wood had turned to dirt. First thing I did was start ripping everything out. I got this far the first evening and ran out of beer, time and energy.

I got a little further the second evening. That foam is a pain to get out.

I built a stand and my nephew lifted the motor off. It's a 76 and runs like a champ it just won't idle. I am sure that won't be hard to correct. I love the Evinrude engines.

This is where I ended up tonight.

Tomorrow I am going to drill the rivets and cut the welds to get the cap off. I am going to glass together two pieces of 3/4 plywood to make a new transom and then start figuring out the floor plan. I would like to just install a new floor and console and leave the rest open but I don't know if that will work structurally or not. I may build front and rear decks I am just not sure yet. I don't have any need for storage or livewells so my floor plan options are wide open.

 

[Scott Danforth]

bait wells are nice for fishing. I actually liked the original no-nonsense pure fishing layout in the old bass trackers.

there is a way to replace the transom without cutting too many welds. and to re-weld, find your local radiator shop. most weld aluminum for cheap.

 

[Msky_Hntr]

bait wells are nice for fishing. I actually liked the original no-nonsense pure fishing layout in the old bass trackers.

there is a way to replace the transom without cutting too many welds. and to re-weld, find your local radiator shop. most weld aluminum for cheap.

I am curious about that method. Everything I have read says that cap has to come off. If you have a solution where it doesn't I am all ears.

 

[Scott Danforth]

working from the inside, removing the knee braces for a bit of room. transom needs to be assembled as a jigsaw. lots of over-lapping joints, lots of epoxy. its a pain (probably more so than cutting the 12" of weld per side and pulling the whole well.

 

[Msky_Hntr]

working from the inside, removing the knee braces for a bit of room. transom needs to be assembled as a jigsaw. lots of over-lapping joints, lots of epoxy. its a pain (probably more so than cutting the 12" of weld per side and pulling the whole well.

I will give that a look but I feel like I could build a better transom by pulling the rear cap off. I don't want to do it twice thats for sure.

 

[Msky_Hntr]

I got the cap off and I'm not sure my transom was bad after all. Even the worst spots we still dry when I dug into it. The motor bolts had sunk in some but that was the worst of it. I guess I will have a piece of mind. Ow lol.

 

[Msky_Hntr]

What's the best way to clean the aluminum hull? I don't want to waste time and money trying to find the best stuff lol.

 

[hvymtl939]

What's the best way to clean the aluminum hull? I don't want to waste time and money trying to find the best stuff lol.

I've had great luck with NAPA aluminum cleaner.

 

[CajunSpeacial]

Great boat have one just like it. A 86 Model had a 60 Johnson on it. Replace with the new four stroke 60 Mercury after it died.
I rebuilt mine also, I made a bigger front deck and found a Newer Model Console for tracker online. It came out great. Added a bunch of new compartments.

 

[Scott Danforth]

What's the best way to clean the aluminum hull? I don't want to waste time and money trying to find the best stuff lol.

Pink Stuff A/C coil cleaner. spray it on, when it starts to turn black, hose it off with hose and scrub brush.

will make the aluminum shine like the day it was made.

just read the warnings on the bottle.

 

[Msky_Hntr]

Great boat have one just like it. A 86 Model had a 60 Johnson on it. Replace with the new four stroke 60 Mercury after it died.
I rebuilt mine also, I made a bigger front deck and found a Newer Model Console for tracker online. It came out great. Added a bunch of new compartments.

How do you like the 4 stroke compared to the 2? Same kind of power curve?