1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

[jbmixes]

I decided to purchase my brother in laws 1984 tracker tournament v17 to restore. I was expecting to find some sort of rot or other issues as I began tearing it apart, but much to my surprise, the boat (including all foam) was in excellent condition! Saved me a lot of time. I will post pictures throughout the process from start to finish. Here's the first week...picking up boat, boat pics, tearing boat apart

To get the glue off, I used Klean Strip adhesive remover from Home Depot. This stuff works amazing! Don't bother wrapping in plastic like directions state as it's not necessary. Glue came off after 15 minutes like butter! I then went back through with an angle grinder and a rust/paint remover attachment.

 

[jbmixes]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Here are pics of the teardown !

 

[pckeen]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Nice! Welcome to iboats and good luck with this restoration.

 

[Watermann]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Looks like you lucked out on your nice little tracker, needs a facelift rather than the complete restore project. Is the plywood decking and transom both solid? I hope you don't run into anything major but be sure to check for any cracks in the hull or damaged rivets during the work.

Welcome to the iboats dry dock!

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

So what's your plan for it? Going recarpet or vinyl? Repaint?

 

[Landof9000lakes]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Nice boat. Looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

[jbmixes]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Looks like you lucked out on your nice little tracker, needs a facelift rather than the complete restore project. Is the plywood decking and transom both solid? I hope you don't run into anything major but be sure to check for any cracks in the hull or damaged rivets during the work.

Welcome to the iboats dry dock!

Yep, everything looks good. I removed all the decking (the wood on the floor and front) and just purchased marine grade plywood and that expensive "rot doctor" to coat both sides. Before I tore it apart, I put it in the water for a couple of hours and no leaks at all so that's good. I'm extending the front deck as well is 1x1/2 angle aluminum and rivets...more pics to come.

I'm going to be carpeting the interior with 20oz marine grade carpet. The outside I will sand completely and paint it with antifouling black paint and order new tracker decals.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

The outside I will sand completely and paint it with antifouling black paint and order new tracker decals.

If the current paint is well stuck no need to remove it, scuff it & paint. Bare aluminum will need SelfEtching or ZincChromate paint 1st, then primer & paint. Unless you plan to leave the boat in a slip for long periods of time, you don't NEED anti-fouling paint.

Looks like a nice boat, hope you got the standard Bro-n-law discount :watermelon:

Welcome to iboats dry dock, tin division..

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

If the current paint is well stuck no need to remove it, scuff it & paint. Bare aluminum will need SelfEtching or ZincChromate paint 1st, then primer & paint. Unless you plan to leave the boat in a slip for long periods of time, you don't NEED anti-fouling paint.

..

Agree. Don't make more work or expense for yourself if you don't need to.

I've painted "tinnies" with Interlux one part epoxy and had great results. It takes forever to dry but dies rock hard and tough.

The Pettit equivelant, shown here at iboats, works just as well. Mega Gloss? 1-Part Topside Polyurethane Enamel, Super White, Quart - Blue Water Marine Paint 8701Q - iboats

If you don't plan to leave the boat, in the water, for extended periods of time (week or more), the "Topside" products work fine.

 

[Watermann]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Good for you on the marine grade ply, it really is the best out there.

I'm not an expert on painting boats but you may not want to use anti-fouling paint on aluminum, it's for saltwater steel and glass boats. Instead consider leaving it bare if mooring for extended periods or if not use one of the many alkyd topside paints.

 

[lokonn]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Looks like you have a nice project. Great luck with the foam and wood. Ready made templates will speed you along.

 

[jbmixes]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Wow! This site is great. I really appreciate all the feedback!! So on the hull, the paint is stuck on there just fine. I do however want to remove the old orange and brown decals. Do I need to primer the outside of the boat before I paint it? Do I just use a sanding disc to ruff it all up first?
Thanks

 

[jbmixes]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

When you say scuff, what do I scuff it with and to what degree? Thanks

 

[bonz_d]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

A fine grit sandpaper or ScotchBrite sanding pads.

The bottom is already bare aluminum so if just painting the sides any Topside paint will work well. For that matter many here have been using Rustoleum with very good results.

Use the search function at top and search "Paint". Be prepared for a lot of reading!

 

[jbmixes]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

When you say scuff, what do I scuff it with and to what degree? Thanks

Hey Guys,
One more question...I've removed all the glue from all the interior aluminum parts now (thank god that's over with because it sucked!) ha ha. Do I have to prime those surfaces with self etching primer or can I just put the glue directly on the freshly cleaned aluminum and then carpet it? Thanks

 

[Watermann]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

No primer needed for using glue. Smart move removing all the old adhesive before putting new down. Use a heat gun to remove the decals and then Goof Off or similar to get rid of the remaining adhesive residue. Then a wipe down with a mix of mineral spirits and acetone will degrease the hull and make it ready for paint. I've even used a tack cloth afterwards to make sure no dust is clinging on.

 

[jbmixes]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Okay, so I was super excited because all my prep work was done and I was ready to install carpet on back decks! Then, I took a closer look at the transom and it looked a little "soft" so I took it out last night (wasn't too hard to remove, just a lot of patience with the bolts and having to stick my arm through the vent hole and feel my way around the bolts :facepalm:
You can also see from the pictures I want to put a tempress boat hatches on the back deck with bins, but the openings were too big. I purchased some 1.5 aluminum angle and cut it to reframe the openings for the size I needed. I rivoted them down. I also had a piece of 1/8 aluminum sheet made/bent to cover the seating bench. This has made it extremely strong and I'll be cutting out the holes for the cooler and underseat storage. I've made these compartments waterproof which they weren't before.
Question on the transom.....the transom isn't quite 2- 3/4 inch sheets of marine ply glued together and a 3/4 and a 1/2 glued together is a hair too small. Ideas? to get get the right size transom?:faint2: I will add pics in a minute.

 

[jbmixes]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

Here are the pics of my progress...

 

[jbmixes]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

So the transom measured 1 5/16th inches thick. What are my options for making a transom? What sizes would I glue together to get this size? :mad-new:

 

[lokonn]

Re: 1984 Tracker Tournament V17 restoration

If you don't want to do the three sheet make up, seems like two pieces of 3/4‘‘ would be next best thing, then you might get close to your 1 5/8‘‘ thickness after epoxy.