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Pictures would be a much better help than a verbal description, we need to see what you see so we can offer you the best help.

Can you lift/remove your decking to install 1/4-20 "T" nuts on the bottom of the decking? This is the factory/OEM installation boat manufacturers are using. If not the 1 1/2" plywood thickness and...

Not much consideration for positive drainage is given to the majority of f'glass boats, unsealed penetrations in a glassed in deck is usually a death sentance for it.

If you have an aluminum boat...

You have to ask simple questions to get simple answers, the simple question to this modification is "Can it be done?" and the simple answer is "Yes."... after that it's liable to get complicated with...

Stranger things have happened.

I notice you don't say what year this boat is and you're not posting any pics of the boat or the transom... show us what she looks like.

Do you realize how many...

So you opted for no floatation foam?

How much other stuff is stripped off of it?

You may have found a "donor" boat if a lot of stuff is gone, this means the boat will probably need a lot of work because the owner didn't feel like...

So what were you thinking when you bought the I/O anyway?

I think there should be a law that forbids this practice, anyone that buys an I/O should be made to suffer with it until they buy a boat...

Floatation foam is one of our best friends in a boat and I love mine. My boat has lots of foam and I like it that way:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/greencoachdog/DSC02206.jpg
One of these...

Dammit man!!! Looks like somebody sewed up a Billy goat's butt up with a grapevine!!!:facepalm:

I sure am glad you've decided to restore this boat and do it right, no boat should ever look like...

From the factory, that era Tracker has easy to remove decking... but a previous owner that didn't know what they were doing may have modified it by installing the decking and then laying the carpet...

I wouldn't, I suspect a base coat of a soft material like that would lead to the top coat scratching very easily, if you could even get the top coat to bond to it.

'Bout the only way to get around this is to buy a brand new boat and take the best care of it. Or just start renting a boat.

You can take a resto slow and easy and hire or blackmail someone into...

I'm sure grass mowing is much better than snow blowing.

Transom looks real good and I really like the waler method for clamping, I consider it the most effective method because you can really...

I don't think so, just let it cure real good before putting bait in there

What species of cats do you target up there?

Maybe try deeper too, they've got to be somewhere!

I consider that stuff a very temporary band-aid.

If you're going to patch or seal something on a boat it's a good idea to use the right material for a long lasting repair. Polyester resin and...

Your boat is totally trashed and you should either throw it away or give it to me.:rolleyes:

Nah, not really. Just time for a little cosmetic work, Penfield has got you covered.

Thanks for the compliment Bubba, I try hard...




... to cover my sins.:D

Directly above wherever the sending unit is installed for the easiest access.

I got mine at HD, they had 3/4"x3/4" in 1/8" and 1/16" thickness.



The 2x4s will act as framing to stiffen the plywood when they're at rest on the 2x2 ledgers so you can turn the grain of the...

If there isn't an access hatch you'll need to install one.

Installing a full fuel tank hatch would've been a good idea when the boat was restored...

Nyet, nyet, nyet!!!

I don't think this is going to be good when the decking is fastened down VVVVVVV
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/greencoachdog/nautolexjointpaint_zps508cb41b.jpg...

No waiting, go find the fish!

Find the bait and you'll find the predators not far away.

The situation you have at hand is the reason I love trolling so much, you can cover a lot of water and...

may want to consider a suction cup mount transducer instead.

Well here it is:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/greencoachdog/Fueltankhatch_zps0b686e8d.png

If that drawing is too small to read I can PM you the full res document.

I see 3 things missing... the other seat of course, and fish slime and dried fish blood on that nice new vinyl. This is when you'll really really appreciate the vinyl, the slime will hose right off...

Ratchet straps only hold the top of your boat to shape so the cap can fit back on, they do nothing to support the bottom of your hull when you cut the stringers loose.

Not having your hull...

If your battery was 80% and fully charged, that may be your problem. Try it with another battery, you can hook it up to your cranking battery to check it and it won't hurt anything.

Are you sure...

Yeah, check the battery and also check the prop, you may have a pin sheared in the prop and the motor is spinning fast but the prop isn't.

Cranking an 80 lb TM to 100 quickly should give your boat...

Do you realize you can increase the speed by turning the handle clockwise? It should be an infinite variable speed motor controlled by turning the handle like the old motorcycle throttles.

Drilling test holes is the second best way and all that other stuff is really inconclusive voodoo ceremony BS.

The plate is about the worst thing you can do, but prepping to do it might give you...

The pros and cons of floatation foam is a very unbalanced discussion, as I see many more benefits to installing the floatation than I see pitfalls.

Pros

#1. It could save your life and the...

HA!!! You f'glass guys will do anything to see a tinner itch!:laugh:

Thanks for that generous offer mwe, and if I lived a lot closer and had an extra trailer around the yard I'd take you up on...

Putting your work on a schedue and deadline only increases pressure and stress, do do as much as you can to it as often as you can and it'll get done.

If you'll take the time to do it right, it'll...

I don't think 5 weeks is going to be enough time, but it's worth a shot.

Everyone that I've seen use then Aruco ply has only had good things to say about it and I think your plywood choice will...

At least dandelions have the pretty little yellow flower, and blowing the tufted seed ball was fun when you were a kid.

If only there was a good use for FIRE ANTS!!! Talk about invasive,...

You'll get more for it "clean", this means you have to remove everything that isn't aluminum...everything, even the floatation foam if it has any.

You do realize that subbing out the nasty work is cheating, don't you?:watermelon:

Do you plan to put her back together with the same stringer and bulkhead configuration as when you tore it out?
...

Every time I see that bow seating setup on a boat I get this irresistible urge to infill it will expanding urethane foam, throw some vinyl wrapped decking over it, plant a pedestal seat on it, and...

I see several positives for this restoration:

1. Sea water in veins

2. A good motor that goes fast

3. Grandpa, grand kids and family fun (most important)

Yes it will take time to...

Installing pedestal seats in a f'glass boat requires taking some extra pains unless you don't care if your deck rots out in a couple 3 years.

Look for and try a product called Damp Rid, its basically just calcium chloride in a ventilated container and the CC absorbs moisture. You can put these containers in your hatches and it may help...

Maybe these pics might look similar/familiar?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/greencoachdog/IMAG0145.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/greencoachdog/bustedtransom.jpg

Stuff...

SUCKER!!! BWAHAHAHA!!!:laugh::lol::D

Boat restoration is very satisfying and fullfilling isn't it?;)

It's the reason I hang out here so much, if I can't do one myself... I at least wanna watch...

It's not the Tracker name brand, it's the people that own them. It's not the boats fault if the foam is wet and it's not the foams fault... it's the owners fault for neglecting the boat and leaving...

Where ever it fits the best! How do you plan to mount it? "U" bolts on the trailer frame?

The fuel is a crap shoot, it'll either work or not.

Changing the impeller (water pump) would be a "must" in my book if the boat hasn't been run in 2 years.

I prefer a 120 grit for sanding epoxy, if the 60-80 grit proves to be too aggressive you may want to step up to 100 or 120.

A sheet of 3/4" plywood=$40
A quart of epoxy resin=$30

If you think your boat is worth less than $70 I'll buy it from you depending on your location.