Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

[xxlurchxx]

Found a Bass Tracker Pro 16 for $500. I was going to buy a boat and finance it but decided in this economy it would be better to take the money I had and redo an older boat. We found the boat by accident when we were asking directions to a local boat dealership. My friends Uncle knew about the boat and sent us to look at it. It was buried in about 6 inches of leaves acorns and tree branches. I felt the Hull and trailer were worth the asking price so I decided to buy it. If we can get the 35 horse motor running it will be like hitting the lottery.

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

Here are some of the initial photos.

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project





Photo

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

We emptied the boat of 10 years of leaves, mouse beds and assorted natural deposits. The Decking was completely rotted and our hope of using the existing deck as a template for cutting the new decking was a bit naive. We began ripping out the old decking and found that most of the screws were rusted into place and tended to shear where they met the aluminum of the boat. We wound up ripping the wood apart where it was really rotted and using a jig saw to cut as close to supports and allow us to get at the screws and rivets holding it together. On the bright side the supports were actually aluminum and not wood like I would have expected. This saved us from having to frame out the deck as it was still in solid shape.
I ended up buying a grinder to remove rusted screws and rivets where necessary.

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

We ended up buying The carpet for the decking in precut rolls, it was cheaper by about half from getting the carpet cut off the big rolls at Lowes. We used carpet glue and a spray adhesive to hold the edges on the metal parts where the carpet was folded over like in the live well area.
On the decking we used a staple gun to hold the folded over edges to to put tension on the carpet and allow the glue to dry.
It was a bit challenging to cut the plywood to fit as the taper of the boat made for curved edges. We also had to account for the 1/8 of and inch of carpet overlap. The side of the bass tracker boats are aluminum and have foam pieces shoved up under to give the boat boyancy should it fill with water. We had to replace the foam under the decking as it was water logged and moldy in spots. I ended up cutting the foam pieces using a circular saw and it worked out very well.

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

I have to admit I was pretty impressed that the carpet looked so good, considering we had never done a project like this before. I can only hope the engine work come together as good as the interior rebuild.

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

Some more images of the interior.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

Looks good. Welcome to iboats.

What did you use for the decking wood? How was it sealed up?

 

[5150abf]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

Nice find, I love aluminum, you would never be able to that with a glass boat without rebuilding the entire thing.

I did a similar thing with my boat, 16' 81 Sea-Nymph, wasn't in the greatest shape, someone used OSB for the livewell doors(!?!?!) so they were in pretty bad shape but I rebuilt it from the keel up and now I have a 30 year old brand new boat.

Getting the new wood in is a pain, in out in out and I used marine grade which is 80lbs a sheet, no need to go to the gym that day.

I think you will be really happy with the new boat, fishing on something you built yourself is pretty cool.

Good job on the boat, the motor shouldn't be too hard, get an OMC manual(NOT Clymers-Seloc or anything on CD) here on iboats or Ebay if you are on tight budget.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

Great find. Even if you can't get the motor running the boat was well worth the $500. Let us know what's going on with the motor though. I think 5150 above meant to say OEM manual instead of OMC as those look like Mercury controls on your boat.

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

We used regular plywood and stained it to seal it. I read somewhere on here that marine grade chemicals cause a reaction with aluminum. The wood was all overlapped with capret so there really wasn't any direct contact with the aluminum. The old wood was completely disintegrated on the boat floor, actually had to scoop it out using a dust pan and shop Vac.
I think the boat rotted badly because it was not draining properly which allowed the water to sit in it and breakdown the material from above and below.

 

[Shockley]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

Where did you find the precut carpet? I was planning on going to Lowe's to get mine, but if I can save a dime I'll do it. It looks good, keep up the good work.

SDS

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

They had precut pieces in standup boxes. The rolled stuff was like 5-10 bucks a foot but these were like 1/2 of that.

 

[Shockley]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

Thanks, I'm in the process of doing exactly the same as you. I came across a 1983 Eldocraft Spirit I w/o a motor. Everything is in working order after I have spent many hours working on the wiring. Now the fun begins. I am going to replace the carpet and possibly the decking. Then onto the motor. I have a 15HP Johnson, but it is a short shaft motor and would not run on this boat. Found that out on Sunday. However, there are no leaks and all else is in working order. I look forward to following your posts and I will be submitting photos and posts as well on mine.

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

Finished the decking on the rear of the boat. Still need to cut holes for the fishing seats. Left the boat uncovered the one night this weekend when the sky was clear and of course it rained. I'm not sure if the carpet on the new areas will be alright as the run off from the plywood was milky like it dissolved some of the glue. (warning to all project folks take the 10 minutes to cover your project and save your self the aggravation of wondering if things will be alright.(will post pics in a few days.

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

It's been a while since I've been able to work on the project. I still need to cover the live wells and attach the seats. Then onto the motor.

 

[rob071402]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

did you find a template for the decking wood?

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

No we just measured it, We had planned on using the old material for a template but it came off rough and in pieces. The bottom deck was almost liquid.

 

[pkrainert]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

How big were the rolls of carpet? I was going to paint my deck but If its that cheap i may just carpet it and see how it holds up. We use the boat for fishing but the fish almost never touch the deck they go into a storage locker if kept so im not worried about it getting super dirty... plus anything is better than green!

 

[xxlurchxx]

Re: Bass Tracker Pro 16 Project

We just bought the rolls that Home depot had on sale of outdoor carpetting I think they were like 4x8ft.