1996 Bass Tracker TX 17 Build- Updated Progress Pics

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cooter brown

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 4, 2011
Messages
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Location
Augusta, GA and Charleston, SC
A few weeks back, I got a good deal on a 1996 Tracker TX 17 Tournament. The boat had some issues but the motor had good compression and ran well. The front deck structure and rod locker had been removed by the previous owner. He was going make a raised deck for bow fishing but realized it wasn't stable enough to build on.

Here are some pics of how it looked when I picked it up:

BT_6-1.jpg



BT_2.jpg

Nice stainless prop

BT_5.jpg


BT_1.jpg




Here's where things get a little more interesting. In the pic below, you can see how the deck structure was cut out:
BT-4.jpg


On to the teardown.....
 
you will have your hands full on your build but you will like it in the end. I just did one of these(still working on) but mine is older (1990). I did mine up in all aluminum (except for transom) so I would not have to do a repeat in about 5 years. It was moderately expensive but wood rot will be history. Good luck and take your time to do a good job! :)
 
I fish in freshwater and saltwater. My plan is to get all the wood and carpet out and go all aluminum w/ Kiwi grip or SeaDek.

I'll bet I removed 150lbs of wet wood, carpet, and saturated foam. This has been discussed before, but Tracker used open cell foam throughout the boat. The foam under the front deck was an expandable foam. This stuff expanded under the drainage channels and blocked any flow to the back of the boat. Any water up front just sat there for years and saturated the open cell foam.

IMG-20110803-00050.jpg

Had a little visitor that wanted to help with the teardown. Actually, she was munching on pears and couldn't care less about the boat.....

IMG-20110803-00045.jpg

Above you can see the carnage from the sawzall and budweiser..... :lol:

IMG-20110803-00046.jpg


IMG-20110806-00057-1.jpg


IMG-20110803-00049-1.jpg

One more pic of my little visitor.....
 
mmf said:
you will have your hands full on your build but you will like it in the end. I just did one of these(still working on) but mine is older (1990). I did mine up in all aluminum (except for transom) so I would not have to do a repeat in about 5 years. It was moderately expensive but wood rot will be history. Good luck and take your time to do a good job! :)

mmf, I've been watching your build for a while. You inspired me to pull the trigger on the boat. It was nice to know what was lurking under the carpet before I purchased the boat. That's why this site is so great. I would have passed on this boat without your and all the other great builds on here. In the end, it's going to be perfect for what I want.
 
looks like a good project, should be fun to do and to use when its done. GL
 
im thinking i got a good deal for my 88.. It looks all original and it looks as though the front deck was replaced and or just looked through i am close to 300 lbs dad does as well and still had another two on the boat the rear of the boat was inches from the water (with me and the engine) so im not 100 % sure if it was water logged or is suffering from the same prob as much of older tracker owners have lol i am afraid to check. there's no warping of wood that i know of has almost all original stuff fish finder etc. has a classic 50 mercury on the rear and i know she has some weight how much im not sure, I still havent started her most of the drinks around my initial area are electric only. still pondering over the oil thing
 
clarego said:
im thinking i got a good deal for my 88.. It looks all original and it looks as though the front deck was replaced and or just looked through i am close to 300 lbs dad does as well and still had another two on the boat the rear of the boat was inches from the water (with me and the engine) so im not 100 % sure if it was water logged or is suffering from the same prob as much of older tracker owners have lol i am afraid to check. there's no warping of wood that i know of has almost all original stuff fish finder etc. has a classic 50 mercury on the rear and i know she has some weight how much im not sure, I still havent started her most of the drinks around my initial area are electric only. still pondering over the oil thing

I'll bet you have some extra weight from saturated foam also. My floor felt very solid and i figured it wouldn't be too bad. I cut the carpet and the wood felt damp on top. Once I got the floor up, I was amazed how much it weighed. This boat had even been garage kept the majority of it's life.
 
Nice, I have the exact same boat and motor. I almost wish the front and rear decks would have been torn out so I could set it up to my liking. There's a lot of wasted space with the stock set up.

Good luck.
 
Friday afternoon, I went and picked up my aluminum. I really wanted to go with 1x1" square tubing for most of the deck structure. I've seen builds that use angle, but I didn't want to deal with spacers or use the non-structural angle. I had planned on using 1/16" thickness, but the local metal supply could only get 1/8". After I got it, I was glad it worked out that way. One thing is for sure, I will not be using near as much of the 1/8" as I planned. This is some stout stuff.

I worked for a few hours yesterday. My main objective was to get the rear bulkhead installed level and square with the existing front bulkhead and side L braces. I still have to add another couple vertical posts to it, but I'm still thinking about hatches. It is amazingly strong as it is. I tied it into the existing factory L brackets that run lengthwise down the sides of the boat. I also added some angle for a lip to attach the forward edge of my floor. The existing lip was so cut up, it just wasn't very strong anymore.

Here are a couple pics:


IMG-20110820-00062.jpg




IMG-20110820-00063.jpg

I messed up here and forgot to put the wiring harness on the other side of the post. I will have to pull the wire back and snake it through. #-o



My original plan was to make a couple aluminum hatches flush into the deck. I may eventually put a TM battery up there. I'm now debating the hatches. I'm not sure I can wrap my head around making hatches with lips and keeping everything flush. I just don't want hatches without lips. I want them to be fairly watertight. I will be using this in the salt and you will eventually take one over the bow in Charleston harbor. I don't want water pouring under the deck in that situation. Also, since this is an all aluminum build, I'm not too excited about putting the plastic style hatches on top of the deck. I did consider keeping this thing simple and putting a 10x20" or so plastic hatch vertical on the rear bulkhead. That would allow access under deck for now. If anyone wants to school me on aluminum hatch building, please do. I would love to hear some ideas.
 
cooter brown said:
I'll bet I removed 150lbs of wet wood, carpet, and saturated foam. This has been discussed before, but Tracker used open cell foam throughout the boat. The foam under the front deck was an expandable foam. This stuff expanded under the drainage channels and blocked any flow to the back of the boat. Any water up front just sat there for years and saturated the open cell foam.



IMG-20110803-00045.jpg

Above you can see the carnage from the sawzall and budweiser..... :lol:
.

That does not look like a factory installation on the foan @ the front deck, nor does it sound like something Traker would do by blocking the drainage channel. 10:1 the foam was ripped out and replaced by the PO when he lowered the front deck.

I think one of the biggest problems with foam is that some people can't tell the difference between closed and open cell.

Closed cell foam will waterlog, but it has to be submerged for a year or more.

Why aren't there any pics of the rest of the foam? Or a closeup of the front foam?
 
jigngrub said:
cooter brown said:
I'll bet I removed 150lbs of wet wood, carpet, and saturated foam. This has been discussed before, but Tracker used open cell foam throughout the boat. The foam under the front deck was an expandable foam. This stuff expanded under the drainage channels and blocked any flow to the back of the boat. Any water up front just sat there for years and saturated the open cell foam.



IMG-20110803-00045.jpg

Above you can see the carnage from the sawzall and budweiser..... :lol:
.

That does not look like a factory installation on the foan @ the front deck, nor does it sound like something Traker would do by blocking the drainage channel. 10:1 the foam was ripped out and replaced by the PO when he lowered the front deck.


I think one of the biggest problems with foam is that some people can't tell the difference between closed and open cell.

Closed cell foam will waterlog, but it has to be submerged for a year or more.

Why aren't there any pics of the rest of the foam? Or a closeup of the front foam?


There has been at least 1/2 dozen builds on these exact boats on this forum with the same problem. I know for a fact the previous owner did not install that foam because he is a friend of mine and I saw it when he first cut the deck out about a month ago. It really doesn't matter if it's open cell or closed cell, it was completely saturated in areas around the blockage and had to go. I didn't take close up pics of the foam before I started ripping it out. Didn't really think there was a need. Under the deck area, every single drainage channel was block under the ribs where the foam expanded and hardened.
 
jigngrub said:
That does not look like a factory installation on the foan @ the front deck, nor does it sound like something Traker would do by blocking the drainage channel. 10:1 the foam was ripped out and replaced by the PO when he lowered the front deck.

That looks just like the foam that is currently under my deck and every other Tracker that I have seen naked.

They just pour/spray it in the floor and let it expand.

It's a nightmare.
 
Can't wait to see your build! I know what you mean about tracker filling up the valleys with their foam, took me awhile to get mine unstopped too, I also drilled out a new hole in the very center at the bottom floor brace, I started out with a 1/4" bit then increased to a 7/8" hole on all the floor ribs here's a pic when I started to drill............

TX-17%252520Rotten%252520Transom%252520040.jpg
 
cooter brown said:
jigngrub said:
cooter brown said:
I'll bet I removed 150lbs of wet wood, carpet, and saturated foam. This has been discussed before, but Tracker used open cell foam throughout the boat. The foam under the front deck was an expandable foam. This stuff expanded under the drainage channels and blocked any flow to the back of the boat. Any water up front just sat there for years and saturated the open cell foam.



IMG-20110803-00045.jpg

Above you can see the carnage from the sawzall and budweiser..... :lol:
.

That does not look like a factory installation on the foan @ the front deck, nor does it sound like something Traker would do by blocking the drainage channel. 10:1 the foam was ripped out and replaced by the PO when he lowered the front deck.


I think one of the biggest problems with foam is that some people can't tell the difference between closed and open cell.

Closed cell foam will waterlog, but it has to be submerged for a year or more.

Why aren't there any pics of the rest of the foam? Or a closeup of the front foam?


There has been at least 1/2 dozen builds on these exact boats on this forum with the same problem. I know for a fact the previous owner did not install that foam because he is a friend of mine and I saw it when he first cut the deck out about a month ago. It really doesn't matter if it's open cell or closed cell, it was completely saturated in areas around the blockage and had to go. I didn't take close up pics of the foam before I started ripping it out. Didn't really think there was a need. Under the deck area, every single drainage channel was block under the ribs where the foam expanded and hardened.


My 1983 tracker is the same way.
 
Good looking project. If you have any questions regarding that motor, let me know. I've got the same motor that I've been all over tuning and repairing. I have a fairly good understanding of it now through trial and error.

Good luck!
 

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