1993 Bass Tracker Pro 17 Restoration Project

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DarynCashmark

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I got started on what was meant to be a simple cleanup and re-carpet project on a 1993 Bass Tracker Pro 17 with a 25 Hp. Evinrude. I purchased the boat from a friend last year. It wasn't horrible to begin with. It has never leaked a drop. Maybe because most of the rivets were covered with 15 to 20 years of scale and build-up. LOL. I really just started out just wanting to clean it up a bit, and improve a few things to make it more enjoyable to use the boat.

Well the next thing I know it is stripped down way further than I thought. I never know when to quit. I got into the project and the "well as long as I have it all apart..." list grew out of control. Hopefully it will turn out well and I won't be sorry I started it...

I have never done a boat restoration before, and I have found a lot of great ideas and advice here, so I thought I would post the progress for anybody that might be interested. I know it was very helpful for me to see other's project photos to help plan my own resto.

Anyway, here are a few pics from before I started. Unfortunately I came up with the idea of posting on this forum after I started the tear-down, so I don't have as many before pics as I would like. Here are the few "before" pics that I do have.
 

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And the fun begins...
 

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Took a break from polishing for a bit, and decided to start dismantling everything...
 

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Not so much on the acid based cleaner... It did loosen it up a bit, but it really did not do much good. Little did I know that I had many hours of DA sanding to get the 1/4" + of scale off of the bottom...
 

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Everyone on the boards here was warning about the dreaded damp foam that is so common in many riveted boats like this one. I guess I got pretty luck, as almost all of my foam was pretty dry. (Hallelujah ) I decided to get any of the block foam out and will replace with new foam that is not as nasty and brittle... I decided to leave the spray foam in as it was in pretty darn good shape.
 

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I figured now was a good time to go through all of the electrical. No real problems, but wiring was getting old and some splices here and there, etc. I decided it would be best to just replace anything that looked sketchy..
 

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Console problems... (Sorry, no before pics) I had a few smaller cracks and a hole from an old fishfinder in the console that were kind of bugging me. (Not sure why) Who am I trying to kid? It is my OCD kicking in again. Wish I could get some help for my condition. It is causing a lot of extra work!!!

Seriously, I looked long and hard for a new console, and this search is how I found this forum. I was able to find some replacements. None were an exact match, and they are pretty expensive. I figured it might be more work trying to get a new one to fit and mate up to everything might be a challenge, and the new consoles did not have enough room for some of the things I wanted to add. (Switches, stereo, etc.)

After much thought, I decided to try to repair the cracks in the fiberglass console. I have never done any fiberglass work before and the console has a textured finish. For these two reasons, I was a little afraid of trying the repair myself, but I figured, worst case, I will have to buy a new console.

I have the cracks filled and the console is sanded down and ready for the pewter colored bedliner that I am going to shoot it with to try to cover my "excellent" (LOL) fiberglass work.
 

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More work on the console...

Still waiting for the bedliner material to be delivered...
 

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Nice work so far. Most people here know the "what did I get myself into" or "while I'm at it I might as well do this too" all too well. LOL. That's part of the fun but also brings out the frustration at times to as the entire project seems to drag on too long. Lots of nice work shown. Keep the pictures coming.
 
Done polishing the sides... I think!

The polishing process is really sucking my will to live. Got it as good as I can. Probably won't look as good in the sun, as it does in my dark shop, but neither do I. Ha ha
 

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TNtroller: Thanks for the kind words brotha! You are right. It has been a lot of work, but I kind of enjoy it. It is fun to see some of it finally coming together. :D
 
Bow repair...

So, as a result of my OCD, I decided to grind off what was left of all of the mangled up plastic and aluminum trim that was on the rub rail... This was another pain in the neck! The channel on the sides was a lot tougher than I thought. I never expected the aluminum to be as hard to grind down as it was. It had been bent up so bad, I figured it would be pretty soft stuff. Boy was I wrong. It took about 4 hours to grind both sides down smooth.

Next was the bow.. I removed the aluminum trim, which was totally mangled. I found some aluminum brazing rods at https://www.durafix.com. It looked really good on their website, and I thought it would be a good way to fill the rivet holes left over on the bow from the trim peices.

While this stuff from Durafix is really cool, my inexperience caused problems. I eventually burned a hole through one of the rivet holes. It turns out when this stuff melts it flows just like solder. It works really well on holes in surfaces that are horizontal, or parallel with the ground. Obviously the bow of the boat is at an angle... You get the picture. In hindsight, I should have put new rivets into the holes and brazed them shut and then just ground them off. Instead, I ended up with this...
 

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Well, many hours later... problem soved.

I took a 6 ft. piece of 2" x 1/8" flat aluminum from Home Depot, cut it down for new "bow covers" and brazed them on. I also ended up having to fill in 4) 1/2" holes from where the old trolling motor mounted. This time I learned my lesson. I took some small pieces of aluminum and riveted them under the holes before I filled... Way better. I don't like to think of myself as stupid, just a little slow. Ha ha.
 

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Not a "pro" repair, but I think it should hold. It seems pretty solid. I guess time will tell. Hopefully the bedliner I am going to cover it with will help hold it all together... Haha.
 

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Well, that is where the project is at today. I probably should be working on it today instead of posting all this stuff, but I have been wanting to get this thread started, so I guess it is a good day for a little break.

I will be sure to post more pics as I get some more work done. :D
 
Awesome work so far. You are doing an impressive job. I am beginning my restoration now and am already feeling like I'm losing. Keep up the good work and keep the pictures coming!
 
BassFishVA:

Boy I know that feeling. My wife keeps asking me why I am in such a hurry to finish... I tell her I am afraid to stop working on it for feel I won't want t start back up again. :shock:

Thanks for the encouragement and we will both just keep plugging away. :D
 
Got a little more work done recently. Finally got the Custom Coat Bedliner in and had a chance to spray the console and the rub rail... I have some pics of the rub rail, and I will try to get some of the console tomorrow. I should be able to get some more work done tomorrow too.
 

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