88 Tracker Pro17 project

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trackerpuzzle

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Jan 14, 2015
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Location
Kansas City , Mo.
Hello everyone, I want to start my build thread off with a thanks to Tinboats.net and all it's members! =D> Awesome forums full of great info, ideas, and tips.
I'm already waist deep in my rebuild . She has all the typical early riveted tracker issues that many others have tackled in their threads on here. So I have no real questions at this point , but sure I will have some for you guys soon. I'm going to start uploading pics (think I have it figured out) to get to the point I'm at in this project.
 

Picked this boat up the first of last year for $800. Gauges were all gone , boat wiring was a mess (engine harness was all good) , trolling motor was junk , has an 88 Yamaha 40 , kid I got it from said it ran good but left him stranded a couple times :( . He also said the PO (his uncle) said the oil injection pump does not work so he just mixed the fuel. So that's what I have been doing. I looked through the engine pretty close , and found a crack in the fuel filter housing. Replaced that along with the fuel tank and line. She fired up and ran like a top.
Did some wiring for
console switches
bilge pump
livewell
lights
I used the boat all summer!
She fired up and ran good every time.
 
Over this winter my plans were to

1. Fix the rotted plywood flooring in the center section of the boat ( that no matter how many times you tell your buddies not to step right there, they manage to find and almost smash the console. lol )

2. Fix the leaks.


Well I pulled the carpet up no big surprise rotted ply and crappy water logged foam



 
Had not planned on doing anything with the front or rear decks other than some new carpet (foam appeared to be dry), fix some broken rivets on the hatch lid hinges.



 
Well after reading through some other tracker builds on here I decided all the foam had to be updated . I was also worried the livewell drain hose that was inside the foam could be leaking.



 
Got super lucky before I started on this project and ran across a warehouse that had a bunch 4x4's (used shipping container load bracing)
that they were going to toss. So I made me up a couple garage gantry's to get her off the trailer




and a couple rolling stands to put her on
 
Looking good! I'm doing the same on a TXS, I imagine they're the same hull, just a few differences. How's that 5200 dry? Hard or gummy?
 
Thanks JMill ,
I'm waching your thread ,looking good as well,
I'm not putting any on yet , trying to get it all off. Lol
some that I was trying to remove was a little gummy feeling , but most was pretty firm but flexible.
 
Got the stress cracks cleaned up pretty good


Plans were to keep the bare aluminum on the bottom but it has some pitting where she sits on the bunks , so it's going to get a little epoxy and steelflex or wetlander


Got one side of the bottom wire brushed around the rivets and sanded with 120 grit


 
I drilled the rivets to remove the three center ribs to access the inside of the stress cracks
Trying to get her to the welder , was a nice weekend so he had other stuff to do

And that's where I'm at , A boat totally tore up and full of holes LOL
 
Are you planning on welding all of your keel rivets up? Or the problem ones? I came **** close to welding that whole sucker up, but I know how aluminum does, it'll look like the Sierra Nevada when I'd get done with it. lol
 
JMill said:
Are you planning on welding all of your keel rivets up? Or the problem ones? I came **** close to welding that whole sucker up, but I know how aluminum does, it'll look like the Sierra Nevada when I'd get done with it. lol


I was going to just the replace the few broken keel rivets , but it looks like there is some corrosion under the keel around them .
I'm already removing several of the ribs(to get at the top side of the cracks for repair) , that I will have to re-rivet . So I figure by the time I get them done I will be a master "rivet~oir" so what's another 50 or 60 :LOL2: to remove and replace to clean up under the keel.
 
starzstuff said:
Nice looking project. Interested to see how this turns out.


thx starzstuff
I'm saving all the cans from the beer I'm drinking while working on this boat
(if it all goes bad I can sell them and the hull for scrap and buy a kayak) :lol:
 

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