16 ft basstracker 2 build.

[THEABEXPERTS]

Let me start by saying thank you all for the wealth of information! I am very impressed by the skill level and craftsmanship of the members and am glad to have their knowledge at my disposal! Thank you!

Well, last week we tore into the boat removing everything leaving us with an empty shell and a very floppy transom. We then sent it to the welder to repair a few cracks and holes in the hull and should have it back in 6 to 10 days.
the boat is rated for a 60 hp and felt sluggish with the 35 hp merc so i picked up a 1985 merc 60 hp with a 90 day warranty..... Motor looks good and has great compression but i have yet to hear it run....wish me luck with that!
I will upload some pics asap.

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

 

[LonLB]

Looking forward to following this one. Going to be a real nice boat!

 

[Jdholmes]

Nice boat...dang that is a lot of lights up front! . Have fun.

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

thanks guys!
I think I had 5x500 watt lights up front for bow fishing. I plan to replace them all with a few CREE LED lights that can be ran off a 12volt battery and ditch the generator. I do not kill for sport and only take what I can eat so the lights are there more for my friends than myself.... not to mention you can really light up a cove.

 

[KevinWI]

guessing the boat was use for bow fishing carp?

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

We use it to run catfish lines, catching crappie whites and hybrids during the spawn and when things are slow we bow fish for gar. You gotta love the versatility of these little boats!

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

A new toy arrived today!

Now lets see if i can learn to use this thing.

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

Argon will be here in the morning and then i will hook it up to the Lincoln 180hd and start playing. I'll try to get a vid of the setup and the learning curve. I'm on the professional side my mig and can close a one inch gap in thin gauge sheet metal on the hottest setting (220 welder), as I understand how to control the puddle. However welding aluminum with a mig is completely different. From what I understand the arc melts the wire as it exits the nozzle then spray transfers it to the material and you have to move fairly quickly compared to steel.
If Anyone uses one of the spool guns i would sure love some tips!

Once i figure out how to lay a solid weld I will gladly help out any Tinboats members in central Texas with their aluminum of steel welding for a nominal fee of One 8oz Redbull and a homemade catfish poorboy sandwich!

 

[LonLB]

Argon will be here in the morning and then i will hook it up to the Lincoln 180hd and start playing. I'll try to get a vid of the setup and the learning curve. I'm on the professional side my mig and can close a one inch gap in thin gauge sheet metal on the hottest setting (220 welder), as I understand how to control the puddle. However welding aluminum with a mig is completely different. From what I understand the arc melts the wire as it exits the nozzle then spray transfers it to the material and you have to move fairly quickly compared to steel.
If Anyone uses one of the spool guns i would sure love some tips!

Once i figure out how to lay a solid weld I will gladly help out any Tinboats members in central Texas with their aluminum of steel welding for a nominal fee of One 8oz Redbull and a homemade catfish poorboy sandwich!

I read this entire post and here is my brain thinking while reading it.....................................................Cool he is setup to weld aluminum now......................................MMMMMMMMMMM Catfish sandwich!

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

first few welds! easy as pie https://youtu.be/rbT6OkwGcsc

 

[KevinWI]

I could really use an aluiminum welder about now....just can't justify the cost.

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

I hear you tools are not cheep. I can only justify the purchase for my business.

 

[Bmac]

first few welds! easy as pie https://youtu.be/rbT6OkwGcsc

Looking good,

Watch the thin stuff. You'll be welding along great,then everything turns into liquid! :mrgreen: The heat really travels fast on aluminum.

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

That explains the deeper penetration and tendency to burn threw in the middle is the weld. I had to stop and let the weld solidify then move on which weakens the weld and stops the flow of shielding gas, creating porosity. Any suggestions to help with this problem? I will try to get a bid up this week of the weld before inprocess and after with the settings and gauge of material so you can better assist me. Thanks

 

[Bmac]

That explains the deeper penetration and tendency to burn threw in the middle is the weld. I had to stop and let the weld solidify then move on which weakens the weld and stops the flow of shielding gas, creating porosity. Any suggestions to help with this problem?

Not sure if I'm the one to help you,as I don't weld aluminum often. Picked up my gun 1 yr ago,and taught myself to use it. My tests scraps looked like yours. Probably went through a 1/2 lb. of wire before I started to get a handle on the settings. Not sure if I can recall the wire speeds,but I remember welding at 16-24 volts on .090 pontoon tubes to 3/8" semi trailer frames. I dial the wire speed in by ear,and the penetration dictates the volts. You can fine tune the heat with wire speed. Slowing it down heats it up and more cools it down. That sizzling (frying bacon) sound like in your video tells me your wire speed/volts ratio is close. You were moving fast,and the weld flowed good. Which tells me your welding pretty hot.

Try turning the heat down. On the thinner stuff you really aren't watching a puddle like on steel. If you see a puddle your about to fall through. I'll make small circles,or push ahead and drag back in short strokes. Paying attention to the weld I'm laying more than trying to see the puddle that isn't there. It'll cool off as fast as you can stack those dimes. On light gauge the start of my welds are usually a lil cold if it's set right. 1/8" you can weld easy enough. With thinner clean good with a stainless brush,keep the arc moving,and haul azz. Your not going to have a pretty bead on the thin stuff like they do with a tig.

Here's welding 14 gauge strakes on my .086 pontoon tubes.

3/16" is a lot easier

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

Excellent, you nailed it. I weld hotter than most people on steel and that habit could be a problem with aluminum. Im glad you pointed it out because I would have no idea otherwise. Gonna try your technique on some light gauge stuff. Do you have the ability to upload any videos of you welding. there are only like two vids on youtube for spool welding aluminum and neither are welding on thin stuff. im gonna post a new vid in a day or two with settings and what not so you can direct me .

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

Nice welds by the way! =D>
Just got the boat back from my welder! Here is a vid of his work and the bare boat. Let the fun begin!
https://youtu.be/nzERr2O40Bw

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

Just had a thought, Im painting a car with blue candy and flake. What do you think about this under the rails down about 12 inches tapering to a point like the newer bass tracker decals?

 

[THEABEXPERTS]

Well I final had some time to work on the boat starting with the transom. Would have loved to use aluminum but it's was just to expensive. Instead we laminated two 3/4 inch sheets of plywood together using fiberglass resin, wood screws, and 20 c clamps then coated the whole thing in resin as well and let it cure for a day.

After Bending the top lip of the outer transom up and fitting the ply i decided to remove the top lip and replace it with some 1/8 x2x2 aluminum angle. looked cleaner and is much stronger.

the lower part of the transom was supported with a small piece of 24nor so gauge angle which we modified and relocated up 4 inches so we could run two 1x3 pieces of tubing as a lower support for when we add the flotation pods.

I decided that I wanted more floor space than decking and an open floor plan, so we rebuilt the rear deck to be 2 feet shorter then the previous setup and are planing to do the same with the front.
then we re-purposed the live wells after welding up the original fill/drain holes to make a seat in front and behind the new center console. To build the console I cut up the side console, flipped it 180 and made it as small as I could and still use my original steering controls.

Also decided to try to fire the 60 hp merc as well, and it fired right up and ran great. Gave it a few revs and wow! this thing has some power. this boat should really move.