79 Bass Tracker Rebuild - Done!

[huntingbronco]

My project arrived today - unfortunately sub-zero temps are limiting my ability to dig into her. Would like to post some pictures to get your input.

She is all original - including the 1979 Mercury 40hp. She is riding on a 1994 trailer.

I need to post some pics of the gunnels near the transom to get some opions as to whether I have a structure problem. How do I do that? I have the pics, but don't know how to upload.

I am going to see if I can get the motor to fire today...otherwise - doing the best we can to dig 8" of snow and vegetation out of the boat for now.

 

[huntingbronco]

So, how do I post pics? Sorry, I am a newbie.

 

[Brine]

So, how do I post pics? Sorry, I am a newbie.

Here ya go hb

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13431&hilit=upload+pics

 

[natestep]

Been there done that, Brine will get ya fixed up.

 

[huntingbronco]

Here goes - Here's a pic of the back end of the boat:

Here's one of the front - what do I do about this bow stop/winch - doesn't look right to me.

Before you get too excited on my behalf, check out the inside!

So here are two serious questions. First, it has dents in the gunnels at both sides where this beam goes across the boat. A problem? I think the boat has always had the factory 40hp and the transom appears clean.

How hard will it be to repair this dent?

Final question for this note - the wiring is a mess. Is there a place on the internet to get a wiring diagram for the 1979 40hp Mercury available online? Never mind - found it right here on Tinboats.net - https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=14047

Thanks guys - It's going to be above freezing one day this week!!! Yeah.

 

[Brine]

Nice looking rig ya got. It even has it's own built in duck blind (vegetation). Makes me want to flip a jig in the middle of it. :LOL2:

Mine came equipped with mice/rat nests #-o

My personal take on most dents in an aluminum hull these days is to simply accept them and consider them to be character. Looks like if you touched up the camo paint on the side of the boat, it would probably disappear. The dent on the side could probably be pounded out, but I'm not sure how much success you'd have with the gunnels. I wonder if they weren't created from the previous owner strapping down the boat to the trailer?

Looks like you need a bow eye put on. I made one and had it welded on. There is a side discussion that happens with the location of the eye in relation to the bow stop. It was suggested that the eye be put on below the stop so that in the event of a sudden stop/rear end, that the eye being placed below the bow stop would prevent the boat from being launched towards your tow vehicle. I have this process/discussion documented in my build.

Not sure if you can access the inside of your bow in that location to be able to bolt something on or not, and I assume it's a mod-v which is why I went ahead and had one welded on. I didn't want to mess with bolting the eye on at the v (which I had done on a previous boat). It worked, but I felt like it wasn't the best solution. If I had a flat bow, I probably would have just bought and bolted one on with a backing plate.

From the pics, it looks as though you would simply reverse your bow stop and winch (put the stop above the winch) to accomplish this.

 

[Brine]

I just noticed, but you may also want to move around the trailered position of the boat such that the transom is supported by your bunks. I can't tell if it is or not in the pic, but I don't see any bunks sticking out the back. This will prevent "hull hook" from happening/worsening from the weight of your outboard hanging off the back while in tow. Hard to say if the bunks need to be extended/moved back, or if the boat will have to move forward (with the bow stop) or a combination of both.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Angle the winch stand back more and put the winch lower on the stand.

 

[huntingbronco]

Great comments guys. It almost seems like the trailer is wrong for the boat...what's new. I'll extend the bunks - the boat sits crooked now. I think the dents in the gunnels did come from the tie downs, as they are right below the dents! I'll double check, but I think it has a good bow eye for tying down, just don't think the trailer is working right with the boat. Hopefully I can rearrange the trailer and get the geometry right. I'll also add a chain. These are things I can do when its cold out - have to wait on the interior.

As for bumping out the dent - we'll see what path we follow on the interior - if I expose that side, I'll bump it out. The boat is otherwise pretty straight.

Still don't know the condition of the transom - not sure I can tell when its frozen like a rock. The soil on the floor seems structural at these temps!

More to come. Big project for now is the wiring. It is essentially GONE.

 

[huntingbronco]

My son and I pulled the bow mount off the trailer - recut and paint is drying. Should get it mounted back up in a couple days.

Also tried to start motor. Connected battery direclty to starter with plugs out. Spun up nicely. Put spark plugs in and starter was barely turning over. I was using a fully charged battery just taken out of my F250 - V10. Should be able to turn a 2 cylinder, don't you think? Given I was wired directly to the starter - do you think the starter might be bad or do these old motors turn over this slowly? It is a 40hp Mercury - about 1979. Thanks for the input.

Has anyone re-covered these seats? Is there a thread for tips and tricks on doing the seats? Another good project for indoors during this winter.

 

[huntingbronco]

Okay - first thing I tried to straighten out was the trailer and how the bow of the boat mates to the trailer. Reading around here and using the parts I had, I went ahead and repositioned the tower, reconfigured the bow pad and installed a safety chain. I also installed a new tongue jack and put a new strap in the boat winch. The tailgate on the truck clears the tower, but I would not want to turn sharply with the tailgate down. All hardware was replaced with new grade 8. Did I get it close to right?

Here's a photo of the finished product.

Trailer wiring is next. You guys have any suggestions regarding submersible trailer lights? Good ones, bad ones?

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Okay - first thing I tried to straighten out was the trail and how the bow of the boat mates to the trailer. Reading around here and using the parts I had, I went ahead and repositioned the tower, reconfigured the bow pad and installed a safety chain. I also installed a new tongue jack and put a new strap in the boat winch. The tailgate on the truck clears the tower, but I would not want to turn sharply with the tailgate down. All hardware was replaced with new grade 8. Did I get it close to right?

Here's a photo of the finished product.

Trailer wiring is next. You guys have any suggestions regarding submersible trailer lights? Good ones, bad ones?

That looks much better.
For the lights LED's seem to be the way to go altho I have been having good luck with the old style. I did run the ground wire to every light.

 

[Brine]

Yessur, that bow setup looks good. =D>

I like LED's myself.

 

[KRS62]

Check out this forum. There are some postings (stickys) right there on the first page for a ton of manuals. I found mine there, maybe you will too.

Mercury motors:
https://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=25

KRS

 

[huntingbronco]

Thanks Guys - did boring stuff today. Adjusted bunk height to be the same and got lights working. 11 degrees out - concrete was even colder!

Brine - here is what the bunks look like - you think they come back close enough to the transom?

While I was at it, I realized the skeg was missing! (broken off, but ground off to a nice clean line.) I run shallow - probably should have some kind of skeg - can't imagine having the prop make contact first - what options should I consider here?

 

[basstender10.6]

I would buy a river runner and modify it with longer brackets and mount it on what is left of your skeg. Repair for a job like that is VERY expensive.

 

[huntingbronco]

Thanks - Once I get her running, I'll fix the skeg. A little quick search showed lots of alternatives - I might like this one the most - anyone here tried Blackfin Skegs?

https://www.blackfinskeg.com/

 

[huntingbronco]

Okay guys - worked on the motor this weekend. I'm going to post my questions about the motor over in the Motors Section. Here's a question - my coastguard plate is worn out on this boat. I may have an opportunity to pick up a Mariner Force with Trim/Tilt and Controls for a good deal. Too much for this boat? What do you think?

 

[TNtroller]

wally world has a complete trailer light kit for a few $$ if you want all new, wire and all, used them in the past for other utility trailers, etc., with no issues. Makes the job much easier than trying to identify which wire is bad, etc.

 

[huntingbronco]

Alright - we have made some good progress since the last post. We got the bottom and sides torn out of the boat. We removed the motor and almost all of the wiring. Now, time for some expert advice from the members of this forum.

Observations. The wood floor was shot - very wet and rotted. The foam beneath was completely saturated. We took a lot of weight out of the boat! The foam on the sides was the same as that in the floor - it was only wet up the sides about 2 inches.

The foam in what I'll call the floatation pods on either side, just forward of the transom is the question. I can't tell if its good or bad and getting to it is going to require more tear that I don't want to do if not necessary. So look at the pics and let me know what you think. I was going to put foam board of some kind back in the floors and sides, but leave these pods and the transom as is unless the advice from this forum is to open her up and dig it out. Appreciate your thoughts...

Also, what are your thoughts about the live wells in these boats? The drivers seat and the box in front of the console are both designed to be wet. Both have drains right through the side of the boat. The console tank appears to have an aerator and the drivers seat tank just has a drain. Given these are riveted through the hull, I am reluctant to move or mess with them. Good choice?

Here are the pics and thanks for looking.