'83 Bass Tracker Revival

[BYOB Fishing]

Ha, thanks bud...I don't know about that though, there are a lot of good builds on here. This place is full of great info!

 

[BYOB Fishing]

Well, I had some trouble with the corner braces. It turns out they are cast aluminum, and I broke one into pieces when trying to re-install it over my new aluminu angle transom cap. Turns out, its about 3/8" thicker than the old transom. So, I took some spare aluminum sheet and cut a shape out of it with the cutoff wheel...not easy when you need to cut a radius. But, I was able to attach it and bend it over the new cap. I think it looks pretty good. I also got started on the fuel fill support too, but ill have to finish that tomorrow.

 

[jjkc]

Looks like your getting close looking good!!

 

[BYOB Fishing]

Yeah, it's starting to move along...I've even got a few surprises for you guys coming up.....

 

[JonBoatfever]

Yeah, it's starting to move along...I've even got a few surprises for you guys coming up.....

I love surprises! :lol: :lol:

 

[jjkc]

I love surprises too especially when I'm working on a tracker too!!

 

[BYOB Fishing]

I've been busy doing some painting and pin striping...I also brought the trailer back home from the welder today--They added some support to the rusted cross member. I painted the boat with RustOleum rattle can metallic black, and plan on doing the trailer with the same color, only I'll be painting the fenders yellow and adding some pin stripe to it also. It's a little streaky, but I think for the most part it looks OK. Let me know what you think.










Thanks,

Matt

 

[ChitownBasser]

Nice paint job. Great detail.

 

[dyeguy1212]

Paint looks great! That's just about the same design I'd like to paint on mine. Gotta leave the bottom bare so I can keep beaching it at will.

Be sure to let us know how to holds up.

edit: By the way, I'd love to see some more pictures!

 

[JamesM56alum]

Absolutely awesome man!

 

[BYOB Fishing]

Thanks guys, I'll try to get some more pictures once I get it out of the garage and back on the trailer...
There is a lot of work that will need to be done to the trailer before it's ready, and I dont know when my next chance to work on it will be...

Matt

 

[BYOB Fishing]

I was able to get quite a bit of work done in the last few weeks. I don't have any pictures of the trailer in progress, but I cleaned it up and primed it, then top coated with the same black metal flake paint I used on the boat, along with clearcoat. I installed an LED light kit, put on new carpeted bunks, a new winch, and a new jack. I also installed new rollers (opted for the cheapo black ones for the keel, but sprung for the yellow poly bow stop). I also upgraded the hubs, but I'm keeping the wheels/tires for now until I can gather the $$ to upgrade to what I want.

As you can also see, I finally installed the motor! I borrowed an engine hoist from a friend and was able to get it done in an afternoon. Also, you can see one of the surprises I mentioned earlier! The power pole! It's not hooked up yet, but it's bolted to the transom and I think both the pole and motor look great! Let me know what you think!!

 

[Hanr3]

Great job. Boat looks awesome.

Now for the real question, is it too pretty to get on fish? :mrgreen:

 

[BYOB Fishing]

With the next surprise, that won't be an issue.... hint hint

 

[DaveInGA]

BYOB,

I really enjoyed going through the things you've done since I last saw your post. Like you, my Tracker rebuild has been slow going due to the demands of life, but I've gotten several things done recently and it's coming slow but sure.

Your boat is looking great. Keep up the good work.

 

[Brine]

Paint looks great! I have power pole envy.

 

[Tracker129]

Are you sure you didnt just pick that up from Bass Pro Shops? Lol. It looks awesome! Just like new! Great work!

 

[hsiftac]

Are you sure you didnt just pick that up from Bass Pro Shops? Lol. It looks awesome! Just like new! Great work!

+1 I was going to say the same thing, looks better than a brand new boat with the custom paint job. How heavy is that power pole setup?

 

[BYOB Fishing]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

The power pole doesn't weigh much at all. It's all aluminum, so I'd say it might weigh about 15lbs. The pump though, is also about 10lbs...and I can hold the pump in one hand, while it took about everything I had to steady the power pole when I installed it by myself. I wouldn't recommend installing one by yourself, because as a result of me attempting it, the pole is a couple degrees off. You can't really tell, even when you're looking to see if it's off, but when a square is put against it, compaired to the top of the boat, it's off just a little.

Thanks,

Matt

 

[JonBoatfever]

Any updates..., or surprises? [-o<