Bass Tracker III Project

[onthewater102]

If there is a way to pour foam behind the frp you could do that & you'd never have to worry about kicking through it - my decks are FRP with poured foam behind them & they're solid as a rock.

Only weakness is they won't hold up to point loading - so if you drop your trolling motor battery down on the deck cockeyed so it contacts corner first it could punch through BUT they're very light weight.

 

[jparrishbt]

If there is a way to pour foam behind the frp you could do that & you'd never have to worry about kicking through it - my decks are FRP with poured foam behind them & they're solid as a rock.

Only weakness is they won't hold up to point loading - so if you drop your trolling motor battery down on the deck cockeyed so it contacts corner first it could punch through BUT they're very light weight.

I already have 1.5 inches of sheet foam in between each rib and it is pretty sturdy. My only concern is like you said somebody throwing an anchor in or something of that nature but I don't see it happening. And I would put it on my decks however I have storage and livewells to consider. So with plywood I can tie it all in to one flush peice. The Frp is going to be coated with bed liner and that makes it twice as strong. Then painted to match carpet.

 

[jparrishbt]

I had a trailer in about the same condition

Naval Jelly is your friend

it really works..

After looking at your bot I think I am going to switch from carpet to vinyl. I really like the looks and easy cleaning of that. And it's cheaper than carpet. Thanks for the idea. Now I want to order vinyl and forget the trailer. Unfortunately I already took it off the trailer so I need to get it done and put the boat back on it. How hard is the vinyl to work with?

 

[richg99]

Well, the way I did mine may not be the right way. I sprayed some glue on unfinished 1/4 plywood and stuck the vinyl on to it. I then mounted the 1/4 inch plywood onto my G3 with stainless screws. I did not glue the underside of the edges, since I am not sure how I will finish them. Looks good and I am pleased.

However, the boat hasn't had more than five or so trips so far. I don't know much about how things will work out. I bought more than I needed so that I can do the foredeck later. We shall see. I'd consider it a work in progress.

richg99

 

[jparrishbt]

Broke out the grinder and the ole wire wheel today. Forgot how much I hate em. But I got a lot of the trailer done. I might consider getting a little blast gun like mentioned above for the leafs and around little bolts. I don't mind wire wheeling the rest of the trailer. It's actually coming off fairly easy. Now what kind of paint to use?

 

[jparrishbt]

Got the trailer done today. Started at 11:30, finished at 7:30. Went through 3 wire wheels, a polish pad, and two cutoff wheels, however, it's done. Picked up a quart of primer, and four cans of gloss dark grey rust oleum 2x paint. Tomorrow I am going to take the tires off, clean around the hubs, then paint the underside of the fenders with the Bedliner for durability. Also need to pick up my lights, jack, winch, chains, and trex boards for my runners. i doubt with work I will be able to finish, but I should be able to get the paint done and buy all the rest since it's payday tomorrow [-o< .

 

[jparrishbt]

Not too much invested into it at this point but I figured I would put a price list out there for those wondering.

() Means its already been purchased

Boat and trailer ($250)
2 sheets 3/4 in plywood (free)
1 sheet FRP (free)
2 in stainless steel screws ($10)
1 in stainless steel screws ($5)
Atwood bilge pump ($15)
Atwood aerator pump ($25)
2 cans HF Bedliner ($16)
1 can rust oleum primer ($5)
1 quart rusty metal primer ($5)
4 cans gloss dark grey rust oleum 2x ($20)
HF Respirator ($15)
3 HF wire wheels ($15)
1 in foam sheet ($3)
1/2 in foam sheet($4)
Led submersible light kit ($35)
Trailer jack $20 (Used an old one)
Winch ($35)
Trailer chains $12 (Free)
Carpet for fender pads ($20)
Trolling motor $100
2x4 bunks ($20)
Carpet for bunks ($20)
Bolts for bunks ($15)
Wiring for boat accessories ($20)
Accent Lights for Cat fishing/night fishing $25
Carpet for boat $60
Carpet Glue $25 ($15)
Hinges for compartments $20
Lowrance Hook 3x Fish Finder $100
40-50hp motor $300-$700
Transom Reinforcement Welding $80
Seats $75
Pedastals FREE off other boat
On-board battery charger $100
2 centennial batteries ($220)








I will update this post as I go along. Way more to come.

 

[richg99]

I've never used Trex for bunk boards. What I read was mostly good, except that the boards don't have the lateral strength of regular wood. i.e. they need more support, closer together than regular wood bunk boards.

Glad you got the rusty bear of the job out of the way. regards, richg99

 

[-CN-]

I originally used composite boards for bunks on my trailer. Boat slid on and off real nice, and I knew I didn't have to worry about maintenance on them no matter how wet they got. But, they were heavy, and they sagged under their own weight. Took them off within a week.

 

[richg99]

The sagging is why I question their use. I just added PVC gutter pieces on my regular bunks. Slick as a pig's behind. richg99

 

[Hanr3]

To strengthen regular lumber make it into a T. Not sure if that will work with that plastic lumber. An I configuration might work though. Top is plastic, center and bottom regular lumber.

As for seats, Springfield Marine has a scratch and dent section. You can get good deals. I bought seat bases for 10$ each, regular $30 each. These are customer returns with scratches in shipping, or show models, etc.

 

[perchjerker]

I had a trailer in about the same condition

Naval Jelly is your friend

it really works..

After looking at your bot I think I am going to switch from carpet to vinyl. I really like the looks and easy cleaning of that. And it's cheaper than carpet. Thanks for the idea. Now I want to order vinyl and forget the trailer. Unfortunately I already took it off the trailer so I need to get it done and put the boat back on it. How hard is the vinyl to work with?

Sorry I just saw this. The vinyl is super easy to work with. Cuts perfectly with a razor knife or blade. No stray threads to deal with. I am real happy with it, I will never use carpet again after installing this

 

[jparrishbt]

Finally got a break in the weather. Been raining for 3 days straight here in AZ. Luckily I got the trailer into the garage before the rain came. Going out to paint the trailer today and probably carpet the wod bunks. Decided since I have 5 brand new wooden studs on the side of my house to just use those. Cheap and easy. Carpet is only $20. Vinyl for boat ordered so just waiting on that.

 

[jparrishbt]

Trailer is primed. Some storm clouds moved in so I let it dry and back into the garage it went. Have to do the charcoal grey hopefully today if these clouds just blow over. And sand off a little over spray.

 

[jparrishbt]

Yuma gave me a clear weather day and I got a lot done. Trailer got painted today. If you ever wanted to use rust oleum 2x. Don't. Terrible paint. Came out in different ways, splattered sometimes, glossy and runny other times. I managed to figure it out at the end and salvaged the paint job but this isn't one of my best. Unfortunately I don't have the motivation to completely strip the trailer again and redo so I'm going to continue with the accessories. I packed the bearings with grease but the rest is yet to be done. Hopefully I can find the old wiring and tie the new wiring to it for an easy pull through.

 

[Hanr3]

From here it looks great...

=D>

 

[jparrishbt]

From here it looks great...

=D>

Its not that bad I am just particular about how I want it looking. No biggy. It cleaned up nicely so I am happy with that.

 

[jparrishbt]

Super crappy night with the build. Or at least the trailer. Spent all day running the new lights. Drilled new, clean holes for everything to go through. Bought the most expensive lights and wires. Installed everything. Made sure all wiring was tight, clean, and stitched up after some splicing for markers. Waited two hours for the sun to go down. Then nothing. So... Take 2 tomorrow and we will see how it goes

 

[richg99]

In my experience, 99% of similar problems can be traced back to a crappy ground connection. Before you tear apart the work you've just done, you might stop by an auto parts store and get one of these testers. At least, that would eliminate the vehicle side from the equation. richg99

https://smile.amazon.com/Trailer-Light-Inline-Circuit-Tester/dp/B003EEV4HW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1460716143&sr=8-2&keywords=trailer+light+tester

 

[jparrishbt]

As nice as that would be, I hooked my truck up to my ranger and it lit up like a Christmas tree. And the ground is good on the trailer.