Specs:
2000 Tracker Pro Team 165
1996 Force 40ELPT 2 Stroke
Motor Guide Pro Series 43# Thrust
I got this boat about a year ago and have been mostly reading up here before I really dive into the project. My father-in-law kept this outdoors/uncovered on Toledo Bend for the last 10 years. He decided to sell his lakehouse and since he has a number of other boats (and nowhere to keep this Tracker), he decided to give it to me for FREE. It's not exactly what I had in mind for my first boat, but I couldn't say no to a freebie.
Now, my FIL is known for refusing to maintain his stuff. For some reason, he doesn't believe in spending time/money on upkeep. This boat is a prime example. When I went to pick up the boat, it was completely full of fallen leaves, debris, and was sopping wet. Every square inch of carpet was covered in thick moss and it was infested with bugs, mice, and a possum. It had it's own ecosystem within the hull. The tires were flat and off the 6" rims (pretty sure these weren't meant for highway speeds). The 3-hour drive home helped clear the leaves. When I got it home, I spent half a day with a shopvac and a scraper getting all the moss off. I really wish I would have taken a real before picture with all the moss, but I didn't. Instead, here's a picture of what it I'll call the before pic:
The carpet and seat upholstery is all destroyed from the decade-long exposure to the elements. I had fished on this boat before and knew going in that the 1996 Force 40 motor was hard to turn over, but would run OK once it was started. The hull is solid and doesn't leak. There are some electrical issues caused by some botched attempts to Jerry rig a few things. Otherwise, the boat works and I've caught fish on it - even if it's ugly.
What I thought I knew about the motor was quickly updated as I tried to identify the starting issues. I was able to get it started with the help of a little fuel/oil mix sprayed into the carb. The motor would start, but died quickly if I didn't open the throttle a bit. I cleaned the carb and tried again, but got the same result. I bought a fuel pump kit, cleaned the pump, and again the motor wouldn't run on it's own for more than 10-20 seconds. I was about to start replacing lines when I found a much bigger problem: the water tube that runs from the pump in the lower unit all the way to the bottom of the power head was completely loose. The schematics show that this tube is supposed to be bolted to the bottom of the exhaust plate with a plastic coupler/clamp (Part #3 below).
This clamp is my first example of why Force motors have the reputation they have. It's made of plastic and is literally bolted to one of the hottest points on the engine - the exhaust tube. That clamp had melted and got flushed out the water/exhaust exit at some point. The bolts that held the clamp were still in place on the bottom of the exhaust plate. There isn't really a telltale/pisser on this Force motor, but you can see water sort of spurt out of the exhaust on the back of the engine. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that the motor ever got overheated. It was really only used for trolling around the creeks where our family lakehouse is. I should have run a compression test prior to pulling the powerhead a few weekends ago to make sure it doesn't have blow gaskets. Lesson learned. Once I get the parts I need, I'll be checking compression before I try to run the engine.
My immediate plans/projects:
-Pull powerhead & identify water tube problem (done)
-Clean engine/housing/cowls (done)
-Extract broken bolt from adaptor plate (in progress, I've broken a drill bit and an extractor already...beginning to lose hope on this and may have to take it to a machine shop)
-Remove interior: seats, carpet, console, decking, and trim panels (done)
-Inspect foam integrity (done)
-Clean and degrease everything. I'm OK with ugly, but I like my stuff to be clean and functional (in progress).
-Replace floor/deck with 3/4" marine plywood sealed with resin
-Extend front deck to console to maximize storage. I'm going to completely redesign the front deck hatches so the rod locker is in the middle instead of on the side and will fit longer rods. I'll also add 2 storage lockers on each side of the new rod locker in the middle.
-Replace carpet: 20oz gunmetal grey
-Replace seats
-Reinforce/cover console with fiberglass and redesign gauge area to fit either a 5" or 7" Humminbird Helix
-Spray gunnels and console with truck bed liner
-Polish hull
-Build custom front deck panel and add trim switch/wiring for networked Helix unit.
-Replace fuse panel, switches, and wiring at console (a lot of this stuff had been cut out, but Tracker customer service sent me wiring diagrams)
Here's a few more pics of my progress so far. I have a long road ahead of me...
I was surprised at how simple outboards are. This is the first time I've ever done this and it was really simple - especially with the help of this forum.
Carpet is shot:
The sprayed foam from tracker appears to have been formed in trash bags, then sliced into chunks so it would fit under the deck. The creases in the foam still have small shreds of the bags they were formed in haha. It seems like they could hvae sprayed it directly under the deck and it would have formed a much better mold of the hull. I don't think Tracker understands how spray-in works...
17 years of 2-cycle mix, dirt, grime, pine needles, leaves, insect nests, and rodent bedding...but nothing some degreaser and elbow grease can't handle:
Much better. Couldn't even decipher the red plate before.
When I drained the tank, it poured out some pretty cloudy fuel. I had siphoned out a lot months ago when I was trying to get the engine running, but it's clear now that it may have been bad gas causing problems. I also pulled the sending unit and the float wasn't attached. It had pulled off somehow and was rolling around inside the tank. I managed to pull it out, but I think it could have also contributed to the fuel supply issues by blocking the intake. I reassembled it and secured the float so won't fall off easily again. Hopefully the unit is still good and gas will work. I'm also thinking about abandoning this big tank altogether and buying a smaller 6-9 gallon tank. I don't ever make long runs when fishing, and this big tank really just adds a ton of weight because I have to keep it more full than necessary because the pickup is a bit high in the tank.
I'm finished removing all flooring/trim panels, and have stripped the carpet. I've also pulled the livewell/plumbing. Right now, I'm getting things cleaned up and sorting out what other issues need to be addressed. I have the engine parts on order, so that will be another week before I get back to work on it. Until those parts come in, I have a lot of cleaning to do. Also need to strip the old glue off the aluminum panels - I'm thinking of using my grinder with a rough pad attachment. Just need to make sure it isn't too abrasive. I may try some sort of stripper if there's too much scuffing. idk if it's really that big of a deal.
I have a lot on my plate between work, a 4 year old and 6 month old, and other countless obligations. So this will be a slow-going, weekend-warrior type project. I'm looking forward to fixing the mess that my FIL made and fixing Tracker's design deficiencies.
2000 Tracker Pro Team 165
1996 Force 40ELPT 2 Stroke
Motor Guide Pro Series 43# Thrust
I got this boat about a year ago and have been mostly reading up here before I really dive into the project. My father-in-law kept this outdoors/uncovered on Toledo Bend for the last 10 years. He decided to sell his lakehouse and since he has a number of other boats (and nowhere to keep this Tracker), he decided to give it to me for FREE. It's not exactly what I had in mind for my first boat, but I couldn't say no to a freebie.
Now, my FIL is known for refusing to maintain his stuff. For some reason, he doesn't believe in spending time/money on upkeep. This boat is a prime example. When I went to pick up the boat, it was completely full of fallen leaves, debris, and was sopping wet. Every square inch of carpet was covered in thick moss and it was infested with bugs, mice, and a possum. It had it's own ecosystem within the hull. The tires were flat and off the 6" rims (pretty sure these weren't meant for highway speeds). The 3-hour drive home helped clear the leaves. When I got it home, I spent half a day with a shopvac and a scraper getting all the moss off. I really wish I would have taken a real before picture with all the moss, but I didn't. Instead, here's a picture of what it I'll call the before pic:
The carpet and seat upholstery is all destroyed from the decade-long exposure to the elements. I had fished on this boat before and knew going in that the 1996 Force 40 motor was hard to turn over, but would run OK once it was started. The hull is solid and doesn't leak. There are some electrical issues caused by some botched attempts to Jerry rig a few things. Otherwise, the boat works and I've caught fish on it - even if it's ugly.
What I thought I knew about the motor was quickly updated as I tried to identify the starting issues. I was able to get it started with the help of a little fuel/oil mix sprayed into the carb. The motor would start, but died quickly if I didn't open the throttle a bit. I cleaned the carb and tried again, but got the same result. I bought a fuel pump kit, cleaned the pump, and again the motor wouldn't run on it's own for more than 10-20 seconds. I was about to start replacing lines when I found a much bigger problem: the water tube that runs from the pump in the lower unit all the way to the bottom of the power head was completely loose. The schematics show that this tube is supposed to be bolted to the bottom of the exhaust plate with a plastic coupler/clamp (Part #3 below).
This clamp is my first example of why Force motors have the reputation they have. It's made of plastic and is literally bolted to one of the hottest points on the engine - the exhaust tube. That clamp had melted and got flushed out the water/exhaust exit at some point. The bolts that held the clamp were still in place on the bottom of the exhaust plate. There isn't really a telltale/pisser on this Force motor, but you can see water sort of spurt out of the exhaust on the back of the engine. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that the motor ever got overheated. It was really only used for trolling around the creeks where our family lakehouse is. I should have run a compression test prior to pulling the powerhead a few weekends ago to make sure it doesn't have blow gaskets. Lesson learned. Once I get the parts I need, I'll be checking compression before I try to run the engine.
My immediate plans/projects:
-Pull powerhead & identify water tube problem (done)
-Clean engine/housing/cowls (done)
-Extract broken bolt from adaptor plate (in progress, I've broken a drill bit and an extractor already...beginning to lose hope on this and may have to take it to a machine shop)
-Remove interior: seats, carpet, console, decking, and trim panels (done)
-Inspect foam integrity (done)
-Clean and degrease everything. I'm OK with ugly, but I like my stuff to be clean and functional (in progress).
-Replace floor/deck with 3/4" marine plywood sealed with resin
-Extend front deck to console to maximize storage. I'm going to completely redesign the front deck hatches so the rod locker is in the middle instead of on the side and will fit longer rods. I'll also add 2 storage lockers on each side of the new rod locker in the middle.
-Replace carpet: 20oz gunmetal grey
-Replace seats
-Reinforce/cover console with fiberglass and redesign gauge area to fit either a 5" or 7" Humminbird Helix
-Spray gunnels and console with truck bed liner
-Polish hull
-Build custom front deck panel and add trim switch/wiring for networked Helix unit.
-Replace fuse panel, switches, and wiring at console (a lot of this stuff had been cut out, but Tracker customer service sent me wiring diagrams)
Here's a few more pics of my progress so far. I have a long road ahead of me...
I was surprised at how simple outboards are. This is the first time I've ever done this and it was really simple - especially with the help of this forum.
Carpet is shot:
The sprayed foam from tracker appears to have been formed in trash bags, then sliced into chunks so it would fit under the deck. The creases in the foam still have small shreds of the bags they were formed in haha. It seems like they could hvae sprayed it directly under the deck and it would have formed a much better mold of the hull. I don't think Tracker understands how spray-in works...
17 years of 2-cycle mix, dirt, grime, pine needles, leaves, insect nests, and rodent bedding...but nothing some degreaser and elbow grease can't handle:
Much better. Couldn't even decipher the red plate before.
When I drained the tank, it poured out some pretty cloudy fuel. I had siphoned out a lot months ago when I was trying to get the engine running, but it's clear now that it may have been bad gas causing problems. I also pulled the sending unit and the float wasn't attached. It had pulled off somehow and was rolling around inside the tank. I managed to pull it out, but I think it could have also contributed to the fuel supply issues by blocking the intake. I reassembled it and secured the float so won't fall off easily again. Hopefully the unit is still good and gas will work. I'm also thinking about abandoning this big tank altogether and buying a smaller 6-9 gallon tank. I don't ever make long runs when fishing, and this big tank really just adds a ton of weight because I have to keep it more full than necessary because the pickup is a bit high in the tank.
I'm finished removing all flooring/trim panels, and have stripped the carpet. I've also pulled the livewell/plumbing. Right now, I'm getting things cleaned up and sorting out what other issues need to be addressed. I have the engine parts on order, so that will be another week before I get back to work on it. Until those parts come in, I have a lot of cleaning to do. Also need to strip the old glue off the aluminum panels - I'm thinking of using my grinder with a rough pad attachment. Just need to make sure it isn't too abrasive. I may try some sort of stripper if there's too much scuffing. idk if it's really that big of a deal.
I have a lot on my plate between work, a 4 year old and 6 month old, and other countless obligations. So this will be a slow-going, weekend-warrior type project. I'm looking forward to fixing the mess that my FIL made and fixing Tracker's design deficiencies.
