Just wanted to introduce myself to everyone.....I am from north Alabama and I have a 17 foot bass tracker with 70 HP Evinrude motor, 45 LB. motor guide trolling motor, and 2 depth finders... I just bought it 2 months ago because it was a deal I couldn't pass up... It was owned by a local tournament guy that just upgraded to a new ranger......So, you know it was taken care of....All it needed was a good cleaning up....One question I do have though is I really do not like the setup up front... It has very limited storage and a lot of wasted space.... My question is has anyone ever tried to rip out all the wood and rebuild it the way you want it.... I am real good with wood so it should not be a problem, just wondering how someone else's experience with it went.... I would really like to have a rod locker and would like to reconfigure the storage on it...This looks like a really good and upcoming boating site and I look forward to being a part of it .... I will be post some picture of my boat sometime in the near future....
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redbug
Well-known member
Welcome to the site. Congrats on your new rig.
There are a few guys here that have rebuilt their boats to meet their needs..
I'm sure they will chime in
Wayne
There are a few guys here that have rebuilt their boats to meet their needs..
I'm sure they will chime in
Wayne
Captain Ahab
Well-known member
Welcome aboard
I think that almost all of the members have done something like you are looking for. It is difficult, but not impossible. Get lots of aluminum struts and such, you will need them. Measure, measure and measure again, lots of angles and curves in boats to throw you off.
Most of all, set aside sufficient time for the project - it takes time to do what you want.
Post some pics and some details about what you want to change.
I think that almost all of the members have done something like you are looking for. It is difficult, but not impossible. Get lots of aluminum struts and such, you will need them. Measure, measure and measure again, lots of angles and curves in boats to throw you off.
Most of all, set aside sufficient time for the project - it takes time to do what you want.
Post some pics and some details about what you want to change.
Hi koko36265,
Thanks for joining! =D>
I would like to see pics of your boat. I wonder where the tournament guy put all his rods while motoring back and forth on the water? It will be cool to see the progress you make on the change. Have a look in the jon boat conversion section for some pics of mods made. They might be able to give you an idea on how to change yours. I would think yours will be a ittle easier because it already has some storage up there so it seems it would be more re-enforced (spelling?) than a jon.
Good luck!
Jim
Thanks for joining! =D>
I would like to see pics of your boat. I wonder where the tournament guy put all his rods while motoring back and forth on the water? It will be cool to see the progress you make on the change. Have a look in the jon boat conversion section for some pics of mods made. They might be able to give you an idea on how to change yours. I would think yours will be a ittle easier because it already has some storage up there so it seems it would be more re-enforced (spelling?) than a jon.
Good luck!
Jim
Zman
Well-known member
Welcome! Looking forward to the pics!
BassAddict
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum and congrats on the boat. I have no advice on boat repairs, but if you need advice for fishin while on foot patrol ill be more than happy to share my 2 cents 
Jim said:
He had those rod savers on the top and there is also a rod storage place that holds 3 rods but it will not hold any of mine because they are to long... It can only hold rods like 6' 4" or so.... I really don't know the point of it....
We do quite a bit of boat restoration down here on the homefront. Basically doing what you are doing, but starting with a boat that is basically trash, and going from there. We are currently doing an 18 foot alumacraft bass boat, and a 15 foot Lund deep vee. Post some pics, and tell exactly how you want it, and I can tell you where to go from there.
Bass Boy,
This is a picture of the front of the boat.... I want to remove the 2 compartments and the built in rod storage beside the steering wheel....I then want to put 2 large storage compartments on the right side of the boat, I want to make them as big as I can... I then want to put a small one in the bow of the boat...... I want to put a large rod locker on the left side the goes as far back as possible, large enough to put a 7' pole in...One other thing that I know I will not have room for is a built in cooler maybe in the middle behind the bow seat..... Do you think all of this is feasible? When I do wood working projects like this my dad usually helps me, and he thinks it can't be done because it would mess up with the stability of the boat.... I think it can be done without messing everything up so I am looking for second opinions.... He was saying something about everything being built around how it is designed now... I guess my only question is how would I secure the frame work to the boat.... I think I can handle the rest of it after that....
This is a picture of the front of the boat.... I want to remove the 2 compartments and the built in rod storage beside the steering wheel....I then want to put 2 large storage compartments on the right side of the boat, I want to make them as big as I can... I then want to put a small one in the bow of the boat...... I want to put a large rod locker on the left side the goes as far back as possible, large enough to put a 7' pole in...One other thing that I know I will not have room for is a built in cooler maybe in the middle behind the bow seat..... Do you think all of this is feasible? When I do wood working projects like this my dad usually helps me, and he thinks it can't be done because it would mess up with the stability of the boat.... I think it can be done without messing everything up so I am looking for second opinions.... He was saying something about everything being built around how it is designed now... I guess my only question is how would I secure the frame work to the boat.... I think I can handle the rest of it after that....
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What kind of stability issues is he worrying about? So long as you don't put a livewell and two batteries on the same side, you shouldn't have any trouble. We change configurations around all the time. I am not 100 % familiar with trackers, but a lot of aluminum bass boats have ribs, made of tubing, that run down one gunwale, across the bottom of the hull, and back up a gunwale. These are unlike the stringers on a deep vee, that provide a lot of structure for a level deck, but these are mainly there for hull integrity. Ideally, you would get a pop rivit gun, and use pieces of aluminum for your structure. So long as you are not going through the hull, you can use the pop rivets, that have the hole in them. If you are going through the hull, you need solid rivets, and a rivet gun, and the tools for that.
But, if you are steadfast on using wood, you could use stainless steel self tapping screws into the aluminum ribs.
Now, for all we know, your structure may already be there, in a close enough configuration to what you want, and all you have to do, is replace the deck. Your structure may be open enough, that if you remove the deck, and the vertical piece at the back of the deck, and have room for a rod locker without changing the structure. For a 7 foot rod, a locker door only has to be about 4 feet long. Less than that, if it opens at both the top and the back of the locker. The only real way to tell, is if I can see what the structure looks like. If I don't have much homework, I will try to snap more pics of our stripped down 18 foot alumacraft bass boat, so you can see what the structure looks like, as it has bow storage, livewell, and rod locker. If you have a way of seeing what the structure is, without removing anything, and then either snap a pic, or draw what it is, on top of one of your pictures, it would help a lot. Or, if you become certain that is what you want to do, you could rip your deck out, and go from there, but don't do that until you are certain of what you want.
But, if you are steadfast on using wood, you could use stainless steel self tapping screws into the aluminum ribs.
Now, for all we know, your structure may already be there, in a close enough configuration to what you want, and all you have to do, is replace the deck. Your structure may be open enough, that if you remove the deck, and the vertical piece at the back of the deck, and have room for a rod locker without changing the structure. For a 7 foot rod, a locker door only has to be about 4 feet long. Less than that, if it opens at both the top and the back of the locker. The only real way to tell, is if I can see what the structure looks like. If I don't have much homework, I will try to snap more pics of our stripped down 18 foot alumacraft bass boat, so you can see what the structure looks like, as it has bow storage, livewell, and rod locker. If you have a way of seeing what the structure is, without removing anything, and then either snap a pic, or draw what it is, on top of one of your pictures, it would help a lot. Or, if you become certain that is what you want to do, you could rip your deck out, and go from there, but don't do that until you are certain of what you want.
=D>
Thanks bassboy1!
Thanks bassboy1!
Ok, I will try to see what is under there without ripping it up.... I am probably not going to do this until winter because I am at college right now and live 60 miles from home where the boat stays.......I don't really know what my dad thinks is going to be the problem.. He is just usually very hesitant at first when I come up with a project like this I want to do, then he comes around.....I will try to take some pics of the structure this weekend and post them next week... I appreciate your help..
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