Tracker grizzly 1860sc

[elcapitanmas]

Its been a busy spring for me, I started with a 14ft starcraft that I fully modified into an open floor plan fishing boat. I quickly realized that a tiller steer boat was not the right boat for me, so I sold it, lost a little bit on time and parts, but otherwise broke even. I got really lucky and came across a killer deal on a smokercraft pro alaskan, and picked that up (no brainer on the price and condition) Used that boat for a couple months and decided it was too much boat and WAYYYYY too deep of a v for the style of fishing I do (shallow water, back bays) So I sold that and made a KILLER profit. After those two boats I knew what I wanted and needed for what I do. After searching for a couple weeks and not seeing ANYTHING local to me I called bass pro shops to see about financing a new one or seeing what they had in stock, AGAIN I lucked out and picked up a 2011 tracker grizzly 1860 side console with a 2012 matching trailstar trailer. $3600 out the door (again a no brainer) The trick was going to be finding a motor and within a couple weeks I found what I was looking for, 2000 mercury 4stroke 25hp bigfoot, another steal at $1200. So this is the boat I will keep for a long time, lot of trading up, but I ended up with the boat I really wanted and Im still into it for only about $2000 out of pocket after all the trade ups and sales. Its going to be a work in progress, but I've already started and can't wait to design some of the necessary extras for the boat.

Lots of plans for the boat
Humminbird 898 sidescan
feed hoppers for the back of the boat
flip over bimini (similar to an ice shanty)
interior led lighting
windshield
radio
rhino line the inside
neo mats all around

I will update as the project progresses.

 

[Zum]

Real nice boat.
Whats that attachment on the bow for...not the TM mount?
With that wide bottom,that 25hp should plane off,might need a smaler prop pitch though...nice find.

 

[elcapitanmas]

thanks zum, the plate in the front is called a tree snugger. attach to the versa track so it sticks off any part of the boat, and pull up to a tree or pilon wrap a strap around the pilon or tree and it holds the boat there. The bigfoot is a torque motor, will have to see how it does once i get it on the water. Smaller prop would defeat the purpose of the "bigfoot" i would think. Hoping to get about 18-10mph out of her with a loaded boat.

 

[tnriverluver]

Nice boat!! I looked real hard at the Grizzly 16 but with a hull weight of 550 lbs I couldn't pull the trigger. I don't know why the Grizzlies weight so much more than their competitors. Even War Eagles are lighter and use the same thickness Alum.

 

[Ictalurus]

Very nice =D> =D>

Where did you get the mount for the GPS unit?

 

[Bailey Boat]

From experience I can say a couple of things. The early 4 stroke Mercs were "YamaMercs" in that the running gear is Merc but the powerhead is a Yamaha. Your powerhead should be Yamaha grey????
The other thing I can say is that with mine (25 BigFoot) running a 10x12 pitch prop it does 25 mph, REGARDLESS of whats in the boat. I usually hunt with one other guy and a load of dekes and get 25mph. A couple of time since I've had it I added another guy and some Goose decoys to the load and it ran 25 mph. On the bright side, when you go by a gas station you can wave them off 'cause mine sips fuel.
Another thing, props that fit a 40 will also fit the BigFoot......

 

[elcapitanmas]

Thanks BB, I am going to look into getting the 10x12 prop, she only got up to 18mph last night, do you remember where you got yours from?

The gps mount I found in my parents garage, I'll see if I still have the package to see who makes it.

 

[lowblazah]

I foresee you flipping that 25hp and going bigger. Alot bigger.

 

[Bailey Boat]

Thanks BB, I am going to look into getting the 10x12 prop, she only got up to 18mph last night, do you remember where you got yours from?

I ordered it through my local Merc dealer. Best as I recall it was in the 130.00 range..... If you have a dealer ask them if they have a used prop you could demo before buying, mine did.

 

[elcapitanmas]

I foresee you flipping that 25hp and going bigger. Alot bigger.

I will def be bumping up the horses in the next couple years, one of the many benefits of getting a great deal on the merc was that I should have no problem making a few bucks when I'm ready to upgrade. I'm thinking a 90 horse jet should do the trick.

 

[elcapitanmas]

with the warm weather and lack of safe ice, the boat project list has been dusted off. I've got a bunch of things I'd like to accomplish this spring and hopefully will be able to get it all done.

push pole, planning to make it out of pvc, 2 pieces, one smaller diameter inside the bigger for rigidity and a t on the bottom.

new lowrance elite 7 dsi looks to be the best 7" screen for the price on the market right now. Anyone that has one, I'm curious as to what the included map detail is like.

some kind of anchor poles, i'm thinking something similar to the ones on skinnywaterproducts.com

some kind of complete hoop style flip over cover that I can use when the weather gets rough.