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  1. #1
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    **update** Boat fixed! Thanks Bass Pro/Tracker! tracker pro team 175txw hull cracks

    IMG_2445.JPG

    In the pic above i have the boat jacked up off the trailer and the bunk moved to the side. you can see about a 2 inch crack. the crack is directly above a bunk when it sits on the trailer and it is about 5 inches behind that center support for the bunk. and there are two cracks, one show here and an identical one on the other side of the boat above the bunk as well.

    has anyone had good success in getting cracks welded on this type of aluminum boat before? I plan to take my boat to mcgills in lewisville texas for the repairs.

    ***update***
    Well my hull cracks are fixed and done right! Took a while to finally get it done but life gets in the way, new baby on board, work, kids, wife, etc.... u guys know the drill. Tracey from bass pro in garland, Sandy and Deeana from corporate, and the welders themselves deserve a big hand! I tried McGill’s in Lewisville, they did a good job, but it was just a band aid attempt to fix it just from the outside of the hull. The tig welds didn’t even last the trip home before the boat re cracked right in the middle of the welds. So the ladies mentioned above helped me out. Even though my boat warranty was out of date, Sandy offered to fix the hull out of good will. How great of costumer service is that! So I got my boat to the factory in Missouri this Sunday, I expected a 4-8 week window of being without my boat.....I got a call yesterday, Tuesday, that my boat was repaired and ready for pick up!!!!! All I can say is thank you bass pro and tracker!!! Awesome customer service on both ends. If you are thinking about a tracker.....pull the trigger....they will help you years down the road however you need it.
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    Last edited by Coachzee20; 05-22-2019 at 07:26 AM.

  2. Member RANGER487's Avatar
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    #2
    My old Tracker that was an earlier model than yours cracked real bad were the hull met the side of the boat. I took it to an aluminum welder and he actually cut a piece of aluminum and covered the crack and welded it that way and it worked fine with yours beind underneath not sure how that would hold up for you I’m sure somebody on here will know better I hope it works out for you I understand how frustrating that is

  3. Better Lucky Than Good! Casslaw's Avatar
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    #3
    Is that area accessible from inside the boat? It looks in the pic like that area was struck by something but really can’t tell from 1 pic. If that area is accessible from the inside a good welder will weld in a reinforcement plate and weld it smooth on the bottom. You’d never know the crack was there.
    2006 Triton SP-185, 2006 Evinrude Etec 90, PowerTech NRS3, Garmin Echomap Plus 73CV & 93SV

  4. Member
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    #4
    It looks like the crack is at the end of the bunk and caused by hull flex from riding on the bunk. After you get it fixed,I wonder if it would help to use a longer bunk or would that just move the problem?

  5. Member fastfiat's Avatar
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    #5
    Does it sit tight on the bow roller?

  6. Member
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    #6
    Boat sits really tight on the bow roller roller.
    I am not sure how easy or how much room the welder would need to get to the inside of the bottom of the boat. I think he could get there by going under the seats that fold up and cutting away the little floor board there. i would be ok with that to insure a really good fix job. Then he could just patch up under the seat and re glue the carpet to hide it all. There is storage under all the seats. I would guess it a thin aluminum sheet with carpet glued on top.
    boat.jpg
    I would say the the cracks on the hull are in right in between the "K" and the "E" in "Tracker"
    My bunks run from the very back of the boat until about the middle of the front deck.

  7. Member
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    #7
    That is a nasty crack. It looks like the hull was jacked up right there or dropped on something sharp. I think you should talk to a good TIG welder, ask if sliding the boat back on the trailer, leaving the trailer attached to the truck and tilting the hull up will allow him to repair that.
    I had an earlier Tracker that cracked, but never like that, always in line with the stringers.

    I presume that crack is near the front. What's that square thing in the picture>

  8. Member
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    #8
    A bolt comes up through the square thing and threads into the 2x4 (bunk with carpet). There are three spots in which this square thing are located. One right at the transom one about mid boat and one closer to the front of the boat. My two identical cracks are just behind the middle support for the bunk. I will be dropping the boat off this afternoon. I will be asking questions about when I load my boat on the trailer if the impact of the hull on the bunks in this location is cause ING the cracks. Or if there is something inside the hull that broke and caused the cracks while the boat is being trailered....

  9. Member
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    #9
    Had a couple spots welded on my old TX17, yes they can be welded up just fine. Be sure to drill both ends of the crack out, other than that some spots are thin and can be a bit of a pain to get it welded up right, but it can be done.

  10. Member
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    #10
    130$ to get both cracks welded. They tig welded it together. I don’t have a picture of the welds but will post some up soon once I have time to jack the boat up again in the driveway and see the welds for myself, since they are right above the bunks of the boat.

  11. Member
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    #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Coachzee20 View Post
    130$ to get both cracks welded. They tig welded it together. I don’t have a picture of the welds but will post some up soon once I have time to jack the boat up again in the driveway and see the welds for myself, since they are right above the bunks of the boat.
    If done with TIG, money well spent. Beats a bigger bilge pump. You need to find out why it broke there, I don't see normal parts failure at play.

  12. Member
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    #12
    I agree bill, I know I didn’t hit anything. I would be willing to bet something from the inside busted and broke it. It is quite the process to remove the carpet, then the seats, then the floor and whatever else might need to be removed. I am hoping this fix will last for quite some time.....if it does break again around the same area, I will take my due diligence and remove all the inside of the hull stuff so they can fix it from the inside and repair whatever may have broke.

  13. Better Lucky Than Good! Casslaw's Avatar
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    #13
    Glad you got it fixed. The “why” is still there but time will tell. I hope you never need to find out why and it stays fixed!
    2006 Triton SP-185, 2006 Evinrude Etec 90, PowerTech NRS3, Garmin Echomap Plus 73CV & 93SV

  14. Member
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    #14
    **update** see first post!!

  15. Member wmitch2's Avatar
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    #15
    Do you have an "after" pic ?
    Ranger Boats / Mercury Motors
    G Loomis Rods / Shimano Reels
    Raymarine / MinnKota Ultrex
    Garmin / Live Scope Plus
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  16. Member
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    #16
    I will be picking up the boat later next week and when I have time to jack it up and take some pics of the repair job I will post them.