Trying to restore a 1985 Bass Tracker Tournament TX

[jsteele]

Hopefully some of you can help me out. My father and I are going to try to restore his 1985 Bass Tracker Tournament TX 17 foot bass boat that he bought back in 1985. I am not sure of where to even begin. Unfortunately it has been outside in the extreme Iowa winters and summers all of these years and is in pretty bad shape. All of the flooring and the decks are completely shot. I am not sure about anything else at the moment. Where should we begin??? I have tried looking on the net for different manuals or even discussions but have found very little. If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

[Caddis295]

I rebuilt my 89 Tracker Pro 17 this past spring. It was like yours, a total gut job and I fished my first tourney the other day in it.....worked like a champ.

Shoot me an email on anything you want to know.....I took mine down to the bare hull and rebuilt.

I will help you however I can.......


Dino

[Derek]

I just completely gutted an 88 and rebuilt it. I will gladly answer any question you might have. First the console has to come out, then the front decking. After that you can remove the floor and the back deck/seating area.
Here is a thread on my build, still have to get the Merc running
http://basstardfishing.com/Bas...=3879

[Olebiker]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Derek &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I just completely gutted an 88 and rebuilt it. </td></tr></table>

How did you get the rear deck out? On my 1984 Tournament TX it appears to be riveted in.

[Derek]

Mine was also all riveted in. I drilled out every rivet. I started with the hatches, then the center section with the seat mount was bolted in. The boxes on the sides full of foam came out last. I left my livewell in the boat.

[ejdennis]

I'm glad that I came across this thread. Working on restoring one myself, but have a couple questions. First, what is the best way to replace the old foam. Second, any recommendations on carpet choices. Third, can't find marine plywood at Home Depot. Is the water repellent bathroom plywood a good alternative?

Thanks in advance,

Ed

[Derek]

might be a little late but ..
I replaced my foam with closed cell foam sheets that I cut and glued to fit in the locations needed. This also allowed me to keep the foam off the bottom of the boat so water would flow rearward into the bilge.
Tons of places online for quality carpet. or home depot for the cheap stuff.
I used standard plywood and coated it in 3 coats of spar urethane to seal it

[stratosjoe]

man I love this site and especially this forum. I know it sounds hoky but people helping people man its great. thanks to all who post Joe G

[Matt E.]

I completely gutted my 2001 Monarch, everything was redone except I didn't need to replace any of the wood. Just stripped the old carpet. A couple of tips - my console was pretty shot. I bought a new console on Ebay from Lowes boats in Lebanon, MO for $100. It had room for two big gauges and three small ones. Also 5 flip style switches. The console I bought was just a half console, I used the existing base from the other console but they also have a full bolt in type. I drove up there and picked it up. Good people to work with.

I wanted a recessed TM tray but didn't want to pay $150 for it. I found a 9x15" heavy duty roasting pan at Wal Mart for $9. I ground off the handle rivets and it was perfect. It isn't as deep as other trays but I came out of a Nitro which isn't super deep so it was what I was used to. It was big enough to handle my Minn Kota 80 lb foot petal just fine. The edges are rolled nicely and it has a nice, durable finish. I screwed in 2x2s under the deck after I fitted the hole. I screwed the pan into the 2x2s. Drilled a drain hole and got a flush mount tube from the hardware store.

I found all of the components I needed on Ebay for a song for the most part. I spent about $200 on carpet/glue from a local carpet shop. I also put a spare 6 gallon tank under the back deck, now I have 18 gallons total if I need it. It was a chore to get it under there but worth the effort.

I also padded the front deck. Lowes has a grey mat that is about 4x5'. It is closed cell as far as I can tell. I cut it to fit and glued it down, let it dry and then glued the carpet over it. Coolest thing about the boat in my opinion.

I've added many, many options to this boat and the best thing is that the boat is paid for and I don't have to answer to anyone as far as sponsors. She isn't the fastest with a 60 hp 4 stroke but I've got a jackplate in the wings waiting for a 90 hp when I find a good deal. Just try to do all the wiring and plumbing while you have the decks out, much easier. Good luck and have fun with her!