1986 Tracker Seacraft 20 budget rebuild

[Jared]

Got some work done on the floors, primarily on the port side. I am using the same method as mrobertson Did on another thread here by cutting out the top skin, scraping out all the rotten wood down to the bottom skin and then replacing with new wood.

I chose meranti marine grade plywood, I got it locally from a place called world panel products in riviera beach. 1 4’x8’ sheet is all I need to complete the project, this 1/2” sheet was $106 out the door.

After using the top skin I cut out as a template to trim the wood to fit, I noticed a couple high spots in the bottom skin that I didn’t like. I cut out the bottom skin there and chiseled out a very hard piece of thickened resin maybe 12” x 12” that had a small 3”x3” piece of plywood bedded in the middle. I think this was put in originally to give the floor in the upper liner some support. I’ll try and get a better picture on the starboard side once I chisel it out.

After removing this, i shimmed a resin coated piece of plywood up off the stringer using layers of 1208 biax to get the floor the support it needs at a height that doesn’t give a high spot. I glasses the pieces I cut out back in with 2 layers of 10 ounce plain weave fiberglass, the first layer around 1 1 1/2” wide the second 3” wide. The wood sits flush and nicely supported now, ready to mix up a thickened resin and glue into place.

[Jared]

The tank will sit on starboard bonded to 4” wide fiberglass slats instead of the original solid floor that was in there. Hoping this will let it breathe and not hold moisture and accelerate corrosion like the original foam did. Laid up a couple pieces of fiberglass that are 9 plies of 1208 biaxial for a finished thickness around .300” thick. Each layup will be cut into 4 ~28”ish by 4” slats. Pretty happy with the finish from making them on a waxed piece of melamine, although no one will see them anyway. Credit to mrobertson on these, it’s his idea I’m copying.

[Jared]

Picked up a motor last night after watching Craigslist for a few weeks, 2003 Mercury 125 2 stroke. Compression checked 118-121 across the 4 cylinders and had a look in cylinders with a borescope before I bought it, then fired it up for a second on some starter fluid when I got home just to make sure electrical systems are in order (was already off boat when I saw it).

Weighs 367 pounds, should be nice on the transom for a good compromise of not overweighting it to keep water from coming in the scuppers and hopefully mid to high 30 mph top speed. Really want to be able to cruise at 25 and not have it screaming. Hopefully with all my efforts to move weight around the boat will sit in the water how I want.

[cudabob]

Hi I just bough a 1988 seacraft and will also be changing the tank. I would like to go smaller maybe 50 gallons. What is the depth and width of the old tank so I can see if i can get a deal on a poly tank. Thanks Bob

[cudabob]

Did your tank have a sending unit

[gofastsandman]

http://www.rdsaluminum.com/

these folks have the original drawings.

Yes on the sending unit but look at the pie plate which could be moved for better access.

[Jared]

Haven’t posted in a while, a Lot has been going on keeping me busy with work/family/fishing but have been making a little progress on the boat. The floor is pretty far along, just need a little more glass work on the starboard side and then some final fairing. Since the last update on the floor:

-glued the meranti ply down using epoxy thickened with cabosil. The wood I removed was rotten under the lip toward the gas tank opening, I was able to chisel out all the rotten spots and cut a piece of ply to fit in between the 2 skins. I didn’t want a straight line of a joint in that spot on the deck, although in hindsight I don’t think it mattered anyway so I cut that sawtooth pattern into the joint. It was late and made me feel better.

-after prepping and prefitting the top skin a few times I had a low spot on the ends. I built it up with a couple layers of biax now to save some fairing later.

-top skin glued down with more thickened epoxy. It was hot and had to mix a lot of resin, had to call in reinforcements to make sure I could get everything how I wanted it before any resin started to kick.

-seam between glued down skin and deck ground out a couple inches each way and to put a couple layers of 10 oz plain weave.

-port side filled crack all the way around top skin bonded back on with thickened resin. This will be sanded smooth before 2 plies of glass goes down. Starboard side has ply glued down and cured, now top skin curing.

-this is where I left it tonight. The port side has the 2 layers of 10 oz plain weave on, needs a bit of fairing. The starboard side is sanded and ready for the fiberglass.

[Jared]

Got the starboard side fiberglass laid down, now hoping to pull the boat to work sometime soon. My compressor is too small to run a 16” board sander I have, need the bigger one at work to do a quick job of fairing and sanding the floor repairs.

In the meantime, made a gas tank. This one is just under 52 gallons, made from 1/8” 5052 aluminum. Pressure tested ok, now working on getting the fiberglass slats I made earlier glassed in at the correct height underneath the tank to support it. The nice part about shortening the tank a bit lengthwise and pushing it forward for weight is now all the space behind it will be a new storage compartment eventually.

I want to either coal tar epoxy the tank before the final installation or some other kind of corrosion preventative measure, any ideas? The only DIY coal tar epoxy materials I could find online looked like it was way more material that I need, I didn’t want to waste the extra money. Might try to find a local company to coat it.

[DonV]

Nice "stack of dimes"!!! Very nice work!

[otterhound]

Nice work on the tank!
Rod