Bass tracker II to Flats skiff

[Eagle19]

The current state. Tunnel is already cut to go in. I spent a lot of time cutting pieces toady.

I’ve got the new transom back clamped on ready to be welded.

Bought my Vulcan omnipro 2nd hand and it only came with a 210 plug. It wouldn’t let me select anything lower than 1/8th aluminum. So I tried a few runs and it burns through the .075 like melted butter. I assume there are two modes based on the plug input. So I’ll be off to Lowe’s in the morning to see if I can build a 110 plug for it. Once I get that ironed I’ve got a lot of welding to do tomorrow.





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[Flex]

The current state. Tunnel is already cut to go in. I spent a lot of time cutting pieces toady.

I’ve got the new transom back clamped on ready to be welded.

Bought my Vulcan omnipro 2nd hand and it only came with a 210 plug. It wouldn’t let me select anything lower than 1/8th aluminum. So I tried a few runs and it burns through the .075 like melted butter. I assume there are two modes based on the plug input. So I’ll be off to Lowe’s in the morning to see if I can build a 110 plug for it. Once I get that ironed I’ve got a lot of welding to do tomorrow.





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Nice. I really wanted to tunnel mine when I remodeled it a few years ago. But I don't have the tools or metal skills, and don't have any local friends with that skill set either.

Interested to see the results. I'm sure I'd be able to run shallower on step but not sure how much draft I'd give up.

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[Eagle19]

Got the welder fine tuned. Now I just need to get better at making welds on aluminum.

The one thing I learned is if you under cut the metal and have decent size gaps it’s a lot of work to fill.

I welded up part of the tunnel only to realize I cut it wrong. So I had to remove it and start over. Also trying to get .078 material and .125 material to weld together via mig makes it tricky, especially welding on edges. I essentially had to attempt to try and weld a small bead and try to not burn through. Then come back with a 2nd thicker and hotter bead over the first bead to melt into the .125 more and not burn through. I later figured out I could do a bunch of tack welds then come back over with a bead and it looked a little better.

Other frustration was on the transom it came from the factory with an S curve. Seems kind of odd to me but it made it a pita to get a good weld but I used the tack method and did a bead over and it did alright.


The downside is my welds aren’t pretty. The upside is the welds from factory on this boat weren’t pretty to begin with. The hull will be black so I’m not too worried about it looks.

But tunnel hull is done! I’ll be curious to see how it performs. It gives me an extra 4” of movement. The back end of this boat feels super stout now too. The 2x3 rectangular pipe should hold this thing together pretty well!


Hopefully I can finish the transom pipe tomorrow - and start welding the top deck cap. It’ll really start looking like a boat.


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[Paycheck]

I'm in.

[Kmart49]

Tuned in!

[Texas Grown]

Helpful hints: To test your welds for leaks, when you flip it over, fill it with water. Then look for your leaks. This is what I did as a professional warranty structural repair tech/metal fab/welder in the small boating industry. If you find a leak, use a pencil to mark it. The lead pencil will write when it's wet, unlike other markers. And burn away when welding, unlike wax pencils.

[cmizell]

you are going to do good things i can tell

[Hawkpuppy 1]

On the bottom back edge, that proud edge that will be "hanging down" is going to cause a lot of turbulence and drag when running. Might need to grind it down flush with the bottom of the boat...

[Eagle19]

On the bottom back edge, that proud edge that will be "hanging down" is going to cause a lot of turbulence and drag when running. Might need to grind it down flush with the bottom of the boat...

noted


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[Eagle19]

Got a call in the middle of the week to go offshore snapper fishing. So I jetted.

Finished putting in the transom tubing yesterday. Ran out of argon at 5:30 after all the local welding places closed...of course.

So today I cut out the remaining sheets to make the front and back decks, and the catwalks. All will have a 6" over hang to help keep a dryer ride. Then I'll have 3" or 4" rails that drop down on the side to shoot the water back down.




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[Eagle19]

Helpful hints: To test your welds for leaks, when you flip it over, fill it with water. Then look for your leaks. This is what I did as a professional warranty structural repair tech/metal fab/welder in the small boating industry. If you find a leak, use a pencil to mark it. The lead pencil will write when it's wet, unlike other markers. And burn away when welding, unlike wax pencils.

Helpful tip! I did this the other day and it worked pretty good!


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[timoub007]

Put a vent in the front of your tunnel. It will improve the performance 15-20% when on plane. You can put a valve in line if you want to prove the difference.

T

[Eagle19]

Put a vent in the front of your tunnel. It will improve the performance 15-20% when on plane. You can put a valve in line if you want to prove the difference.

T

So I've read about this and have seen several videos where people add vents but literally see no change. So I'm going to wait and see how she performs and go from there.


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[Eagle19]

Ordered coat it and paint last night.

I read a lot of good stuff about coat it and gluv it. But coat it looked the easiest to reapply. I also liked that coat it has Kevlar and graphite in the bottom for duck boat use. Then I'll use an epoxy aluminum paint to paint hull. I think I'll just use an oil based paint for the top deck since it'll be a custom gold/tan color.

I wanted to use leak seal on the inside to make it quieter for hull slap but it sounds like this coat it might eliminate the need for that.

Expected to start paint next week - work permitting.


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[Eagle19]

Paint inspiration.




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