Hi Folks,  

       I just purchased a 1985 Bass Pro Tracker V 16 from someone who very blatantly abused his rig by not covering it for all the years he had owned it. I. in turn. would like to restore it back to its original show room state.  The body is in pristine condition but the wood on the inside is totally rotted out. My question to all of you out there is where would I be able to find the owners manual? Oh and by the way. there was a forest growing in that boat.....weeds. moss. pine needles and other things I couldn't even distinguish ;D Why someone would go and leave something as nice as that uncovered is beyond me. Hopefully someone out there will be able to help me with my quest for an owners manual. And thank

                                                                                                                       wizardman1964

Wizardman - First, welcome to the Forum. I don't know about a manual but, from personal experience in restoring my 84 Champion, there is not alot of manufacturer info available on the older boats. Someone on this forum may have knowlege of your boat and could answer your questions. As far as general restoration knowledge, I can probably help you out. I think this forum frowns on recommending specific websites but there are forums that deal more with boat restoration and with specific brands. Do a "bassboat restoration" search and several sites will come up. If the Moderators will allow it, I can post links to two sites that really get down & dirty on restoration & motors. Some of the folks over there seem to enjoy working on boats more than fishing. Personally, I'd rather fish ;D, and this is the best site available for bass fishermen (or women).

Boats, especially back then, rarely came with an owners manual.  

Hey Electrikal.

               Thanks for the quick response. I agree that fishing is better than restoring. When I am finished restoring it I too will be able to reap the benefits that all bass fishermen enjoy. It's been 25 years since i've been out on a boat and i am surely looking foreward to launching my own boat. I will look online for "bassboat restorations" thanks for the info and happy fishing ;D

wizard, Welcome to the forum. Man you got the perfect boat. I love buying the ones that have trees growning out of them. They are perfect for a rebuild. I have done three of them. Although all of mine have been converted to electric boats. It's not hard to do with a few tools and some research.

I have restored quite a few aluminums, including our 1974 Lund 15 foot deep vee, which is similar to your 16.  First of all, a manual isn't gonna do squat.  With an outboard, NEVER even take the hood off, without owning one, but for the boat, don't even bother.  As far as showroom condition, I would recommend making it a little better.  Back then, they weren't as well layed out as now, so modifying it a little might make a better fishing platform.  

 

As cart said, we do love the older vintage runabouts, but not as many of us have them, as we would like (I want one, but don't have one) and a lot of us have more of the Vhull fishing boats, as they are very commonplace from the 70s - early 80s, and many of us got them as a first project.  (me included)  I joined last year, and they really helped with my Lund, and outboard, and now I am back, telling other folks how to do it.  Many in the business post there too.  Definitely better in the outboard repair department. 

Thanks to all for info. I recently saw a restored 17 deep v and boy did it give me some ideas. I now realize that I don't have to go with factory layout.  My big problem will be weight differential. I don't want it to be too low in the front as well as not wanting it to be too low in the rear.  I now have my boat stripped and am about to go to the Home Depot in my area for some Marine Plywood 3/4. I hope that will be good enough. I have the color picked out for my carpeting and i will need all new screws. I like the seats that came with the boat and am glad that they were stored in a garage as well as the electric motor was... whew. thanks for not having me look too much for manual. What I really wanted was dimensions for wood layout. I have a better plan for layout. Thanks all and I will keep posting my progress. Talk at ya later and happy fishing.