Buying a 1989 Bass tracker 1800TF

[Brian Ferris]

I am thinking if buying a 1989 Basstracker that has a 150 Mercury Black max on it. The boat seems to be in good condition. There are a few cracks in the gelcoat but other than that it seems to be pretty nice. The owner of it says that it will Top out at a honest 60 mph. The carpet in the boat could probebly be replaced along with a new gelcoat maybe. What do you guys think? He is asking 4K for it.



Here are some more details...



1989 Bass Tracker

150 hp Mercury Black Max

42lb MinnKota Trolling motor

Eagle Supra ID (Front) Hummingbird (Rear)

New Seats

New Main Battery

2 new Roll's Trolling Motor Batteries ($150 each)

New Trailer Bunks

2 wheel axle trailer with aluminum wheels

Canvas cover

2 props

 

[Ben Robinson]

Sounds like a deal to me! Get him to drop it in the lake and demo it for you. Really wring it out, and then test the compression. If all checks out, go for it. I've got an 89' 1800FS, which is the same boat basically as yours. Wish I had the Merc 150 though! I've only got a 110 Johnson on mine. Rob, Dave, and Stan all have the same boat as yours and I'm sure will chime in soon. Good luck!

 

[Staci Matheis]

I agree with Ben - sounds good IF it checks out.



Put it in the water and check the bilge to make sure it is DRY after you've finished driving her. Find a small screw somewhere on the transom, remove it and make sure that there is no water in there. Trim the motor up, grab it and amke sure that you can't flex the transom.



Appearance wise..... You can't put new gel on the boat. You may be able to buff it a bit..... Carpeting is not difficult to replace, but it is somewhat costly and a major p.i.a.



If you like the boat AND it checks out, go for it! There are and have been many members on this board who have had the older models and absolutely loved them!



me!

 

[Bill McElroy]

Take the boat to a carwash and use the hi-pressure wand on the "soap" setting to clean the carpet.....you'd be surprised how much it helps!! It'll get rid of most of the stains and it'll help to "perk it up" a bit......don't forget to either pull the drain plug or run the bilge when you're done...good luck

Mac

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Hey Mac, won't that also fill your compartments and lockers with water? I mean, it's not like rain, you are forcing it in. I was thinking about using the soap brush they have for tires (that the bright lights use on their vehicles LOL), on the carpet....whadda think??



TOXIC

 

[David Jordan]

what year is the motor. I have a 1989 1800tf. W/ a Johson faststrike 150 and 4 blade Renegade 23P ss prop, it top out at 58.5 mph. The trolling motor is to small. I had to swap out my 55# 24V because it need repair. I'm now using my backup 12V 43# TM and I feel it to small if you get any wind. Don't worry about the gel coat cracks as long as theres no structural damage. Ask if you can take the boat to a trusted mechanic before you buy it. Insist on a compression check and you want all 6 cylinders to be w/ in 5 points is best. Anything over 10 points diffrence may indicate a potential power head problem.



I like the boat!. Mines old but it's solid. Not the fastest. I recently had my Johnson 150 blow up and decided that I would replace it w/ a new 125HP Mercury. They just don't make glass boats like that anymore. It has more glass than the current boats and should have many more years of life. My buddy has an old stratos and got a quote around 1.5K to re gel his boat. If the boats sound and the engine is strong then you have a nice deal. Just decarb the motor every season and keep up on the yearly tune ups and you will be fine

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I don't know about 60 mph, but I have a rebuilt GT 150 with 3 blade Raker SS prop, and run about 58-59 mph (GPS) max alone, like Dave did. But he's probably reading the speedo. $4k is a good deal like everyone says IF it pans out. I'm asking $7k for mine but it has new EVERYTHING. You're one step ahead with the new seats. Don't worry about the stress cracks, I bet I can tell you right where they are. Along the corner where the cap meets the driver console right? They all crack right there, even the new boats. Good look and welcome to the glass side of life....it's nicer over here!

 

[Bill McElroy]

Tox,...sure,...it'll get water everywhere,..inside and out,...but if it's a new boat to him/her,..and they're spending time cleaning/polishing/waxing anyway,..it's worth the time to really do it right!! Regardless, it beats replacing the carpet anyway!!..THAT is a PIA!!! I'd rather go to the carwash and use the brush or wand,..and then wait a day or two to let it dry,...then to rip up and replace carpet!!....just my opinion anyway!!!

Mac

 

[Ben Robinson]

I think she'll do 60, nitro kid! I love V-6 Mercs. They have always been a little bit faster than V-6 Johnyrudes, and sound much better too! Ha Ha. Wish I could find someone with a nice used 150 XR-2 or XR-4 Merc to trade my 110 with. Wishful thinking! Keep us posted on the boat.

 

[David Jordan]

That's gps speed Rob, You got to remeber that I'm an engineer and that by nature we only work with exact numbers and speedo's won't cut it. It's part of the curse

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I didn't mean you Dave, though I can see how my text might read that way. When I said "he" I meant the guy selling the boat to Nitro Kid claiming it goes 60 mph. HE is reading speedo so I bet he's actually doing closer to 52-55 mph. Tweek the motor, prop, and load and it'll pick up a few mph! My speedo reads 65 a lot! I know that's not so! 65 mph would have seen Bob G fly right out the last day he rode along! LOL

 

[Brian Ferris]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. The guy who is selling the boat seems very condfident in it and he doesn't sound like a scammer. I still will have the boat checked out by a mechanic before I go and get it. This will be my second tracker if I get it. I had a 95 Nitro 170DC but I sold it about a year ago because my baseball career was takin over all my time and I couldn't see making payments on it and not using it. I will be buying this one with cash so no more payments, just a slight older boat . Oh one more thing, the guy said that he took off the oil injection due to a mechanics piece of advice. What do you guys think of that? He says that he still has all the hardware they took off.



Thank you for the info on the boat.



Brian Ferris (nitro kid)

 

[Brian Ferris]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. The guy who is selling the boat seems very condfident in it and he doesn't sound like a scammer. I still will have the boat checked out by a mechanic before I go and get it. This will be my second tracker if I get it. I had a 95 Nitro 170DC but I sold it about a year ago because my baseball career was takin over all my time and I couldn't see making payments on it and not using it. I will be buying this one with cash so no more payments, just a slight older boat . Oh one more thing, the guy said that he took off the oil injection due to a mechanics piece of advice. What do you guys think of that? He says that he still has all the hardware they took off.



Thank you for the info on the boat.



Brian Ferris (nitro kid)

 

[stan jones]

i,d have a hard time letting mine go for less than 6,000. i paid 4900 and have close to 7000 in it now. pic in my library. that pic is the way i bought it. stan

 

[Staci Matheis]

Kid -



You'll be fine with the oil injection system disconnected and pre-mixing. I wouldn't bother to re-install it. I'd also bet that the previous owner was right on the money with the speed. My 1995 Nitro180 with a 115 Merc would top oput right at 49 - 50 mph; a 150 should hit 60 on an 18' boat.



TOX -



I have regularly run the high pressure wash on the carpeting of my boats. The seepage into the compartments is minimal and well worth keeping the carpet clean. I was especially sure to do it after eahc dya when I would take my 180 out in salt water on vacation down in Florida.



me!

 

[Brian Ferris]

--Stan--



Nice boat. The one I am looking at is the exact same color and everything. The guy who has it now mounted a fishfinder right in front of the console right below the glass there. It would definately have to be relocated. What are some things that you would reccomend looking for on this particular model that would help my decision on buying this boat? How is the front deck on your boat size wise? Is it enough for two people up there?



I can see some of the stains in the carpet on the boat I am looking at so I think I will have to pressure wash it and get out the windex(works miracles on carpet.) If this boat would do an "honest" 60 mph I would be very pleased but I doubt that will happen.



Thanks,



Brian

 

[Staci Matheis]

Kid -



Again, going back to my 180.....



There really wasn't enough room on the front deck to fish two comfortably. Three could fish from the boat as long as they were a bit careful of the swing of their rods; one on the front, one standing in the middle and one on the rear deck.



I do think you should be able to do 60.



me!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Brian, I have the same boat as well, see my library. They are ALL that color. The front deck is a little small, you can fish 2 on it, if they both know what they're doing. Some things to look for are the transom, be sure to really check it. Trim up the motor half way and then push down on the motor, see if the transom flexes at all. If it does, don't go any further, you're looking at a $3k repair or higher. Like Stan, I couldn't part with mine for under $7k. I have $10k into it right now. You will get surprisingly close to 60mph with the proper set up, but that boat wasn't designed to exceed 60mph, so don't push it. 59 mph is moving in an 18 footer. Other than that, the glass is very thick, it rides really good for an older, smaller 18 footer, and there's plenty of storage if you do it right. I would recommend a stabilizer since the boat is very rear heavy and has horrible hole shot without one. Good luck.

 

[stan jones]

me and my friend fish the front deck all the time and no one has fallen back into the boat. i have in other boats the same size and even larger. for its size it has a lot of room. mine came with a stabilizer and i like it. your tm i belive is orginal as was mine and it didn't last. it was 12 years old. i mounted a lowrance on the dash by mounting a block beside the console(painted black) and moving the compass over a little. this is the only way i could fit it there. the boat lookes like it came that way. i will put some more pics in my library. almost all these boats are this color. but you could get them in red also. iv'e only seen 1 red one. it might have been a few pages into the message board here. until i saw that one i thought the were all the same color. thanks stan

 

[Brian Ferris]

I am really liking the sounds of this boat, and for 4 grand you can't go wrong. The boat I am looking at has rails along each side of the boat. They look to be about 3 feet long or so, can I yank them out of there without leaving some nasty looking holes? I do plan on getting a motorguide on the boat before I even hit the water, lol. I have a guy who wanted to sell me a dual console model of this boat for 5K that was in ****ty shape and it was red and I didn't care for it at all. I like the color of this boat and I don't need the dual console so I think I may have to go ahead with the purchase/



Thanks,



Brian

 

[stan jones]

at a auto parts store in the autobody section you can get plastic hole fillers that push right into the holes to cover them. this is the simplist way. there black in color. stan