Climbing up the learning curve!

[Jan Van Bennekum]

Thanks fo all the past help. Here are a few more questions.



Drain Plug. I stand next to the boat with the plug in hand looking for some place or some where to put it so that it is easily found, not lost and a reminder to install it. Does anyone have some method they use?



When I picked up the TV-18 I noticed some flotation in the bilge. I asked and was told - no problem. I decided later to vacuum it out, thought it might clog the drain hole. Along with the floation I found screws, nuts aluminum plugs and lot of metal shavings. Is there any thing else you would suggest I should double check?



I want to secure the TMfoot control to the deck and also install some electronins on the bow. Any words of wisdom on working on the deck, drilling holes, size and type of screws etc?



Thanks



Good fishing and boating



Jan

 

[Andrew Zuber]

Hey Jan...



The assorted goodies you found in the bilge seems to be pretty common for Trackers...unfortunate, but common...

Many folks from this board (me included) have fished alot of "stuff" out. Word of advice...periodically check for more debris...As it works out from the little nooks and crannies it invariably winds up in the bilge.

My drain plug has an "anchor?" that keeps it attached to the boat even when it is unscrewed. Anymore, I rarely even take the plug out...My boat doesn't leak, so unless I know I took in some spray or rainwater, I don't bother pulling it out. In case you were wondering...I have already tested the boat without the plug! hahaha I was fishing in a small lake for at least 2 hours without the plug...never noticed any change in the level of the boat (never started the outboard). Once I puller her up on the trailer, I bet she drained for 15 minutes before the water quit running out! No water ever appeared anywhere inside the boat though...So, if it doesn't leak....

I haven't mounted anything up front (dealer installed my Garmin fishfinder up front) so I don't have any advice for you there...You may want to fish a bit without your foot pedal bolted down...find out where you really like it...I find myself moving mine around a bit depending on which side the boat I'm fishing out of...



az

 

[Russ Charles]

My current boat also has the type of drain plug with the little plastic catches so that it kinda hangs in the hole after it is loosened. I have lost it on the road once. Always carry a spare. Preivous boats, I used to just let it lay in the splash well. Again, always carry a spare.



Like Andy said, manufacturing trash will accumulate in the bilge for awhile. If you find something that looks important, I guess you have to figure out where it came from .



Russ

 

[Mark Hofman]

I fished fourteen unused rivets, two screws, a nylock nut and a bunch of aluminum shavings out of my bilge. I carry a spare plug in a bag along with some other "spare" stuff (fuses, light bulbs, etc.). When I remove the regular plug, I store it in the glovebox in the second console, or in one of the dry storage bins which I use as a rope locker. Before I launch, I ususally rig my mooring lines and bumpers so that I don't have to do it out on the water. I also have a checklist that I try to follow, unless I leave the list in my truck (No comment, Scott!). There is a pre-trip part of the list, which I do before hooking the boat up to the truck. It's in that part that I re-install the plug.



I let the TM pedal sit unsecured so that I can re-position it as I'm fishing. If I were to mount it, I would look for some deck screws (like you would use on a patio deck) and make sure that I wasn't drilling them into one the aluminum cross-beams that lie underneath the deck. If you are going to drill holes, make sure that you take your time so that you don't pull runs in the carpet.



MO

 

[Mike Levesque]

I also have the plastic "retainer" drain plug that doesn't come out. I usually keep spares, like spark plugs, prop wrench, fuses, assorted tools, and even a spare drain plug in one of those small, orange storage boxes from BPS, MOfish, the checklist idea is a good one, and I'll make one for myself, after almost pulling out of the driveway without the transom tie downs attached and the bow winch strap loose ( I leave 'em loosened while it sits, don't know if it matters). A question, how long should I be expecting to find the metal shavings, etc in the bilge, had the boat out about 6 or 7 times now and vacuumed it all out a few times, but after extended running on choppy water last time found a ton of the stuff?

 

[Bob G.]

I found out about all of the "extras" in the bilge when I was coming home from the boat dealer after the 20 hour check-up during a major thunder storm. I had left the plug hanging and when I got home, the bilge was full of water. All of the extras got washed to the back of the boat and plugged up the hole. I verifed that the bilge pump worked and then cleaned up the rest with a wet/dry vac. You might want to just hose everything from the front to the back and then clean it out.



Bob G.

 

[Mike Levesque]

Thanks Bob , will do, after next time out... other than the little surprises in the bilge it's been an absolute dream so far, and thanks to the info on this site I should be able to learn ALOT about my Tracker and boats in general.