Hey all, first post here as I attempted this thread on another forum without much luck. I do believe after spitballing ideas and with what I'd like completed I'd opted to go ahead and remove the deck, despite my mechanic's recommending me not to.
I recently purchase a 2009 Tracker Pro 160. Ideally, I'd like to place a recessed tray for the trolling motor pedal in addition to mounting a Humminbird 859CI at the bow. I'm still on the fence on the RAM mount or the Kickin bass bracket. In any normal circumstance this would be fairly straightforward as I'd just remove the panel at the bow. However with this model, the panel is completely welded and inaccessible. That being said, I'd lean towards removing the deck to evaluate what's underneath and to confirm there is sufficient space. I'd also like to locate an appropriate drain position. Once this is done, I'd replace the deck as it were once the sonar wiring was placed.
Once the installations are ready (later in the winter), I'd make my markings and cut the tray hole. Ideally I'd like to use the tray hole as my "access hatch" so that I have access to the graph wires without removing the deck every time. I can decide on the mount at some point later on, but will likely land on whatever mount grants me more deck space. At this point I'm hoping to have everything finished cleanly without any exposed wiring, etc.
That said, I've searched high and low on the web and on forums as well. I seem to be the only nut to inquire about modifications on this little Pro 160. Any experiences, recommendations, or advice would be greatly appreciated. My biggest concern at this point is the actual deck removal. Not sure if this will be easy or difficult. I'll likely plan on marking all the screws on the deck tomorrow and possibly lifting the front deck. I'll be documenting everything so hopefully this can help someone down the road.
