Tracker 1448 Grizzly custom build for bass, panfish

[Catt]

1 hour ago, haggard said:

Good to know, Catt.

 

I see Evinrude makes a 15 hp motor in both kicker and portable classes. What's the diff between the two? Are there tradeoffs in torque, speed control, etc.? Any reason to not use a kicker or portable as primary power for a boat this small and light (14' Grizzly)?

 

 

 

15 HP high output kicker 35.2 cu in

15 HP portable 21.41 cu in

[KIKKC]

Hi Haggard,

 Looks good, great boats! I picked up a 1548 about a month ago and love it. Look forward to seeing your mods. 

[slonezp]

23 hours ago, Catt said:

 

15 HP high output kicker 35.2 cu in

15 HP portable 21.41 cu in

Kicker also weighs 70lbs more and runs at a different rpm range and has power trim.  Id go with the standard 15hp

[Catt]

28 minutes ago, slonezp said:

Kicker also weighs 70lbs more and runs at a different rpm range and has power trim.  Id go with the standard 15hp

 

Personally I wouldn't go smaller that a 25 HP ?

[slonezp]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

 

Personally I wouldn't go smaller that a 25 HP ?

There's already too many speed demons on the water. We dont need another

[haggard]

Tempted to take the 1976 Evinrude 15 2-stroke from my old boat and move it to the 1448 Grizzly. It's connected to steering cables and has no tiller so there's some work to do (and wouldn't be trivial to put back) but it sure is cheaper than a new motor, and the old boat won't see much use once I get the 1448 on the water. The Evinrude runs great. The transom height on the 1448 is 18.25 inches (not measured directly against the transom because it's angled; rather, measured straight down). If I measured the motor shaft correctly, from underside of mounting bracket to the cavitation plate, it's 17.25 in.

 

This is odd because as far as I can tell the standard is about 15" or about 20" so both my motor and the 1448 fall right inbetween.

 

Based on the measurements does it look like the motor & 1448 would work? Even if the shaft is a bit short, could I just run the boat slow enough to not go on plane? My lake's not giant, and 14 mph top speed has been fine for me so far.

 

 

[Catt]

It's my understanding there are 2 shaft lengths & 2 transom heights...15" or 20".

 

My guess your's is a 20"

 

My first priority in outboard motor selection is dependability, everything else is lagniappe.

 

Ya motor is paid for & dependable...roll with it ?

[haggard]

9 hours ago, Catt said:

It's my understanding there are 2 shaft lengths & 2 transom heights...15" or 20".

 

My guess your's is a 20"

 

My first priority in outboard motor selection is dependability, everything else is lagniappe.

 

Ya motor is paid for & dependable...roll with it ?

That's my preference. Yes, by dumb luck, ended up with a cheap and (so far) reliable motor and today took the first step in decommissioning the old boat by moving its two seats to the new one. The motor will follow and will hopefully fit. Saddens me to strip the two seats and motor from my first boat because the boat (16' aluminum Starcraft, think it's a 1966 Jupiter, is still in great shape) that's the setup that let me discover boating and fishing; it's been only one season. What a great first season.

 

If anyone's got a tiller handle from a 15604 Evinrude 15hp I could use it.

[IndianaOutdoors]

@haggard maybe I missed it but what was wrong with the StarCraft? Or what is it that you like better about the 1448?

[haggard]

3 hours ago, IndianaOutdoors said:

@haggard maybe I missed it but what was wrong with the StarCraft? Or what is it that you like better about the 1448?

Great question. Simply put, I bought the Starcraft on a whim; it was cheap ($1K) and complete (boat, motor, trailer) and it taught me a lot in the first year: how to boat, how to fish, but now that I know I'm committed (hooked), I want something tuned more towards fishing. It let me test the waters, if you will.

 

The 1448 is shorter without being too short, more manageable in terms of loading and launching, gives me a casting deck at the bow (can't stand on the Starcraft bow), lets me get shallow with a trolling motor, is more nimble, and is set up for two pedestal seats out of the gate (I'm using the seats from the Starcraft, and bought two posts). The 1448 has a mod V hull which should allow more shallow access as opposed to the deep V on the Starcraft, better suited for fishing in the shallows while still being reasonably good in the home lake when weather kicks up. Didn't want to go with a flat bottom jon because the chop can get choppy, and I'd also have to build up the casting deck.

 

Switching over to the 1448 didn't break the bank either. It's a relatively cheap boat. Using the two seats and 15hp motor from the Starcraft helps. What I'll miss about the Starcraft is being in the boat as opposed to being on the boat (with the 1448); the windscreen; the steering wheel; the room to wander about inside the boat (the 1448 gives you a 53" x 48" tub). With the limited space in the 1448 a steering console would take up too much valuable space so tiller control it is.

 

There will be tradeoffs for sure, but as much as I love the Starcraft, I'm going to make this 1448 work, no turning back.

Insert other media

 

[padon]

You'll love the 1448 like you said more of a bass boat functionality.casting deck trolling motor etc.as far as your outboard if it's dependable and fits I'd run it. That's my #1 concern .your not racing ,your waters aren't huge.you can always get  bigger motor later if you feel you need it.

[IndianaOutdoors]

You may consider doing a stick steer setup if you don't find a tiller handle 

[haggard]

Unhooked the motor and put it on the 1448, easier than I thought, can be put back pretty easily if needed. But looks like a good fit on the 1448, with cavitation plate only about 1.5" above the bottom of the transom. Today's project is restringing the pull rope. Looks like tiller handles are readily available just ridiculously priced. IndianaOutdoors yes stick steer is an option, will keep that in mind.

 

[IndianaOutdoors]

Height looks ok to me.  As long as you can get it trimmed out appropriately without cavitation.  If it will get up on plane keep an eye on the pee hole just to make sure it's getting water.  Just out of curiosity what does it currently have for throttle control?

[haggard]

On 11/26/2017 at 12:14 PM, IndianaOutdoors said:

Height looks ok to me.  As long as you can get it trimmed out appropriately without cavitation.  If it will get up on plane keep an eye on the pee hole just to make sure it's getting water.  Just out of curiosity what does it currently have for throttle control?

Previous owner had removed the tiller and converted throttle control to a cable going to a typical throttle & shift control up fropnt near the steering wheel. At first I thought it was a homebrew job but looks like it was probably an Evinrude "remote control" kit which included a throttle lever attaching inside the powerhead, a bracket for connecting the steering cables and relocating the engine stop button.

[haggard]

What's the purpose of these three blockoff plates at the bow? I haven't removed them yet. Are they just used for accessing the underside of the bow area so you can mount nav lights, a finder or a trolling motor? They're held in with rivets, which I assume would be drilled out and replaced with screws.

 

[haggard]

On 12/18/2017 at 8:11 PM, haggard said:

What's the purpose of these three blockoff plates at the bow? I haven't removed them yet. Are they just used for accessing the underside of the bow area so you can mount nav lights, a finder or a trolling motor? They're held in with rivets, which I assume would be drilled out and replaced with screws.

 

I finally drilled out the rivets and removed the plates. Underneath is empty space, allowing easy access to the underside of the foremost portions of the bow. For example you could mount a trolling motor and and have easy access to the nuts on the underside of the bow. Inside the holes, looking back towards the stern, you can see the expanding foam that was blown in at the factory. From these holes there is a passageway sternward, so you can run wires etc. to the storage cavity just forward of the main "well" at the center of the boat (cavity is directly underneath the pedestal seat mount shown in the pic).