Recessed foot pedal in a tracker classic xl

[nocluefisher]

I just bought a 2020 tracker classic xl. I want to put in a tray for the trolling motor foot pedal. Does anyone have firsthand knowledge if you can just cut out and place the tray or is there a cross member under the deck that I have to worry about?

[Jig Man]

If it were me I would call White River Marine and ask them.

[nocluefisher]

13 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

If it were me I would call White River Marine and ask them.

 I just did, and they said my local dealer should know, which they don’t 

[12poundbass]

Enjoy

 

 

[gim]

23 minutes ago, nocluefisher said:

 I just did, and they said my local dealer should know, which they don’t 

That is some terrible customer service.  They're the ones who built the boat and the dealer is the one who sold it and neither one is able to answer that?  Questionable at best.

[airshot]

Open up the closest hatch and look, feel around under there. Other than live wells most hatches don't have any sides, so the area under the deck should be open for inspection...

[nocluefisher]

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

That is some terrible customer service.  They're the ones who built the boat and the dealer is the one who sold it and neither one is able to answer that?  Questionable at best.

the dealer actually said they would have to remove the deck and s bunch of other things to find out. I was getting a “we really don’t want to do this” vibe.

[looking45]

33 minutes ago, nocluefisher said:

the dealer actually said they would have to remove the deck and s bunch of other things to find out. I was getting a “we really don’t want to do this” vibe.

That’s an unacceptable answer from the dealer. Very poor customer service. Have them call the people they buy the boat from and get an answer.if you can’t find out, don’t install the box. You don’t want to cut and find a support beam in the way

[WIGuide]

Not the ideal answer as it'll be a bit of work, but you should be able to unscrew the front deck and take a look. That way you know for sure, not to mention it'd be a great opportunity to upgrade things wile you're in there.

[detroit1]

Search the web for videos on how to do this. I think i saw a video where a guy did all kinds of upgrades on his classic. Sorry i don't remember, but it's out there somewheres...

[HenryPF]

 

[@reelChris]

On 3/31/2023 at 4:03 PM, WIGuide said:

you should be able to unscrew the front deck and take a look. 

 

You should be, but it's a Tracker, and depending on what day of the week the boat was assembled, some or all of the screws are under the carpet and impossible to find without pulling it up.  It doesn't matter anyway, because there's a much easier solution.

 

Unplug your trolling motor and remove the circled piece of carpeted aluminum in the picture below - it's held on by about 10 or 12 screws.  Once it's off you will see the gap between the carpeted wooden deck and the red aluminum bow with a large access hole that you can stick your arm into and feel around.   You will see that the last horizontal deck spar is back all of the way by the seat pedestal base.  The distance between vertical spars (bow to stern) is your only real restriction in what size trolling motor pan you can put in the deck.  Get a tape measure in there and take some accurate measurements.

 

Once you get a pan, you'll want to install it as far forward as you can, front edge flush with the removable aluminum piece or even a little bit underneath it.  If you put it any further back, it will be uncomfortable to use while seated because the foot pedal will be too close to the seat.  

[airshot]

Don't you have acess hatches for storage ??  My boat has three on the front deck. Open a hatch and look in and under the deck, you should be able to see where the ribs are...

[Susky River Rat]

 Excuse my ignorance I am just throwing this out there. couldn’t you just use a stud finder like you do on a wall? I don’t know I am just asking. Seems like there’s a lot of work if you could be able to just do that. 

[Woody B]

Disclaimer, I haven't put a recessed foot pedal tray in my tracker.

 

Many people have installed a pedal tray.   There's wood supports under the front deck but they run front to rear.  They're far enough apart to not interfere with a pedal tray.  There's a metal support running side to side in front of the seat post.   No one has hit it installed a pedal tray.   The screws in the front deck are under the carpet.   To install the tray you'll have to cut the hole, then cut out some foam.   There's a facebook group of tracker classic xl owners.  Many of them have pictures and videos of pedal tray installs.