# 1982 Sea Nymph 14' build



## Juanton (Apr 16, 2013)

Hey y'all. 

I'm brand new to the site, but have been enjoying all the great information on here. 

Here is what I'm working with:

'82 Sea Nymph sardine can that works great, doesn't leak, and is the perfect size for a solo fisherman up in the northern part of MN. Heck, I even hit some rocks at full tilt and the only thing that was damaged was the motor. 

I've got a 15hp Yamaha 4-stroke, a new (old, but new) fish finder to install and a bow mount trolling motor to find and hopefully install as well.

I fish for anything that swims and need a solid layout and design to go with. I'm looking for advice as I'm in the planning stages right now and MN winter isn't letting up anytime soon. I need storage for life vests, anchor, bait bucket, and the rest can be packed in and out. 

I am planning on creating a deck, but to what extent, I am unsure. I am attaching two basic (very basic) sketches of what is in my head. My main concern is removing a seat and losing lateral stability. I also want to make sure that whatever I do doesn't ruin any resale value because this is my first boat.

Here are some pics. Let me know your thoughts!


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## TMax27 (Apr 17, 2013)

Looks like a great platform you are starting with!


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## Pweisbrod (Apr 17, 2013)

Hey big bro. This is gonna be sweet. I like your sketches, looks like a solid plan to me. Plan b that is. You can always turn the bench into a walk through bench as well, and keep almost all the lateral strength.


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## jvanhees (Apr 18, 2013)

Good looking platform to start with! Carefull on how high you have your casting deck for stability purposes.


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## Juanton (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks for the feedback guys. She's pretty solid. I think I've decided to go with my option "B" and possibly maintain 20% of the original seat to keep the bracing the same while using the existing support to help the decking.

Right now I'm looking at using the existing front seat as support and keep the casting deck on that same level, but I'm stumped as to how to create a support from the bottom of the "V" to be level with the seat in order to put the plywood down and have it remain solid.

*The question is:* 
What is the best way to build the structure to support the casting deck/storage and what should I use? I only want to do this once, but I also have a budget. I've seen everything from foam, 2"x2" wood, to square aluminum tubing. What's the best solution? The easiest to work with?

If anybody has blueprints or notes for me to work off of I'd be most appreciative.


Any thoughts?

-J


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## Juanton (Apr 18, 2013)

Here is what I've convinced myself would be best. I'd leave part of the center seat on each side while using a bit of the remaining base for decking support. Any comments on what might need to change or major concerns?

Thanks,
-J

P.S. for all the Northern folk (MN, ND, WI) I feel your pain. I'm in NE MN and it is ridiculous how this snow can keep coming. Might as well get the auger and 5 gallon buckets back out for ice fishing.


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## Pweisbrod (Apr 19, 2013)

The best way is going to be 2x2 sealed with spar urethane. won't rot out until you're so rich and snooty that you have a fleet of deep v lund tournament walleye boats in the driveway of your mansion. 

That said, aluminum might not be too bad for framing. Maybe 50 bucks


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## Juanton (Jun 20, 2013)

Here's the beginning. Just mocking up the trolling motor and main beam for the casting deck which will cover the front bench. The spring was just too busy, plus I had fish to catch.





I do have a question before I go on to the next step.: What should I do with the front bracing? I personally don't know of a good way to brace up the front to make it a casting deck.

Back to pondering about whether or not to remove the whole middle seat.

More updates later.

-J


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## Juanton (Jun 21, 2013)

I'm just about done with the front deck. I have a few more things to take care of, but nothing major.

Here's what I did:

Started off making a cardboard template. (someone on here suggested measuring the width at different points and transferring them over = genius) The rough cut was easy, but fine tuning it took a bit more time.









I used a jigsaw to cut out the decking and mocked it up to see how it fit. It was pretty snug for a first time boat builder.





I then started thinking about using the space underneath as storage. The way it is set up right now the battery won't fit underneath the center beam unless I take it out of the battery box. Suggestions?

I wanted to make sure it wouldn't tip over at any point so I added some 1/8" aluminum angle to support the sides. I cut (4) 6" pieces and riveted them to the sides. Hopefully well above where water will ever go, but I plan to put some silicone on them to make sure.






I really do need some help on the next part though. I am conflicted as to whether or not I want to take out the center seat. My only concern is that it looks as though it might be part of the structural integrity. Does anyone have experience with this? I'll highlight what makes me think this in the image.





Let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

-J


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## Juanton (Jun 22, 2013)

So it goes. Luckily I'm a teacher, so time is easily spent at this point during the summer.

Here's what yesterday brought:

I decided to get to the deck today, but that required making a decision. After a few "hmms" and head scratches I decided to take out the middle seat entirely as cutting it into chunks sounded like too much work for not that great results.









I didn't know what to do with the center support straps, so I decided to just rivet them in place on the rib in order to allow me to restore the boat if it was ever necessary. Plus it was easier than trying to chop them out. 





Decking is in the works more on that this weekend hopefully. 

I'm varnishing everything to waterproof it. Any suggestions on treating the wood? I've heard bedliner works as well as fiberglass? I don't know what reacts with aluminum other than the copper in treated wood. I don't know if anybody is following, but I'll continue to look through the posts to steal ideas.

I also am only planning on raising the floor a total of 2 1/2". From other people's posts this seems to be a pretty mild raise and shouldn't cause it to be tippy. Any suggestions will help.

Thanks,

-J


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## Juanton (Jun 22, 2013)

Just got the decking cut and mocked in. I'm using a single 2x2 as a main beam and am planning to screw that to the bottom of the decking and just some basic L brackets to secure each side from sliding. Let me know thoughts/ideas/words of caution.









-J


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## Pweisbrod (Jun 23, 2013)

Looks good broseidon


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## Juanton (Jun 23, 2013)

Does anybody have a good source/brand for carpet that I should look for? 

Menards only sells them in 6' widths in-stock and according to my calculations a 12' by 4' section would be perfect to fit the three pieces I have. 

Menards can special order a 12' width roll for 1.09 per square foot. That's 52 bucks by my count, but I'm sure I'll have to pay shipping or something dumb like that plus I'll have to wait 3 weeks. Any chance someone has a speedier option?

-J


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## Pweisbrod (Jun 23, 2013)

Lowes has it in 12 ft wide rolls.


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## Juanton (Jun 24, 2013)

Carpet is purchased and ready to rock. Now for the installation. I know nothing about installing carpet. Any good threads I should look at?


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## FerrisBueller (Jun 24, 2013)

Where did you end up getting your carpet? I had replied to your other thread but didnt realize you were looking for 12' wide. Hope it goes well for you, the carpeting is a nerve-wracking part of the build but after each piece is done it really makes you feel good and it actually gives you some confirmation that you are getting things done! Looks great so far!


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## Juanton (Jun 25, 2013)

Here's another update:

Carpet is cut and glued and the support beam is strapped down. Here are the pics:





I tried to waste as little as possible, but it didn't work out perfectly.





I added a hatch to the front deck and am insetting a handle.




Remind me next time to get some help doing the gluing. Least favorite part so far. Also, does anyone know a good solvent to get dried glue off the carpet?




Seats and pedestal have been purchased. The final layout is still in the works.

Let me know if you see something of concern. By the by: all wood has been treated with spar varnish to protect from the elements.

-J


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## Alex_c (Jun 25, 2013)

you could try some mineral spirits or goo gone for the carpet. Are you using stainless strapping to attach the floor beam to the hull?


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## Pweisbrod (Jun 25, 2013)

Looks good.


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## Juanton (Jun 25, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=320159#p320159 said:


> Alex_c » Today, 14:54[/url]"]you could try some mineral spirits or goo gone for the carpet. Are you using stainless strapping to attach the floor beam to the hull?



No, just galvanized for now, but my thinking was that I will most likely replace the beam later when I repaint the boat (next spring probably). It just wasn't in the budget this year. The boat fund is definitely on the low side right now. 

More updates in about 30 minutes. I was also worried mineral spirits might wreck the carpet as it not super tough (from Menards I went with a 10' x 6' section and it worked well as it was on sale) however, it is bonding strongly.


Thanks for the input all! I have some good pics to post tonight.

-J


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## Juanton (Jun 25, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=320023#p320023 said:


> FerrisBueller » Yesterday, 14:11[/url]"]Where did you end up getting your carpet? I had replied to your other thread but didnt realize you were looking for 12' wide. Hope it goes well for you, the carpeting is a nerve-wracking part of the build but after each piece is done it really makes you feel good and it actually gives you some confirmation that you are getting things done! Looks great so far!



Menards on sale for SUPER cheap until July 7th or something.


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## Juanton (Jun 25, 2013)

Hey all,

Here's what today's efforts brought:

Started off with a bit of work to do on the now settled carpeting. Glad I took my time on the gluing though. Helpful hint: buy the right trowel and a good glue. I found spots that were not well glued before I quit yesterday and I almost didn't take the extra time. Don't rush the glue. The spots I re-did are rock solid now.





I decided to cut a hatch into the casting deck for storage, but that proved to be the most challenging part of the carpeting process. I had to brace the edges (no pictures for that at the moment) by the handle in order for it to be more solid. I am not super happy with the hatch, but maybe next time will prove to be better. I also tried wrapping the hatch edges with carpet. That also backfired and I had to rip it out (hence the random chunks o' carpet on the underside.





Overall, it turned out well. Sharp edges take time though. Work on small sections at a time if you do it like this.





Added a few hinges and a handle. Boom. Ready to hatch...things.





After melting the numbers off the credit card, I installed the new pedestal seat, got the final hardware to tack everything in, put it all on the boat and it looks a little something like this:









I'm not all done, but my wallet is and I have had enough time on dry land in a boat for now. Obviously my small internal wings need to be dealt with. I have noticed a bit of flex in the sides, but nothing major. 

I'm at a loss for creating storage/rod lockers. Does anybody have good info or a thread on how to make it mesh well with the curved side of the boat?

Thanks,

-J


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## Alex_c (Jun 26, 2013)

You could try some vertical mount rod holders. I think if you space them out right you wouldn't have any issues with the rods hitting the hull. They are dirt cheap as a bonus.







I would reinforce that hull with some ribs of some sort in the future though, the flex will get worse before it gets better. You could use some aluminum angle, tied in to the gunwale and the floor. If you mounted a backing plate under the floor it would be plenty strong. Would also give you somewhere to mount those rod holders. 2"x2" or 1.5"x1.5" aluminum square tubing would work well too.

Either way it looks like you have added a lot of functionality and fish-ability to that boat on a budget...looks like a nice comfortable layout.


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## Pweisbrod (Jun 26, 2013)

Drive it around before you do anything else.

I have seats that looks just like that in my shed...


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## Juanton (Jun 27, 2013)

> I would reinforce that hull with some ribs of some sort in the future though, the flex will get worse before it gets better. You could use some aluminum angle, tied in to the gunwale and the floor. If you mounted a backing plate under the floor it would be plenty strong. Would also give you somewhere to mount those rod holders. 2"x2" or 1.5"x1.5" aluminum square tubing would work well too.



Thanks for the suggestion. My one question would be how to attach it to the floor. I would have to take everything back up to use a bolt and fender washer. I know this is what I should do, but is there any other way to fasten it down to a rib through the plywood? I guess I just don't know how sharp the angle should be for the brace to be effective.

Thanks for the help.

-J


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## Alex_c (Jun 28, 2013)

I see that the ribs are still exposed on each side of the floor, I would just go right to the ribs that are exposed. You might have to play around with it and see what gives you the best stiffness and is out of the way. You might have to think about gussets and triangulation to maximize strength and keep it low profile. It's tough to explain over the internet, but take a look at how the Jon boats are braced, or look at how Gregor boats are built for ideas.


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## stansav (Jul 30, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=320221#p320221 said:


> Pweisbrod » 26 Jun 2013, 06:36[/url]"]Drive it around before you do anything else.



Hi Juanton;
Have you tried to drive it around? I have exact the same boat (Sea Nymph R14 1987, 1993 Yamaha 15HP 2-stroke) and I was thinking about removing middle seat as well but was worries about loosing structural integrity and boat became too flexible...
So for now I just have fishing deck with storage and front part floors built (like on your design sketch #1 - Option A) 

StanSav


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