# 1978 Sea Nymph Fishing Machine-16 foot-Video in post#27



## wasilvers (Feb 13, 2010)

Last year I bought a 16 foot aluminum Sea Nymph boat w/ 40 hp Force motor off Craigslist for $800 in the dead of winter. Yeah, I learned my lesson that day. He swore the motor ran like a top, that the wood was solid as a rock and that the boat didn't leak much, and the battery was bad. LIES, all of them! 

The Motor
The motor was frozen solid. There was actually rust flaking in the cylinder. Being mechanically minded and not wanting to spend $4k on a new motor, I disassembled it. Had to pound the one piston out. I redid the cylinders, replaced the rings, and cleaned it up nicely. By now the ice was melting off the lakes, so I launched the boat for her maiden voyage. Ran great in the harbor, I opened her up and headed out on the lake, of course, that's when she stranded me. Turns out the carb wasn't tightened - my fault. Fixed it and ran it out on the lake again. Well nobody told me this old Force motor didn't have a RPM limiter (or I missed it on reassembly) and I blew the engine. CRAP. Ended up finding a mechanic who sold me a 50hp Evinrude installed for $500. It runs rough at idle, but it runs. He just pulled it off a boat and put it on mine, no work done to it. 

The Wood
The floor has a couple of weak spots, nothing too bad, but I feel it give by the console. The prior owner had a broken cover on the boat, so likely it just caught a lot of water and funneled it into the boat. When I picked it up, there was 2 inches of ice by the console. The transom was solid as a rock, because all the water in it was frozen solid. Doh! Once it thawed outside I could stick a screwdriver 1/2 inch into the thing. Ended up replacing that before I could do anything else. The old transom would sag under its own weight when leaned against the garage! 

Leaks
Yeah the boat leaks, but it is from the 70's so it's seen better days. After the first trip, I noticed a lot of water in the bilge. Turns out there is a crack in the front of the boat, along with a few leaky rivets.

So now I have a plan. It will be slow going, but I will need to be done by June. I've read numerous posts on this site, so now it’s my turn to contribute.

I will 

Remove all the old wood, carpeting, and floatation. Replacing the base floor with similar materials.
Weld the holes in the hull shut!
Install a 58" folding bench seat for me and any passengers, that should be plenty big and I really like that it folds flat - for more fishing space.
Relocate live well from the side of the boat to the middle - and farther forward for better weight management.
Enlarge the front and rear decks for easier fishability.
Relocate one battery (with space for two) to the front of the boat for the trolling motor and better weight distribution.
Build a rod locker next to the seat so I can store the rods in the boat while traveling
Build storage unit under the bench seat, in the front deck, in the back deck
Build lure boxes in the front and rear decks
Clean or replace the steering system so I don't feel like I've been at the gym after each trip.
Add to this list as I go along.
As to cost, I only plan on painting the inside of the boat, the outside is aluminum and I like the weathered look. So paint, carpet, wood, supports, new seat bases and poles, bench seat, hinges, and a few odd and ends. Hopefully not an arm and a leg!


Anyway, here are some pictures. I'll do my best to do something on this each week!


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## wasilvers (Feb 13, 2010)

The boat as it is now-setup for fishing, notice, no place for my kid to sit while 'flying' across the lake  

Started tearing into it couple of days ago.. It looks like someone had done some of this before. They used treated wood on the transom and it left some pits.


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## Captain Ahab (Feb 13, 2010)

I like it! I re-did a 19' Sea Nymph to use in the big bay for flounder fishing - that boat was a running machine. Since we were flounder fishing (which involves drifting baits not casting) we lowered the decks and made everything one level. Removed the captains chairs and installed a cooler / bench with reversible back

Live wells up front and a smaller bench seat in front of the console which was removable for extra cooler space - this was a Center Console boat

Good luck - and never paint the outside!


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## Nussy (Feb 13, 2010)

Did you at least call the guy to ask for some of your money back? Even with the problems, it doesn't sound like too bad a deal for around here. I'm almost done with mine so next time I'm in Milwaukee, I'll stop buy and give you and hand =D>


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## wasilvers (Feb 14, 2010)

Nussy said:


> Did you at least call the guy to ask for some of your money back? Even with the problems, it doesn't sound like too bad a deal for around here. I'm almost done with mine so next time I'm in Milwaukee, I'll stop buy and give you and hand =D>



I did contact him, but with no luck-as expected. After I rebuilt the engine, I sent him a picture to gloat-but as the Bible says 'Pride cometh before a fall" and the engine blew. At least now I have a Force motor shop manual to ebay off! LOL

And you are right, it wasn't a bad deal, but he didn't have to lie about it. I would have paid 5-600 for it anyway.


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## wasilvers (Feb 14, 2010)

So I shared the rebuild idea with the kids and today they all wanted to help me with the boat. So we got all dressed and went out to the garage. I had helpers for about 2 minutes before they wanted to play  

So I found the best way to remove the rivets - I tried drilling them, but it just didn't work well for me -so I pulled out the grinding wheel and my dremel. It's small size helps having the ability to move under the console and such. Also, if you try this method, put 2 grinding wheels on at a time. 

Today I removed the drivers seat and the console. About half of the screws holding the console down to the deck broke off when unscrewing them, and about half the others just pulled out of the wood, no unscrewing necessary. 


Did I mention it's cold outside? Only 20 degrees and the detached garage is not heated... I was out in my snowmobile suit. Fun times

Will


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## dyeguy1212 (Feb 14, 2010)

Time for a propane heater.. mines going to get a work out next week


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## wasilvers (Feb 21, 2010)

Skipped church today and worked on the boat - maybe that's why I ripped my pants TWICE. Removed the pedastals, back deck, livewell, storage unit and decking.

Now unless I'm mistaken, someone must have replaced the wood in this boat before. It looks good in spots, and I don't think the manufacturer used blue styrofoam sheets for floatation.

The original bracing is 3-4 feet apart with 1/2 flooring. So the person put styrofoam sheets all in the bottom, very carefully placed and filled the voids with expanding foam. Thus the flooring was supported by a middle beam, and sytrofoam out to the sides. Not a bad plan, but the floor gave when you walked on it. It had 2 weak places I knew about. Unscrewing the floor was fun - all but maybe 20 screws broke off/stripped out (and it was screwed down every 4 inches.


She is completely an empty shell - ready to be cleaned up and welded on.


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## MeanMouth (Feb 21, 2010)

Now to the rewarding part  Keep us updated, looks like a fun project!


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## Waterwings (Feb 21, 2010)

Wow, you've got some work ahead of you! When the heck does it warm-up in your neck of the woods so you won't freeze in the garage? Looking forward to the finished product! 8)


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## jasper60103 (Feb 22, 2010)

_Skipped church today and worked on the boat - maybe that's why I ripped my pants TWICE..._

Now that's funny! :LOL2: 
And let that be a lesson to you! [-X

Looking forward to seeing some pics.


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## rasmotherman (Apr 9, 2010)

i wish mine had those high ribs running across the boat. it is going to be a nice rig when you are done. i thought about doing the same thing for a seat in the rear. mine was going to have a lid over it so it was part of the deck when you had it folded down. i still might do that once i get the motor going.


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## wasilvers (Apr 9, 2010)

Ditto the lid part. Once I get the seat in hand. I'll see how it really folds - the manufacturer said it folds flat, so it would make sense to make it the deck.

As an update, it's at the welder's now getting patched up. I purchased some hatch lids from a fellow tinboater. So if I get time, I'll clean them up and maybe give them a coat of paint. Should get some good progress pictures about mid April. Right now, there just isn't any time in the day.

:roll:


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## wasilvers (Apr 17, 2010)

Got the boat back from welding today! The welder deliverd it himself. He did more than 2x the work I wanted.

He welded BOTH sides of the bow from above the waterline to midway back. He patched the crack in front and also welded a second spot in the front of the boat. Apparently there was a gasket in between the pieces of aluminum. this gasket melted out during welding, which made the rivets leak. He welded some rivets, and epoxied others. Also he epoxied the entire inside of the boat where he had been welding. He leak tested it and kept patching till it didn't leak a drop. Said he leak tested it about 16 times. He said with all the welding, it should be very solid -much better than if I had just gone with epoxy in the first place. If it leaks, I'm supposed to see him about it. Anyway, he did a LOT of work and kept our original price of $450. Now I'll have to take him fishing sometime!

I'll be doing my own leak test tommorow.

Now the fun can begin!


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## wasilvers (Apr 27, 2010)

Worked on the front decking support for the last few days. Found out my very front support for the high deck where the trolling motor attaches had busted welds. The 3 rivets in the boat held, but the welded support to the bar going across had busted the welds. Thus the reason for the front deck moving like crazy when the troller was used. Fixed that and reinforced the other side as well.

Tried to figure out how to support the front of the deck where it wouldn't move. I could go off that brace that had busted a weld, but it moved a bit due to long bends and the aluminum being thinner. After being stumped for 4 hours on Saturday, had the problem solved in 30 minutes today. Ended up taking some angle aluminum and attaching it to the boat sides to support a front brace. It doesn't move at all now. 

Have the front layout pretty much set now. The livewell is 29x13 inches long so it's hard to put it anywhere except the middle of the boat 

Also going to add additional hatches on the front so that you can get to it from in the boat or outside the boat. Just have to see what some others have done on the site so I get it done right.

Best part of the nigh was finding a hidden label that this is a Sea Nymph Fishing Machine. Nice to know that!

I'll have pictures of the progress next post.


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## ober51 (Apr 27, 2010)

Perfect canvas to lay down some gluvit to add another layer of protection. Then Steel Flex that puppy and youre all set. Looking good.


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## wasilvers (Apr 30, 2010)

So I had some time to take pictures of the work so far. In summary, I used 2x12 for a beam along the keel. There are 2x2 ribs which are notched into the beam for extra strength and ability to attach the flooring everywhere. I attached each of the ribs to the metal ribs in the boat with some hardware I found at Home Depot. The boat had 3 metal ribs - which I used 2 of them in the rebuild.

The front deck will be a huge storage area. To accomodate this, I ran a 2x4 accross the front and attached it to the built in support. This support was weak, so I used 1/8 inch angle aluminum to create a support on the side of the boat. I think you can see them in the pictures below. The front 2x4 rests on these supports and is solid. I also fashioned a couple more of these angle pieces and attached them to the rear of the front deck. This is secured with bolts through and is SOLID. I hadn't even built the 2x4 deck supports and it doesn't move. The livewell is framed out and will be in that spot. 

Now to frame the chair support and the doors. I'm thinking about making the two holes in front of the livewell BOTH storage access doors. The front storage will be wide open and two doors will give me pleanty of room to access it. I'll also put battery access doors in the 'wings' right and left of the livewell. The plan is to put two battery trays here, just in case I need them for balancing the boat. 


The only problem is the livewell drain. You can see below where I would have to cut my 2x4 for the drain. Actually it would be about 2.5 inch hole. That won't fly. So I'm going to patch the upper hole and lower the upper drain. It will have a though fitting with and 'S' shape attached. The water will drain up high, but the hole will be below the water line in the live-well. I don't see any other options at this point as I don't want to cut and weaken on of my main supports. 

Maybe I'll be able to add some plywood by Monday!


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## wasilvers (Apr 30, 2010)

Forgot to mention - this site rocks! I used ideas from about 6-7 different boats. 

Best idea was about paint removal and using saran wrap to cover it. I used the same idea for adhesive remover - to remove old carpeting and adhesive. The wrap kept my kids from touching it and when a buddy came over to check the progress, I could get back to removing the glue an hour later. 

Thanks TinBoats Members!


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## ober51 (Apr 30, 2010)

Looks great. I have only one concern - what type of metal did you use for the bracing? I only ask because usually if it isnt stainless or aluminum it will cause corrosion. Galvanized might fly for a bit, but I'm not sure. I used galvanized myself, but used a buffer between the metals - nylon washers or rubber gasket material (someone here used a rubber shower curtain I believe). 

NOt trying to be a debbie downer, just want your build to last a long time! Great work, though!


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## wasilvers (May 4, 2010)

ober51 said:


> Looks great. I have only one concern - what type of metal did you use for the bracing? I only ask because usually if it isnt stainless or aluminum it will cause corrosion....



The bracing that is attached to the boat is aluminum. I didn't want to use anything that might cause corrosion. Thanks for looking out for me, most of this is done by the seat of the pants.

As of now, I need to finish the battery mounts up front and add two more braces to the sides of the boat. Then the front will be ready for decking. - about an hour of work
Wiring still needs to be run to troller, batteries and front lights  
Need to deck the bottom - I was going to use 1/2 ply to save weight, but I'm not sure yet. might just mix it up a bit, with 3/4 inch in the open walk thru area and 1/2 under the rear casting deck.
Back deck casting needs to be built, but that should be a breeze compared to the front deck. Very few angles to work around  
Also need to do something about the paint issue. Maybe I'll take that off this weekend. I'd like to have the decks built first so I know how much I really need to do. The white is ok, but it was a latex paint put on with a brush by the prior owner. Touch it and it scrapes off.

Well, back to the day job for now!


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## rasmotherman (May 5, 2010)

=D> great work! it is coming along nicely


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## Froggy (May 6, 2010)

That is looking fantastick!!!


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## wasilvers (May 6, 2010)

Working on sheeting the rear area. I used 3/4 plywood where people will be walking and 1/2 plywood under the rear deck. The 1/2 holds the floatation down and gives me a bottom to my storage. 

Very glad I used 3/4! It doesn't flex at all. The 1/2 feels a bit "soggy" near the sides where there is no support. I wouldn't like to be standing on it for a day fishing. My braces are 12 inches apart. If you aren't over 200, it should be fine.

Guess I'll just have a heavy boat now :roll:


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## wasilvers (May 9, 2010)

Got most of the plywood sheeting done and the prior thru-hull patched too. 

Now to do the final leak test - patch any hole. I saw that someone used normal rivets on some parts rather than closed end. I can't even see why they used them.

Can't wait for the carpet to arrive - hopefully early next week!


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## rasmotherman (May 12, 2010)

heck im 260# (give or take 20#) and mine doesnt budge. AND im on a 26" span.dont you just love this site? i wish i could quit my job and rebuild these things for a living. it is great therapy. the old boat is looking good. keep up the good work.


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## wasilvers (May 30, 2010)

Tip - After doing all the work on your mod, don't try to start the engine without the saftey kill switch on it. It will frustrate you to no end and will never, ever start until you remember to put safety back on it.

 

Mostly final pictures will be uploaded by the end of the weekend. This boat looks NICE now - even the babes in the neighborhood complimented me on her!


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## wasilvers (May 31, 2010)

I know I've been slacking in pictures of the build, but that's because I need the boat done for a tournament on Thursday. Spend all week and all weekend working (yes it was work) on the beast. My father in law got bored so he came over and helped Saturday and today. Without his help and knowledge, I'd still be in the garage working on her. 

Still to do:
Plumb livewell (this is all that has to be done by tourney time)
paint livewell cover
paint console wood
paint rear deck hatches
build and carpet rear cover by engine

We fished out of her for about 45 minutes today and I couldn't be happier with how she is turning out, watch these videos to see for yourself. 

[youtube]BMlLIZYpM9M[/youtube]

[youtube]uU0Cg73Z0vs[/youtube]


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## ITGuy (Jun 1, 2010)

Looks Great! Would love to see some close ups of the console.


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## wasilvers (May 24, 2011)

I'm calling her done... 

A new steering wheel, and painted livewell hatch, console front, ram mount for the finder were all the additions I did this year. I will be moving the rod holders from the rear to the front for crappie (spider rigging). The back is just going to stay open, that way I feel more comfortable with the fuel tank back there that it vents well. She is set up for dual trolling batteries, either 12 volts (or 24 volt for future upgrades) - but I'm just using one battery for the troller now. There is tons of storage in the front hatches, and the 4 back hatches are fairly waterproof (3 days of fishing in the rain and they stayed dry) and can hold a normal 3 tray tackle box and some of the plano boxes. I keep the canned goods -fuel mix, bug spray, sun screen, starting fluid, horn, tools, etc in these along with the rain gear and a number of tackle boxes. The cooler is great for drinks or fish, but not both at the same time 

Anyway, I like it, she fishes well and can easily float in 5 inches of water (for easy lure retrieval). My dream machine


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## rasmotherman (May 24, 2011)

looks like we are about at the same pace on our projects. i will be done here as soon as i get plates on the trailer. congrats. hope you had as much fun as i did with mine


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## benjineer (May 27, 2011)

Wow, nice job!


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## pepperrocks (May 28, 2011)

Awesome build. I am preparing to do a 14ft Alumacraft XL, I got a lot of ideas from your posts. 
Thanks.


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## jvanhees (Mar 24, 2013)

from the sounds of it, it seems sweet!


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