# 18' Lund Tyee, my 1st tin conversion



## DaleH (Jan 9, 2015)

This conversion happened soooooooooo long ago I have a hard remembering the year, but believe it to be in the early 90s. I ended up buying a nice Lund 18' Tyee dual-console model, on a trailer, with a 90hp OMC motor. It sat for a few years, without a winter cover, in the widow's yard after her husband had passed away. Anyone that had looked at it got scared off due to soft spots in the floor - and they were right - but for me, it was the chance to buy the boat right!

This was my 1st ever rebuild or conversion, but I did tear out the rotted wood and replaced it with fir tongue&groove decking, treated it for water-resistance, then covered it with naugahyde from Defender Marine. I also converted the dual console into a center console, as this was just when flyfishing in salt waters was in its infancy and I wanted the ability to walk-around the entire boat. I made the console out of exterior plywood and was able to modify the existing front window sections to even make the console wind screen. I think that came out pretty good!

I also remember that the tilt tube on this model year OMC wasn't stainless steel and I needed to lift the motor to replace it and install a CMC trim/tilt unit. So believe it or not I waited for a rainy day and towed the boat into a local self-service car wash stall, leaving the OB almost under the center. I hung a chainfall come-along to the heavy steel beams in the wash stall and had at it. I tell you, one friend and I had that CMC bracket (AWESOME units!) and new tilt tube installed in no time at all! And no one bothered us or came near the car wash during the install ... hehe ; !

Ah, that was a FAST boat she was, turning screws for 43mph as I recall! Sadly after a few years I upgraded and I bought my older brother's 24' cuddy cabin when he upgraded to a Grady White. Ah well, that boat served me well too!


----------



## 25yamaha (Jan 9, 2015)

that's a nice boat I like the lunds...


----------

