New ride

[Mbirdsley]

Here is the new ride.  Traded my grandpa my 14 foot mirror craft for this sea nymph.   It’s a 1985 with 90 hp mercury.  I added the front deck, garmin striker 4cv, Trolling motor, 3 deep cycle batteries, new shift box, new transmission and throttle cables, 12 amp 2 bank charger, new plastic 12 gallon tank, inline Fuel vent, and bow lights. Put new tires and re did the hubs in the trailer. Luckily, as long as it’s was up north. I can get the parts at cost and labor was free. 
 

It still needs some other stuff but, can fish as is. I will get a better fish finder in the spring. 
 

This winter I’ll probably put a new floor in it atleast as far as the helm and than I’ll add seat mounts.  Now I’ll just use a hunting chair.  Motor runs good and it gets up go’s.  Also, beside bass I’ll be able to use it for walleye on Saginaw bay And salmon/ trout in the spring and fall 

[GreenPig]

Excellent 

[jtharris3]

Nice!

[Tatsu Dave]

Looks like you're on your way, thats how I did mine.......parts cheap as possible and all labor free. Took a lot of work but it pays off when your out on the water

[Yakalong]

very nice, now go catch some fish from it 

[DogBone_384]

Congratulations!  Get out, enjoy it, and good luck on a new PB with it.

[lo n slo]

git r done ?

[TnRiver46]

Nice rig! 

[Mbirdsley]

On 8/20/2020 at 7:13 PM, Tatsu Dave said:

Looks like you're on your way, thats how I did mine.......parts cheap as possible and all labor free. Took a lot of work but it pays off when your out on the water

Well my grandpa owns a marina.  One of his mechanics put the shift box in.  That shift box was 320 bucks off of amazon. Which, was 50 bucks more than an at cost quicksilver shift box would have been. msp in the quicksilver box $750 dealer cost was only like $289. At the time though we couldn’t find a 8 pin quicksilver shift box from his suppliers. This shift box I bought is an off brand but, works very well.  Wasn’t the cheapest I could find that is for sure. 
 

There is not much mark up on electronics so I really only saved a couple bucks on the dual bank charger and a couple of other electrical odds in ends.  
 

I put the deck on up front with the help of one of the guys at the dock/stove company another place grandpa owns.  Who is a heck of fabricator.  He didn’t do the vinal I did that monstrosity. Luckily the vinal was a free scrap piece. 
 

I also helped him put the aluminum plate where the port side wind shield  was.  That way I can drill into aluminum plate  for mounting electronics instead of the console. 

[Mbirdsley]

So I kicked off phase 2 about a month  ago.  I ripped the up front fishing platform and the entire main deck which, had rotted out.  I just used regular CDX .1/2 plywood.  That’s what originally was on it.  I would have went thicker but, there was some fixturing in the back that the deck wouldn’t have went under if I went thicker.  Luckily my dads been helping me out as well to help move things along 

 

I ripped the vinyl off that butchered on the up front fishing plat form.  For the top side non slip surface on the main and fishing deck I used sand colored tuff coat.  It’s currently curing in my basement. Tuff coat is pretty sweet.  Currently it is hard as a rock  and it still needs to cure for another 4 days. I used the tuff coat wood primer.  First coat of the primer and paint went on sketchy but, after that it was no problem  

I used wood glue to fill in knots, holes, and seams on the fishing deck.  For the main deck I used total boat flex epox.  After the glue/epoxy dried I sanded both decks. On the bottom side I used behr premium deck and porch acrylic paint. That stuff is tough and chip resistant enough you could use it for the top side if grit was added to it.

 

I took both consoles  out and completely stripped and repainted them with a quart of rustoleum gloss white.  I am also currently preparing the gunwales at the moment. though I’m not sure what paint I’m using yet.  To seal the consoles and gunwales I’ll be using toon-brite protective clear coat. 
 

finally I’ve added 2 seats in the cockpit and a bass boat style seat for up front.  Last but, not least I purchased a garmin Uhd 73 sv with g3 lake chart map.

 

phase 3 I want replace   the dash boards for the steering  wheel and glove box consoles.  Along with up dating gages and adding phone chargers.  I may do that next winter however, 

 

im getting the jitters waiting to fish.  Hopefully the ice is gone in a month month and a half.  Last year my first trip with my boat was March 28th 

 

 

[TnRiver46]

What an undertaking 

[Mbirdsley]

9 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

What an undertaking 

Its hasn’t been to bad so far. no unexpected surprises at Least. I work on it 2-4 hrs a night after every one goes to bed.  Except  sundays which, have been my days off lately so I work on it a little more those  days 

[ike8120]

Very nice work.

 

[Teal]

Good stuff

[J Francho]

I had two tillers (15 and 17') with this hull design, and they were tanks.  As long as that Merc runs smooth, it should serve you well.

[Mbirdsley]

3 hours ago, J Francho said:

I had two tillers (15 and 17') with this hull design, and they were tanks.  As long as that Merc runs smooth, it should serve you well.

Engine runs very good considering her age.  According to my striker it will move us at 32mph. 

[J Francho]

I still a lot of those old tower motors around here that still run fine. 

[TnRiver46]

5 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I still a lot of those old tower motors around here that still run fine. 

Tower of power is what I’ve heard them called. I’ve seen some boats SCREAM down the lake with those hanging off the back. Bullets and Allison’s 

[J Francho]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Tower of power is what I’ve heard them called. I’ve seen some boats SCREAM down the lake with those hanging off the back. Bullets and Allison’s 

I thought the Tower of Power was the 150 hp.  But yeah, we didn't have too many Allies or Bullets up here (mine excluded :P) but we'd see them hanging off the back of planty of hydroplanes.

 

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I thought the Tower of Power was the 150 hp.  But yeah, we didn't have too many Allies or Bullets up here (mine excluded :P) but we'd see them hanging off the back of planty of hydroplanes.

 

Yes that one or the 200! They sounded like racecars 

[Mbirdsley]

14 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I thought the Tower of Power was the 150 hp.  But yeah, we didn't have too many Allies or Bullets up here (mine excluded :P) but we'd see them hanging off the back of planty of hydroplanes.

 

That’s a good looking out board.  We have always called any thing like mine “tower of powers “

[Mbirdsley]

Progress so far not 100% professional but 100% better.  No more squishy floor. Next project since the consoles are out is a I am putting a new 4 gang rocker switch in with volt meter and usb phone charger.  Which, includes re-wiring the nav lights, anchor lights, bilge pump, and adding some inline fuses. 
 

Also a new bilge pump as the original isn’t working. Wiring and putting the front fishing deck on his the last step other than re-packing bearings, putting the new plate on and replacing a break light that I busted from huge hole at a crappy launch last year.  
 

trailer stuff I can do as I get time as I packed the bearings last July 

[Mbirdsley]

Fishing Deck is on and re-Wired all of the wiring for my nav lights, anchor lights, new bilge, and new switch in the dash.  The new switch is a 4 gang switch with 4 rocker switches, usb phone charger and volt meter . 
 

The switch panel is only temporarily wired in I have inline fuses coming tommrow that I will splice in 
 

I forgot how bad that deck was to install the first time.  Elbows  should not bend like that !!! 
 

still on track for firing her up this weekend 

[TnRiver46]

You are a patient man. I’m about ready to sink one of my boats and use a canoe instead 

[Biglittle8]

Great job! It's nice to tear something down and build it back up, you learn a lot about what you have.