88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

[coxswain]

OK,
First off i was going to take pic of my work as i go and wasnt going to post here till i was done. I'm not in a great hurry to get thios done so didnt want to make folks suffer through long times between updates.
That being said, i find i need some advice and i may as well start at the beginning. Here are some before and current progress pics. My main issue at this point is the best way to fix corrosion holes in the hull below water line. see last pic for example.

I've been reading all the post i can find and from what i can gleen theres many suggustions ranging from expoxy, rivit and expoxy, screw/bolt and epoxy, metal/glass patches, and welding.

I'm looking to provide a permanant fix, i wont have access to the interior once the floor goes in. Welding is least desirable option only becauce i dont want to take the boat out of the garage, i had all i could do to get it in in the first place.

Not too concerned about expense. I want it watertight and compleated to prevent any further corrosive action happening. Whatever it costs to accomplish that is money well spent.

Ideally i'd like some step by step instructions like
1) sand/wire wheel the area inside and out
2) apply ??? (50% water vinegar mix) to kill any further corrosive action
3) fill, patch , or apply the best solution
4) any other steps needed

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer
Bill

ok, only 5 pic per post. they may be a bit out of order

 

[coxswain]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

More Pics, demo down to the floor, then wood and foam out

 

[coxswain]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Foam out, rear cubbies removed, corrsion hole ( close up a bit blurry ) I have 3 like this

 

[coxswain]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

one more question, how can i clean the entire inside boat bottom? is there some sort of cleaner or solution that will dissolve all the dirt and grime so its prepared for sealing? I dont think i can wire brush the entire thing

 

[oops!]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

pro boat cleaners use industrial toilet bowl cleaner.......this is an acid wash.

it will clean all gook off the boat......

im not a tinny guy so you might have to treat the alum with something else to seal it....

 

[LonLB]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

I've started to scrub mine.....I'll have to check the name, but it's a purple spray product that was back in the auto section at walmart.

I get the impression I'll go through a bunch of cleaner.....I spray it on, scrub it with a scrub brush, and then rinse it off with a bucket of water....Then shop vac up the water. (since I'm in the garage I don't let it just run out the drain)

It would be SO much easier to do that part when the weather is warm and do it outside.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Welcome coxswain! I sure like your rig, excellent project!

If it were me I'd get it all cleaned out (wire wheel, any sort of cleaning solution) then I would drill it out so it was a nice clean/uniform circle. I'd grab a stainless steel bolt and seal it up with 3M 5200. Permanent, water tight fix. I am sure that other fellas will have some other thoughts on the fix.

Have fun man!

 

[coxswain]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Thanks for the feedback and welcome. I made the mistake of checking out your rebuild thread JA and been on it for the last hour. Looking forward to getting to the last page. Dont give away the ending for me. lol

Not sure if i wil lget anything done on the boat today, football sunday and all. Maybe I'll try some TSP on the inside of the hull, im fairly lazy and would like the chemicals do the hard work for me as long as it doesnt make things worse.

I like the idea of having something solid in those holes as opposed to just some filler like JB weld or gluvit, SS bolts sound like a good option. I did run the wire brush on some of the floor last night. Def some electrolisis issues happening on this boat. Lots of pitted areas, some go through, others just starting. I wouldnt call it a hull that looks like swiss cheese but theres a lot of these spots all the way down the lenght of the boat.

SO this is my first rebuild, is this common for Tinny's? Will patching and sealing cure further corssion or should I consider this not worth my time and money and scrap this project?
Thanks
Bill

 

[LonLB]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Oddly enough, my boat is very similar, but much older, and I haven't seen ANY corrosion like that....I would definitely say your project is worth saving. No doubt about it...

I'm sure it's just a mental thing, but I don't like the idea of adding bolts or screws to fill holes.

My gunnell is full of holes, but I'm going to add various items that will eliminate those holes. From flush mount rod holder, pop up cleats, anti slip pads, etc. There will likely be a few I can't get taken care of, so I'll have those welded up.


One of the options I would consider for that hole, is a thru hull transducer. Most manufacturers offer a thru hull transducer. I'm not talking about a shoot thru hull mind you.

 

[coxswain]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Hi LonLB,
Yes, i saw your thread the other day and got excited to see another sea nymph. they seem to be few and far between. It looks like we are pretty much at the same point in the restro. I too have the orangey glue on the sides. I'm actually planning to have no carpet in the boat. I want something i can tip up and rinse out with a hose.

As far as the thru the hull transducer option, these holes are scattered around the bottom of the boat from the bow to the stern. transom is in really good shape and i dont plan on doing any work on it. I'm looking for a solution that will cover the holes, fill in the other corrosive spots and arrest any further corrsion. I'm thinking of using that spray on bedliner on the entire inside bottom as a sealer and then again on the wood floor as a finish.

I cant seem to find a annode attached to the hull itself so i'm figuring this never had one and relied on the motor zinc that didnt work (obviously)
I dont know the history of this boat, its been around 20 years before i got it. It may have seen salt water and/or had multiple ingnored current leaks.

Looking forward to watching your progress. Oh BTW, that pic on the jump seats on your thread is exactly what i had in mind for my boat. I cant seem to find any for sale, is this something that has to be DIY? what about the cushions? can you use anything or do they have to be something designed for this purpose as they need to stack flat when closed.

 

[LonLB]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

I think I'd have them welded up then. I know that wasn't the option you wanted to do, but it's the right way. If you find a guy that welds and fabs locally, and that works from home or a small garage, you can probably get it done pretty cheap.

You can buy just seats. I've seen them a few places. But they are expensive, and then you are faced with finding matching seats for every where else in the boat.

I think I'm going to go with a cheap regular fold down seat for the jump seats. Imagine the seat is closed so you are looking at a deck. You would flip the face open....(face of the deck not the top). This face would open all the way up and lay flat on the deck (which in this case is the back of the seat). Then flip the seat up.


I'll have to draw a picture and scan it to explain better. I'm bored today and last I checked it was two below zero so I'm not going anywhere.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Thanks for the feedback and welcome. I made the mistake of checking out your rebuild thread JA and been on it for the last hour. Looking forward to getting to the last page. Dont give away the ending for me. lol

Bad decision Bill! You'll find yourself in a maze of aluminum madness in my thread. Don't worry about the ending though man - it's the NEVER ENDING STORY!

Cheers buddy!

 

[coxswain]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

well it'll be a while before i tackle the seat issue so no hurry on a solution there. i'm thinking maybe using rivits to plug these holes. Heck, the whole bottom of the boat is rivits already so whats a few more. I never used anything but pop rivits but how hard can it be to hammer a few in with the hole pre-filled with gluvit, jbweld or 5200.
yes, cold front coming in all along the east coast. I'm a massachusettes transplant, been in NC about 8 yrs. Dont miss those sub zero temps.
Sunny and 45 here today ;-)
could be a fishing day if the boat was finished. Can usually fish year round down here.
Some of the things i'm trying to accomplish with this is;
raise the front fishing deck, this had a bowrider type u-shaped bench with an insert for the pedestal seat. I'll omit this and make a solid platform and utilise the under space for storage
Build a rear platform with center seat ped. and jump seats
reuse the existing aluminum live well and have it protrude the rear platform to act as a step up
install a permanant fuel tank
redo all the electrical including new bildge and bait pumps
move the trolling motor battery up front
I'd like to move the consoles back a bit but i think the center windshield wouldnt match up anymore...i'll have to think about that.
smatter some hatches about, rod holders, and install some cool lighting and electronics.
My wife thinks i'm crazy and should just go buy a new boat but i like the funtioinality of this one. Bass boats do nothing for me, floating platform is what i see them as. Center consoles, although offering nice fishing layout dont really inspire relaxing, chilling out picnic type oppurtunities
The dual console fish n ski gives me what i want. adequate fishing ability plus just crusing around for a leisurely boat ride if i want.

 

[coxswain]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Bad decision Bill! You'll find yourself in a maze of aluminum madness in my thread. Don't worry about the ending though man - it's the NEVER ENDING STORY!

Cheers buddy!

Ha!
I'm likey to speed more time reading that thread than working on the boat. Enjoying it though.. i wouldnt tackle that kind of project. This is my first but i guess you have to start somewhere. I'm not out to creatre a masterpiece, just wanted to figure out where i was taking on water (gallon or 2 a trip depending on how long i stayed out) and repair it, put in a new floor and make it a little more pleasant to be in. My wife was mortified to be seen in my "Ulgy Boat"
But It's kinda grown on me. I like Aluminum, Lightweight, funtional and retor looking. Kinda reminds me of those old streamline trailers. I like the ride as well. SInce picking it up a couple years back, i been visiting this site. Lots of good info and after seeing some of the restorations documented here i was instired to try one of my own.
I have to admit, had i not bought this Nymph off craigslist on a whim i would have gone for a starcraft. those thigs have got character. Cant wait to see how yours turned out. ( Turns? not sure of what tense to use here)

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Great project you've got going

I'm a huge fan of Sea Nymph rigs. We had a 20' 1986 Fish-N-Ski and got many many years of good use trolling for salmon in the Great Lakes and tubing/skiing inland lakes too. I agree that this layout is great for both.

My 16' Starcraft SS is very similar with the dual consoles.

I'd be a fan of aluminum rivets w/ 3M 5200...or stainless bolts. Folks have used both methods with success.

As far as cleaning the hull, a stiff-bristle brush will take that stuff off without damaging the aluminum like the wire wheel does. I tried to only use the wire wheel when absolutely needed so as to not thin the metal out too much.

Once the interior hull is cleaned up...order some Gluvit from iboats and apply it to all rivets and seams. It will adhere well to the metal and offer superior protection from current and future leaks.

Welcome to the site, and good luck with your rig

 

[coxswain]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Thanks H. A.
I think i will try the brush and scrub method and see how it comes out. Then move to more agressive means if nessasary.
Rivits it is, i decided. what i'm not sure about is how clean do i need to get the pitted ares before sealing with gluvit. I'm not too familar with aluminum crossion. if not completely clean will it continue to be eaten away even with the sealer on it?
Do i need to use some sort of etching solution first to avoid that?
What about the bedliner idea. anyone have any experience with that? I will of course gluvit all seams and rivets first.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Ha!
I'm likey to speed more time reading that thread than working on the boat. Enjoying it though.. i wouldnt tackle that kind of project. This is my first but i guess you have to start somewhere.

My wife was mortified to be seen in my "Ulgy Boat"

Yah, I am with ya. I really never considered a project like this until I found iboats. So ya, we can blame all our issues on thes guys.

I also know all to well about the name calling from the better half

Have fun on your project!

 

[coxswain]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

I've started to scrub mine.....I'll have to check the name, but it's a purple spray product that was back in the auto section at walmart.

I get the impression I'll go through a bunch of cleaner.....I spray it on, scrub it with a scrub brush, and then rinse it off with a bucket of water....Then shop vac up the water. (since I'm in the garage I don't let it just run out the drain)

It would be SO much easier to do that part when the weather is warm and do it outside.

Ibeen thinking about this, I think i'm going to setup my bilge pump and connect a hose out the garage door and then i can just hose it up all i want and let the pump do its thing. I'm replacing the original pump anyways so i dont care if i kill it

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Nice project. Very similar to an SC SS. Is most of your corrosion in areas where the foam was? We have a theory that the foam traps water (possibly salt water) against the hull and causes corrosion. That one of the reasons why many of us have gone with sheet foam or noodles in our rebuilds. I powerwashed my hull inside before Gluvit-ing it and it came out really nice and got all the limber holes pretty well blown out.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2228.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2252.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2251.jpg

I really don't think your going to find a better sealant than Gluvit. I did all my rivets and seams in my 18' with 1 quart. If you went with two quarts you should really be able to seal it up well. I would not mess with the bedliner.

 

[Broadcast]

Re: 88 Sea Nymph Fish N Ski rebuild

Looks like a fun project! I too am a Nymph fan!

Be watch'in your progress! Have fun with it!