1984 Sea Nymph Fish 'n Ski rebuild by a newbie

[Michelle43]

So, I purchased a 17ft 1984 Sea Nymph last July 2016 so I could get out on Lake Champlain after buying some lakefront property (land) with a friend of mine. Needless to say I wasn't out on the lake much before realizing that the 1984 Mercury 50hp needed a total rebuild. Also, the boat was filthy; so filthy that my friends refused to get near it or even admit knowing who owned it. They were ecstatic when I started to tear it apart last winter. In any case, I thought I would start documenting my progress today. I've removed everything and was able to remove the transom today. Now I'm looking to degrease it and get it ready for paint too. I've got a couple of questions on my next steps.
-- What do I do about the rust where the transom had been - do i just sand it off?
-- Is TSP safe to wash and degrease the boat. It's full of grease and grime
-- i need help in ordering rivets to put the splash well back together. Can someone help me out with typical sizes and let me know if blind rivets are okay or do I need the rivets without the hole...sorry, forgot the name. I'm not talking about the regular rivet you need two people to install
-- for the transom bolts and screws, I'm assuming stainless steel....is there any other 'grade' i need to know about before purchasing or do i just match the size?

I apologize for all the newbie questions, but I don't have a husband to bother right now so you guys are it. I'll post pictures once I figure out where to do that.

 

[Michelle43]

I just figured out I need 3 posts to posts pictures, so hang tight. The bones of the SN seem to be in awesome shape. Only 3 leaking rivets last Fall. I"m hoping to rebuck them once I get the grease and grime out of the boat. Then I plan on using 5200, rebuck the rivets and then use gluvit on the entire bottom of the boat. I removed about 200lbs of soaked foam from this boat and hope to avoid that in my lifetime with this boat.

 

[jasoutside]

Hi Michelle and welcome to iboats!

You'll see I have a couple of Sea Nymph projects there in my signature. On has been built and ultimately traded and the other is in progress, about where you are at actually.

So, your questions....

The corrosion on your transom skin, yup, you can sand that off, or wire wheel, or whatever method works best to get all that junk off.

I haven't used TSP so I'm not certain there. Pressure washer works great too!

For rivets you'll need aluminum 3/16" blind pop rivets for most of the work you are doing. You'll want a variety of lengths for the various jobs. I also like to use 1/8" in some situations.

Yup, transom bolts and screws, stainless is best all sealed up with 3M 5200 or something similar.

Sea Nymph boats are really great builds, they did a nice job on them (save the worthless expanding pour in foam).

All the best:thumb:

 

[Woodonglass]

TSP is what I always recommend for cleaning grease and grime.. IT's AWESOME and won't hurt your aluminum

 

[Michelle43]

Hi Michelle and welcome to iboats!

You'll see I have a couple of Sea Nymph projects there in my signature. On has been built and ultimately traded and the other is in progress, about where you are at actually.

:

Yes, I've seen your boats. Great job! I spent the afternoon getting plywood to rebuild my transom. I'm excited to finally start putting the boat back together instead of taking it apart! Here's a recent picture. You can still see all the grime I have to clean off of it.

 

[Frey0357]

Hello Michelle43, welcome to the party!

Sea Nymph's are very well built aluminum boats with many, many rivets. You will want to make sure that you leak test that hull before you put it back together to ensure that she is water tight, and if not there are many products/methods you can use to make it so!

Keep the photos coming and continue to ask questions as you go, I too had a SN and completed a full restoration. Looking forward to a full year using with my kids!

Frey

 

[Michelle43]

Thanks Frey. I've done one leak test already. Only 3 leaking rivets...slow leaks. Once I get the boat cleaned up and the new transom in I plan to do another test and re-buck any leaking rivets. Then gluvit all the rivets and seams. That's my plan anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out if I ever get to work on the boat again. The weather in Vermont hasn't been cooperating lately and I don't have a place inside to work on it unfortunately.

 

[Michelle43]

Hello guys. I need help. I spent a few hours scrubbing my boat with TSP to get rid of the grime. It worked great except for the stain on the exterior....didn't really even touch it. It looks like black paint, but it's not... How can I get this stuff off so I can repaint my boat?

 

[Michelle43]

any help on removing the staining so I can repaint? Please see previous post.

 

[chevymaher]

Bucket of water and some 1000 grit wet sandpaper. Wrap the paper on a foam block. Just keep it wet and sand. Auto body places sell those blocks. If you need to see what i am talking about I can get a pic of one.

 

[Michelle43]

Thanks Chevymaher! I think I know what you mean. Appreciate your suggestion. I'll post a pic to let you know how it turns out. Thanks again!

 

[Michelle43]

Worked like a charm! Thanks

 

[chevymaher]

Welcome.

 

[Frey0357]

Looks good Michele43, this look is similar at this stage to my rebuild. When you repaint, are you going with the spray method, roll-n-tip, or rattle can? You probably are fully aware, but in case not your primer on the bare aluminum spots is important to ensure the best adherence of paint. Keep it going, you are doing well.

Frey

 

[Michelle43]

When you repaint, are you going with the spray method, roll-n-tip, or rattle can? You probably are fully aware, but in case not your primer on the bare aluminum spots is important to ensure the best adherence of paint. Keep it going, you are doing well.

Not sure....I've been pondering that for about 3 days now. I don't have a compressor large enough to spray, but home depot rents a paint sprayer. I also don't have a paint booth so i'd have to paint outside. I know nothing about cleaning a sprayer, but the roll/tip method is daunting to me. Any recommendations? Also, I could use some recommendations on primer/paint/clear coat and number of coats of each. Finally, can I spray it all in one day??? renting a paint sprayer is expensive and I'm doing this on a budget.

 

[Michelle43]

Ugh....big mistake. I put in my new transom which is VERY tight and realized that I didn't angle the top so it sticks up 1/2" towards the front. Also, I can't get the back aluminum piece to fit since everything is so tight and I can't even remove it to cut the transom in place. UGH!!!......now what? So frustrating!!!

 

[Michelle43]

Here's the evidence of my rookie mistake. Not sure what to do next.



Not the greatest new transom, but it's my first time building one and using epoxy.

 

[ezmobee]

Take a belt sander to it in place and re-seal the top.

Definitely don't consider painting it with rattle cans. I did that once and it used so many of them I coulda bought a sprayer for less money. I painted my next one with the roll and roll method and it came out excellent.

 

[Woodonglass]

Yup I agree ezmobee on BOTH counts.:nod:

 

[Michelle43]

I painted my next one with the roll and roll method and it came out excellent.

What is the 'Roll and Roll' method. Not sure I've heard of that before.

By the way....I will be buying or renting a belt sander this weekend. Thanks.