5150abf
Vice Admiral
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2007
- Messages
- 5,808
It is an 80 Sea-nymph Fishin machine with an '81 evinrude 50, got it 8 years ago for $1700, boat motor and trailer, it had this horrible brown astroturf on it originally.
We had a 14 day shutdown for Christmas so I stripped it to the bare hull and started over, alot of things I didn't care for that I changed, the front storage door sat on top of the deck so I recessed that so it is flush now and the back storage and livewell doors I changed from opening on the side to opening from the end,alot easier to get into, and I put gas assist on all the doors, real pain to get the mounts right but really sweet when it was done.
I also relocated the livewell, it ran parrallel to the boat,turned it 90 degress so it is easier to get into, especially with the top up.
I put new windows in the top which, believe it or not, I made myself.
Started with a pontoon bimini top and an obsolete boat cover,zippers from Ebay, snaps from work and my wifes sewing machine and about 800 pins(serious).
You haven't lived until you have tried to cram 14' of bimini top through a Brother sewing machine with a 5"X8" opening, yikes
Originally had velcro closures everywhere but upgraded to zippers on the four corners and front and rear doors.
I live in way northern Indiana and without the top you stop fishing in early November and can't get back to it till late April, with it as long as you can get the boat in the water you are good, kick the heater on, crack a beer and wait for a hit.
I catfish at night so the livewell and all the storage areas are lite as well as a light for the galley area.
Almost done upgrading to LED, need to come up with 6 more lights and the entire boat will be LED.
Hate the hiss of a lantern so I made a 4 light led rod light and a 3 light one for inside the boat.
Made the rod holders myself too, everything, rod holders lights ect. are on a 1'' tube and I have 10-12 1 1/4 holders around the perimeter of the boat so you can move anything anywhere depending on the situation.
As a disclaimer, I work for a boat company and we are always getting vendor samples which end up upstairs in R&D and are then thrown away so most of the things on my boat were saved from the trash can,with the blessing of someone that out ranks me,of coarse, I would hate to think what this would have cost if I had to buy everything retail and I am a TIG welder by trade and work in an aluminum fab shop so pretty much anything I can think of I can make.
I really enjoyed doing this, love to solve problems and make things, why buy something when you can make it.
We had a 14 day shutdown for Christmas so I stripped it to the bare hull and started over, alot of things I didn't care for that I changed, the front storage door sat on top of the deck so I recessed that so it is flush now and the back storage and livewell doors I changed from opening on the side to opening from the end,alot easier to get into, and I put gas assist on all the doors, real pain to get the mounts right but really sweet when it was done.
I also relocated the livewell, it ran parrallel to the boat,turned it 90 degress so it is easier to get into, especially with the top up.
I put new windows in the top which, believe it or not, I made myself.
Started with a pontoon bimini top and an obsolete boat cover,zippers from Ebay, snaps from work and my wifes sewing machine and about 800 pins(serious).
You haven't lived until you have tried to cram 14' of bimini top through a Brother sewing machine with a 5"X8" opening, yikes
Originally had velcro closures everywhere but upgraded to zippers on the four corners and front and rear doors.
I live in way northern Indiana and without the top you stop fishing in early November and can't get back to it till late April, with it as long as you can get the boat in the water you are good, kick the heater on, crack a beer and wait for a hit.
I catfish at night so the livewell and all the storage areas are lite as well as a light for the galley area.
Almost done upgrading to LED, need to come up with 6 more lights and the entire boat will be LED.
Hate the hiss of a lantern so I made a 4 light led rod light and a 3 light one for inside the boat.
Made the rod holders myself too, everything, rod holders lights ect. are on a 1'' tube and I have 10-12 1 1/4 holders around the perimeter of the boat so you can move anything anywhere depending on the situation.
As a disclaimer, I work for a boat company and we are always getting vendor samples which end up upstairs in R&D and are then thrown away so most of the things on my boat were saved from the trash can,with the blessing of someone that out ranks me,of coarse, I would hate to think what this would have cost if I had to buy everything retail and I am a TIG welder by trade and work in an aluminum fab shop so pretty much anything I can think of I can make.
I really enjoyed doing this, love to solve problems and make things, why buy something when you can make it.
