Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

[DamianJP]

Hello

First time posting here about my own boat. I see alot of cool projects here most are alot bigger and are full restorations than mine but I think I've come to the right place for help.

I bought this boat for $500. Not a total Deep V but a very nice boat and will fit the bill for a intercostal fishing, mabey alittle offshore on a good day. My friend has a Sylvan Sea Troller which is the Deep V model. I really wanted the Deeper V but I hardly see Deep V's here in south FL so I jumped on this one.

I have alot of questions so I'll try and keep it neat and quick. I'm starting to gut the boat of all old wood. I had to bust the rivets out to get the wood up. There is also foam down there under the flooring which I'm thinking of taking out completely , I don't like it because if it does get wet it's heavy. The front 2 pieces of wood came up easy but now I'm hitting the sections that have alot of storage areas and live wells that are over the wood making it hard to get the old flooring out without having to bust some side rivets out to take the stuff out to get at the flooring.

My friend has a rivet gun and rivets but I have no experience riveting , let alone riveting a boat and making a nice seal. All the side riveting is above he water line but I want to make sure I'm doing it %100 and sealing it the right way.

1)What type of plywood whould I use marine or pressure? Should I match the thickness of the original material?

2)What the cheapest most efficient way to seal the wood before putting it in the boat?

3)If I do bust the side rivets out, is it easy to rivet? And what do I use to create a nice seal on the new rivets and old ones?

4)Can I take out all the old foam? It does seem like it helps give backing to the floor or can the aluminium beams that run the length of the boat and some across, back the flooring enough?

5)What should I use to glue the carpet to the new wood?

Tomorrow I plan to get and get the rest of the wood out. I wanted to wait for the advice from you guys here that do these restorations alot. Sorry for the long post with a crap load of pics.


Thanks,
DamianJP

 

[oldschoolboater]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Keep looking at the other projects going on, or the ones completed and you will find your answers. Lots of good information.

 

[DamianJP]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

I have been reading abit and seem to have some answers.

Gulvit is for sealing wood and the new rivets I will do, just don't know how much to get. Gonna grab the rivert gun at Harbor Freight too.

Still don't know about the foam. If it's not structural I want it out. If it is then I still gotta find which foam to use. I think the two aluminium braces that run the length of the boat and the sides of the boat should hold up the flooring okay but I dunno. What do you guys think?

Still gotta find what to use for the deck and other wood work. I'm thinking for the deck to cover the ply with some firberglass mat to help strengthen it so when I put the deck back in with no foam it will make up for the backing the foam did.

More demo-ing tomorrow. Time to de rivet the back bench, livewell , storage bin , and drivers seat box. Can't wait !!!


DamianJP

 

[DamianJP]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Hey guys

I just searched To Foam or not to Foam...

It's got me thinking.

Now do you guys think the foam that is in my Sylvan is there for structural puposes? Heres why I ask...

My buddy has big pieces of styrafoam he was going to build a floating dock with, but its hard to cut them perfect to be the exact height to be backing for the deck. I dont wanna use 2 part, it fills in too much not allowing drainage.
If its just for saftey reasons Ill just cut some styrafoam up in place of the old pour in foam that came with the boat. Is there anything I can coat the stryrafoam with to make it totally water proof or water resistant?

The only good thing of the 2 part/ pour in stuff is that it filled in the spaces totally to were it acting as a backing for the deck.


DamianJP

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Your foam is not structural. I'd remove it and replace with either pool noodles or the pink/blue sheet foam from Lowes/HD. Don't use styrofoam as it waterlogs too easily. Do NOT use pressure treated wood on an aluminum boat. The new PT severely corrodes aluminum. Use marine ($$) or exterior plywood. The Arauco plywood from Lowes is very nice. As far as how you waterproof your wood, it depends on how much you want to spend. The best is to fiberglass it. The second best is to coat it with epoxy resin. That's what most of us are doing. Down from there would be porch & floor paint. Not too many of us are going back with carpet. I used marine vinyl and am very pleased with it. Others are using non-skid coats or paint with non-skid added to it. Check out any of the Startcraft restorations for ideas.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Here's a link to how I delt with mine. Shows a few pictures with the deck removed.

How I did mine was to set the blade of the cicular saw just shallower than the thickness of the ply then ripped it down the centerline. Then lifted the center cut enough to be able to pull it out from under the seat boxes. Then refitted the deck in two pcs. also so I could sile it back under. Worked well ad you cannot tell there is a seam in the deck. Hope this will give you an idea as to how you could do it.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=332854

 

[DamianJP]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Hey guys !!

Thanks Ez and Bonz !!!

I know all the info is here but there is soooo much of it, it makes my head spin sometimes tryin to sift threw it all. I did some research last night but was real tired.
Thank you for taking you time out and answering my questions and such. I know both of you probably have done this many times.

Heres my list so far.
Gulvit
HF Rivet Gun
Arauco wood ( dunno either glass or epox)
Vinyl or non skid (Or carpet dunno yet)
Pool noodles
SS Screws

I do like the carpet when I fish. Especially when I'm bare foot the carpet is comfortable but I understand even if the wood is sealed, the carpet hold water/moisture. Still up on the fence on this but it's a small dilemma. Most of my questions you guys cleared up .


Thank You !!!,
DamianJP

 

[DamianJP]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Small update !!

Gutted it out. This project started out as just replace the inside, then went to replacing the floor but forget about the transom and paint, to now I wanna do it %100.

Few questions again please.

1) The rivets on the side of the hull weren't the one that have the hole in the middle. There were solid rivets, can I use the other style rivets or just use nuts and bolts?

2) The beams running the length of the boat were riveted on the "ribs" of the boat that run from side to side. Can these be riveted back in?

3) The floor was then riverted to the beams and aluminium strips . Can I rivet the floor back to the beams and strips?

4)Strip the boat with hand sand , paint stripper , medium wire wheel then diluted phosphoric acid like in Mantis270's Lund resto? Anything I should look out for?

Tomorrow I'm gonna attack it again, gotta open the transom and mabey pressure wash inside and out to start the stripping process off. I'm still worried about the foam deal. I know EZ said it's not structural but there seems to be a big gap the wood will have no backing plus when I took the foam out ( came out in 2 big pieces Thank God) the beams running the length of the boat moved around a bit. Mabey when wood is layed on top and everything is riveted together it will gain strength.

Thanks again guys,
DamianJP

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Few questions again please.

1) The rivets on the side of the hull weren't the one that have the hole in the middle. There were solid rivets, can I use the other style rivets or just use nuts and bolts?

2) The beams running the length of the boat were riveted on the "ribs" of the boat that run from side to side. Can these be riveted back in?

3) The floor was then riverted to the beams and aluminium strips . Can I rivet the floor back to the beams and strips?

4)Strip the boat with hand sand , paint stripper , medium wire wheel then diluted phosphoric acid like in Mantis270's Lund resto? Anything I should look out for?

Tomorrow I'm gonna attack it again, gotta open the transom and mabey pressure wash inside and out to start the stripping process off. I'm still worried about the foam deal. I know EZ said it's not structural but there seems to be a big gap the wood will have no backing plus when I took the foam out ( came out in 2 big pieces Thank God) the beams running the length of the boat moved around a bit. Mabey when wood is layed on top and everything is riveted together it will gain strength.

1. Don't really know. You probably want to find closed end rivets. The other guys know better about those than me.

2. Those beams are the stringers. Yes you can rivet those back in with pop rivets.

3. Yes

4. If your paint isn't flaking off, you may be able to get away with a thorough scuff job and not have to strip.

Well your foam is definitely not structural. The stringers will be floppy until you get the deck in. When the deck is attached to the stringers and ribs it will be quite solid. If you're concerned about the span, go with a 5/8" or 3/4" deck. I love the solidness of my 3/4" deck.

 

[DamianJP]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Sweet EZ Thank You !

Cool on the floor/foam. I know you told me the foam isn't structural before. So thank you for going back to explain. Prolly go with the 3/4" for decking and smaller for the hatches and such that people wont stand on.

I'll just scuff the paint up to prep for paint but I wanted to get down to the metal around all the rivets to gulvit all the rivets from the inside out on both sides.

Wasn't going to do the transom but I want to do this the right way. Today's fun is transom and cleaning (prep).

Thank you again for dealing with my endless questions/ideas.


Thanks,
DamianJP

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Damian welcome to the tin can club, that's a nice project you've got happening there

I really like the layout of that rig, my dad had a 17' Sea Nymph that was basically identical. The boat looks like it's in great shape, I did not see much corrosion on the hull. That means it was probably freshwater only, lucky for you.

What motor are you using? If you mentioned it already I did not see it.

For rivets, Fastenal has anything you might need, also Grainger is a good source. For rivets above the water line normal pop rivets will work, and you can seal them with 5200 also. The closed-head rivets are best I think, I have not used any myself yet though.

If the span between stringers and other attachment points for the deck, then 1/2" might be fine once it's fiberglassed or epoxied. I went with 3/4" and epoxy on my Starcraft and you could drive a truck on it almost, but is very heavy from all the epoxy the wood absorbed.

Go with the arauco, it's excellent and has very few voids.

Good luck with the rig!

 

[DamianJP]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Hey Huron Angler

Thank you, yup the rig has a nice layout. I was thinking of mabey since it's a clean slate to move stuff around but I'm gonna go back to %100 stock location for all the stuff, Console,livewell,storage. I think I want to extend the front casting deck for more standing room for when I'm working the pedal trolling motor. And the back bench was wasted space had foam in it. I want to make 2 nice sized storage bins on either side for no wasted space. 1 for battery and other electrical stuff , other will be for storage.

I'll check out Fastenal and Grainger. All the rivets on the side of the boat were solid rivets. I mean the rivets had no hole in the middle it was solid metal, what should I replace these with?

Also what are some other sizes of rivets that I should pick up other than 3/16?

On the arauco, I cannot find it by me in Home Depot or Lowes.
Might have to hit a building supply around me to snag some arauco. Do I need to let it sit for a period of time to dry of anything? Or is it ready to "Rock n' Roll" right off the bat? Prolly gonna grab 3/4".


And the motor.... I'm still looking for a clean and well maintained 50HP. Preferably a Mercury. I see some 2000+ Year Merc's on Ebay for around $2500, with less than 200hrs and perfect compression. I was thinking mabey 40HP but I checked NADA and the weight is the same between the two so I'd rather have the extra power in-case I need it.


Thanks again,
DamianJP

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

The Arauco that I've come across seems pretty dry. If you end up at a building supply place just ask them for good quality exterior ply. It's gotta be better than the crap I got from Home Depot for my deck. Void city!

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

When you are replacing bad rivets, if the holes are not damaged and seem to be flush with a 3/16" rivet then you are fine with those.

When the factory rivet hole is wider or damaged somehow you will want to step up to a larger stainless steel bolt or maybe a 1/4" closed rivet. 3M 5200 will seal them and keep them watertight if you put some on the rivet prior to installation.

Some Lowe's have Arauco and some don't. It makes no sense but there are 2 locations near me and one does not carry it. I ended up getting some from another local chain a few weeks ago, so ask around there's gotta be some near you.

 

[DamianJP]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Hey

Iv'e been going slow, alot of stuff popped up. Redoing a 55' Mercury 5.9hp , Fixing my Dad's 77' Evinrude 55hp / 96' Honda Accord , and my 87' BMW, my head is spinning but it's all fun .

Iv'e been researching transom options and came across this stuff. My friend used it but didnt calculate how much to use and it slightly pushed out some aluminium here and there. Very slightly thought.

Whats your guy's take on this stuff?

http://www.nida-core.com/english/nordprod_nidabond_transom.htm


Thanks gain,
DamianJP

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

My take is it would be silly to use on an aluminum boat. I'm also concerned with what the tremendous heat generated by the curing process would do to the aluminum.

 

[DamianJP]

Re: Semi Restoration 1995 Sylvan 165PM Classic Fisherman

Hey EZ

Your right if I remember correctly when my friend did his it was pretty hot. I was thinking though it would be nice never to have to worry about the transom , but if I take it slow and do it right with the wood I should have no problems for a long time. Thank you again, sorry if I keep asking small and big questions but this is the first time redoing a boat and I want to do it right.

Thanks,
DamianJP