# How well do older sea nymph fishing machine hulls hold up?



## Harry1959

Am probably going to buy a 1980 sea nymph fm 161 tomorrow. Has been sitting for 6 years(owner passed on)Has a 1980 Johnson 55 on it. The hull looks great. No dings in it and paint is good, interior needs redone. Needs new floor. Motor looks real good cosmetically. Good compression, very dirty lower unit grease, but no water in it. Seems like a good deal for $1000. I am pretty good with replacing floors do ok with most outboard repairs. I’m a little concerned about the age of the hull an possible leaking rivers. Any opinions or anyone owned older sea nymphs? Thanks


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## fastwater

Some time back had 1982 Sea Nymph 12' tiller boat. It just had the bench seats in it....no carpet...just bare boat. Hull was in great shape and it was built really solid/heavy compared to some on the market today. Ended up giving it to a friend of mine. He and his son still use it today with no leaks/issues.
I'd say for the $ you are getting yours for, that's a good deal. And when you strip the floor out, fill it with water, inspect for leaks and replace rivets as needed then. Would also epoxy all seams while I had everything out as well. Sounds like a project that will turn out to be a nice outfit.


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## Specwar

I’ve had two and in my opinion they are very well built. Good price and it sounds like a fun project is lurking.


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## firemanmike2127

Sounds like you'll do fine for a thousand dollars. If you add up the value of the boat, motor, & trailer separately the math is definitely in your favor. I maintain a Sea Nymph 161 about that age it has held up well even though the owner doesn't take very good care of it. If the hull inspection doesn't show any flaws or problem areas you'll have a dang nice little fishing machine. Make sure to evaluate the transom well....especially if spent any considerable amount of time docked in the lake. Mike


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## Harry1959

I am thinking will need to rip all the foam between floor and hull out if I want to check for leaks? Is the spray insulation “great stuff” a good replacement?


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## bountyhunter

those were great boats ,had two never a boat problem, and it,ll do real well with that hp.


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## Harry1959

I had also thought about slightly attached new floor, no carpet and weighing boat(should weigh around 600 lbs). Running it some, check for water at drain plug. Then reweigh to check for trapped water


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## snagless-1

I have a 1993 Sea Nymph GLS. 19 ft.first motor 90 hp Evinrude lasted 22 years very good service,2 cycle.Then I bought a Mercury 115 hp. 4 stroke will never look back.When I bought this boat an old timer said;2 years and you will be fixing rivets,26 years later and many pounding Lake Erie,and Lake Ontario trips ,not one loose rivet.Very well built,and will probably last another 15-20 years.


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## Muddy

I have a 2004 Sea Nymph FM 165. It’s never leaked a drop. The older Sea Nymph GLS never die as long as they are stored indoors.


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## baitguy

Harry1959 said:


> I am thinking will need to rip all the foam between floor and hull out if I want to check for leaks? Is the spray insulation “great stuff” a good replacement?


I'm just about finished w/a 167 Sea Nymph complete rebuild, late 70s I believe ... the foam that's in it has to at least be checked and probably come out, mine was soaking wet and caused pitting on the inside of the rear of the hull ... found leaks by filling w/water ... I bucked all the rivets, reinforced that area w/a silicone product and sealed the entire inside of the hull w/truck bed liner ... Wetlander paint on the bottom ... I used Pink foam boards from HD, they were cheaper, way less than half if I remember ... DO NOT USE GREAT STUFF FOR THAT ... you'll need about a hundred of them little cans so won't save anything, and it's made to stop air infiltration not flotation, and will absorb moisture ... if you're doing spray you need to get the marine stuff, 2 or 4 pound density i think ... higher is better and costs more, it's popularly priced and a 2 part system so you have to either mix it and use it quickly or have a sprayer that does the mixing


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## All Eyes

My 1989 146 Sea Nymph still doesn't leak a drop. It's always been stored in the garage but I have never touched any of the rivets.


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## Steelheader88

Get the 2 or 4 lb high density 2 part closed foam pour in foam from US Composites online, i put plastic sheet under my unattached floor boards, poured the mix and it formed perfectly underneath plywood, it held onto the plastic or aluminum foil, then i riveted the board down, structural support, noise dampening and floatation. Closed cell wont absorb.


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## fastwater

Steelheader88 said:


> Get the 2 or 4 lb high density 2 part closed foam pour in foam from US Composites online, i put plastic sheet under my unattached floor boards, poured the mix and it formed perfectly underneath plywood, it held onto the plastic or aluminum foil, then i riveted the board down, structural support, noise dampening and floatation. *Closed cell wont absorb.*


Yes sir...Very important!!!
Whether using foam sheeting or 2 part liquid foam, always use closed cell foam when foaming a boat. Never open cell.


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## Zanderis

I have a 1990 16.5 foot FM 161
It needs TLC ....which I am giving it......floors were not painted back then....you can use marine plywood (special glue & construction)
Be sure to seal it with epoxy....
Use Stainless Steel or Monel staples for carpet. Consider new switch panel....update for cigarette lighter socket, USB, LED illuminated switches







There are boat forums out there to help.


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## bridgeman

Rip the floor out and take it to a local lake to check for leaks.. you can try to re-buck the rivets but the best thing to do is paint the inside with gluvit. If you wanna save some $$ on floatation go to lowes or home depot or any other box store lumber yard and get a few sheets of foam insulation panels, they can be cut and stacked under the floor. Its closed cell and wont absorb any water. I've done a few older boats over the years and this is your best route.


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## Lewis

I've been fishing out of a 1989 Sea Nymph FM 146 for 25 years....great boats! I also have a StarCraft Superfisherman 176 with a 125 Merc, but I love that Sea Nymph.


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## flounder

I have a mid 80s sidewinder 165, good solid boat, only one rivet missing after scraping a rock. I keep it sealed with silicone and haven't had any other issues other than the trasom is beginning to get soft but it's still serviceable. 70 hp Johnson on the boat and it's been bulletproof.


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## I Fish

Steelheader88 said:


> Get the 2 or 4 lb high density 2 part closed foam pour in foam from US Composites online, i put plastic sheet under my unattached floor boards, poured the mix and it formed perfectly underneath plywood, it held onto the plastic or aluminum foil, then i riveted the board down, structural support, noise dampening and floatation. Closed cell wont absorb.


This is my recommendation as well. Imo, the 2 part pourable foam adds rigidity to helps minimize any flex. Also, you can easily find any replacement rivets online at McMaster-Carr.


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## Harry1959

Well I bought it. Was real happy with it, I got it for $900. The hour meter says it only had 132 hours, but definitely needs a lot of elbow grease and TLC.


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## Kenlow1

Have had several Sea Nymph's- they are great boats, never had any leak issues! Sounds like you made a good deal. Post some pics of your new find. Love them boats!


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## Harry1959

Hear are some pics. Also after repairing some bad wires and replacing cracked linkage from throttle to timing, it fired right up after sitting several years. Even pumped good water ( I know the 7-8 year old impeller needs replaced). 120 lbs compression in each cylinder. The flotation foam wasn’t too bad. I’m planning to put it on the lake today without floor and check for leaks.(provided I can access a dock at CC with the water level high). I have never owned an aluminum boat with a floor, looks to me like those aluminum stringers are very well built?


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## bountyhunter

looks good . don,t trust that water pump.


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## Harry1959

Oh 


bountyhunter said:


> looks good . don,t trust that water pump.


oh no, after sitting for 8 years I know it’s at least that old, we know it’s dry rotted and brittle. I was surprised it pumped such a good stream of water.


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## slimdaddy45

I have a 93 Sea Nymph SS195 JUST GOT IT LAST YR AND HAVE ONLY HAD IT IN THE WATER 2 TIMES 1st time about sunk it the hose to the livewell is broke someplace water came in so I put a plug in the livewell pump now it seems to be ok at some point I will pull the floor to fix it but love the boat don't know how big of a job it is to pull the floor yet


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## Zanderis

Harry1959 said:


> Hear are some pics. Also after repairing some bad wires and replacing cracked linkage from throttle to timing, it fired right up after sitting several years. Even pumped good water ( I know the 7-8 year old impeller needs replaced). 120 lbs compression in each cylinder. The flotation foam wasn’t too bad. I’m planning to put it on the lake today without floor and check for leaks.(provided I can access a dock at CC with the water level high). I have never owned an aluminum boat with a floor, looks to me like those aluminum stringers are very well built?


I have a 1990 FM 160....hard to get manufacture brochures earlier than 90's
These are specs from 1992 brochure


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## Zanderis

Harry1959 said:


> Hear are some pics. Also after repairing some bad wires and replacing cracked linkage from throttle to timing, it fired right up after sitting several years. Even pumped good water ( I know the 7-8 year old impeller needs replaced). 120 lbs compression in each cylinder. The flotation foam wasn’t too bad. I’m planning to put it on the lake today without floor and check for leaks.(provided I can access a dock at CC with the water level high). I have never owned an aluminum boat with a floor, looks to me like those aluminum stringers are very well built?


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## Zanderis

Harry1959 said:


> Hear are some pics. Also after repairing some bad wires and replacing cracked linkage from throttle to timing, it fired right up after sitting several years. Even pumped good water ( I know the 7-8 year old impeller needs replaced). 120 lbs compression in each cylinder. The flotation foam wasn’t too bad. I’m planning to put it on the lake today without floor and check for leaks.(provided I can access a dock at CC with the water level high). I have never owned an aluminum boat with a floor, looks to me like those aluminum stringers are very well built?


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## Zanderis

Zanderis said:


> View attachment 312175


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## Zanderis

Zanderis said:


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## Zanderis

Zanderis said:


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## Zanderis

Zanderis said:


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## Harry1959

Thanks Zanderis


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## Zanderis

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/owners-groups-by-manufacturer/s/sea-nymph-boats
This forum on Iboats is very useful.
One person had a technique for using PVC with a tooth edge to take core sample of foam....to see if its water logged or boat leaked.


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## Harry1959

Ok guys, I have her back in the water. Solid old boat, running pretty good, great to fish out of and tops out at about 33 mph which gets me around just fine. Here s another before picture with a few afters


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## fastwater

Looks great Harry!
Excellent job!!!


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