Did something stupid... bought a 1990 Sea Nymph SC 175

pc1p

I do all my own stunts
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If anyone has seen by bass-fishing post, you'd know that I've taken it up recently. While I've been a fisherman for a long time, bass fishing was something I never got into. I never had any friends that were big into it, I never had any luck at lakes or rivers (sea bass being the exception), and never really enjoyed it. Well, long-story short, I've gotten good at it in short time and decided that I wanted to do more than just shore fish (especially after the fish stopped biting when the summer heat really hit).

Something to note here - prior to this, I had almost zero knowledge of boats, other than the fact that they float (most of the time). I originally was looking for a 12-14' Jon or simple aluminum boat. After telling a few people my plans (those familiar with boats), they laughed at me. Apparently being 6'3" and 335 lbs was not something I thought mattered in a boat that was 12' long. Apparently I was wrong. After being shown-the-light, I started looking for a 16-17' bass-style or multi-use boat in decent shape.

Found a few options but PA can be a PITA, since both the boat and trailer needs to be titled to get registered, though the law didn't change until 1997. So, many people with older boats or who have inherited a boat from family members simply can't sell them (or at least can't sell them to someone in PA with the hopes of getting it registered). Word got around that I was looking and a long-time friend was selling a boat he had for a number of years. It was his first, then his dad bought it. They then loaned/sold to a family friend, and then bought it back. My Over the years and through different owners, it was neglected a little and my friend decided that it was more work than he was interested in.

So, for a whopping $700, I bought me a 1990 Sea Nymph Sidewinder SC175, including the trailer, 70hp Evinrude, and 50 ft-lb trolling motor...
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It hasn't been on water in about 4 years and has been sitting on flat tires for about the same time. But, overall the boat and trailer are in nice shape and will be a good boat for me to earn my Captain's Hat.



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It needs some work for sure - the floor being the main issue. There are some soft/water-logged spots of foam too that will need to be replaced and likely the transom will need to be reboarded...

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It's rare that the family is excited for any project of mine, but both kids wanted photos inside it when I backed it up the driveway - my son even offered to help without being asked. They are pushing me to get it done before winter for even just a short drive around the lake. That may be an ambitious timeline but I will try. Immediate steps are to get the water soaked foam replaced, fix/replace the transom boards, carpet the new wood floor, and fix/upgrade the wiring to the console.

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Over winter, I'll reupholster the rod lockers and front deck, add a fish finder and some lights, find a replacement windshield, and do some other upgrades (bimi style fold up/down sunshade and maybe a small tow bar so we can pull the kids on tubes). I'm excited - as I said, I have no real knowledge of boats but am filling in the details as I go. They're very Jeep like, at least this one is. It reminds me of a YJ - just enough electronics to make it reliable and enjoyable, but nothing that you can't fix/repair easily in a weekend (or on the water!).
 
Oh boy. A boat thread...

Break Out Another Thousand.

Look like a decent project. Bonus that the stringers are aluminum instead of Wood. Sea Nymph makes a good boat and 700 for that package is a steal, even knowing the work you need to do.

Myself, I went from a17' open bow Sea Ray with a 4 cylinder I/O to a 22' Cuddy Cab Crownline with a 350 V8 I/O to a 12 foot sea nymph with a 9.9 Johnson O/B.
 
Normally when someone says "hey I did something stupid and I bought a" I am the first one to say "that looks like a great project nice work"

But this time I just can't argue with your own words 🤣
 
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Oh boy. A boat thread...

Break Out Another Thousand.

Look like a decent project. Bonus that the stringers are aluminum instead of Wood. Sea Nymph makes a good boat and 700 for that package is a steal, even knowing the work you need to do.

Myself, I went from a17' open bow Sea Ray with a 4 cylinder I/O to a 22' Cuddy Cab Crownline with a 350 V8 I/O to a 12 foot sea nymph with a 9.9 Johnson O/B.

I guess that's what these Sea Nymphs are famous for. The 93+ models have a full aluminum floor even, which I thought about doing as well (it would require moving the rod lockers and decks "down" to compensate for the thinner material). I'm thinking about it and can make a mock floor out of 1/4" ply and use those as templates.

Someone must have ordered this with the intent to fish some of the bigger lakes and rivers as the Evinrude 70hp is original to the boat. I guess most of these were ordered with a 30-40hp Evinrude/Johnson package. People seem to love these VROs:

Overall it seemed like a good buy. We aren't hurting for $$ and I was looking at a few newer options (I had a $10k max that I wanted to spend on my first boat b/c spending anything more on something you're bound to f*%^ up on at least a few times while you learn seems silly). But, something about this just got my attention and I enjoy a good project.
 
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Normally when someone says "hey I did something stupid and I bought a" I am the first one to say "that looks like a great project nice work"

But this time I just can't argue with your own words 🤣

Time will tell I suppose - I posted this up on a Sea Nymph Facebook page to get some feedback and ask some questions and then got 3 offers to buy it from me and also an offer to trade a fully decked out Jon boat for it. I figure worst case if we don't care for boating, I can sell it for at least what I have into it, if not more.
 
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I guess that's what these Sea Nymphs are famous for. The 93+ models have a full aluminum floor even, which I thought about doing as well (it would require moving the rod lockers and decks "down" to compensate for the thinner material). I'm thinking about it and can make a mock floor out of 1/4" ply and use those as templates.

Someone must have ordered this with the intent to fish some of the bigger lakes and rivers as the Evinrude 70hp is original to the boat. I guess most of these were ordered with a 30-40hp Evinrude/Johnson package. People seem to love these VROs:

Overall it seemed like a good buy. We aren't hurting for $$ and I was looking at a few newer options (I had a $10k max that I wanted to spend on my first boat b/c spending anything more on something you're bound to f*%^ up on at least a few times while you learn seems silly). But, something about this just got my attention and I enjoy a good project.

Older Evinrudes are Johnsons and they were good engines...OMC (their I/O division) was not very good, and kinda brought them down. 70HP in a 175 class boat is gonna SCOOT too!

My 1997 Crownline (the boat I put a lot of work into) still had wooden stringers, but thankfully, that boat had a solid floor. The rest of it was beat, but the floors were solid. I did enough to that boat that I paid 7500 for it in 2008 and sold it in 2018 for 14,000!
 
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Older Evinrudes are Johnsons and they were good engines...OMC (their I/O division) was not very good, and kinda brought them down. 70HP in a 175 class boat is gonna SCOOT too!

My 1997 Crownline (the boat I put a lot of work into) still had wooden stringers, but thankfully, that boat had a solid floor. The rest of it was beat, but the floors were solid. I did enough to that boat that I paid 7500 for it in 2008 and sold it in 2018 for 14,000!

I was figuring that about Evinrude/Johnson thing as I see the names hyphenated or "slashed" a lot. I also see the "OMC" referenced a lot and it's on the ignition key, but haven't really dug into the history much. I think they are what turned into Lowe (or maybe Lowe bought them out?)?

All I know for sure is that trying to find a factory service manual or even an operator/owner manual has been impossible so far, but I've been able to put some information together using sales brochures that I've been able to find online (and from talking to other owners on FB). Thankfully, as I said earlier, these appear really simple to work on. Wiring seems straight forward and I've already started mapping it out (as reference).

I had to Google what that Crownline of yours looked like - seems like a beast! From what the PO told me about this boat, it can pull tubes without issue and more importantly, it's just big and powerful enough to run the St. Lawrence and Susquehanna rivers for smallmouth (something I'm eager to try).
 
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Time will tell I suppose - I posted this up on a Sea Nymph Facebook page to get some feedback and ask some questions and then got 3 offers to buy it from me and also an offer to trade a fully decked out Jon boat for it. I figure worst case if we don't care for boating, I can sell it for at least what I have into it, if not more.

Hopefully you know I'm busting your balls..
 
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My crownline WAS a beast. She was a heavy pig. 4800 lbs Dry. Mine was a 210CCR...and it could handle 3-4 footers in Lake MI no problem. 300 HP engine, would do 50 mph if the conditions were right. These pics are from my "for sale" posting.

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You know about the two happiest days of a B.O.A.T. owner's life?

Wife has been agitating for years to get a boat. "Not only no, but HELL NO!"
 
Hopefully you know I'm busting your balls..

Hah, yes I figured as much...

But to be honest, I considered the possibility that this was the dumbest thing in the world to take on. I was a bit relieved when people were offering to buy it already, sight unseen. I figured if it was more than I wanted to tackle, I could get rid of it quickly and at zero loss.
 
Just an update in case anyone was interested...

Got the decking, splashwell, and transom fully torn apart. The transom was soaked and completely rotted away (as expected).
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I used the inner sheet metal panel as a template to cut the new boards. The transom board is 2" wide, so I used two panels of 3/4" and one panel of 1/2" to get close. I'll be adding some fiberglass resin and mat to the new transom (and floorboards) to give some added strength and water protection. This will bring the transom thickness to exactly 2" (since 3/4" and 1/2" ply isn't as thick as advertised) and should make for a nice, tight transom panel fit.
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I've ordered a new live well and bilge pump, plus some new hoses for the bilge, live well, and fuel tank (the factory hoses were so dry that minimal hand-pressure shattered - not cracked, but shattered - them!). I hope to get the fiberglass work done this weekend and want to get the transom and new deck boards installed by next week. This will allow me to get moving on the other stuff, plus clean up my garage a bit too.

I got a Nautolex "storm grey" vinyl sample from "Marine Carpeting" and really like it. It's textured, though not "plush" like carpet. It looks very easy to clean and should work well for a bass boat. Once I get the panels back together, I'll order a roll and get started on that next month...

Oh, and the bass have started biting again :)
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I was figuring that about Evinrude/Johnson thing as I see the names hyphenated or "slashed" a lot. I also see the "OMC" referenced a lot and it's on the ignition key, but haven't really dug into the history much. I think they are what turned into Lowe (or maybe Lowe bought them out?)?

All I know for sure is that trying to find a factory service manual or even an operator/owner manual has been impossible so far, but I've been able to put some information together using sales brochures that I've been able to find online (and from talking to other owners on FB). Thankfully, as I said earlier, these appear really simple to work on. Wiring seems straight forward and I've already started mapping it out (as reference).

I had to Google what that Crownline of yours looked like - seems like a beast! From what the PO told me about this boat, it can pull tubes without issue and more importantly, it's just big and powerful enough to run the St. Lawrence and Susquehanna rivers for smallmouth (something I'm eager to try).

Don't forget the catfish on the susky river
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I was figuring that about Evinrude/Johnson thing as I see the names hyphenated or "slashed" a lot. I also see the "OMC" referenced a lot and it's on the ignition key, but haven't really dug into the history much. I think they are what turned into Lowe (or maybe Lowe bought them out?)?

All I know for sure is that trying to find a factory service manual or even an operator/owner manual has been impossible so far, but I've been able to put some information together using sales brochures that I've been able to find online (and from talking to other owners on FB). Thankfully, as I said earlier, these appear really simple to work on. Wiring seems straight forward and I've already started mapping it out (as reference).

I had to Google what that Crownline of yours looked like - seems like a beast! From what the PO told me about this boat, it can pull tubes without issue and more importantly, it's just big and powerful enough to run the St. Lawrence and Susquehanna rivers for smallmouth (something I'm eager to try).

You can bypass the VRO and just mix the oil and gas the old fashioned way if you have issues with it. That’s what dad did on his
 
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You can bypass the VRO and just mix the oil and gas the old fashioned way if you have issues with it. That’s what dad did on his

Looks like the previous owner already did that, so I'll just flush the tank well and go with standard 50:1 fill-ups from here on out...
Just received the new fuel and vent lines, as well as the new livewell and bilge hoses. With any luck, I'll get the transom installed this weekend and can remount the engine. Once that's done, I can move to the interior and wiring.
 
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