Sylvan 14 Seabreeze - Let the Mods Begin! ^COMPLETED^

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TheMaestro

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
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Location
Southwestern Ontario, Canada
Not only do I really enjoy following peoples mods on here, I think almost equally are the stories that go along... So, here begins mine...
I have always wanted to try fishing, even as a kid..but growing up nobody in my family fished, neither did friends, and nobody had any kind of boat. So flash forward a number of decades and I finally went about reading and learning how to fish and spent last summer shore fishing and pond fishing. The best part was that my little girl and my wife also 'bought in' and it became a family thing! Upon renting a cottage last summer, included was a 12 alumnum, but no motor just oars. We took it out fishing on the lake and loved it. I knew at that time (and my wife did too, probably before I even realized it!) that my next step would be to o get a boat of our own...That is was last August and since then Ive spent time researching boating, going to boat shows and even getting my operators license which is mandatory for any size motorized boat here in Canada. I also realized that I wasnt going to be able to afford a new boat, so I began following our version of craigslist called kijiji. For 2 months I spent hours looking trying to find something, maybe a fibreglass runabout, maybe just a square back canoe, maybe a plastic Jon Boat from Canadian Tire...Then one day, I came home from work and when I checked kijiji,there was a 16' Princecraft, with pedastal seats, fish finder, VHF radio, anchor, 25Merc....and trqiler too..all for a ridiculously low price of $800. The posting was
11mins old, so I called immediately. When I said I was inquiring about the boat, the guy started chuckling and told me I was like caller 50 and that someone was already on their way cash and in hand.. He told me the boat was from an estate he just inherited and that " I guess I underpriced it"!!!!!! NO KIDDING!!!
I was quite bummed and moped for days how this one slipped by. Then a week later I saw a 14' Sylvan with a 9.9 evenrude and tilt trailer..I knew it was mine....So after some mild negotiating, we reached a mutual price and I went to get the boat...oh wait, just the small detail of getting a hitch on my Rav4 put on...ok, a few hundred dollars later it was installed...Now on to getting the boat...
I went tl get the boat, about an hour away, met the guy, very decent fellow, could easily be a 'Modman' like you guys as his garage was a workshop, complete with Harley.. So he fired up the evinrude and it was good to go. We closed the deal and hooked up the boat to my Rav and away I went...first time trailering....stopped a few times to check on things, and she made it home safely..Here's what she looked like at his place:
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So I got her home, and I thought Id like to add some clampon seats...oh and maybe a floor of sorts..so I youtubed how to put a floor in an aluminum boat and thats when I saw it....The youtube promo video for tinboats.net.... Wow! I knew right then I wanted to do that too!....stay tuned....
 
Welcome to Tinboats!! Looks like a great boat. Looking forward to seeing what you do with her.
 
Thanks for the welcome, Gilhunter, atuck593 :)

So as I started looking at tinboats.net, I decided I wanted to do a full on modification.. But before anything, I wanted to get the trailer checked over, as I knew the tires at least needed replacing. Now, I teach at a local highschool and the custodian is an avid fisher/ boater and he helped me do my research and learn about fishing and boating. He also told me that our auto tech shop does the maintainance on his boat and several other staff, so he told me to bring it in. After speaking with the auto folks, I realized that they did a lot of quality work on cars and boats, so I brought mine in too..
I asked for new submersible lights (the originals were mismatched and the wiring wasnt clean), new tires, new winch and to generally check over the trailer. I also brought the boat in mostly to show my custodian friend... Here's what the trailer and boat look like as they were at the school compound..

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Well, it turned out the bearings werd also shot and the tilt mechanism was frozen, and the hitch wouldnt stay in the locked position without finicking with it. Soooo, the trailer and boat were at the school for the last 2weeks getting fixed. Today I finally got to bring it all home, so thus far the trailer has received: all new 12" tires, new bearings and seals, new winch, new lights and wiring nicely routed, new hitch, new fabricated fenders all welded on, and the tilt was restored to proper working order. AND, they fabricated some posts to mount the spare tire! Total cost? Just parts! As I spoke with the tech teacher, he showed be a cutlass theh were restoring for a guy in the neighbourhood who just came in off the street and asked if they would take it on as a project. I learned they LOVE to do this as it is a real world application and improves ties with the community.... I would urge anyone to ask their local school if they could with hour stuff too (if they have a shop)! 1st stage of the mod complete, just have to paint cosmetically on the trailer....:y
 
Hey. That's nice looking boat, motor and trailer you got there, and looks like you're getting off to a great start. I bet it was worth the wait? Congrats.
 
I thought the wait would be unbearable, but it allowed me to read every mod on herel incl v hulls and jons and even the plastics :) I picked like 15 mods I really liked or parts that I thought were things I could use. The two weeks let me come up with plans, changes and allowed me to ask a few questions of the Modmen on here. Its become an obsession! I think about ideas then search on here to see if others did them and how they did. Meanwhile, Ive picked up items like tremclad paint and a fitted boat cover all coincidentally on sale... So my parts supplies are being amassed.
 
Bluwood.

Have you guys heard of Bluwood? Very new product, like pt wood, but non toxic, rot resistant, mould resistant, bjg resistent and no chemical interaction with any metals including aluminum... They are using it in the rebuild from Katrina.. Its originally a canadian process and is available in plywood, 2x4, 2x2, etc..
Here's a link
https://www.bluwoodcanada.com/
 
So I visited Lowes and spoke with the guy about bluwood. Its not designed for applications where the wood is submerged in the water all the time. But it is designed to be exposed to the water and dampness and according to the fellow i spoke with, its like a cross between exterior grade and pt wood. It just cant be submerged. I priced it out and a 4x8 x 1/2" is about $5 more than regular ply. The 2x2's are 70 cents more per 8' length.I think Im going to use it on my mod.
 
Hey Maestro, completely unrelated question. I've seen that Canadian citizens need a Boater Safety card to operate a boat in Canada. What about visitors, do they need the card also? W'ere planning a trip to the French River and I wasn't sure if I needed one.
 
Hey fishingmich! The french river looks like an awesome place, lots of pike, and very beautiful, hope you enjoy :) As for boating, if you have an american operator card, youre good. If not, and if you are going to be in canada for less than 45 (fourtyfive) days with your boat then all yiu need to have with you is your id that shows you are American. If you are renting a boat here, a temp permit is automatically included with the rental. If you are here over 45 days, then you either need an american operators card or the canadian one.... Hope that helps!
 
Yeah that helps a lot. I can't wait to get up there. I would like to fish the Upper French but it looks like we're gonna fish the Delta area. My buddy and his son are diehard musky guys so thats where they think they hve the best chance to catch a 50"+ fish. It looks a lot more scenic on the Upper French and I can't wait to go. Maybe me and my son son can go for 3-4 days before our big trip. We've got a bunch of guys from work going, so I'm trying not to "rock the boat". No pun intended! I'm hoping I can get my build fisnished before its time to go.
 
Ok so I started today by removing the outside transom plate. I originally thought it was plywood, but it turned out to be some composite material, almost like formica, but stronger. I dont like the look of it, so Im going go replace it with aluminum diamond plate. While I was at it, I removed the corner braces/pulls as some of the screws were stainless, while others were rusty bolts. Luckily, they werent seized.. I also removed the screws holding the braces on the bench seats. I want to leave the seats, but the screws were rusty, so I want to replace them with stainless. They were not cooperating so I used my dremel clone to shear them off. Interesting that the nuts used were furniture nuts, most likely because its difficult to reach under with a wrench or socket. I doubt these are available in S.Steel, so Im not sure what I will use.

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My daughter managed to actually remove one of the bench bracket/support screws!
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Here are the furniture nuts:
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Im ziploc-ing all used and removed screws, bolts, nuts etc and labelling where they came from so I can use them for measuring reference. An old container holds all the ziplocs.
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Went to Lowes to pickup S.Steel screws, nuts and washers. They actually had S.Steel T-nuts (furniture nuts) so that was a good find. It surprised me just how expensive a few bags of njts and bolts are when they are S.Steel..... Im keeping all the receipts for the whole build and Ill post that at the end of my buiid...But it does start to add up!
 
Today I spent a few hours sanding to prep for paint. The boat has a decent coat of paint on it that will serve as a good base for adhesion. I also spent some quality time with a hair dryer and goof-off getting the old decals removed... Not as bad as I thought.
One of the most fun aspects of this mod is working with and teaching my daughter about using tools. She feels really good about contributing to the build and its also teaching her pride of ownership. Its just good father/daughter bonding time :)

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Ive also been using some scooter boards I borrowed to place under the stern and bow to move the boat around the garage and driveway without dragging it.

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Removing decals
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I had my school shop weld me up an outboard motor stand for $25
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This weekend Ill be painting the inside of the boat (grey) and once it dries, Ill start the outside, whit with a red stripe. When its dry, Ill put her back on the trailer and begin the build. Im basing my build around Sgt. Stiglitz's, ChitownBasser, and Utahbasser's mods. As I stated previously, ill be using the new product bluwood for the build
 
After powerwashing,I let her dry then wiped her down with acetone....

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Ok, here's the inside painted grey...I spray bombed it with tremclad, but I'll be rolling and tipping the outside........shoulda used a mask.... I was kinda goofy after I was done... :shock:

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Amazing how paint and cleaning can make things so much nicer.
 
Busy painting this weekend and today. Finished the white on the boat, leaving room before the gunwales which I will do in a red accent stripe. Also finished painting the trailer and making some new bunks and priming them.

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Well after 14 total hours of prepping and painting, Im finished with the painting stage of my mod. Im very pleased with how it turned out and Im looking forward to the build portion of my mod over the next 4 days.

Chitownbasser mentioned in his build that the green frog- brand masking tape was worth the cost when painting lines, and I would have to completely agree. Its worth it compared to the no-name green tape when doing lines. The no name is fine for general masking, but it will bleed, the frog tape is very clean.

Here's the final hull paint job:

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