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

Ok, so Ive been working on some finer details as well as the install of my floor. First some details....I realized that my deckplate covers need to be secured so that they dont go overboard when they are removed...Using what amounts to bathtub chain and secured it to the lids and inside the stoarge areas using round electrical terminals and s.s screws. I gave myself 2 feet of chain just so the lids didnt have to be close to the openings, thus giving me more flexibility:

Next up were the rodholders... I saw a post here where someone used 1 1/2" pvc 'Y' , so I spurged the $1.21 and bought an ABS one to fiddle with and see if I could adapt/mod it...Much to my surprise, when I test fitted it to my ideal location, it worked like a charm! I can have my rod vertical or off to the side, AND when its off to the side, the friction holds it in place so that if I had a bite, the rod wouldnt go flying out. 3 s.s screws and some drilling, and Im totally happy with the end results:

And finally, my floor. First let me say that what I wanted was a lightweight, durable, nonslip floor, and I didnt want to feel the ribs on my feet through it. I also wanted to keep the floor as low as possible. To get a level floor, I would have had to raise the floor 4". That was not ideal, so a frame and as out. I was going to use a 3/4" rubber stall mat, which would have conformed to the curve of the boat and strong enough to hide the feel of the ribs. However, when I went to see the mat,it weighed 90lbs, and Id need 2, so thats like an extra persons weight in floor mats!
Well after much research and store visits, I came up with the soljtion. Very lightweight,sturdy, comfortable and easy to remove for cleaning and drying out the hull. I found a 5/8" closed cell commercial grade antifatigue mat designed to be non slip. Its like the consistency of memory foam, so not squishy like a sponge,but like its viscous slow squishy. Alone, it fits perfectly and is heavy enough that it wont move or blow away.Alone, when I step on it,it greatly reduces the feeling of the ribs, but that gave me an idea....
I bought 1/2" polystyrene insulation board (non absorbent) and I cut it and laid it in between the ribs. When I overlayed mat,it basically gave support enough to make the ribs not felt at all! And since its so easy to remove, any water that may be trapped after a day on the lake can be easily drained/cleaned afterwards. The foam is thin enough to concorm to the curve of the hull,yet it strong and doesnt get squished, especially with the mat on top.
The mat has a great look to it, complete with grooves and subtle yet effctive textured surface. I sprayed it wet andtried it with shoes and barefeet and sandals and its absolutely noslip.

Great work, job well done!

looking good! i like the cargo net idea, i think i will steal that for my build

Thankyou
Today Im going to get her back on the trailer, and then its right down to the 'final touches' stage. Decals this week, some cleaning, dock lines and outfitting with the safety kit. Hoping to have the maiden voyage next weekend!

I'll post more pics on the trailer, then Im going to total and categorize my receipts and post the results.

Oh, almost forgot, Im planning on repainting the motor cowling. Does anyone have any experience with a website called Garzon Studios? They seem to be the only ones withreasonable prices for outboqrd motor decals.. Any others that you guys may have used ?

Well, tomorrow (Saturday) is the maiden voyage of "Lake Breeze",thats the name my daughter decided on because the model is a sea breeze, and well, as she pointed out, 'we dont have a sea, we have lakes!'
Im taking her out on a modest lake thats very calm, and Im nervous as heck! I have visions of releasing it from the trailer and it just immediately sinking #-o
Im not sure what the 'maritime traditions' are,but if its allowed, wish me luck!

My next post willhopefully be pics from the lake [-o<

What an incredible day on the lake today as "Lake Breeze" took her maiden voyage! After some backingup/going forward with the trailer, I finally managed to get it down the ramp. It was really easy to release her into the water. The first thing I noticed was the boat sat very well in the water, not low at all, and thats will 2 tackle boxes, rods, a cooler with drinks, 4 gallons of gas in a 6 gallon metal gas tank and all the modifications that I have added. I was really excited. There were 3 of us in the boat, my wife, my daughter and myself, and with all of us in, again, it didnt sit low at all, basically exactly the amount of freeboard it was built for.
I started her up, and the 9.9 Evinrude didnt disappoint! We cruised around at a slow/moderate speed, and it moved us well. We had to be very cautious as today at the lake there were some events going on, including dragon boat races, but the lake was big enough to accomodate everyone.
Once we got past the racing area, I opened her up full throttle and much to everyone's surprise, the boat planed. And I mean planed!! the bow where my wife was sitting was up in the air and we were just zooming along. I used my portable gps and it clocked us at around 24 kilometers/hour, which is 15 mph. Thats with the boat fully loaded,(and Im 255lbs myself ).
We were on the lake for about 3hrs, eventually getting to some fishing, but I had the rods stored in the boat in sections, and when we went to get them, they got all tangled and it took forever to undo... then we realized we didnt have an anchor, so getting into the shore/weeded areas where the bass were was always leading us to close. So next time, we'll have an anchor with us.

Here are some pics from the day:




I have a video of the boat in full throttle, but I have to figure out how to upload it....

Some of the things I learned from this outing and some things that I will need to address are:

1) My wife and daughter dont like using seats, they prefer the open seating style. It wouldnt have mattered if I used actual boat seats or the stadium seats, they just like the freedom of movement on the open seating. I, on the other hand, really like the stadium seat as it gave me good back support and was very comfortable. Plus, moving it just involved picking it up and, well, moving it to where ever.. So next outing, just the seat for me!

2) Water does eventually make its way into the bilge area.. I guess I knew this, but it does get we back there. There wasnt really enough to be drained by pulling the plug, more like a puddle. When I got home, 3 dish towels dried it up, and I easily peeled back the flooring in the stern to let it air dry - Im soo glad I went with my flooring idea!!
Im wondering, though, would a bilge pump be able to suck that water up? It wasnt high enough to reach the lip of the drain, so Im not sure if installing a bilge pump would help...something to ponder...

3) There are never enough cup holders!! this is so true... my wife and daughter ended up using on of the cup holders for our bait scent spray bottle... Easy fix, as there is room for another

4) The 'Y' pipe rod holders work perfectly. Totally reccomend them, and maybe somebody will make them with a logo and charge $35 each... :wink:

5) I decided to us the storage 'bins' I built this time to put our disassembled rods in. I think for next time, I will simple place the rods on top of my seating/decking areas and secure them with velcro, fully assembled. That way, the rods wont get tangled, and I can use the storage areas for other stuff.

6) I think I'd like to add lights, even though the latest I'll ever be out is just before dusk, they do look way cool just on the boat. 8)

7) There were a few other folks out on the water today, some guys on Jon's and a guy in a Lund, and I they all totally were checking out my rig... I gotta order me a tinboats.net T-shirt and sticker!

Well, that's it for now. After wanting one for soo long, and months of waiting and about a month of intense build, it was really great to have that freedom to roam on the water. I can't wait to take her out again, and Im sure I'll be tweaking some more.
Im going to do a 'photo shoot' of the boat soon, with some before pics I havent posted and the after pics....so stay tuned!!

Sounds like the family had a awesome time!
Just in time for Father's Day.
The boat looks great on the water. =D>
Thanks for sharing your mod here.

Looks and sounds great =D> . Looks like a success. There will always be things to tinker with, change, modify, replace. But the hard part is done and she floats. Great job.

Thankyou

Looks good,Enjoy

The boat looks great. I hope you continue to enjoy it with the family.

Hey maestro, when you mounted your rod holders, did you just drill pilot hole all the way through the y-pipe to mount your screws? And could you post another close up of the y with the rod in it.

Thanks
Mike

Hey fishingmich,
I drilled a hole on the outside the size of my screwdriver diameter, and then I drilled a hole on the inside (through the outside hole) for the screw. I used 3 screws on each arm of the Y

Heres some closeups:







You can also place the rod vertically, but I forgot to take a pic of that #-o

I should mention the cargo nets were incredibly useful. At the lake, we were given a map, it went in the net, so did the camera when not in use, as well as sun screen, my hat, etc. Well worth the effort!

And you said that's 1 1/2" right? I bought one of those y pipes the other day and when I put my rod inthe angled side like you do in the picture, my rod won't go all the through like yours doe. I might have to get 2" or bigger.

Yes mine are 1" 1/2, but my rods are all lightweight, so the 2" was too loose (i had one kicking around from a plumbing job). Try the 2" and let me know, Im curious especially if I start to market these, I can charge extra for the large diameter :lol:

Definitely. I just checked 2 different rods, one is close to fitting right and the other is not even close. Going to pick one up tomorrow after work. Where did you get the cargo net? Is that from Cabelas or just an auto cargo net? One of those is definitely going into my boat.