1998 Sylvan Nexus Restoration
Posted: Sat May 16, 2020 7:05 pm
My wife decided she wanted to get a pontoon boat. Our two boys are 13 and 16 and she says there's only a few more years with them around the house and we better make the best of it. We do a ton of things in the winter (we live in Vermont) but we don't do too much in the summer. Figured a pontoon boat would allow us to get together with family and friends and make some great memories!!!
I've had plenty of motorized things (dirtbikes, motorcycles, snowmobiles, side by side, ATV's, even an original 1923 Model T) but I've never had a boat.... We were looking at new boats but the prices were too much for something that we are so new to, along with the fact that our boating season is really only 3-4 months at most. After looking around I saw so many great restorations that I thought it would be a fun project (I love projects...) and we could make the pontoon whatever we want it to be.
After looking around, I found this 1998 Sylvan Nexus, 21 foot with a 90 Mercury. The motor runs fine, but the tilt/trim pump needs a rebuild. The compression in the motor is 130 in all three cylinders and the boat has only been in fresh water. The boat had no seats in it when I bought it which is good because it saved me from having to take them out.
We brought the boat home yesterday and today we stripped it completely down. Had a heck of a time getting the old carpet out until I used the winch on my Side by Side to pull it off....Worked like a charm!!!
Hoping to order new wood and vinyl flooring Monday along with new seats, new metal for the side fence, a new helm, new lights, etc. Basically, this thing will be brand new when we are done with it. Not sure how long most of your projects take but I'm hoping to have this done by the first week in June. The thing that will take the longest is getting the supplies delivered. Since this is something my wife wanted, I don't have any trouble finding time to work on it. Plus, since Corona has shut so many things down, there isn't too much to do anyway...
Here are a few pics of the progress we made today.
I've had plenty of motorized things (dirtbikes, motorcycles, snowmobiles, side by side, ATV's, even an original 1923 Model T) but I've never had a boat.... We were looking at new boats but the prices were too much for something that we are so new to, along with the fact that our boating season is really only 3-4 months at most. After looking around I saw so many great restorations that I thought it would be a fun project (I love projects...) and we could make the pontoon whatever we want it to be.
After looking around, I found this 1998 Sylvan Nexus, 21 foot with a 90 Mercury. The motor runs fine, but the tilt/trim pump needs a rebuild. The compression in the motor is 130 in all three cylinders and the boat has only been in fresh water. The boat had no seats in it when I bought it which is good because it saved me from having to take them out.
We brought the boat home yesterday and today we stripped it completely down. Had a heck of a time getting the old carpet out until I used the winch on my Side by Side to pull it off....Worked like a charm!!!
Hoping to order new wood and vinyl flooring Monday along with new seats, new metal for the side fence, a new helm, new lights, etc. Basically, this thing will be brand new when we are done with it. Not sure how long most of your projects take but I'm hoping to have this done by the first week in June. The thing that will take the longest is getting the supplies delivered. Since this is something my wife wanted, I don't have any trouble finding time to work on it. Plus, since Corona has shut so many things down, there isn't too much to do anyway...
Here are a few pics of the progress we made today.