Hello!

As the title says, I’m considering buying a used 12’ aluminum sea nymph with a Johnson 9.9 motor. I’ve never anything with a boat. It will be used by two adults who will fish on local reservoirs. The local guy has one for sale for $1500 OBO.

What should I look for? What do I need to ask?

Thank you,

Jim

Check the stern/transom for cracks, bowing, and stress on brackets and reinforcements.

Before I would buy an aluminum boat, I would consider a Portaboat. I have one for fishing and find it superior to an aluminum boat. I have no ties to the company just my thoughts.

https://www.porta-bote.com/?gc...kYP9Tg4aAkW9EALw_wcB

You are asking about a specific used boat, not what boat you should buy.

Sea nymphs are riveted hulls, not welded.

They have a semi vee hull so a 12 ft with a 9.9 and 2 adults in it will be on the slower side. If you are making any long runs to get to where you fish at this is something to consider, otherwise it may not be an issue.

If
-the boat does not leak and
-the trailer is in semi decent shape and
-the motor fires up and runs smooth at idle and wide open and
-it is not too old,

Then it is probably worth the $1,500.

It will get you out fishing and back. It will be big enough for 2 adults in fair weather. You will be able to launch it pretty much anywhere.

The major downside is that it will make you want more boat.

What spin zone said. But check all of the rivets really good. But $1500 is a good price. Do a compression check on the engine, and loosen the lower screw on the lower unit and let a few drops of oil drain out of the lower unit and make sure there's no water and the lower unit oil is not black, make sure the motor pumps good water out of the pee hole. Do a seatrial make sure it runs well, idles well without stalling in gear, make sure the boat doesn't leak. Welded is better than riveted for strength, but nothing wrong with riveted if you don't abuse the hell out of it. I had a Sea Nymph 14' with a 15 hp Evinrude about 15 years ago and it hauled ass and did over 30 MPH with one person in it and rode well. A V will ride better than a flat bottom, but will be a little slower.

Well, since you asked... 12 ft. boats work well on farm ponds and on quiet lakes, but for on large bodies of water....If the motor has sat up for a while the water pump probably should be checked along with hoses and seals. Hang the motor in a tank and run it a while to test it before it has a chance to poop out miles from the marina where you left your paddles. Gas cans can be rusty and clog the fuel filter. Older motors aren’t likely to play well with gas containing ethanol. That may be why the local marina sells lots of ethanol free gas. Trailer wheel bearings are cheap and easy to replace. That’s a hint. Trailer tires dry rot and come unstrung at the most inconvenient times. A lot of transoms are strengthened with plywood and with age and exposure it can turn it into a loose deck of cards. Even if the transom looks in tip top shape, use one or two safety chains in case the outboard decides to abandon ship. Cracks in the wrong places can be bone surgery items. The good news is that loose rivets are easy to seal with a product called Gluvit.
Now, go get yourself a boat and start wetting your hooks.

Hello!

Thank you everyone for the responses. Please keep ‘em coming!

That porta-bote is bad ass!

Jim

Was it used in fresh water or salt water?

Now is the time to buy. I'd go for 16' or even 18' unless farm ponds and small lakes/creeks are all you will go. Buying the right size first will save you a step and some money. If you like it you won't be satisfied with a 12' for long.

My first boat was bought in mid 1980s and it was a 16' Smokercraft v hull alum with a 35hp Johnson 2cyl pull start. Great boat. My buddies first boat was a 12' jon. We always took mine unless we had to carry it. He later bought a 16' but kept the 12' to cover his firewood.

If you shop you'll find a bigger boat for a good price. Since my 1st I've had 15-20 fishing boats, bass or all purpose with my best being a 1992 HydraSports dv220 20' with Evinrude 200hp. I bought it at an auto auction in the repo line in 1995. I kept that one until 2015 using it mainly on Lake Okeechobee and then I'd keep an aluminum boat in Indiana for lakes and calm days on the Ohio. This spring I decided at age 68 I'm done with boating so I sold my cherry 18' Tracker AllFish w 90/merc optimax. Made a little money on a boat I'd used 5 years.

Didn't feel right not having a boat. I'd sold my Okeechobee property and boat a few years back so I was totally out of the boat owners club. Checked Craigslist often because that's what I do. Found a deluxe version of my starter boat from 1985. This one is a 1987 18' Lund Alaskan w/1985 70hp Yamaha. $3000 cash and it's mine. Runs good, smokes a little more than modern engines as the oil injection is disconnected but mixing your own is good on an old one like this. Seems like every time I look on CL I find a deal and am doing my best to keep from making a lowball offer on an 18' Sylvan with a 115hp Merc all 1998 vintage. I'm happy with the Lund and actually prefer the spartan rigging but the Sylvan is like buying dollars for fifty cents. I've been wrong before but I keep coming back for more. I wrote a book but I do love fishing boats.

Lund as I bought it. It's a lot cleaner now.

Check the trailer for rust, especially the axle.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
What spin zone said.

Its “SpinZone”. One word asshole. Get it right.

I have an F14. Of course mine was made by Alumicraft, not those Grumman canoe people.

With the 10hp 1983 Honda 4-stroke motor, 2 adults and three small children, it will do 13mph. It's fine for small lake fishing. Paid $1,000 for the boat, motor, and trailer 7 years ago.

Look for obvious damage to the boat. Was it run into a rock type damage. Look at the prop and skeg on the motor. Again looking to see if it was bashed into anything. If it passes that, put it in the water and run it. If it doesn't run, I wouldn't give $1,500. A new motor is between $2,500 and $3,400 for 10hp. The motor should start on one or two pulls with the choke on. It should idle smoothly at a low enough rpm to shift it into forward or reverse without a huge clunk. It shouldn't stall when you shift it into gear. Get a GPS app that shows speed for your phone and see how fast it goes wide open. With two adults on board it should probably go faster than my F14 which is longer and wider. Maybe 15mph?

Good luck.



We even catch a few fish with it.

quote:

Originally posted by SpinZone:

The major downside is that it will make you want more boat.

Truer words were never spoken.

Look for obvious things like crack and oxidation at any seams.

I have a 1968 Grumman with a fair deal of oxidation, but she's still water tight. Even with that I used to leave it in the water (salt) 7 months a year.

I also have a 1973 DuraNautic which other than faded paint, is as good as the day it was made.

As you can see, an aluminum boat can last you a long long time.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

quote:

Originally posted by SpinZone:

The major downside is that it will make you want more boat.

Truer words were never spoken.

My experience bears this out. I started with a 12 ft. then a 14, an 18 and finally a 20 ft. All of which were aluminum. The first one was riveted and the others welded. I'd never recommend a riveted boat. A welded aluminum boat will last a lifetime and longer.

Jim

The 12’ aluminum boat I had was nearly swamped with just me and my 10 year old nephew in it. Take a realistic look at how much weight you are going to want to carry in it. Passengers and gear.

1. when you are looking at a 10-12 foot boat, what you need is 4 more feet of boat.

2. better yet, just go down to the end of your driveway, get really cold and wet, and tear up $1oo.oo bills.

I forgot to mention my Porta-bote is the 12' I'd buy a 14' for the extra capacity.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
The 12’ aluminum boat I had was nearly swamped with just me and my 10 year old nephew in it. Take a realistic look at how much weight you are going to want to carry in it. Passengers and gear.

So did you have a flat bottom or V bottom.

The flat bottom boats are not safe due to the low sides and easy to take on water.

I sold a Sears 12 foot aluminum boat last year for $1000. It came with a Motor Guide electric motor. Both were like new condition.

I have an old 12 foot aluminum v boat with a 5 1/2 horse Evinrude twin cylinder two stroke, I think it's like a 1957 model. It works great for two adults, sometimes three adults in our local lakes and reservoirs. In my opinion for two people it's fine. I bought an electric trolling motor, a cheaper colored fish finder and a couple of fishing pole holders. The only thing I would change it to get a four stroke motor, as they are supposedly quieter and you don't have to mix the gas. Get some comfortable seats that swivel...