The Sea Nymph Myth
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: General Forums
Forum Name: The Boat Shed
Forum Description: Discuss all things boating.
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=58675
Printed Date: 16 Jun 2026 at 10:57pm
Topic: The Sea Nymph Myth
Posted By: Ronblue
Subject: The Sea Nymph Myth
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 6:03pm
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We've got Fisher who has an Ali version of the 16ft Sea Nymph and Olfart reckons 14'6 Sea Nymph will handle rough weather. I've heard from other people too that Sea Nymphs do ride real well in heavier conditions. Anybody can share their experience and give their input please??? thanks  |
Replies:
Posted By: Catchelot
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 6:16pm
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Bit of a Kiwi classic and icon really... the 14.6ft
My mate in Rotorua had one with a 115 hp on the back...by fk it flew
 but he wanted it for the Whakatane bar... And not once did the hull feel over powered it handled it brilliantly.In the real big head on seas he would pull the bung and put extra weight in the hull...made it sink down and ride better he reckoned. ------------- "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau |
Posted By: tas-tackle
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 6:32pm
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Ron blue.. I have owned a number of glass Sea Nymphs.. 2 x 14.6.. 1 x16.. 1 x 17.6 and loved them all.. My present ALI boat was purchased to suit this area for beach launching and sea keeping and handling.. also changing the motor to 4 stroke for fuel economy... Rather than go round and round and round in circles as you are.. write down what you want in a boat for the area you will be fishing in.. size, motor, electronics you want, and whether new or second hand relative to your budget.. these thing will determine what you can afford and get... Then go out for a ride in it to see if you like it... how the motor runs and if all the gear works... Good tidy second hand boat with the newest motor you can afford within your budget...that has a service record provided... Take someone with you that knows what to look for.. ------------- http://postimage.org/" rel="nofollow">  http://www.tas-tackle.co.nz |
Posted By: Ronblue
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 6:55pm
Rather than go round and round and round in circles as you are... I'm just trying to understand how (and if) hulls can majorly influence a boat's ability to handle rougher weather so I can steer myself in the right direction. I don't want (and that's personal) to buy rig after rig and would rather make the best choice possible with max. shared knowledge from other boaties. I find it interesting that your rig is an aluminium version of the famous fiberglass... I think a well made hull can maximise the compromise between handling abilities, strength and water flow for fuel efficiency...maybe it yet has to be built???  I've actually made heaps of progress and I think I'm getting to understand more and more what I'm looking for and what will make my choices valuable... |
Posted By: Brooook
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 9:24pm
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Ron, you do seem to be spinning in ever decreasing circles....
Go to your local boat ramp and see what goes in and out of the water. You might be surprised at the different boats that, if you asked the owner, would swear that it handles really well in your local conditions.
Search TradeMe and spend time looking at different boats, what they offer and what they cost.
Look at the Buy/Sell/Swap section here and buy a boat from a forum member who can vouch for it. I got a really good deal from a regular here that was bigger than I wanted, was a 25yr old hull, but ticked the most important boxes for me including having a newish outboard (2002 2 stroke). The price was VERY competitive and we have been extremely happy with it.
If you look long enough a boat will be just right for you and may not be the hull or outboard you have researched BUT it will be the bargain of the century. ------------- Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.............Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer, |
Posted By: Don18025
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 10:04pm
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The Sea Nymph 146 with a 70hp outboard was an excellent sea keeping boat. There is no myth! I had friends with them and I have never heard a bad word said about them. The Sea Nymph 146 is an excellent example of a good NZ boat designer and builder who constructed an ideal small boat for the NZ marine environment. Ron, do exactly what Fisher and Brooook suggest. Write down on a piece of blank paper what you want and start the first line with a $ sign......that is what you can afford. Back in 99 I wanted a new boat, for diving and fishing, and decided to pay no more than a 4X4 tow vehicle with a 21 foot Haines Hunter.....and ended up launching a brand new 9 metre launch in 2004 that cost less than the what my budget said (first line of my blank piece of paper). It is made of wood, is from an experienced well known NZ designer and is very seaworthy in the rough stuff, and not as fast as a Haines Hunter. And have never regretted it. Goes everywhere I want and is cost effective to run and I got some immense satisfaction out of the project.  Ron, I think you budget is very tight so why not build a boat from scratch. You spread the spending out over a few years so it does not upset the bank manager, and you get exactly what you need. NZ boat designers have always drawn the best boats for NZ sea conditions. Just helped a half broke student who is a keen diver into doing a 12 ft Pelin Nomad, stretched to 13 foot, fit a second hand tiller steered outboard between 15hp and 30hp and he will be out there using it, not dreaming about it. I heard from another guy that there is a half finished Pelin hull on a trailer for sale on the side of the road at Waihi Beach. Just needs a motor and a keen guy to finish it. |
Posted By: Raumatibeach
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 10:12pm
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One of these would be cool, three size options and you can fit out the hull however yuo want. http://www.alaska.net/~tolmanskiffs/index.html ------------- Get off my lawn.... |
Posted By: Busted!
Date Posted: 17 Oct 2010 at 10:39pm
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Ok, hull seakeeping ability depends on several things firstly the weight of the hull. The heavier it is the more stable it's going to be and all things equal the better ride you will have.
Second is load distribution, all weight aft or fwd doesn't make a good ride and same with lateral weight. A fibreglass cuddy on one side with nothing on the other can be a pain as the hull can be permanently unbalanced...
Third is hull shape, a pontoon can have a fairly blunt and broad shouldered bow which can pound and shove more water than it cuts. A narrow or fine entry gives a better ride but will also be wetter and give less internal volume.
Somewhere in the middle of all that is the ideal boat...
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Posted By: tas-tackle
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 11:32am
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And it will always be a compromise... between ALL of them.. Firstly, Don is right on the button.. a 14.6 Sea Nymph must have a 70hp motor to use it gull wing attributes best.. Ron, you seem obsessed with this sea handling ability.. My ALI boat rode like a brick crap house with the 40hp on the back because that engine was too light and with 2 big guys up front it was nose heavy.. but I saw past that having owned many boats.. simply put more weight in the back with a 4 stroke motor...and now I have a great resolution.. power to push it and weight to balance the boat , even with 3 folks now.. One forum member said it was the"best ali boat in its size he had ever been on" and we were in 1.5 metre seas just running over the top of them... Do the paper trick and you will see that new is not going to be affordable so next best answer is to find as Brook has mentioned, a great boat (thats a compromise) you will be happy with.. I assure you, you will get a different answer from every boat owner saying there's is the best... ------------- http://postimage.org/" rel="nofollow"> http://www.tas-tackle.co.nz |
Posted By: Ronblue
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 3:11pm
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Thanks for these advices Fisher. I'm not obsessed but it is a real important factor because I know I will be in unexpected rough situations because of where I'm going and what I will be up to. So it is kind of a vital choice for me and whoever is on that boat to have a rig that will deal with it...  |
Posted By: tas-tackle
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 3:33pm
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fair enough.... where will you be fishing...?? what area...??
------------- http://postimage.org/" rel="nofollow"> http://www.tas-tackle.co.nz |
Posted By: Ronblue
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 4:18pm
| East Cape to Gizzy...expect the unexpected!!! |
Posted By: maxlev
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 4:37pm
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What made the Sea Nymph 14'6 good was the deep vee and gull wings. I bought an Allicraft 16 foot in 1991 that had the same sort of hull, but was too light with a 2mm hull. The best hull for the rough was the ultra heavy Morgan 6.3 metre, very deep vee and big gull wings, when the Morgan landed the waves got out of the way, but at 2 nm per gallon you needed deep pockets. (200 2 stroke Merc) |
Posted By: Titahi
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 6:25pm
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It was pretty rough this day out at the Cape in a 14,6 sea nymph!! 
------------- "I love standing by the ocean and just knowing what its for" |
Posted By: Ronblue
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 6:26pm
nice pic!! pretty close to the action!  |
Posted By: Brooook
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 9:39pm
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The best boat for a rough sea is a big heavy boat. Any small runabout and you should be familiar with weather forcasts for your area and the old rule of "wind with tide". If the wind and the tide are going the same way then the sea will be easier to handle than if the wind and tide are opposing. Was at a charter friend's place tonight and he says his old 6m McLay Fisherman hardtop with 150hp Johnson outboard (a boat I would die for!!!) was crap in the rough sea compared to his 8m SeaRanger (8mm plate alloy) with 200hp 2 stroke e-tec. In his opinion none of the "small" tinnies are any good in rough weather. He particularly disliked the boats that I liked (McLay, Surtees, etc). I asked which small boat he would recommend and he said "none of them" LOL. He said the tinnies were too light and handled like crap in rough sea.  ------------- Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.............Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer, |
Posted By: Raumatibeach
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 10:02pm
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Ronblue, will you be beach launching?
------------- Get off my lawn.... |
Posted By: Ronblue
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2010 at 10:56pm
| Hi, depending on the tide, I sometimes will have too...why's that? |
Posted By: Dagwood
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 7:04am
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Is anyone doing the type of boating you're planning to do in the area? What are they using? I must admit your posts have confused me a bit but maybe that's just me. Beach launching, exposed isolated area, perhaps I'd be thinking pontoon or IRB. Reason being if something goes wrong and you take a wave on board, the stability compared to a standard hull will give you a better chance of self recovery. Might not give you the best speed or softest ride but when the chips are down well.... Brook makes a good point. Quite often the skipper's ability and experience level is the Achilles heel or weakest point. We were recently called to a vessel with a skipper of a 5m fibreglass runabout who was very concerned that the conditions were going to overcome his vessel. It was a bit lumpy (a little over our cabin roof I suppose) with a confused chop on top. The waves were breaking up over his foredeck and the odd one was probably washing up over the top and into his lap. As soon as we were on scene and looking at it, it wasn't riding right. Then we did a head count, we were one short and asked the question if someone was up forw'd in the cuddy? Yes they were. We suggested they move back a bit to get the weight out of the bow, and then try to increase the speed a little from 3 knots to 5. The improvement was vast and all we had to do was shadow them home. It was a classic example of a fairly capable boat being well and truly "held back" by the skipper. His lack of experience resulted in quite a high degree the of stress / panic when faced with the conditions and as a result he developed a narrow view of options. A similar sized boat in the area had 3 guys quite relaxed chugging along! The main difference was the experience level of the skipper / crew. |
Posted By: Ronblue
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 8:57am
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great input! obviously skippers ability are essential!! I'm going to get a course for advanced powerboat skills...Hopefully I'll learn a few things. I want to have the safest boat for it's category that's why I keep OPEN MINDED, so nothing real confusing for me. It's part of a research process...But maybe it's just me! |
Posted By: 2cold
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 11:34am
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I know it might be a bit on the big side for what you're after but my old man has had a Sea Nymph Hustler 570 for about 10 years and it is superb. He has been an outboard mechanic his whole life and he reckons they're one of the best handling boats around (and he used to race a sea nymph back in the day, they used to be one of the most popular boats in the offshore powerboat racing scene ). He's confident enough in it's ability to handle gnarly conditions that he has allowed myself + mates to make the trip from maraetai to Colville/Channel Island since I was 17 or 18, and we have fished for stickfaces out wide with it and had conditions cut up pretty bad on us but have never been concerned about its capabilities to get us home safely.
Having also owned other Sea Nymphs, he reckons the hustlers are the pick of them but also highly rates the others compared with what else is out there
They also do a smaller version called the Stinger 506 which has similar capabilities and might be more suitable They handle like a dream in any conditions and is reasonably fuel efficient as well. Being a bow-rider, they are also great family boats (our record is 14pob), not to mention excellent fishing platfoms- especially in terms of softbaiting, jigging, topwater fishing etc. where being able to fish and move around the whole boat with ease is a huge bonus. We launch in the surf regularly without any worries, being able to have someone safely on the front of the boat (as opposed to precariously perched on most cabin boats) ready to jump off and quickly turn the boat to get the nose facing back into the surf certainly makes retreiving the boat in marginal conditions that little bit easier.
Testament to this is the number of family and friends that have bought one after being out on ours. At the moment there is one boating family without one (and he's thinking about it) and at least 6 or 7 close family friends, not to mention a significant number of my old man's customers (he should be getting a commission
). Just have a look at the Matauri Bay campground during summer, the place is infested with them  They also do a smaller version called the Stinger 506 which has similar capabilities and might be more suitable
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Posted By: Ronblue
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 12:08pm
thanks heaps, great input mate!
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Posted By: Nathan
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 12:20pm
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Great photo.
Ive got a 4.7m Ramco tinny with 50hp. Ive been around the hauraki, around the cavallis, hen and chicks, alderman pins, cape karikari, off the westcoast beach launching off Piha, off whakatane, around mahia peninsula, but I pick my days, carry planty of gas, and trust my motor. There is almost always somewhere sheltered to fish if you know your area and how it works. You surf so you'll know about the sea - swell / wind direction, how to read a weather map, and the effect on the coast.
For example, on the east coast if a light westerly is forecast but it picks up to 20-30knots, it will blow up a lot of chop, but not the swell - long trip home but little danger. A light nor east wind I'll be more careful of, cos if that picks up strong then I'll have chop and swell and potential for disaster.
I was let down by one motor and never trusted it again - that makes a big difference. On a budget the motor would be a big part of the equation. I'd go smaller boat, better motor, over bigger boat, dodgy motor.
Sounds like your budget is a small boat, so your comprimise is not actually between different small boats. Your comprimise is being limited to the conditions you can get out there, and how far from land youre willing to risk it and go. Start from that basis and then get the best bang for your buck. Decide if youre an ali or glass man, and then get into it.
There is a saying - no one bad decision sinks a boat. Generally a series of dumb mistakes it what gets you in trouble.
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Posted By: Nathan
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 12:24pm
Piha on a small boat day!!
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Posted By: Ronblue
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 12:45pm
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thanks for the advices. It makes sense. Engine reliability seem to be on top of the list. How do you rate auxiliary engines? vital or not? What minimum size? |
Posted By: Nathan
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 1:44pm
| For me no auxilary. Coastguard membership much better value where I live. |
Posted By: Old Fart
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 5:50pm
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Its all. about quitely getting experience, just go steadily for a while instead of charging off over the horizon, do a few lake, river runs 1st just to get the feel of things and work out a system with launching and retrieving. Pick your days and tides and just keep adding to it. Don,t bite off more than u can chew. Remember u are doing this for fun not a living and if it don,t look good stay, go home ------------- I wish I could catch as many fish as my wife does. |
Posted By: kens
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2010 at 6:56pm
I dont have an aux motor, but a little advice if you are going to use one is to ensure that your fuel will be suitable, and then run it often. What I mean is there is no use having an aux that needs premixed 2 stroke fuel when your main runs unmixed or is 4 stroke. When you need your aux you dont want to rely on an old tin of premix that has sat there unused for a couple of years, and do you want to carry an extra can just for the aux on what will be a small boat. Outboards love to run, so if you do have an aux I would probably ensure I used it every second trip or so just to give it some work, and if you do use it use it for a reasonable period so it warms up and actually does some work, nothing worse than relying on an aux that you have only ever run at home on the muffs that actually has a cooling problem that you never noticed due to not running it under load. Just my five cents. ------------- The past, the present and the future walked into a bar. It was tense. |
Ronblue wrote:Posted By: Warren (Wazza)32030
Date Posted: 18 Nov 2014 at 8:14pm
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My Dad bought one of the first Sea Nymph Gullwing V146 in about 1975 or 1976 I guess. Great boat and we had it in the family until 4 years ago. Now renovating our Beach House and I am on the lookout for an old advertisement for this boat so we can do a Poster to bring back old memories. I am hoping I can make contact with someone who has a collection of Sea Spray's or similar that had an advertisement for the V146 Boat. Perhaps there is someone who worked there back then and had a Poster, an old News Paper Cutting or whatever. I can assure anyone who lends me anything it will be returned in the same good condition. Thanks, WazzaM
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Posted By: OneWayTraffic
Date Posted: 18 Nov 2014 at 8:26pm
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I'd hope Ronblue has chosen a boat by now. |
Posted By: Steps
Date Posted: 19 Nov 2014 at 8:49am
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reckons 14'6 Sea Nymph will handle rough weather. I've heard from other people too that Sea Nymphs do ride real well in heavier conditions. That worries me a little....this is a small boat.....and many a time I have had a thought "what the hell are they doing out here in this?" Weather forecasting, swells , basics of swell or tide against wind knowledge...a total lack of... Drop another couple feet on and that makes a huge difference.. but one still chooses the weather / tide windows carefully.... A 14' 6" regardless of how it handles, one should not be out in conditions like that.....the consideration should be If it chops up expectantly, and cant get to the lea of land, then how will it handle. Or in other words if the skipper screws the weather, wind, tides, up how much does one have up ones sleeve... Small boats regardless , are not rough sea boats.. and thinking like that... just read the newspapers and reports here over the last couple months... ppl die... and put others lives at risk. Essentual is engine reliability....would one jump in their car, without a single doubt and drive to Wellington and back? Well thats what u should expect and KNOW what to expect from your boat and engine... do u need a spare engine in the car? no... or yes because u dont have confidence in its and the cars condition? And if or when it chopps up.....THEN u NEED a good reliable engine, not an aux.....and boat handling skills.. it doesnt become as to if the boat handles rough weather, but more can the skipper.... |
Posted By: Luigi
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2014 at 5:16pm
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Heres one ...........Trademe #802223971 Make an offer you wont offend. ------------- Fish and enjoy life ! as no one gets out alive |
Posted By: cosmo
Date Posted: 23 Nov 2014 at 8:04pm
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yeh that's the commander slightly bigger than a 14ft 6 and a inboard ------------- i just want to go fishing..........amd ignore all my adult problems |
Posted By: Wa2uks
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2015 at 9:22am
| I bought a 1985 Sea Nymph Wasp which currently has a 80hp Merc on it but is not working, I have a 115 1995 Merc, will this be ok to put on ? |
Posted By: Olfart
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2015 at 9:56am
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Mate...you have already had an answer on this from a respected service agent in one of your other threads. I have seen a few V146 Sea Nymphs with fairly big donks on the back but for best performance and boat balance 70-90hp seems to be the recommended (best suited) engine size for these boats. If you have access to a 115 Merc you need to consider the weight of this relative to the 70-90hp engines and also you need to check whether the transom on your boat is strong enough to carry the additional weight. There should be a makers specification badge on the transom and this will tell you the recommended horsepower range for your boat. You should also measure the height of your transom from the keel to the top in a vertical line as this measurement will determine the correct leg length of any replacement outboard you might be considering. ------------- Semper in excreta sumus, solum profundum variat.... |
Posted By: MacSkipper
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2015 at 10:27am
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Strength of and height of transom is important - some of these boats start getting soft in this area and is not unusual to have cracking in this area with age and use - put a big heavy motor on and you could have structural and handling issues. Check weights of motors as a 1990 Merc 115 will not be a light weigh compared to a 90. ------------- Good fishing trip nothing breaks, great trip catch fish. |