Need help with DIY jon boat transom replacement.

[Jogar80]

My 8yr old boy and I went on our first guided duck hunt last yr and now we are HOOKED. We booked another this year but we both want to hunt more often. I cant afford a guided hunt every weekend and the only good public land hunts down here are only accessible with a boat. Being that I’m poor and all, I went and bought a used jon boat. ‘82 1648 Lowe. Boat looks good, engine starts easy, all good but it obviously needs some work. I’ve replaced previous plugs made of self tapper screws and gasket washers with sealed rivets. Aluminum brazed and sealed some cracks. Done a lot of work on it with my boy’s help. It’s going to get a paint job next but I really need to replace the plywood transom and need ideas and guidance on how I can most easily and inexpensively do it myself. The rear looks to be a welded aluminum panel added somewhere down the line. I see on youtube about gluing 2 3/4” plywoods together and resin sealing. I thought about cutting the lip off the bottom channel and then replacing with new aluminum. I just cant figure how to get the old wood out and the new wood back in there. Here are a few pics. Show me the way please. Thank y’all for any help

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Welcome to Tin Boats!

That is quite the transom replacement. I'm not seeing a way to remove and replace the wood without cutting some of that aluminum. Maybe, if the wood doesn't go to the bottom of the bottom channel, and it is enough to clear the top wrap around alum. It would also need to be loose, ie no sealant holding it to the back skin. Most likely, going to have to cut that wrap around lip off, and remove the wood in sections.

For new wood, would recommend two sheets of 3/4" external ply, with waterproof glue. Then coated with epoxy or other good sealant.

Please keep us up to date with your progress.

 

[airshot]

Yup....gotta cut off the top cap after you remove the motor of course. Whether the corner caps need cut off or not, I can't tell from your pics. Any thru bolts or rivets will need cut off or drilled out to the wood can be lifted out. Hopefully in one piece so you have a template. You could screw or glue a smaller piece of plywood on the inside of that transom wood to keep it in one piece while removing it, if it looks p me it might come out in pieces. Worse case is having to make a cardboard template if it crumbles away when removing. Looks like a great Father/ Son project !! Keep us posted !!