Transom wood advice

[Kams56]

Hello I recently acquired a 12 foot aluminum boat. From what I have been able it gather it is some kind of alumakit boat. Only info I can on the company is a 61 catalog.

Anyway I’m want to replace the wood on the transom. I picked up a sheet of 1/2” marine plywood and had it cut into thirds. My plan was to screw/glue 3 pieces together and replace the transom. Take off the old pieces of wood, sand down the area a little, maybe wipe with some ethanol or something to clean the aluminum. The replace the screws with screws a size larger. Seems simple enough, but I wanted to maybe get some input before I started taking things apart or putting things together.

I guess my biggest concerns are should I be doing anything else to the wood before I use. Does it need additional sealing since it is already marine plywood. And also if would 1 1/2” of plywood be too thick, I am better off using two or three sheets glued together.

I’ve included some pictures of the transom as is and my crudely drawn plan. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Marine plywood will rot just as fast as any other plywood if not sealed. What makes marine plywood better is it has less to no voids in the plies and is made with waterproof glues.
Exterior plywood ACX, BCX would have been a good choice as it is made with water proof glue too. I suggest sealing your plywood with "Old timers formula" also I recommend using Titebond III glue it is waterproof.

 

[gwar822]

any wood thats pressure treated will react with the aluminum,m and corrode it over time pitting it. if you use something like that id put some kind of gasket in between the aluminum and the wood to prevent that, maybe plastic or another piece of aluminum cut out. i bought PT wood and ended up not using it instead buying white oak from a local carpenter / wood seller dude... he even helped me cut it and make it all perfect... if your near central fl can tell ya where

 

[Kams56]

Thank you guys for the advice. I will be sealing the wood before I put it on the boat. My question is should I seal each piece before glueing them together. Does it hurt anything if glue them together then seal them together.

And I’m up in Mass,but thanks for the offer. I’m actually fortunate there is a small workshop at the school that I work at, that I can sometimes use.

 

[GTS225]

No. Glue them up, sand as needed, then seal. The glues are formulated for raw wood. Make sure you have all holes drilled/cut before sealing.

Roger

 

[1960 yellowboat]

When I did mine, I used pine board. No plywood for me. I used 1x8 for the transom and 1x12 for the outboard support.