Southern Appal
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2013
- Messages
- 59
- Reaction score
- 0
I'm working on putting my 12-ft Polar Kraft flat bottom back together for painting. I have some really irregularly-shaped and irregularly-sized holes to contend with at the aft end and on the bottom for the transom brace. I am putting spar urethane on a newly laminated transom, it's not yet ready to install. My first question has to do with putting the transom brace back on. one of you has already advised simply using SS bolt, washers, and nylon insert nuts with 5200. I am thinking that I would prefer to have smaller, regularly-shaped holes for that. I picked up a piece of 0.025 aluminum. My plan is to cut two pieces of it a tad larger than the transom brace itself. What I would do is fill the existing holes in the bottom of the boat with JB Weld Steel putty, then bed the 0.025 aluminum on the outside and on the inside with 5200, let it cure, and drill new holes for the transom brace. I think it would be a little sturdier that way. What say you?
Part two: PO had a heavy aluminum plate on inside the transom and a heavy steel plate on the outside. Both plates extended above the height of the transom by about two inches, with a piece of 2x2 wood in between. All these were bolted through the transom presumably to support an outboard. I traded the motor for a compressor, so I will use only a trolling motor this year. It has a height adjustment on it, so I don't need the extra height of the aluminum plate PO had on the transom. Going to recycle the steel plate. My question is, do I even need to put the aluminum plate back on the transom as extra support for TM? Plan to fill existing holes with JB steel before putting transom on, then drill new holes to attach transom. Is this a sensible approach? How many holes do I need to put the transom on? An issue is that the aluminum transom cap holes are torn badly. See pic.
Part two: PO had a heavy aluminum plate on inside the transom and a heavy steel plate on the outside. Both plates extended above the height of the transom by about two inches, with a piece of 2x2 wood in between. All these were bolted through the transom presumably to support an outboard. I traded the motor for a compressor, so I will use only a trolling motor this year. It has a height adjustment on it, so I don't need the extra height of the aluminum plate PO had on the transom. Going to recycle the steel plate. My question is, do I even need to put the aluminum plate back on the transom as extra support for TM? Plan to fill existing holes with JB steel before putting transom on, then drill new holes to attach transom. Is this a sensible approach? How many holes do I need to put the transom on? An issue is that the aluminum transom cap holes are torn badly. See pic.
