What to do about my transom?

[Jeffrey]

Well, here is the progress I made so far. The wood is soft, especially in the middle. I guess the next step is to remove the wood. So far I've haven't had to remove the knee braces.

The wood is 1 1/4" thick. I guess I will by a sheet of 3/4" and 1/2" marine grade plywood and cut to fit. My understanding is I am supposed to coat the wood with fiberglass resin.

Any tips at this stage?

 

[andrax]

OK, I'm good.

I am all in. I will start drilling rivets tonight. Get a grinder before the weekend.

I live in La Vernia, just east of San Antonio. If there are any tin boaters around the comraderie would be great.

I'm located in Schertz, good luck on your build. Who are you using for a welder. I'm going to attack my 2072 duracraft transom very soon. Going to clean her up,replace decking, and repaint very soon. Maybe we can help each other out in some way.
Andrew

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Exterior grade plywood is good enough don't use pressure treated wood, glue the 2 pieces together with Tite bond III or Gorilla glue. Yes you can coat the wood with EPOXY RESIN or spar varnish which is cheaper. Then put it all back together with Stainless steel nuts and bolts.

 

[Bass n flats]

It looks like its going good so far. It also looks like the aluminum came off easy and intact will you be able to reuse those pieces? It should be a whole lot cheaper to have a few pieces welded on than a whole new transom.

 

[Jeffrey]

Exterior grade plywood is good enough don't use pressure treated wood, glue the 2 pieces together with Tite bond III or Gorilla glue. Yes you can coat the wood with EPOXY RESIN or spar varnish which is cheaper. Then put it all back together with Stainless steel nuts and bolts.

Should I glue the two pieces together before or after I coat them?

You mean I can skip the expense of the welder and put it all back together with ss nuts and bolts? I will study it a bit more. Some of the rivets were behind the sponsons. What would I do about them?

 

[Bass n flats]

Exterior grade plywood is good enough don't use pressure treated wood, glue the 2 pieces together with Tite bond III or Gorilla glue. Yes you can coat the wood with EPOXY RESIN or spar varnish which is cheaper. Then put it all back together with Stainless steel nuts and bolts.

Should I glue the two pieces together before or after I coat them?

You mean I can skip the expense of the welder and put it all back together with ss nuts and bolts? I will study it a bit more. Some of the rivets were behind the sponsons. What would I do about them?

What were those rivets holding that are behind the sponsons? Would it be possible to patch those holes before you put the new transom wood back in.

 

[Jeffrey]

It looks like its going good so far. It also looks like the aluminum came off easy and intact will you be able to reuse those pieces? It should be a whole lot cheaper to have a few pieces welded on than a whole new transom.

While drilling out the rivets I made some of the holes bigger than they were originally. I was thinking that the welder would fix the larger holes that I made. I think the metal I took off is in good enough shape to reuse.

 

[JMichael]

You can glue the 2 pieces together before you coat them. One thing about gluing that I'd add is don't clamp the pieces together so tight that it squeezes all the glue out. It is easier than you think to do this and if you squeeze all the glue out then you've got a weak bond. Firm contact pressure between the two pieces to get all the air out is about all you need. Test fit the wood and pre drill all the holes that you'll need to drill. Drill them just a little over size so that the bolt still fits after a coat of varnish/resin in the hole. Now coat the whole board (holes included) with your resin/varnish and put it all back together. :shock:

 

[Jeffrey]

Here's a good answer to your problem that Bassboy1 did. You can see the mod at this link https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=27781&p=285360#p285360

Before I totally commit myself to the wood transom, if I bought the necessary aluminum tubing and cut it to the proper dimensions, how many hours of welding would it take the welder to put it together like this?

 

[JMichael]

I think that's a question you'd need to ask your welder. Just like all mechanics don't charge the same, I doubt that all welders charge the same. A 30 pack and a few dollars got my boat welding done. :mrgreen:

 

[acwd]

Just estimating (and I try to over estimate), 4 to 6 hours. Thats just my estimate. Estimates will vary by welders. And thats if you cut it out properly mark each piece and provide a drawing of the layout. So there is no guessing. The best way to do it would be to take the boat to the welder and have them make it so it can be cut and tacked up so it can be fitted properly. That would cost more. Thats just my opinion.

Steve

 

[Jeffrey]

It would cost me around $110 for a sheet of 3/4" and 1/2" marine grade plywood. Then I would have to buy Gorilla Glue and sealant.

I think I could buy enough 1 1/2" aluminum square tubing for about half that.

I would need the welder to some degree either way.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Use exterior grade plywood. It will save you a lot of money and the wood will last for years to come.

 

[Jeffrey]

Use exterior grade plywood. It will save you a lot of money and the wood will last for years to come.

Just to make sure I understand you, are you saying exterior grade as opposed to marine grade, and still seal it? I understand that the chemicals in pressure treated wood attack aluminum, but if you seal it in epoxy resin or spar varnish, does that keep that from happening?

 

[DWD]

Use exterior grade plywood. It will save you a lot of money and the wood will last for years to come.

Just to make sure I understand you, are you saying exterior grade as opposed to marine grade, and still seal it? I understand that the chemicals in pressure treated wood attack aluminum, but if you seal it in epoxy resin or spar varnish, does that keep that from happening?

Not pressure treated...use exterior grade plywood..use an A/C or B/C grade plywood (B/C is cheaper). One side will be smooth and the other will be rough......put the good side up and seal it really well with a few coats of Spar urethane or epoxy resin.

 

[Jeffrey]

Use exterior grade plywood. It will save you a lot of money and the wood will last for years to come.

Just to make sure I understand you, are you saying exterior grade as opposed to marine grade, and still seal it? I understand that the chemicals in pressure treated wood attack aluminum, but if you seal it in epoxy resin or spar varnish, does that keep that from happening?

Not pressure treated...use exterior grade plywood..use an A/C or B/C grade plywood (B/C is cheaper). One side will be smooth and the other will be rough......put the good side up and seal it really well with a few coats of Spar urethane or epoxy resin.

Since I am going to glue two sheets together, do I treat them before I glue them together so that I have total coverage or will the two surfaces that are in contact have plenty of protection without being sealed?

 

[Gotem]

I replaced the transom on my 1956 Arkansas Traveler last spring. It took longer than expected, but I'm happy. It looks like you have the hardest part done in grinding off all the rivits. I used wood glue to glue the two sheets of plywood together. I had kept the old transom (or what was left of it) as a template. Then I cut it and installed it. I used stainless steel screws, nuts, washers, and lock washers. I also filled the holes with marine silicone before I put the screws through the holes (everything gets slippery from the silicone). I did not have aluminum on the inside of the boat, just the outside part of the transom. I then primed and painted the transom. You can do this before you install it. Since the boat is stored inside in the summer and outside with a cover in the winter (tilted up so any water can go through the transom plug hole), I was not worried about the fiberglass resin. Also if I need to replace the transom again in 20 years, it will be easier to take apart because it is nuts and bolts.

 

[acwd]

A sheet of exterior grade plywood 3/4" is like 27 bucks around here and 1/2" is like 18 bucks. Took less than a sheet to do mine. so had 27 bucks without bolts and reused part of my old ones. I painted the outside and sealed the rest.

Steve

 

[Jeffrey]

Here is how it is going so far.

I don't know if the pictures do it justice, but this transom is like Swiss cheese.

I am going to need a welder, but I am going to try to get it to the point that all of the prep work is done.