What to do about my transom?

[Jeffrey]

I am not sure what I am looking at, but I think my transom has an inner and outer layer of aluminum with some kind of material sandwiched in between. At least I think the inner layer is aluminum. I tried to scratch it with a utility knife and it was pretty hard. Anyway, there is a small leak in my transom. I peeled away a thick layer of paint on the outside. Hated to do that because it was a nice looking camo paint job. I have a ways to go, but my gut tells me I should try to take my transom pretty much down to the metal so I can get a better look at it. I think maybe I should just leave the inside alone, but want some advice. It looks like there have been some attempts through the years to fix leaks by putting various types of sealants on it. There is also a gap in a large rivet. What should I do about this transom?

 

[cva34]

Looks like a well built transom..I'm with you and only take apart as last resort and I mean last.Some have plywood within.Some are beefed up with Square tubeing inside or angle ..Some have a alum.honeycomb type inner structure. It looks like its designed for higher HP with those 3 braces and the way pontoons are put on adds to strength .Hopefully some one will be more familiar with that model etc...cva34

 

[Jeffrey]

I am going to try to get my boat to a welder today after work to look at my transom. It looks like there are a lot of simple transoms out there that consist of a single layer of aluminum with an attached piece of wood. Mine looks a bit more complicated. I don't know how many layers it is. I didn't know until last night that there was wood inside of it. I discovered that as I was sanding off the paint and the fillers that were added through the years to stop leaks. I can see from all of this that instead of continuing to try to stop leaks by applying goops that the previous owner should have had a welder do it right. Anyway, there is a small hole in the outer aluminum layer that allows me to feel the wood just below the surface. It looks to me like it would be a pretty big job to completely disassemble the transom, especially with the sponsons that have been added. I wonder what the harm would be in simply cleaning up the exposed metal and then welding a sheet of aluminum over the outer layer of aluminum, and leave the inside alone. Maybe be could buttonhole it in several places (learned that term yesterday from another post). If I needed to get inside, maybe remove the fasteners between the sponsons and cut out the outer layer of aluminum so that we can see what lurks beneath the surface.

I would like a bit of advice on how far I should go into it. Just fill the voids will rod, put a plate on the outside, or open it up?

 

[fool4fish1226]

JMHO but it looks like there is a top cap on your transom. I would remove it and take a good look at the material, it is most likely wood and could have some serious rot that is being hidden. This is very common because of the years and the holes we all like to drill into the transom to mount all kind of goodies. To some it up - fix it right once and then fish for years to come. Good luck and let us know the out come. :beer:

 

[parkerdog]

Just my $.02, if you plan on going to a welder you might as well open it up and do it right.

I believe people remove the bolts and cut the top off to get at the wood. Probably other ways too but I've seen posts where it was done that way.

If you don't plan on keeping the boat it would help the sale to be able to say that it was rebuilt all the way.

 

[JMichael]

IMO the interior layer of wood has most likely rotted a long time ago. That is a major strength component to a transom that uses wood cores. Looking at the extra pieces of metal and sealants that have been added in the past, it's obviously been having issues for some time. Rather than fix it, someone has tried to put bandaids on it in hopes of a shortcut to extend the life of the transom. If you plan to keep the boat I'd suggest you tear that inner layer of metal (usually cosmetic for the most part) away, and remove any bracing necessary to get the old wood out and clean it all up and go back with new wood. It's not fun but the satisfaction of being able to go out in your boat and enjoy it makes it all worth it. I'd hate it if every time I wanted to go fish, I had to worry that my motor might fall off the back of my boat or a huge crack might suddenly appear and sink my boat.

 

[Jeffrey]

I'd hate it if every time I wanted to go fish, I had to worry that my motor might fall off the back of my boat or a huge crack might suddenly appear and sink my boat.

Yeah, that would be a real bummer alright.

Thanks for the advice guys. I will ask the welder to open my transom while I open my wallet.

Instead of going back with wood, can I put a few square tubes or channel in there?

 

[JMichael]

You could definitely make a more permanent and stronger transom out of aluminum if it's built right. But you will have to open that wallet a lot wider I think. There is one build I was looking at a while back that replaced his transom with all aluminum but I can't remember what mod that was on. Maybe someone else will come along that knows which one I'm thinking of and link it.

 

[Jeffrey]

No expert here, but why would the boat manufacturer put a piece of wood inside all of this aluminum, making it inaccessible, knowing that this would be a point of failure?

 

[JMichael]

No expert here, but why would the boat manufacturer put a piece of wood inside all of this aluminum, making it inaccessible, knowing that this would be a point of failure?

Job security. :lol: Sorta like asking why would they put tires on a car that are going to wear out in 40,000 miles. Why not put something on that will last.

You have to keep expenses within certain limits for a target market group. If the cost to manufacture a product increases the price of the final product beyond what a certain group of buyers would pay, then the manufacturer misses out on that market share. There are boats out there that have all aluminum transoms as well as many other nice features, but along with each of those nice features come bigger and bigger price tags and a more select and smaller group of buyers.

 

[acwd]

Just pull the cap off the top and take a look inside. I would just replace it that way you know what you got. Dont look like too big of a job except the bolts in the corners because of the toons on the back. I would just cut a hole in the top to get access to the inside to get to the bolts then weld the top back in. If the toons are filled with foam thats going to make it harder to do. Make sure to replace the bolts with stainless steel ones. Looks like one of the bolts in there now is steel.

Steve

 

[Jeffrey]

I hear you. All I am saying is if you are going to make a board an integral part of the transom at least put it where it is accessible. But, enough of my complaining. Apart from a few repairs, I think I might have accidentally bought a better boat than what I was looking for. This is a Polar Kraft 1651. I have only been out once to check it out. But it rides pretty well. I want to put a mudmotor on it. Better get that transom fixed!

 

[Jeffrey]

Well, I was able to show my boat to a welder on the way to the office. He told me that the transom was completely shot. It would take him two full days plus materials to fix the transom. $1,200 to $1,500 in addition to what I paid for the boat. Ouch.

I didn't realize that there was a wood core inside of all of that. I reached my fingers underneath and felt something, but didn't know that I was feeling rotted wood.

Now what do I do? I paid $900 for the boat. It will cost more than that to make it usable. I can't sell it in its current condition. I would never hide something like this from a potential buyer. I am affraid to put a mud motor on it in its current condition.

I suggested to him that he take those three braces off and just cover the entire thing with aluminum plating. He thought that without actually replacing the wood that it would never work.

You can see that some of the original rivets are now hidden beneath the sponsons that have been added.

What would you do?

 

[BrazosDon]

Do you know who built the boat? Maybe could get some info from them or be able to search the internet. Are the pods bolted or welded on?

Here is a link that might help.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Transom-replament/

 

[JMichael]

What would you do?

I think that depends on you, your abilities and desires. Do you want to do any of the work yourself? Do you have any tools? Are you the type that gets satisfaction out of doing something yourself and saving $ in exchange for your sweat equity? If you can't say yes to at least 2 of these (better if 3) then I'd advertise the boat in craigslist and state that it needs the transom rebuilt.

 

[nick4203]

id just remove all i could get off and strip it down as far as i could go leaving the pods on the rear

drill rivets on the braces to take them off

cut them 4 bolts off so i didnt have to remove the pods mabe make an access hole in the top of them as previously mentioned to remove the bolts and foam if there is any

tear out the rotted wood

then see what really needs some attention from the welder

get some holes patched then replace the wood and put back together

then go fishing!

 

[parkerdog]

Do you have a harbor freight close to you?

Get one of their cheap angle grinders and a pair of safety glasses. Do as much as you can yourself, then take it to the welder like nick4203 said.

 

[DWD]

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

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Where are you located? There might be a tin boats member close by who can help you out.

 

[Jeffrey]

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.