Re: 15.5ft beachcraft transom and stringer replacement
Today I got the cap off and the transom out, it was really bad so I'm sure glad I'm doing this. When I build the new transom should I make it 1/4 inch shorter on the top and build it up to original height with fiberglass? The old one didn't have anything covering on top just the bare wood and then the aluminum cap. The cap which was stock had 20 screws holding it down, is there a better way to do that when the time comes so I'm not filling the new with holes? I measured the width every ft and wrote on the hull at that point for reference during the rebuild. I don't have much for bow support yet so I just worked on the stern. I think I can get the floor out with out removing the wall to the front cubby which I think will help keep the sides from bowing as much? Can someone tell me the best way to fix the exterior damage by the drain plug in my first set of pictures. I'm kind of feeling like I know enough to be dangerous at this point so if anybody sees something I'm doing Wrong please let me know. All pointers are very appreciated.
When you build your transom make it 1/4" short all the way around, you want to be able to fill the bottom and sides with peanut butter and make a nice cove fillet. You can build the top up with glass too.
Screwing the transom cap dow is standard installation, but you can do a better job by screwing it down then removing the screws and applying marine sealant to the threads and reinstalling them.
The exterior damage near the drain looks like mostly gel coat damage to me, you can do a couple of layups of 1708 on the inside to reinforce it if it feel weak though.
Today I beefed up the cradle to extend to the bow. It feels extremely solid now from bow to stern and am feeling good about removing everything. Did a bunch of grinding to clean up for the new transom, Probably five more minutes worth and the boat is ready for a new one. Windsor is out of marine ply and it won't be in until mid week so I did this work instead.I discovered a piece I thought was straight fiberglass is actually a strip of 1/2 inch ply that lays flat to the hull and is about three inchs wide (picture above). Can I replace this with 3/4 inch as I will have some left over from my transom and stringers or do I need to get a whole sheet of 1/2 inch marine to replace these. What should the temp be outside for fiberglass work. It is still wintery up here (couple degrees above freezing). I'm going to get my new transom built and ready until it warms up and finish taking out my floor and stringers. Is there any advantage to replacing the transom first before removing the rest of the floor and stringers? Any advice for my #22 post
Replacing the 1/2" ply with 3/4" shouldn't be a problem.
Temps should be at least 15-20*C for glassing and glueing, everything will be very slow to set and cure at 15 and 20*+ is a lot better... and if you think that's something, the temps need to be about 30*C for the best expansion rate on the expanding foam. That's almost hot enough to melt the permafrost and tundra up there eh?!
