16ft fisher grey thunder transom replacement

[stinkbait85]

i have an 88 model fisher sv16 grey thunder that i am currently adding a larger motor to. when i bought it it had a 55hp zuki motor on it. the boat is rated for a 75hp motor. i have every intention to put a 75 on it. my concern however is the fact that the boat is 22 years old and i fear that a 75 would be too stressful on the transom. the boat is made like a fiberglass bass boat except there is no cap to remove from the hull to expose the transom. it has a splash well and the transom has a drain plug through it and an aerator pickup through it. it has a cap on the top of the transom that can be removed to expose the top of the inside transom. how in the world do i remove the guts and put new wood inside without having to cut out the drain plug tube and the aerator pickup out? also, if i made and added a second knee to the transom will it handle more ponies? legally?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 16ft fisher grey thunder transom replacement

I don't think you can remove the transom without pulling the drain tube and aerator pickup. However, assuming this is an aluminum boat, once you pull those things it should be a fairly easy job to slide out the old wood and slide in some new. Check some of the Startcraft restoration threads to see some examples.

Max HP ratings take much more into consideration than transom strength. I would not attempt to overpower it.