Alternative to SeaCast ?? Pour-in transom ??

[Kymasabe]

Hello. I was given a small 14 foot Dory-style boat yesterday and started going over it carefully, discovered there's no wood left in the transom !!
There were two pieces of rotted 3/4" wood sandwiched between two fiberglass skins. I was watching the SeaCast website and saw some guys there drilling out their old wooden transom so started doing the same. I'll hae it all drilled out and vacuumed out by the end of the weekend but was wondering what I could do to fill it up again. Do I really need SeaCast or are there alternatives? Can I get chopped fiberglass, mix it with resin and hardener and just pour it in?

First of all, I don't intend to keep the boat, was given in lieu of payment owed.
I don't want to invest alot in a boat that may only be worth $500-$1000 (included trailer and the like-new, barely used '94 Evinrude 6hp outboard on it).
I want to yank out the wood, pour in something strong to fill the void, and I can easily have a local metal shop cut me some 1/4" aluminum plate for inside and outside for additional strength, already priced the plate, is only around $20 for the aluminum plate.
Second: I'd like something fast and that I can find locally like my local West Marine or boater supply house, I'd rather not have to order something like SeaCast and have to wait for it to be shipped.

What say you all?

 

[jonesg]

Re: Alternative to SeaCast ?? Pour-in transom ??

You have to order it, try looking at nidacore, its half the price of seacast.
Don't put a reinforcing plate on it, thats the sign of a rotted transom.

You'll probably make more money selling the outboard by itself on craigslist rather than packaging it all together.

You can't make transom core material using regular resin and mekp because the temperature will be way too high, it will crack if it doesn't catch fire. Seacast uses BPO catalyst but you also need to promote the resin and those chemicals can't be bought off the retail shelf.
Unless the promoter is added the BPO will not do anything in the resin.

 

[Kymasabe]

Re: Alternative to SeaCast ?? Pour-in transom ??

What about epoxy? Aren't there two-part epoxies that I could use? I used an epoxy recently that is mixed as it comes out a nozzle on a caulk gun, used it to set anchors in concrete, there's got to be something out there that I could pump into the cavity or pour in and let set up.

 

[bigredinohio]

Re: Alternative to SeaCast ?? Pour-in transom ??

I'd go with what Jonesg suggest if you want to go the pouring method to fix the transom.

You'd spend way too much for 2:1 epoxy and even then I'm not sure if it strong enough to be a transom without wood.

I do know that epoxy too can get very hot and set way too fast when mixing too much. I heard someone here actually had some smoking but I don't think it caught fire.

 

[justchange]

Re: Alternative to SeaCast ?? Pour-in transom ??

Perhaps I fail to understand this?

If it's wood and you removed it, wouldn't the least expensive way to repair it be getting new marine or treated wood? The fiberglass "skins" are probably just what the factory used to help seal the wood.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Alternative to SeaCast ?? Pour-in transom ??

What about epoxy? Aren't there two-part epoxies that I could use? I used an epoxy recently that is mixed as it comes out a nozzle on a caulk gun, used it to set anchors in concrete, there's got to be something out there that I could pump into the cavity or pour in and let set up.

It will overheat due to the mass, it will cure with voids ( bubbles and cracks).
Thats a lot of money for a failed repair.

For the same price you can buy nidacore and pour it in.

 

[berry79]

Re: Alternative to SeaCast ?? Pour-in transom ??

If you go with the nida core product, there facility is located in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. I see you are from Cape Coral. You could drive to nidacore and pick up the product and save alot on shipping.

 

[Kymasabe]

Re: Alternative to SeaCast ?? Pour-in transom ??

Well, the outer skin I was talking about is actually the gel-coated hull, then there was 1.5 inches of wood, and that was covered with fiberglass on the inside. I spoke with the boat builder today, great family-owned company in Rhode Island, and their suggestion was to cut out the fiberglass on the inside, cut out all the rotted wood, and put in two new 3/4" thick pieces of marine-grade plywood, then glass it all in. So, that's what I'm going to do, will cut it up tomorrow...God help me, I was hoping to avoid this but...here goes!

 

[bigredinohio]

Re: Alternative to SeaCast ?? Pour-in transom ??

That's basicly what I'm finishing up with mine right now. It's been very time consuming for me but also very rewarding.