can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

[mjhamilton4]

we discovered our transom is rotten on 18.5 commander boat. we removed engine, outdrive, transom and got to the wood and its bad....actually a nitemare. my question is, is it possible to take out all the wood we can them simply cut a piece of stainless steel to mount over the fiberglass on both sides. of course cutting out the steel in the areas needed. its a cheap option we came up with opposed to paying someone to repair the transom which is obviously costly and we want to keep the boat. we would cut the steel and bold it over the fiberglass and probably just fill the area with some type of filler in between where we take out the rotten wood. then seal around the steel all over. any thoughts on this? good/bad idea? and why?

 

[mjhamilton4]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

1991 omc which we converted to mercruiser recently

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

I don't think SS is a viable option. Look in the restoration threads to see what it takes to repair the ply in a F/G boat.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

Not gunna be structurally strong enough to cope with the forces placed on it by the motor. Do it the right way or don't do it at all.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

we discovered our transom is rotten on 18.5 commander boat. we removed engine, outdrive, transom and got to the wood and its bad....actually a nitemare. my question is, is it possible to take out all the wood we can them simply cut a piece of stainless steel to mount over the fiberglass on both sides. of course cutting out the steel in the areas needed. its a cheap option we came up with opposed to paying someone to repair the transom which is obviously costly and we want to keep the boat. we would cut the steel and bold it over the fiberglass and probably just fill the area with some type of filler in between where we take out the rotten wood. then seal around the steel all over. any thoughts on this? good/bad idea? and why?

1. How thick of a piece(s) of stainless are you talking about?

2. Have you ever worked with stainless before?

Stainless is very difficult to work with, especially a thick slab. You'll be until this time next year just getting it cut and the holes drilled.

 

[mjhamilton4]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

thanks for the feedback... we are new to the boat world (obviously ha!) so still learning things.....but im not understanding why it wouldn't be strong enough? i would think it would be stronger than it was to begin with? plan to use 6-8 bolts to hold the pieces together which could easily hold the 80-100 pound outdrive? ( the transom is mainly just rotten on the bottom half and not too bad on the top btw.) could you explain more why it wouldnt be strong or what the motor does that i'm not thinking of....thanks

 

[jigngrub]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

thanks for the feedback... we are new to the boat world (obviously ha!) so still learning things.....but im not understanding why it wouldn't be strong enough? i would think it would be stronger than it was to begin with? plan to use 6-8 bolts to hold the pieces together which could easily hold the 80-100 pound outdrive? ( the transom is mainly just rotten on the bottom half and not too bad on the top btw.) could you explain more why it wouldnt be strong or what the motor does that i'm not thinking of....thanks

Your transom needs to be one solid piece to be structurally sound, a break half way down will only give you more problems in the very near future.

 

[mjhamilton4]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

yes i'm a farmer so work with it all the time for various cheap fix its of all types. plan to take it to our machinist to get the precise cutouts for the drive/etc. plan to use 1/8in piece for each side so total of 1/4in.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

Yes SS is strong, but you will not be able to bond it to the hull. That is where the transom strength comes from. A transom doesn't just hold up a motor or outdrive. A chunk(s) of SS in the size you need is not cheap.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

We cross posted there. If I understands your plan, you will sandwich the existing transom between 1/8 inch SS. Since your transom is rotted what is the SS going to afix to. Your sandwich is SS/fiberglass/air-rot combo/fiberglass/SS. It will not work.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

MJH,

The transom is one of the most critical structural components of a boat. We want everything to be SAFE here on iBoats and we are NOT in the habit of condoning Quick Fixes or Unsafe Practices. We tend to follow Time Proven Experienced techniques even though they may take more time and effort they prove to be the BEST way in the long run. Ask yourself this... If this WAS a good method then WHY wouldn't ALL the MFG's of Boats be doing it?? Oh, and one other CRITICAL factor you are overlooking is... The outdrive will NOT fit doing this becuase it has a certain thickness that it MUST have in order for it to fit and by adding this additional thickness to the transom, the outdrive will NOT mount back up. Google it up and check the mounting specs for your outdrive.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

yes i'm a farmer so work with it all the time for various cheap fix its of all types. plan to take it to our machinist to get the precise cutouts for the drive/etc. plan to use 1/8in piece for each side so total of 1/4in.

I'm sorry, but there aren't going to be any cheap fixes for this.

Two 1/8" pieces sandwiched/laminated between 3 pieces of 1/2" plywood would be strong enough to hold up the world, but just 1/4" stainless aint gonna get it for a transom.

 

[mjhamilton4]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

planned to use some type of filler where the old wood was or use git-rot on the wood remaining. and make the steel big enough the bolts could go thru where the real wood is still good. only the bottom part appears to be rotten, the top isnt bad. (the drain appears to be what started the whole mess) or would that even work?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

The Out drive will NOT FIT! Read my post #11

 

[mjhamilton4]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

sorry didnt see that yet

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

mj - while I applaud your ingenuity, in practicality it won't work and most importantly, it is not safe

 

[mjhamilton4]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

i figured i could just adjust for that...guess not! glad i got some info before starting. thanks for all the input

 

[jrenneker]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

MJ

I considered something similar before starting mine. After starting my whole rebuild, I realized why just covering up a problem won't fix it. It might work for a year but won't be safe at all. I like how woodonglass said it. If you can't fix it right don't bother with it at all.

 

[florida boat 53]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

Have you thought about the weight the steel would be if it was thick enough to carry the engine?
if you can get the wood out to put steel in why not look at Seacast? you just pour it in after you take the wood out and it is stronger and the weight is about the same. you can find it on the web.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: can you replace a rotten transom with stainless steel

There's a LITTLE more to Seacast Transoms than just "Pulling the wood out and Pouring it In"