how many bolts hold the transom on???

[bob johnson]

well we all know when we get these 30 year old and older boats, the transom is usually full of all the previous owners additional holes to mount what ever...

I sealed up a bunch and I am attaching a 15" x 12" 5/16" thick aluminum plate to the back where the motor mounts...seems there are 2 sets of odd motor mount holes and a bunch of other holes. I am just going to cover them all up.

in addition there are a dozen other holes i cant seem to see a need for....

so its a 1982 starcraft 18 SS.

I know we got the:
3 holes up each of the outer sides
the four motor mount holes based on the BIA standard pattern
the two sets of maybe 8-10 holes each for the inner transom brace that go down the center of the transom
the a row of maybe 10 or so holes in a line that holes the transom board "tray" to the aluminum sheet..
the a pair of holes on each side about 3/4 way up the transom for the SS U bolts for holding the boat down to the trailer.
the two large drain holes from the top pf the splash well.

thats all i can think of that should be there..

but i see many guys who have re done their starcrafts and from pictures of the inside looking at the transom, I am seeing a bunch of different bolts...( not screws!!) with huge washers ....that dont seem to go with anything that i mentioned already


so my question is. am i supposed to have some BOLTS helping squeeze the outer aluminum to the wood at various spots?

or ar the ones i catorgorized...good enough?

I know there will be a lot of support with all those mss screws that hold the splashwell to the wood..

bob

 

[ezmobee]

Re: how many bolts hold the transom on???

or ar the ones i categorized...good enough?

Yes. That's pretty much what I've got. I went the same route as you and did not just throw back in all the fasteners that were there just cuz they were there.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: how many bolts hold the transom on???

My Nassau has 40 bolts. 18 just for the three knee braces and 8 for the 2 lifting handles along with 6 for the transom pad. 6 for the ends of the transom and 2 motor bolts (clamp-on) It's a lot of bolts!

 

[1973Chieftain]

Re: how many bolts hold the transom on???

My Jet had 25 structural bolts, not counting the 8 for the handles that I replaced with Ubolts. 4 vertically on each side, 12 for knee braces, and 5 for the motor board. The engine was 4 more, and the splashwell was held in with about 20-25 screws from the inside.