On the transom, what do you call that thing made of....

[thisusernamevalid]

...plywood on the exterior of the boat where the motor attaches?

I bought a Starcraft Superstar 14 over the weekend. The plywood plate that goes on the outside of the transom is missing.

Easy enough to make one, but I'm having difficulty figuring out what to use for a finish. Marine Spar Varnish? Epoxy paint?

The boat will be trailered and rarely spend more than a day in the water.

Thanks.

 

[robert graham]

Re: On the transom, what do you call that thing made of....

I replaced the plywood transom plate on the outside of my aluminum canoe 20+ years ago and it's still in good shape and sits outside in the weather. I applied several coats of Polyurethane to both sides and particularly the edges of the plywood board before bolting it to the back of the canoe. Every year or so I scrape/sand any loose urethane and slap another coat on it. So far, so good!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: On the transom, what do you call that thing made of....

The most important thing is UV protection and sealing the edges. As RG said proper and timely maintenance will take care of the rest.

 

[rheagler]

Re: On the transom, what do you call that thing made of....

Congrats on the Starcraft purchase. Marine Spar varnish would be appropriate. Many of us tin guys have replaced the plwood with aluminum plate. I used 3/16, cut it with a finish blade on a standard circular saw, then protected from corrosion with Sharkhide metal protectant. Have fun with it. Be sure to check out the Starcraft section of the forum, lots of good info on aluminum boats.