Princecraft transom rehab. What size motor will it hold?

[BonairII]

Just acquired an old 16' Princecraft. I need to replace the wood on the transom (inside and outer piece) cause they are rotted. What's the best way(i.e bolts, screws, adhesive etc) to attach the wood to the transom?

The inside of the transom has 2 support brackets(strakes?) and they need to be reattached also (I'll have pics of that area tomorrow). How can I figure out the max hp motor this boat can safely handle? I'm hoping it'll take at least a 35hp.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Princecraft transom rehab. What size motor will it hold?

Stainless bolts would be my fastener choice. Tiller boats are usually rated less than steering console boats, but being a 16' that may be able to handle a 30/35. No more than that though I wouldn't think.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Princecraft transom rehab. What size motor will it hold?

Hi BonairII. Nice find! No worries. replacing the transom and setas isn't that bad on these old aluminum boats. You'll want to remove all the old wood and replace it with new, sealed plywood. You can use marine grade plywood, but it's a bit pricey and may be hard to track down. Other folks used high grade exterior grade plywood. Regardless of which one you use you'll need to seal the wood with a waterproofing agent. Some folks use polyester resin and fiberglass to seal the plywood, others like to use epoxy. epoxy is bit more expensive, but it's only it's a little quicker. if you go the epoxy route you'll want to paint it or cover afterwards to give it some UV protection. you'll probably have to laminate two pieces of plywood together to get a thick enough transom. You'll want to bolt the transom in place with stainless steel bolts sealed with 3M 5200 marine caulk. You can use stainless steel screw on the seats or aluminum rivets, if you prefer. There are tons of threads here about how to replace you transom. They can walk you through everything. Once the transom is nice and solid a 35hp should be perfect. Should get you on plane easily. You may also want to check out tinboats.net which is a site dedicated to aluminum boats. Good luck. Keep us posted. We love pics