Re: rotten transom
Another way you can do it is to remove outboard or I/O, whichever you have. Then you will need complete access to the transom. This is all done from the inside. If it is an outboard you need to remove the splashwell. This can be accomplished by either seperating the entire upper deck from the hull or cutting just the splashwell section out and re-glassing it in. You will then need to cut the floor about a foot back from the transom to expose the transom all the way to the hull bottom. Cut and remove all the old material out. If the stringers are okay, they can be left as is, but you have to make sure they will be able to butt up against the new transom. Once it is all cleaned out, you need to rough up all the inner surface of the transom skin and the hull bottom and sides. <br /><br />You will need to decide what material to use for the new transom. You can use pressure treated ply, but it MUST be completely dry. You can use marine grade, or you can use exterior grade plywood that is for home construction. You will need to assemble the transom in layers, building out to the original thickness. You can use construction glue and screws, but what I did was use a lot of resin and glass between my layers and screwed the layers together with stainless screws. You will have to clamp the transom in place by using bolts through all the layers. You can bolt through the drain hole areas and the tow eye areas and use clamps around the splashwell edge. You should lay a layer of heavily soaked mat on the inner surface of the transom shell before laying in the transom to help it bond to the outer shell, but the motor and tow eyes hold everything together after the fact as well.<br /><br />Once the transom is in place you need to glass the perimeter of it with heavy roving at least six inches out in every direction, then sheath it in with mat. Glass the stringer ends to the transom with heavy roving and mat. Lastly you have to close up the floor, making sure to use roving at the floor/transom juncture, and sheath it all with mat or cloth. You will also have to install new drain plugs as well. If you cut the splashwell out, that needs to be glassed back in as well. This was just a quick description of a way to do it. I personally do not like to cut the outer skin of a transom, I think it is too risky, but it has been done with success by braver souls than I. Good luck...
