Tansom to Deck

[ccolson]

I am restoring and rebuilding a 16' Owens fiberglass boat. this is my first restore so excuse me if my terminology is not quite correct.

Here is the problem and questions:

When I removed the aluminum cap at the top of the transom (it was screwd and siliconed on) I noticed that where the transom meets the fiberglass shell (deck?) it is not physically attached to the transom. Should it be?

It appears that the only thing holding one to the other werre the screws that held on the trim piece as there are many holes (it appears a couple have stripped over the years). I am worried that unless somehow I permanetely bond the transom to the deck water may get in over time and begin to rot or delaminate the transom. So how do I seal this. Is 3M 5200 OKor do I need to fiberglass it? I plan on painting the boat so is 3m 5200 paintable? I will try and get some pics if I need to help. It will be a bit til I can get them on here though.

Thanks for any help guys!

Clint

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Tansom to Deck

Pictures???

3m5200 is not a paintable surface.

Post a few photos and we will guide you along.

Do you mean the entire top deck of the boat or the deck (floor) you stand on? The top portion of the boat is usually held on by screws, rivets, sometimes 5200 and a prayer or a combination of all of that under a rub rail.

 

[mikesea]

Re: Tansom to Deck

I think what your saying is the wood that supports the transom(transom being the back of the boat that the motoer attaches to)has seperated from the fiberglass hull.that is a problem.Is the wood spongy,rotted?If so it should be replaced,if it's not rotten and still has support,there are options.Ideally,you want the wood bonded to the outer fiberglass(hull)you can do a search for a product "Seacast"on that site it tells you some options.Its a 16 ft boat.I would think if you went to an alum. fabricator you could have a "cap"made that would basically be a plate inside the hull,with a top cap welded to it ,and another plate for the outer transom welded to it,that piece would slip over the top of the transom and you could then bolt it through,with the additional engine mounting bolts it should be suffice for years.But,that depends if the wood is solid.Ive seen fiberglass boats with 225 hp engines run for yrs.with that fix.You wannt to take every measure to stop water from getting in the transome,it will rot.