Transom Nightmares

[74Baja]

I am in the middle of replaceing the transom on my 1974 16 foot baja speedboat. i am asccessing it from the inside of the boat. i have removed the fiberglas from the outside and now im working on chipping out all of the rotten wood. For that, I am now using the back end of a hammer and its taking forever. are there any other tools i can use to make it go faster.<br /><br />I also noticed i was cutting away a small part of the floor to acess the bottem of te transom that the wood was a little wet. so i cut out a bigger section of wood (about a foot back) and cut the fiberglas off the top of more of the wood to let it dry. I noticed that under my narrow floor that there was only 1 stringer running along the center of the boat and that the floor and stringer are glassed together. i poker the end of the stringer with a screwdriver and my fingernail and could make a small indentation. I am wondering if the floor is structural to the boat because it is only about 2 feet wide and the seats are not mopunted on it. also, is the stringers only job to hold up the floor or is it structural? Thanks

 

[tootoot]

Re: Transom Nightmares

You do have a project. To aid in removing the transom, Take a circular saw and set it to a depth where you wont cut through into the fiberglass then carefully stich a screwdriver in the cut and pry the wood apart. Make a lot of cuts so the pieces will be small. Remove all the transom and replace it with new. I used epoxy paste to adhere the new transom and for the glass work. Its a little more expensive but I found it sticks to the old fiberglass better than polyester resin. US Composites has a good site. If the stringer is wet, get rid of it. If you can make a good compound joint you might be able to add on to the good wood and screw, epoxy and cloth it good. The stringers in your boat sound like they structual and for floor support.

 

[74Baja]

Re: Transom Nightmares

thanks, does anyone have a similar boat that they have done this on?

 

[crab bait]

Re: Transom Nightmares

don't know your boat.. that bein' said,, if'n you got to replace the transom,, then you got to replace the transom.. <br /><br />no sense in 'chipp'n' at it .. cut an remove it all.. but if there's a good reason,, do as TOOT says..<br /><br />YES,,,!! anything in a boat is there for structure.. not many exceptions.. even benchseats.. <br /><br />if your stringer is wet ,, then it's prone to rot.. an should be replaced as per TOOT.. <br /><br />cut back floor until you find dry wood..an a foot more for joint-makin'room.. <br /><br />don't hafta remove the floor width-wise .. just ,say, 3 inches iether side of stringer..<br /><br />never just 'butt joint' the wood together.. <br /><br />best to splint/scab/saddle/sandwich the dry stringer with 2 pieces of good wood 24 inches long .. be it 3/4 ply , white oak, mohogany, ect..<br /><br />12 inches sandwiched on the dry stringer,, with 12 inches overhang to sandwich the new stringer piece.. <br /><br />to put back the flooring.. epoxy an countersink screw a 3 inch piece of plywood to the underside of floor on centerline ..so you got an 1 1/2" scabbed to the floor with an 1 1/2" lip off-hang/stairstep.. so your new floor piece can have a lip to rest on..

 

[EZLoader]

Re: Transom Nightmares

You're not alone...<br /><br />Check out all of the Mako Project boats that had transom repairs they document on their website:<br /><br /> http://www.classicmako.com/projects/xshark/bw3.htm <br /><br /> http://www.classicmako.com/projects.htm

 

[tootoot]

Re: Transom Nightmares

Crab bait, sounds like you are not a rookie. I havesix boats (rebuild) under my belt And you prob have more. I love the science project. I have actually bought boats because they are a bigger challenge. I also love Capt. Morgan and I think my spelling is bad now. Gotta go

 

[crab bait]

Re: Transom Nightmares

TOOT same to you.. sounds like you can be a great asset to the 'boards'..<br /><br />i have rebuilt one an handbuilt two.. <br /><br />i'm no expert.. just have some experiance, horse sense, a 12 x 16 shop, an tools.. many tools.. an ain't ascared of 'um ,either ..<br /><br />glad to meet ya..

 

[74Baja]

Re: Transom Nightmares

if i was to remove the stringer would i hav eto take the top half of the boat off, it is only one stringer. also, how far forward do you guys think that the stringer runs? I am wondering how necessary all of this is, afterall i trailer my boat and only use it about 4-6 days a year plus one week long vecation, is it dangerous how it is?

 

[Solittle]

Re: Transom Nightmares

You said "I am wondering how necessary all of this is, afterall i trailer my boat and only use it about 4-6 days a year plus one week long vecation, is it dangerous how it is?" - - - - Well would you consider it dangerous if the transom ripped off the back while you were doing 35-40 mph with the family aboard? Might put a dent in that vacation.<br /><br />I don't know your boat but most stringers for a boat that size will go forward close to where the floor meets the hull.

 

[bosavy]

Re: Transom Nightmares

i used a electric chain saw and plumbers drills a little crud but got the job done

 

[CalicoKid]

Re: Transom Nightmares

74Baja can you get a pic of your boat up here? I'm thinking that with the narrow floor you might be able to get it all out without removing the deck if you can slide everything out the back over the transom... maybe. I know someone who redid the floor in a bassboat without splitting the hull but the floor came out in pieces and went back in as a couple of sections as opposed to one piece.<br /><br />I think I've seen your boat here before and if it is the one I am thinking of it is worth it because it is such a cool boat.

 

[ddavisr]

Re: Transom Nightmares

What your seeing is not really a stringer, its only purpose is to hold up the small strip of plywood they have running down the middle. If you look forward you will see a area were your feet go when sitting in the boat. The plywood they rest on is where the stringer stops. If you decide to cut it out try using a angle grinder. Hold it parallel to surface that the floor runs into. Or you could try cutting another foot off from the back to see how far the water damage goes. Once again the "stringer" your refering to is only there to support the plywood, it does nothing for the strength of the hull.