Transom rebuild....

[ILLaViTaR]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

Hey thanks Cadwelder that makes things a lot clearer. Iboats has been great to me, if it wasn't for this site I would've never got the outboard motor running, and now it runs like a treat! I bought an angle grinder today so I'm planning to get started witihin the next few days.

Sorry the boat is a 1990 Pride Premier (looks older to me) which is an Australian built boat I believe. Here are some pics of when I bought it: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/250901224006?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

[bbodin]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

I just love how the ad stated that the transom is good.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

I like how the ad only showed the 1 side from 3 different angles! If the motor runs, finding a better hull would be your fastest option, and without a motor/trailer, hulls are fairly cheap (at least in the states). As a new restorer myself I have learned that whatever time you set to finish the job....triple it! You will run into stuff you did not expect. It is doable, anything is, just be sure your ready for the expense and aggravation involved with the project. Doing the tear out and prep properly will probably take you 2 weeks if you are working alone as a first time DIY, not to mention that the wood you use to replace it needs time to dry (unless you can find somewhere that offers a kiln-dried ply) You came to the right place, I have found the informative and willing to help community here at Iboats to be invaluable. Post more pictures, lots of them...like kids, if there ain't pictures, they get bored!

 

[ILLaViTaR]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

Haha the guy I bought it off was clueless. I finally got some pics, I've been held up with the motor but have finally sorted those issues out.

I took a crack at the floor today and it was rotten/soft in one spot (bottom right hole in pic), i'll keep pulling it out tomorrow when I get a new angle grinder blade. For now it's been a crowbar and mallet job.

I took off the gunnel rubber and there were no screws under there, just a mount for the rubber by the looks of things:

In a nutshell I was wondering basically how to get this style cap off and how to check the stringers, for the rest I assume I just keep hacking at the floor until I can access the transom wood?





Here's a pic of the beast lol

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

Pull the rubber out of the rub rail and there should be screws or rivets attaching it to the hull. They will need to be removed. A cirular saw set to the depth of your decking will make short work of that deck.

 

[oops!]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

this is a full gut job.

lets get you on the right track....

to expand on what woodie said, under the rubber of the rail....there will be an aluminimum channel.......that channel is held on by reevits. (rivets) the reevits need to be drilled out...its a 3/8ths bit.....drill all of them out and set the rub rail aside......this will reveal a cap hull joint. kinda like a shoe box. slip your pry bar between the joint and start gently prying...
a lot of times they used a sealant under this joint........you might need to take a big knife and stick it between the hull and cap and cut the sealant.

as far as the deck......take a circular saw......and set the depth to 1/2 inch....then cut all the way around the perimeter of the deck with a 3-4 inch lip......then just take the deck out.
if you keep chipping away from the center out.....it will take forever.

once the deck is up......you will see your transom. (hopefully you have removed your motor and that big ugly chunk of aluminium on the back.)

set the circular saw to 1.5 inched deep and make a series of cuts on a one foot grid system.....then take a grinder and grind the outer skin away from the inner edges of the transom....all the way around....

once the inner skin is removed form the edges of the transom......stick a pry bar between the outer hull skin and the wood core.....and gently start prying the wood from the hull.

get the transom all out....and we can go on to the next step

 

[mark1961]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

I can see you already had the outer rubber removed in the pics (white)......are the two flanges part of an aluminium channel or fibreglass and part of the hull/cap?

 

[ILLaViTaR]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

Hey everyone, the rubber is already off (the white strip hanging off) and underneath it was that black mount as shown in the pics. It's rock hard and reminds me off a cross between brittle plastic and bog perhaps, prob some sort've fibreglass. It doesn't peel back as you may think from the pics, it's solid and a part of the hull.

 

[ILLaViTaR]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

this is a full gut job.

lets get you on the right track....

to expand on what woodie said, under the rubber of the rail....there will be an aluminimum channel.......that channel is held on by reevits. (rivets) the reevits need to be drilled out...its a 3/8ths bit.....drill all of them out and set the rub rail aside......this will reveal a cap hull joint. kinda like a shoe box. slip your pry bar between the joint and start gently prying...
a lot of times they used a sealant under this joint........you might need to take a big knife and stick it between the hull and cap and cut the sealant.

as far as the deck......take a circular saw......and set the depth to 1/2 inch....then cut all the way around the perimeter of the deck with a 3-4 inch lip......then just take the deck out.
if you keep chipping away from the center out.....it will take forever.

once the deck is up......you will see your transom. (hopefully you have removed your motor and that big ugly chunk of aluminium on the back.)

set the circular saw to 1.5 inched deep and make a series of cuts on a one foot grid system.....then take a grinder and grind the outer skin away from the inner edges of the transom....all the way around....

once the inner skin is removed form the edges of the transom......stick a pry bar between the outer hull skin and the wood core.....and gently start prying the wood from the hull.

get the transom all out....and we can go on to the next step

Hey thanks for the detailed reply, saves me a lot of thinking! I cracked off some of that brittle plastic/bog rubber mount and behind it was fused fibreglass, there are no bolts, rivets or anything?

Just my luck haha.

 

[ILLaViTaR]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

Well I've just spent last week trying to get my head around removing this cap and I haven't budged an inch from where I've started.

Surely someone must've seen a cap like this before?

Cheers.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

can you take a pic of the joint on the inside of the boat? My first thought is a reciprocating saw with a long flexible blade to cut it at the middle of the seam. Once you get it started a little upward pressre may cause it to begin to split on her own.

 

[ILLaViTaR]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

Hey Wood, I just found that there are small staples running across the top of the joint (after smashing some more of that blac brittle stuff off). So the joint seems glued with the support of staples. Anyway I'll get that picture up tomorrow. I also checked the stringers and there's no rot so it's just the transom/deck that I need to do thank god. I've taken 2 weeks off work and I'm going to give it a shot!!

Cheers.

 

[chrome dome]

Re: Transom rebuild....

can't offer any practical help..never done a transom.. nor do l want to LOL
but you're right thinking that the tub is older than 1990,
they were around in the 70's

if you're going to keep it as a project, try and find this mag, may still be in the newsagents but he is flogging them on ebay now as well
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Secondha...AU_Boat_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cfc256499

it has an article on rebuilding a transom from the outside, it may not be the best way to do it but it's worth a squiz anyway,

in the same mag...in the 50 classic old boat section..ok, ok page 44.. there is a small run down of your boat, donk capacity, capability, history, etc,
now a bit for the useless info file..
the boat in the pic in the brief article ( out the front of the caravan) was on ebay just a couple of weeks ago again after an earlier unsuccessful listing,
didn't get a bid at ..with the same first series blueband donk..$4500

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

Hey Wood, I just found that there are small staples running across the top of the joint (after smashing some more of that blac brittle stuff off). So the joint seems glued with the support of staples. Anyway I'll get that picture up tomorrow. I also checked the stringers and there's no rot so it's just the transom/deck that I need to do thank god. I've taken 2 weeks off work and I'm going to give it a shot!!

Cheers.

Yeah, staples on a cap like that are common. I still think the reciprocating saw would work great.

 

[ILLaViTaR]

Re: Transom rebuild....

can't offer any practical help..never done a transom.. nor do l want to LOL
but you're right thinking that the tub is older than 1990,
they were around in the 70's

if you're going to keep it as a project, try and find this mag, may still be in the newsagents but he is flogging them on ebay now as well
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Secondha...AU_Boat_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cfc256499

it has an article on rebuilding a transom from the outside, it may not be the best way to do it but it's worth a squiz anyway,

in the same mag...in the 50 classic old boat section..ok, ok page 44.. there is a small run down of your boat, donk capacity, capability, history, etc,
now a bit for the useless info file..
the boat in the pic in the brief article ( out the front of the caravan) was on ebay just a couple of weeks ago again after an earlier unsuccessful listing,
didn't get a bid at ..with the same first series blueband donk..$4500

Hey thanks for the info mate, I managed to buy it for $1400 and don't really want to spend more than a grand doing it up becuase like you said, they're not worth much. The sides are only 1.7 meters wide but I've heard they're a reputible hull.

 

[ILLaViTaR]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

Yeah, staples on a cap like that are common. I still think the reciprocating saw would work great.

I'll have to pick one of those saws up, doesn't sound too tricky especially if I can split it like you said. I'm assuming I just pry the staples out first with a flathead screwdriver or something? Our Camera's battery has had it, i'll try and get the pic of the inside, I looked at it and it was just a seam, nothing holding it together from the inside.

Anyway I've been busy the last 2 weeks I saved 5k and decided to buy a better boat, I've looked at 4 so far and all have transoms FAR worse than mine. I also noticed there is no water in the transom. I've taken another look at my transom and I've decided to use it for another 3 or so months until the season ends, then I'll repair it. I've decided to save my money for other things, and repair this yet again.

When I drilled the transom looking for rot I actually drilled through to the other side/inner skin and it was actually trapped water under the floor that decided to drain through the hole I drilled, the transom isn't wet and mushy at all, the sawdust is dry white to dry light brown in colour.

So technically because of the hole I drilled there is now water in the transom haha but only a drip worth/2ml. I even got both feet on the motor leg (I'm 90kg) and bounced on it extremely hard basically trying to rip it off. No flex no nothing, I think it'd handle WOT with ease but I'm not going to try that's for sure, but I'm sure I could get it to plane with no risk. I'm going to test it on a freshwater lake before taking it out on the bays though, I'll let you know how sound she is!!!

 

[fucawi]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

Only just saw this but being australia where everyone has got one ...did you think of going into the top "vertically " with a chain saw .......have seen great results from this method ....there is a special epoxy filler you pour in to the slot ....will try to find the name..

 

[fucawi]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

found it its called Seacast ..loved by many hated by others

http://www.transomrepair.net

 

[island mike]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

You need a inner skin to pour seacast...

 

[fucawi]

Re: Transom cracked across top

Re: Transom cracked across top

or you make a tempery one in thin plywood