Transom Repair

botwell82

Cadet
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
9
Here I am rying to give this whole rotten transom replacement a shot. I am new to any kind of boat repair or fiberglass work. But I have a few questions on how I should go about this replacement and what materials to use. I have been reading on what type of resin to use and have kind of decided on polyester as it seems the most economical. I am trying to stay on a budget as this boat was given to me and I wanna get on the water before summer is out! The old transom was approx 1 1/2" thick So i was thinking to pieces of 3/4" plywood. How should I bond these together and once bonded what should I use to bond them to the outer skin of the transom? once all that is in place what type of glass ahould i use for the skin on the back of the transom. and last but not least. When removing the top cap I screwed up and cut a six inch place on the outer skin of the transom... to my dismay ugh. What is the easiest way to fix that? I know thats a lot of questions in one post, but I thought I would give this a shot. Seems like there are a lot of knowledgeable people here that know a heck of a lot more about what they are doing than me haha... Thanks again! oh btw the boat is a 1979 15" bomber bass boat with a 115hp Johnson
 

Ciera2450

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 8, 2011
Messages
1,049
Re: Transom Repair

Hi...welcome to the fun!
Two pieces of 3/4" of good quality ply bonded together is the way to go.
Can be bonded in several different ways...I'm sure some smart guys will chime in.
You'll need a good bit of glassing supplies and a decent grinder. 36grit discs work great for grinding out the old glass.
A good respirator is a must...that dust is super nasty stuff, and you'll create tons of it! A shop vac running while you grind helps..
UScomposites.com is a good supplier for fiberglass supplies.
Good luck!
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,929
Re: Transom Repair

Welcome to the iBoats Dry Dock!!!

I have posted a drawing of the basics for creating a transom. Every boat is different. Posting pics would be a big help so we all can see what you're dealing with. The cut in your transom skin will NOT be a big problem so not to worry. My signature has a link for how to post your pics so get em up and we can get started.

(click the pic to enlarge)
TransomBuild.jpg
 
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