Welded aluminum transom issues...

[beerfilter]

While getting some measurements of my new project (1436 Alumaweld jon ) , I noticed there is some rot in the transom .
Since the wood is sandwiched inside a single piece of prebent aluminum , which makes the entire transom , and , this is welded in place , it isn't going to be a simple replacement .

Short of a complete cut and reweld , I'm considering some possibilities .

1) Cut the inner transom and reweld . Still expensive .

2) Cut smaller access panels in the inner transom , remove rotted wood , Seacast .

I'm not really in a hurry , as I'm still in the planning stages of this build , still , it has to be fixed eventually .

Ideas and recomendations would be appreciated .

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=206019

 

[beerfilter]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

I skimmed over that thread earlier , and some other threads as well .
Also been to the site for the stuff .
I think I will do the seacast thing .
I have a friend who just got a mig , but , he ain't exactly ready for "prime time" with it yet .


Recapping should just be a matter of finding some 2" x .125" aluminum "u" channel , and bolting it on and sealing it good .
Since the actual thickness is 1 7/8" , I will add another plate of .125" on the inside . Got lots of this stuff laying around , may even have the exact piece of channel in the shed , somewhere .
I think I'll take a look now that the rain/sleet has stopped for the moment .
Weather sucks here , lately , lol .

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

Study the Seacast procedures long and hard before you invest. I too had a rotten plywood transom in an aluminum boat and thought Seacast was the best route for me. Mine only had an outside skin but required the removal of a splashwell. Most problems I read about with Seacast is with access for removal of ALL the rotten wood. Also, Seacast requires an inner skin for bonding to make the transom stronger. I finally determined I could find a replacement hull cheaper than repairing my old aluminium boat which is what I did. Good luck!

 

[beerfilter]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

Well , I've decided on surgery and a wood transplant , instead of the Seacast route .
Figured out a way to do this without the need for welding , and , should be stronger than original .
Handy , as I might be overpowering it a tad ( 25 VS the 20 hp rating ...) .

Been stripping out the old floor , put in by a PO , steel screws / bolts , and all .
Anybody need some rusty 12 gauge shells ?

Heading to the hardware store for supplies , trying to remember where I stashed all my resin .
I don't like working with the stinky/sticky stuff , but , it comes in handy for various odd projects , as long as I remember where I put it , lol .

 

[Willyclay]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

Good luck with the plywood transom replacement. Plenty of forum experts, which I am not, will be able to help you with any issues you encounter. FYI, I was going to use plywood instead of Seacast also, but would have had to remove my deck/cap to install the new transom. At that point, I surrendered to the 40 years of corrosion and leaky rivets. Keep us posted!

 

[beerfilter]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

I got the inner transom and brace cut out , except for about 4" that I left where the motor clamps .
I dug out the old wood , once solid oak , now a mess of rotted and mildewed , fungus infested mulch .
Got the ply , still can't find my @##!!!?% resin .
I think it ran off with my good hammer.

Also , got my tackle shed somewhat in shape , got all 4 outboards stored , and , the 3 trolling motors , and , about a dozen gas cans/tanks .
Managed to find the spare prop for my old 4hp Johnny .
Almost "constructed" my kayak paddles into a corner , took a while to get em worked out from the corner they were in .:redface:

Everything is on hold for the moment , since the March Monsoon has begun .
It might clear up this weekend , or , keep raining for a month straight .

 

[jlaudio29]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

as far as your friend just getting a mig welder, mig is not the greatest form of welding aluminum, unless he has a $5000 miller 350p with a push pull gun, which welds aluminum perfectly! man i wish i could use that instead of tig!

if you were close to central florida, id TIG it up for you for a few bucks for the gas and rods.

good luck.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

I've run across several boats built the same way with 'trapped' wood. I can't imagine why they would ever do that. I've done a few here myself, a couple of them I was able to remove the wood after only removing a few riveted in gussets, but on one Alumaweld and one Tracker, I had to cut the whole back open. I made an epoxy, glass and plywood sandwich to make sure what I put back in would last at least my lifetime.
After doing the Tracker, I sold it having seen a few things in it's hull design I really didn't like. The Alumaweld was a decent boat, as was one Lowe that I did which was mostly riveted not welded. Alumaweld isn't too common a brand here, I believe their mostly a west coast brand? All of the Alumaweld boats I've seen so far here were smaller flat bottom bass boats. I opted against the Seacast method due to cost and the fact that I was concerned about corrosion or salt getting trapped and not being able to make any future aluminum repairs to the transom.
My current vintage DuraCraft has a trapped wood transom, but it's rock solid so far. It's not only welded in, the outer skin of the transom rolls over the top and forms the first upper 12" of the inner transom, and then there's 5 gussets and a welded in lower panel that block the removal of the wood. Of course, the entire transom assembly is riveted in place around the perimeter of the outer hull. It looks to me like the wood was most likely slid in sideways before they riveted on the transom.

 

[beerfilter]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

as far as your friend just getting a mig welder, mig is not the greatest form of welding aluminum, unless he has a $5000 miller 350p with a push pull gun, which welds aluminum perfectly! man i wish i could use that instead of tig!

if you were close to central florida, id TIG it up for you for a few bucks for the gas and rods.

good luck.

I'm a ways from there , but , I appreciate the offer .

It's a 1436 , thats never going to see more than a 25HP kicker , so , I ain't losing much sleep over it .
It will be getting the bench seats chopped , boxed , and , gusseted , since it is going to be reincarnated as a "baby bass" rig .
Livewells , casting decks , rod locker , etc...
With all the aluminum scrap I have , the transom is the only place I'm using wood .
Got lots of .125 sheet/plate , angle extrusions , u channel , and , plenty of odd Hummer parts .
Thank god for a decent scrap yard and a military base close by .
Now if we could just get a fastener retailer that knows people also buy the stuff on weekends ....

 

[jlaudio29]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

yah, you can get a spool gun and mig aluminum and it should be fine. but i still wouldnt trust it for structural peices ont he boat. but building a live well and seat etc... i would worry.

yah we have a really nice surplus yard here in sanford that i use all the time, and yah Fastenal and Grangier isnt open on the weeks down those are the two biggest fastener place we have, other then that we are restricted to home depot lowes and ace hardware (puke)

 

[beerfilter]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

Well , I paid a visit to my favorite scrap yard , on Saturday .
Picked up some 2" square tube aluminum pieces , 6' long , for $1 pound .
They had some nice angle , +10' long pieces of 3" , 1/4" thick .
Just the thing for an all aluminum aircraft carrier , but , a little to big for my current project .

They have a nice selection of old boat hulls there , including an old 12' Appleby , that is in very sorry shape . Looks like it was blown around by a tornado .
They also had a 12' Sears/Gamefisher jon in very decent shape , and , a couple other 12-16' v-hulls .
The big one allready has the benches cut out , someones abandoned project I expect .
I should of asked if they would sell for scrap prices , since this state only requires a bill of sale .

I'm still trying to finalize my hatch and livewell layout , and , waiting for the replacement wood to dry so I can put the transom back in .

 

[GregE]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

While getting some measurements of my new project (1436 Alumaweld jon ) , I noticed there is some rot in the transom

There's wood in an Alumaweld jon boat? Not looking to hijack your thread here, but I have a 2005 1648 Tracker Grizzly. PLEEEEEEEEZ tell me there is NO wood in my transom!!?!?!?

 

[lilhitman2986]

Re: Welded aluminum transom issues...

There's wood in an Alumaweld jon boat? Not looking to hijack your thread here, but I have a 2005 1648 Tracker Grizzly. PLEEEEEEEEZ tell me there is NO wood in my transom!!?!?!?

I have a 2008 1648 and theres no wood in it. but i do have a lot of problems with the welds cracking.