Weak transom

N6REJ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
30
We discovered today that my transom appears to be weak in the middle as when you push on the skeg the transom flexs in the middle where the pads of the motor push against it.
We are considering taking a piece of stainless steel both inside and out and bolting them together through the transom with silicon to waterproof the bolts.
My motor is a 40hp and the boat is a 15'. I can't afford to rebuild the entire transom.
I'd appreciate any feedback on this.
my boat is a 1963 I THINK a skiflite but I'm not sure about that.
Troy
 

SpinnerBait_Nut

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 25, 2002
Messages
17,651
Re: weak transom

Re: weak transom

We discovered today that my transom appears to be weak in the middle as when you push on the skeg the transom flexs in the middle where the pads of the motor push against it.
We are considering taking a piece of stainless steel both inside and out and bolting them together through the transom with silicon to waterproof the bolts.
My motor is a 40hp and the boat is a 15'. I can't afford to rebuild the entire transom.
I'd appreciate any feedback on this.
my boat is a 1963 I THINK a skiflite but I'm not sure about that.
Troy
Troy, I will move this to the Boat restoration and building forum.
A great number of folks there that can answer your questions.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,019
Re: Weak transom

Not as bad as you might think..... the stainless steel plates will work but only as a temporary (very temporary) bandaid and really is not safe.

You will need to pull the outboard off to do any repair. A day's work, some plywood and some sealer will fix the transom and you can do the "pretty" repairs after the season. Wood is cheap..... and PLEASE do not use silicone (worthless for repairs).

Welcome to iboats! There is ton's of great written info here and an endless wealth of knowledge!

73's
KBOJOI
 

Chinewalker

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Aug 19, 2001
Messages
8,902
Re: Weak transom

I would fix it the right way rather than adding a stainless steel bandaid. Problem is that with a soft transom, the bolts you run through the plates will compress the transom core over time and loosen. Being that the motor is clamped & bolted through that, it too will loosen. Not a good thing to have happen. Fix it once, fix it right. Not as difficult a job as you would think - just takes time.

- Scott
 

OhWellcraft

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Messages
277
Re: Weak transom

Also remember by the time you purchase the stainless and have it cut to size by someone(can't do it yourself, way too hard to cut) You would be well on your way to buying materials to fix it the right way. I just finished a complete transom rebuild on 20' cuddy and was surprised at how little it really cost. But you can never figure in labor because there is a lot of it and that's the reason it is so expensive to have it done at a boat shop. Read up on this site,gather all materials, make a plan, dive in, know it won't be finished in a weekend, and as stated above DON'T use silicone. Thats the reason I just replaced mine( PO must have owened stock in DAP)

-Brendon
 

N6REJ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
30
Re: Weak transom

Not as bad as you might think..... the stainless steel plates will work but only as a temporary (very temporary) bandaid and really is not safe.

You will need to pull the outboard off to do any repair. A day's work, some plywood and some sealer will fix the transom and you can do the "pretty" repairs after the season. Wood is cheap..... and PLEASE do not use silicone (worthless for repairs).

Welcome to iboats! There is ton's of great written info here and an endless wealth of knowledge!

73's
KBOJOI
We took the outboard off yesterday as I just got another one for it because mine had too many problems. We were supposed to put the new one on today, but this transom thing has to be fixed first. When you talk about sealer, what kind of sealer are you talking about? I'm not sure how to go about making the repair.
73's
Troy
 

N6REJ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
30
Re: Weak transom

ok, so everyone has convinced me not to use silicon or the stainless, but now that brings up another problem. There are two water exit holes in the transom. One for the bilge and one for the tray that sits just forward of the transom. This upper one doesn't have a brass ring around the outside and I suspect that is where the water has been weeping into the transom and caused the original problems. Both of these are factory holes, but for some reason the upper doesn't have the nice brass ring. So I don't know what to do about that part.
I'll look around here for hopefully instructions on how to repair the transom.

Troy
 

Gary H NC

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: Weak transom

3M 4200 fast cure sealant is the thing to use on any bolts, can also be used for the brass drain tubes.
If you could post some pics of the transom we can tell you the best plan for repair..
 

OhWellcraft

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Messages
277
Re: Weak transom

Troy,

I was in the exact same "boat" as you a couple of months ago. I had a rotted transom that needed attention, didn't dare use the boat until repairs were made. I read everything I possibly could on this great site(days worth). Once I had taken notes and convinced myself I could do it, I jumped in and it really wasn't that bad. I am a carpenter by trade so the wood part was easy, but I had never done one bit of glass work ever. As it turns out it really isn't too bad or difficult but I would advise close attn. to details and the prep work is the key to success. As far as the drain tubes are concerned I had three of them to do and found a pretty easy trick which I posted in this forum just the other day "drain tubes" by Ohwellcraft might give it a look see. The sealer that seems to be the one of choice here is a 3M product which comes in a few varities "5200" is more for permanent bonds and 4200 is slightly easier to remove if ever needed. I bought all of my supplies from west marine which I know is more expensive but if you have time to look around on E-bay you can find things quite a bit cheaper. Good luck to you and remember this site is full of VERY knowledgable people who can help with any question or problem you might encounter.

--Brendon
 

N6REJ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
30
Re: Weak transom

3M 4200 fast cure sealant is the thing to use on any bolts, can also be used for the brass drain tubes.
If you could post some pics of the transom we can tell you the best plan for repair..

I'll go out and take some pics in an hour. I've got to get my shower done first, couldn't sleep last night. I'd rather do this right then have the motor fall off the boat. Or worse have it sink and have someone who's with me not know how to swim. I'll tell the guys, we've got to fix the transom first. Sounds like I'm going to be out a case or two of beer before this is all said and done.

Troy
 

sdunt

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
389
Re: Weak transom

Welcome to Iboats. In trying to date that boat, you might take a look at: http://www.classicglastron.com/63gl-140series-web.html

The splash well missing the brass drain tube will definitely cause the wood inside the transom to rot out. Based on what I have seen of the Skiflite, there is a 1967 parked in the woods near here that I want restore one day, you would probably need to split the deck from the hull in order to get a good shot at the transom. Yes, you could possibly replace it with the deck on but it will be a HUGE PIA to accomplish it.

You might want to see if you can locate these books:
Runabout Renovation: How to Find and Fix Up an Old Fiberglass Speedboat by Jim Anderson
http://www.amazon.com/Runabout-Reno...0255336?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176991542&sr=8-1

The Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual by Allan H. Viatses
http://www.amazon.com/Fiberglass-Bo...0255336?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176991609&sr=1-2

Fiberglass Repair and Construction Handbook Author: Jack Wiley
http://www.amazon.com/Fiberglass-Re...9355330?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180026258&sr=1-1

Also look through the project 'blogs' on share a project, mine in in my signature and see what you can learn..

Keep in touch, and yes pictures are almost mandatory..

You can 'blog' your project for FREE at www.shareaproject.com and its also a great way to store pictures to link with forum posts.
 

N6REJ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
30
Re: Weak transom

I know she's a 63 as that has been confirmed by glastron. She apparently was a 'custom' when she was built as she has a lot of 'extras' that don't appear on any brochures that i've ever seen. You can see some pics of her here... http://www.n6rej.com/index.php?option=com_expose&Itemid=69
You'll notice the foot steps on the gunwhale which I haven't seen on other boats of that year, and also the "glovebox" in the middle of the dash. This is a divit if you will on top of the dash. The black thing in the middle is a radio that was added by the previous owner.
 

N6REJ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
30
Re: Weak transom

I can't figure out how to put photos here
 

sdunt

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
389
Re: Weak transom

I can't figure out how to put photos here

So start a share a project. Pictures here are limited in size. You also have to use the full reply form instead of the quick reply and on the "reply to Thread' screen, if you scroll down there is button to 'manage attachments' and you can upload photo's that way.

As you can tell I like the share a project route. Once you get project started and want to point out a particular page, browse to that page, highlight the address in your browser, copy it and then paste that link address into a post.
 

Gary H NC

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: Weak transom

Looking at the pics on your site i really think that transom will not be that bad.
You may want to read some info on Seacast. You can google it and find tons of info. It pours in once the rotted wood is removed..
I used it on my boat and its rock solid..
This is mine after the repair,i removed the aluminum trim and took all the old wood out.The wood removal is the hard part but its better than taking the whole top of the boat off..
boat002.jpg
 

N6REJ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
30
Re: Weak transom

Ok, I've got a problem with my website, so I can't add any images there today, But I took some pics. The one with the full shot of the stern, is after I've started cutting the delaminated glass away from the stern. I found that about 3/4 of the wood is saturated and soft enough on the outside to be able to push you finger nail through it.
The tow hoops were part of the cause. The glass is cracked on the inside also, and if you look at the inside pics, you'll see a "bump" where it looks like the transom meets the deck. i'm thinking I need to take the sawzall to the stern at that line and cut the wood away so I can pull it out the back of the boat. I hope I haven't started out wrong.
 

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N6REJ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
30
Re: Weak transom

more pics
 

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N6REJ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
30
Re: Weak transom

last set of pics. In the prior set you'll notice that the top of the splash area had two cracks in it right where the engine sat. Someone seriously abused this boat.
 

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Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
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26,019
Re: Weak transom

Well..... don't fear it is all repairable. I would not call it an abused boat.... maybe neglected a bit. This section of iboats coupled with the people knowledge here and you will be boating in no time..... and even at a lower cost than you may think.

Half of the battle is finding out the extent of the rot. You are on top of that. I would have avoided the cutting of the outter fiberglass this early but it can be fixed.

Those tow hooks were not installed right by today's standards or they would not have leaked.
 

Gary H NC

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Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: Weak transom

Going the cut the outer skin off route,you should have cut it about a half inch from the outside edge so you can remove all the wood and replace with one piece.Either way you have fiberglass work to do now.....it can be fixed.
 
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