Transom wood for my aluminum boat

R&DMACHINIST

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Jun 27, 2011
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Any suggestions on types of wood I can use and get good results with in replacing my transom? I've read that Whit Oak is good but am having a hard time locating th size I want..Also I know not to use treated wood of any kind unless its marine specific...
Thanks,
KURT
 

jigngrub

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

What kind of tinny do you have?
 

MichaelP

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

Yea, what is it and where are the pics? :D
Most of use layers of plywood epoxied or glued together. Don't need marine grade. Glad to see you know to stay away from PT.
 

R&DMACHINIST

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

Its a seventy six,fourteen foot Sears..(Sorry about the numbers my DROID wont let me use digits for some reason,stupid technology lol) Im also considering dabbing up and adding a couple braces from transom to the seat to accommodate a slightly larger motor like fifteen -twenty hp Evinrude,Johnson or possibly a @) hp old racing Mercury I located.Ill try to upload a pic now but if it don't work Ill have to do it his eve when I get home.What do you all think about the beef up brackets for a bigger motor? Any ideas?
 

R&DMACHINIST

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

IM gonna use plywood for now so I can get on some Crappie in next couple weeks bit really wanna do a complete overhaul with solid oak or something this winter along with some other interior mods and fresh paint!
 

minuteman62-64

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

I'm not a shipwright by any means, but I've done a lot of woodworking. I'd think a couple of layers of ABX 3/4" plywood epoxied together and then coated with epoxy barrier coat would beat white oak every time.
 

R&DMACHINIST

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

Oh really? Ok well that's what Im gonna go with then! The original boat metal is around .100" thick and was planning on sandwiching it with ?" each side..Do ya reckon that will suffice or should use 2 pcs of ⅜" per side an epoxy or just epoxy 2 -?" pcs? Also any recomendations on what kind of or brand of epoxy I should use? Should I use something like bondo fiberglass hair or what? Sorry about no pics posted yet Ill try to here this evening!
THANKS,
Kurt
 

R&DMACHINIST

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

I'm not a shipwright by any means, but I've done a lot of woodworking. I'd think a couple of layers of ABX 3/4" plywood epoxied together and then coated with epoxy barrier coat would beat white oak every time.
What does "ABX" mean? Im a machinist not a carpenter so sorry if its not a very good question lol!
Thanks
Kurt
 

Huron Angler

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

If you can locate it, Arauco plywood is the best for the price in my opinion.

It has very few, if any, voids and is good quality. Not quite as good as marine grade but close.

You will want to seal it with epoxy resin to waterproof it regardless of the type of wood.

Lowe's carries it here in Michigan, it's about $25 for a 4x8 sheet of 3/4".
 

Huron Angler

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

What does "ABX" mean? Im a machinist not a carpenter so sorry if its not a very good question lol!
Thanks
Kurt

ABX is higher quality exterior grade plywood than CDX.

Normally the better quality stuff is sanded on one side too I believe, not sure.
 

R&DMACHINIST

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

OH ok cool thanks HuronAngler! What I tore off was a ?" piece off inside of boat and another ?" pieces off the outside.Should I use ?" again both sides or laminate two pieces of ⅜" per side of transom? Also I plan on fabbing up some brackets out of 3/16-?" aluminum to run from transom to rear seat to strengthen up a bot for say a 15-20 hp motor.Im gonna fab the brackets at work but wont have access to a mug to install them or I would run them from transom to floor the way I see alotta aluminum boats like mine.Any ideas? Im not keen on drilling into floor and bolting or riviting, just seems like a disaster waiting to happen.(drilling holes and putting stress o. That area possibly lead to stress cracks and a sunk ship:facepalm:)
Thanks!
 

ezmobee

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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

I recommend using 3/4" exterior plywood on the inside. As mentioned, the Arauco ply is real nice stuff with virtually no voids. My local Lowe's carries it, but any exterior grade will be fine. For the outside piece........on my larger (16' and 18') aluminum boats with permanently attached motors, I eliminated that piece. It serves little purpose and is just a possible source for future leaks as the woods compresses over time. For a little boat where the motor may be removed/replaced often, I can see the virtue of having that piece on the outside to protect the aluminum. I'd try to find something non-wood to replace it with. Plastic cutting board, piece of diamond plate aluminum etc are possibilities. For sealing the wood, you can either use polyester fiberglass resin with fiberglass or epoxy resin with or without fiberglass. Poly has no strength by itself so don't try to use that alone as a sealer. I have personally used epoxy for mine. You probably won't find a suitable epoxy at a local place and you'll have to order it from somewhere like U.S. Composites or Clark Craft. Epoxy isn't UV tolerant so you'll want to paint any exposed parts of it. Rustoleum would be great for this.


Is your boat like this one? http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/DSCF2577.jpg This one is my dad's and is also a Sears (made by Alumacraft). It's a great little boat but it's only rated up to 15 and I would NOT want to exceed that. Transom strength isn't the issue. Weight, low freeboard, etc are. We actually run ours with just a little 4HP and while it won't plane, it move along really well even with 3 adults aboard. With a 9.9 it would go great. 15's are just about always the same "form factor" if you will as the 9.9's from most manufacturers so I think you could safely go that high. Forget about a 20 cuz it would be too powerful and too heavy. Now my uncle has a different 14' Sears and his is higher sided and heftier than ours and if yours is more like his, you can ignore the above advice (however he uses a newer Merc 9.9 on his and it also hauls).
 

R&DMACHINIST

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Messages
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Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

Cool thanks for the advice..Yeah it looks like your dads.Ill be removing the motor most likely plus the is an aluminum lip off the back that sticks out almost an inch.Ill try to post some pics from my laptop when I get time!Does your dads boat have angle brackets from the transom to the floor?
Thanks again,
Kurt
 

ezmobee

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Mar 26, 2007
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23,767
Re: Transom wood for my aluminum boat

Does your dads boat have angle brackets from the transom to the floor?

They are called knee braces. Yep his has them. Our transom leaks like a sieve so we'll be facing the same job as you here this winter I think.
 
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