Damaged Hull -- Pictures

[a1964rn]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

You can drill holes into the transom, from the inside but not all the way through. If the shavings come out wet/dark, then it's rotten. If they come out light/dry, then it's not. One way to tell without having to peel the skin back.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

I'm 95% you will not be seeing me in a dress... i looked in the hole near the transom while i was trying to get the boat a little straighter on the trailer and i think that transom is rotted in the middle. But the time will come where we peel back the skin!

I'm assuming that your talking about the inside skin of fiberglass. I've seen people remove the outer side of the transom. That would be a whole new ball game.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

I'm assuming that your talking about the inside skin of fiberglass. I've seen people remove the outer side of the transom. That would be a whole new ball game.

Yes, I have seen a thread on THT where a guy doing a transom on a Fountain 31 cut the outside rather than the inside. Of course, doing it that way, you would always wonder about the integrity of the re-glassing and if cracks along the cut seams would develop, etc.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

Yes, I have seen a thread on THT where a guy doing a transom on a Fountain 31 cut the outside rather than the inside. Of course, doing it that way, you would always wonder about the integrity of the re-glassing and if cracks along the cut seams would develop, etc.

If the inside lams are still strong .. why would the outside lams be any different if it was applied correctly ?

The force of the power is going through the trans/stringers/bulks along the hull..

So tell me where is fixing an OB trans is better from the inside then the outside ?

I would be more concerned about a proper inside lam then an outside seam. .. and sometimes its much Quicker then the inside full blown tear down and lam.

YD.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

If the inside lams are still strong .. why would the outside lams be any different if it was applied correctly ?

The force of the power is going through the trans/stringers/bulks along the hull..

So tell me where is fixing an OB trans is better from the inside then the outside ?

YD.

Probably not an issue of breaking the integrity of the hull's outter skin for someone that does it for a living . . . as far as a first time for an amateur restorer . . . :noidea: Sort of a trade-off of access versus laminating skill.

 

[Peter9Do]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

Merry Christmas everybody!!!!!

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

Merry Christmas everybody!!!!!

Merry Christmas mate .

Probably not an issue of breaking the integrity of the hull's outter skin for someone that does it for a living . . . as far as a first time for an amateur restorer . . . :noidea: Sort of a trade-off of access versus laminating skill.

Id rather replace skin then replace Muscle .. if you know what I mean.

The main reason why the inside is gutted is Finish work. .. or if the stringers are shot anyways.

I would rather cut and gut from the outside on most of the transoms than remove a motor/pumps/elect. etc just to have a 2 hour session of lamination.

To each his own.

YD.

PS. but you are right in your suggestion pro vs DIYer.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

My research and experience have proven to me, that it is HIGHLY unusual for the stringers to be in satisfactory and usuable condition, when the transom is needing a full replacement. IF the stringers are engineered stringers then that could be the case and cutting the outer skin would be a viable method of replaceing the transom. Boats that are "Liner" constructed and fully glassed to the hull and underlying substructure, i.e. Boston Whaler's, then again cutting the outerskin makes sense. As YD stated the Inner lams are the most important structuralcomponent. The outside lams are more cosmetic, but IMHO, I'd try to avoid cutting the "Factory One Piece Molded" hull. Not saying it can't be done in a satisfactory way, just that in some cases it can unnecessarily complicate the process.

 

[a1964rn]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

Merry Christmas!

In this article, under the Transom Repair ? How-to section, it tells you step by step how to replace the transom from the outside. YD is correct. If you are not replacing stringers, then replacing the exterior skin would be much easier. I think it would even be easier for a DIYer, because your not having to do fillets, re-tab stringers, etc., etc. Just my opinion.

Fiberglassic Guide to: Transoms, Floors, and Stringers - fiberglassics.com

 

[Peter9Do]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

So, if you're replacing stringers and all that good stuff would still replace the transom from the inside, correct?

 

[a1964rn]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

So, if you're replacing stringers and all that good stuff would still replace the transom from the inside, correct?

Yes, correct.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

So, if you're replacing stringers and all that good stuff would still replace the transom from the inside, correct?

If your into a full blown resto .. then the inside is all you have to work with. Of course you have to replace the transom/stringers from the inside. Did I give you the Idea that you cant/should not ?

Yes, correct.

YD.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

I personally would remove everything that needed to be removed all at one time, then do all the grinding and then clean up and get all of the dirty nasty hard work out of the way. Then you can work clean and build, build, build!

 

[Peter9Do]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

If your into a full blown resto .. then the inside is all you have to work with. Of course you have to replace the transom/stringers from the inside. Did I give you the Idea that you cant/should not ?
YD.

No, I took out of what you were saying is it's better to replace the transom from the outside... That's why I asked, if you're replacing everything you would want to go from the inside rather than the out side. You're only going from the outside when the transom is the only part you're replacing.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

You've got it now. As I stated before...When a transom needs replacing, it's almost a given that the stringers will need replaced as well and therefore not cutting of the outer skin is normally done. Some special circumstances will dictate cutting the Outer Skin but rarely.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

No, I took out of what you were saying is it's better to replace the transom from the outside... That's why I asked, if you're replacing everything you would want to go from the inside rather than the out side. You're only going from the outside when the transom is the only part you're replacing.

Yup.. thats what I was suggesting . IF its only the transom then sometimes its better to approach it from the outside. I have seen members here that are trying to uncap an OB model with a splashwell. Next thing you know they have motor pics and a-frames trying to pry the deck off. All for a 3'x4'ish transom..

You've got it now. As I stated before...When a transom needs replacing, it's almost a given that the stringers will need replaced as well and therefore not cutting of the outer skin is normally done. Some special circumstances will dictate cutting the Outer Skin but rarely.

Unless boat builds have changed in the last decade .. The Transom Should be independently laminated. Meaning that its not exposed to the stringers or deck as such ( its encapsulated with glass all on its own ). So your kinda saying that if the transom is trashed then the fordeck must be rotted out too.

If the trans was glassed independently ( like it should have ) from the stringers then there should be NO reason for one to affect/infect the other. They are NOT Tied/married together.

Now if the transom/stringers/bulkies were installed all together in the lamination stage .. then its wood to wood and all bets are off. I know some boats were built this way to cut corners .. but they are far and few.

YD.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

Unless I was a seasoned professional, I would not attempt to replace the outside skin of the transom. And to agree with Wood, I haven't yet seen a boat that both the stringers and transom were not rotten together. I know most of these boats on here are 30, 40 years plus old. And you can glass the crap out of a piece of wood, water will somehow get in with age. Circumstances with dictate the outcome. A small crack in the transom skin is all it will take. Water leaking around the drain plug over time, as we all know will rot the transom out. Bolting on an outboard to the transom, tow eyes. If all these are not sealed properly when installed, either by the boat manufacturer or a previous owner will kill a transom. Stringers rot out easy because it doesn't take much to rot a deck out. When my seats were installed in mine, for example, someone thought it would be a great idea to bolt the seats to the deck with rubber seals. My boat is 34 years old and if there was no water there it would have been a miracle. Even though stringers are separately sealed, water still gets in and over time, even with all that foam packed in tight, water will find it's way in. Anyway, just my 2 cents worth.

 

[a1964rn]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

On my boat, the stringers were mulch. The transom had rot, but not due to the stringers rotting. My transom had rot because numerous holes were improperly sealed with silicone.

 

[electric603]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

On my boat the transom did not have an inner skin and the glass on the stringers was done very poorly.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Damaged Hull -- Pictures

Peter, I am late in the game on your project but after reading through your thread, I do have a few questions.

What size is your family, how long do you plan to keep this boat, and what is your "total budget" to put this thing back in the water. And last but not least what did you pay for the boat.

I am like everyone else here, I like seeing old boats restored, but only if it isn't a burden to the restorer and only if its not putting money into a boat that isn't worth the effort or time.

What I am basically saying, is this boat has worse issues than I have seen on many other projects. Even fiberglass over time can become brittle and loose strength and this boat is very old. If you have not put much money into the purchase of the boat, it might be a good idea to look for one in better restoration condition.

What I mean by restoration condition is one that you know will be worth restoring.

Now worth restoring is a personal choice at best with all the factors being thought through. This being your first boat, the building/restoration can have either great effects on your boating future or ill effects depending on how you look at it.

This boat in no way will be worth much when even if you do restore it better than when it was new. Recouping your funds invested will be nearly impossible. Now that being said, if its worth it to you for the experience or just the pure pleasure of this style boat or whatever then so be it.

I just wanted to give you some things to think about before you spend a year restoring a boat that you will eventually find was maybe a waste of time because the boat isn't right for your family, the costs outweighed the benifits, etc etc.

Good luck on whatever direction you choose, but imo I would look for another boat. If you do decide to go forward on the project I would fully gut it so you have full confidence in the boat when your done. You also have the right people here to help you along already so good luck.