I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

JasonJ · Oct 12, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

I used poly for my project, but I feel epoxy is the best bet for the way you are doing your project. I honestly can't remember how much resin I used for my transom, but it was probably somewhere in the 1/2 gallon area, maybe more. I used a total of 11 gallons on my entire project. Yes, overkill is a good thing unless it adds too much weight....

y2j · Oct 13, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

adding 10kg of weight to your boat is **** all

y2j · Oct 14, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

Also guys how do i thicken up the epoxy resin without making it loose strength when i wanna put heaps of fat goops then squish the first bit of plywood to the inner skin? Does epoxy stick to plywood/wood good? Or does it peel off like paint When im down to my last 1mm i got to epoxy to level the flange with my new skin can i thicken up the epoxy to a gook so that i can even it out with a spatula thing? Just like doing setting in plastering/gyprocking So it involves less sanding?

BillP · Oct 14, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

All common thickeners, except glass fibers, weaken resin. Anyone who tells you different is guessing. It doesn't matter if poly or epoxy. Use a little cabosil type and lots of glass fibers to thicken. Figure at least 50% thickener or more (by volume)will be needed to get resin to a buttery consistancy. Be aware that it gets "wetter" after sitting a few minutes. Yes, resin sticks to ply but it needs to be dry and prepped right. I coat ply first with a thinned coat of resin and then go back over it with the regular mix during the lamination. On old boat projects I've had the last layer of ply pull off and stay with the glass...this on exterior ply with polyester resin. In my on "unscientific" testing of home depot PT ply and straight epoxy resin it pulled the wood apart before the resin let go. I air dried the ply for several months under roof. It worked just like any untreated exterior or marine ply.

DJ · Oct 14, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

y2j, I have made several transoms. I always made them out of 1/2" ply (not marine) and sandwiched them together with waterproof glue and stainless screws. I then seal the whole mess with poly.

y2j · Oct 15, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

What if i do a sandiwhc of Inner Skin plywood then mat+resin then plywood again.. then my outer skin? While not using any glues but epoxy resin in between the 2 plywoods plus mat?

y2j · Oct 23, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

Ok i chose to go poly because for $60US i can get 5 gallons in Aus I felt as though 5L bottle of west system epoxy wouldn't have done it for me.. And next step up was 5 gallons which was around $270 US Anyway this is my plan of attack Im going to redo the inner skin because its so crappy you can push your finger through it and destroy it. I think 2 layers of woven mat drenched with poly should do it right? Next ill place the first piece of plywood in when the inner skin dries.. What is the best way to glue it to the inner skin? Im just thinking of putting a mat on it and drenching it completely then pushing it in? Or should i do it some other way.. Then before i put my 2nd piece of wood in im planning to put some mat over the first piece and drenching it up.. and then putting it in also drenched with poly then screwing every 5 inches or so with SS screws. then about 6-7 layers of woven mat and keep drenching until i reach level with my flanges? ? I also bought 500ml packet of west system epoxy and a bag of this white powder stuff.. looks like fairy floss also from west system.. Im planning to use this as putty to fill up all the spider cracks i grinded out. Is this a good plan of attack? Can some poeple also correct my plan of attack for my transom but remembering i left the flanges around so ill have to use a very thin plywood and flex it into place if u know what i mean and build it up in layers Thanks guys

JasonJ · Oct 23, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

If I inherited your project as it sits right now, here is what I would do. I would cut and grind all that old inner shell out, it is too degrated at this time. I would open the floor to about a foot back from the transom. I would create my transom layers to the thickness I needed. It would then be placed into position against the inside of the flanges and I would make sure it is butting against the stringers. I would then glass the inside, using roving as the main strength, glassing to the stringers and the inner sides. Then it would be sheathed with mat. Replace the floor and glass it in with roving and mat or cloth. As for the outside, it would get alternating layers of mat and roving to desired thickness, then sheathed with good cloth for a smoother finish. It will need to be faired and smoothed with a minimum or some sort of marine compatible body filler, and painted. That is what I would do. Hopefully BillP will have a good or better way of doing it, he has done a bunch of these and has the skills to do it strong.

y2j · Oct 23, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

the stringers are already poking out.. ill brb im taking a picture to show you.

y2j · Oct 23, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

where it needs to be strong the innerskin is excellent especially where the motor hands.. But on the sides where its more of a cover it got cawked.. I think the company that made this boat was trying to save on material stringers are AOK I was just thinking of covering this whole mess with mat and wetting it out.. then another sheet of mat and posisbly a third

y2j · Oct 23, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

alos those holes that are there on the left and right exposing the floor from underneath are there on purpose right? for drainage purposes??

JasonJ · Oct 24, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

If you do just lay mat on the existing inner surface, just make sure you really rough it up and clean it with acetone for a good bond. I have no idea why those gaps are there, maybe those parts of the inner skin came off when you tore the old transom out. It can't be for drainage. Just make sure the wood is glassed in those areas to prevent any water damage down the road.

y2j · Oct 24, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

will do will do I also patched up a spider crack i ground out to a V with a dremel to the fibres.. And i filled it up with poly i had mixed in a milk cap as a test. it filled the grove nicely and doesn't wan't to come out even when i try scrape it with a screwdriver and its only been there for 12 hours Does polyester have good bonding qualities to existing gelcoat and polyester ?

G DANE · Oct 24, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

Y2j yes it will bind very fine if you grind it and make sure its clean and dry.

BillP · Oct 25, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

More of my rambling thoughts... I think laminating with glass and resin will work fine but I'd screw it at the same time to pull everything together. Actually, I'd forget the glass between layers and just use resin to seal the wood because mechanical fasteners will hold it anyway and are easy to do. Remember, most small boat transoms are 2 layers of 3/4" ply, not screwed and just mate each other AND the already laminated hull with poly resin, then are glassed inside...they work fine too. Instead of using thin wood and flexing to fit I would also consider using thicker wood and cutting diagonally to fit. That would be 2 pieces per layer and 2 layers of 3/4" ply, etc. You can alter the cuts and also reverse the pieces to spread loads and the pieces will drop in. With this screwed together, glassed and clamped by the motor it isn't going anywhere. Ply is good for this. That's kinda of a tough one if you want to leave that inner skin in and not glass from the front side too. If you can access the perimeter of the transom from inside it would be less mystery to me. You already have at least one arm size hole where the control cables go and could add glass or screws through there to help secure everything. Additional access ports with the screw on lids could be added to help on the other sides and bottom. Not the easest but it would work. They would look normal and give access later too. Can't you crawl under the splashwell for access? The edge of that skin where it meets the hull sides provides structure that takes fwd thrust. If that "lip" area is sound then set some glass mat against it and set the first layer of wood in while it is still wet...just like you posted. You may want to thicken the resin a bit to keep it from running down and drying out the glass...which will make a brittle/weak glass job. It is tough to do good glass work when doing this blindly and large areas WILL have air pockets unless you can squeeze them tight. I'd also do the whole transom in one sitting so you don't end up with bumps and stuff that cause fitting problems. Since you are using poly make sure it is the laminating type and not finishing resin.

y2j · Oct 26, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

25L of laminating fast cure poly drum sitting in my garage i heard its a good idea to use finishing poly on the last few coats .. But will laminating do the job too?

BillP · Oct 26, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

The only thing finishing resin does is dry tack free for sanding, etc. Otherwise laminating resin will eventully get tackless and there is no difference. Finishing resin costs more and some are made to be very clear for cosmetic applications...such as the final gloss coat on surfboards and resin table tops. You can get a liquid modifier to add to laminating to make it tack free too. I don't know what they call it were you are but "Modifier C" is one. It is basically a liquid wax added to the resin to give an immediate tack free surface. Your vendor will know. If you want to build up a surface for sanding use laminating resin with the modifier and give it a real hot shot of hardner. I used 30 to 40cc of hardner per quart to do "fill" coats for sanding. Yes, it will kick in 2-3 minutes at 85F and catch on fire if you leave it in the cup. Drips will harden so fast they don't hit the floor...but it makes a thick surface and wastes no resin on the floor. It is a good way to hold resin on a vertical surface after you have done glasswork. This fill coat method has been going on since the early 60s in the surfboard industry and shown no problems. Remember, you sand most of it off.

y2j · Oct 27, 2003

Re: I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

I remember my teacher doing a polyester in a mold experiment at school to make a keyring.. He put a crapload of peroxide in there to speed up the process.. Comes back 1 hour later and the whole thing is smoking

.. the plastic mold was nice and toasty afterwards

Sweet thanks guys if i have anything else ill ask but looks like you guys have given me Transom Repair 101

Will start in 2 weeks as soon as i paint then assemble motor and clear out garage for the crappy work

I guess i gotta put a new transom in ;( Help me guys im a bit lost

Rear Admiral

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Captain

DJ

Guest

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Rear Admiral

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Rear Admiral

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Commander

Captain

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Captain

Petty Officer 3rd Class