[San Antonio Cop]

I will be replacing the transom on my 18 ft aluminum boat during the off season. Any tips on doing this? The transom is braced with a triangluar piece of aluminum that holds the transom to the sides of the boat. Thanks.

[ufm82]

Wooden transom in that boat? If so, try to remove the old piece in one piece so you can use it as a template. Are the corners riveted in place? If so, drill out the rivet heads and pop the old rivets off. You can use a good heavy duty pop rivet to replace them. If you find an industrial fastener store somewhere around you, you can order a heavy duty closed end rivet with SS mandrels that will hold the reinforcements on. I used two pieces of 3/4" pressure treated and laminated them together with Gorilla Glue. I coated the entire piece in 2 coats of resin to waterproof it and then painted it black with a good quality oil-based paint. The resulting piece of wood was twice as strong as the original transom in my Sea Nymph and strengthened the whole rear of the boat. It cost me less than $100 to replace my transom. UFM82

[San Antonio Cop]

UFM82 - Yes, the transom is wooden but backs up against the aluminum boat. I think the braces are welded to both the transom and the sides.