1980 Answer Marine 24 Hardtop - transom replacement

[Gas Giant]

As with most of the wood in this boat, the transom is soaking wet, so I've decided to replace it.

I've read a lot about replacing transoms on this site, and I have a fairly good idea of the basics. I'm likely going to go with the traditional wood-and-glass route, but a pourable transom compound isn't entirely out of the question.

So my initial question is specific to this boat. As you can see in this pic, I have these two little cubby areas at the rear corners of the transom. One houses the hydraulic steering reservoir and the other the reservoir for the hydraulic trim tabs. They also have space to house batteries:



However, they are both in my way as I need to access the rear of the transom. That little bit of floor sticking out from the transom is also in my way, and is about as solid as a wet sponge. (I apologize for not cleaning up a bit, I was starting to run low on daylight).

I do know that I'll need to remove about 10-12 inches of deck forward of the transom to gain access to work - so would it make sense to remove the cubby areas and the rear floor bit in one big piece? If you guys were doing this transom, where would you make the cut?

Or, if you have other ideas, let's see them. Once I get started, I'll post pics of what's going on, but I will warn you that I'll probably spend quite a bit of time starting at it while drinking beer before I actually make any progress

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1980 Answer Marine 24 Hardtop - transom replacement

Staring and drinking while doing so, is a very good way to get our boats done...adds a little to the time factor, but increases the fun factor considerably making up for any time lost...

Hello and welcome to the Iboats Dry Dock, "Gas Giant"...

More pictures of the craft we are working on here to get a better idea of what can be done to access the transom...

If the floor that is there is mush, then removal is mandatory...
There are a couple of ways to gain access...
One is to remove the cap, easiest access, though not necessarily easy to do, depending on the size of the boat...
Another is to cut away a section of it forward of the area and then splice it back in after the repair is made...

Also, if you have been doing some reading through the forum, you may have noticed that most boats requiring a transom replacement, usually require at least some replacement of the stringers...
You will know for sure once you gain access and do some core sampling...

Best of luck and have fun!
GT1M

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1980 Answer Marine 24 Hardtop - transom replacement

I would like to see pics of the entire boat so I could know what she looks like totally. Based on what I can see so far, I think cutting the cap infront of those side houses might be the way to go but pics of the whole boat would be better.

 

[Gas Giant]

Re: 1980 Answer Marine 24 Hardtop - transom replacement

Thanks for the replies.

I know for certain the stringers are mush. I cut a piece off the top of one and was able to scoop out the wood with one finger. So those need replaced too! I figured I'd start at the transom and work my way forward, unless that isn't the recommended order of restoration.

I wasn't able to get any better pics today as the weather refused to cooperate, but here are two pictures of the boat the day I brought it home.





So you can see, it's pretty big! I've never pulled the deck (some call it a cap?) off of a boat before, but this one looks to be pretty difficult to remove given the size of it. I mean, with a little 16 footer I could probably bribe a few friends over to lift it off, but this thing - yikes. Heck, even if I did manage to remove it without killing myself, I don't have anywhere to put it!

(This brings up a side point; to replace the stringers under the cabin, I am assuming I am going to have to do some exploratory surgery on the cabin and forward deck floors. And I should probably support the boat on something other than a trailer, although admittedly lifting this boat off the trailer scares me)

But back on track, I'm guessing cutting out a piece of the rear deck and splicing it back in when I am done is the best route to go? (If you need more/better pics, I'll be happy to oblige if nature cooperates tomorrow afternoon)

Another question - I keep seeing that it is recommended to use epoxy on transoms. But I also keep seeing that epoxy and polyester resins aren't compatible.....so would I be able to use epoxy resin on a transom that is being installed in a boat that was most likely laminated with poly resin? Or did I get confused somehow with how the epoxy is being used?