aluminum hulls and wood transoms

[eric fairbanks]

Alot of talk about fiberglass hulls and wood transoms but not alum. I have had three alum. deep vee's and all of them have gotton the wood in the transom wet--for whatever reason. My latest boat 17.5 lund tyee (1989) is worth keeping (it is tough) only one I have'nt cracked on lake Erie. But the wood in the transom is saturated. Question when do you replace it? or don't worry about it? and is it difficult? Ps, The Tracker and Sea Nymph boats I had could not handle big water--don't buy them if your looking for an aluminum deep vee--unless you don't mind welding alum.

 

[DJ]

Re: aluminum hulls and wood transoms

redneck,<br /><br />Water SHOULD NOT be getting into the wood in the transom. You've got to find those leaks.<br /><br />I just finished replacing the wood in my 16' Sea Nymph project boat. It's not hard to do. A lot depends on how the wave well area in the back of your boat was constructed. I believe your Tyee may have a fiberglass upper deck. I'm not sure if that would make it more difficult or not.<br /><br />If you would like, I can e-mail you some pictures of my transom replacement. Just send your address.

 

[eric fairbanks]

Re: aluminum hulls and wood transoms

It is all aluminum, and I don't think it would be hard--just looking for tips/tricks. The boat is 12 years old and it has a riveted hull--they all leak. But through the years things happen--launch without plug in, caught in heavy rain, etc which get the wood wet. The wood is not sealed in like a Fiberglass boat, and is easy to get wet! I would think that after 12 years of heavy use this would be a normal thing.

 

[crab bait]

Re: aluminum hulls and wood transoms

you got it RED..an like i always say " never under estimate the ability of a redneck "

 

[DJ]

Re: aluminum hulls and wood transoms

redneck,<br /><br />The wood transoms I have replaced do not get wet again because I completely seal them.<br /><br />1. I completely seal the new wood blank with expoxy (West System) before installation.<br /><br />2. Any through bolts are sealed with 3M 5200.<br /><br />3. The top cap is sealed with a good marine silicone sealer. Many brands available. I don't use 5200 because it make the cap too hard to remove again.<br /><br />4. I also put drain holes into the tray that the wood blank sets in. For some reason the manufacturers do not do this. Planned obsolecence I guess.

 

[edandq]

Re: aluminum hulls and wood transoms

I was reading through some old posts, and this one was very pertinent. I'm fixing up a 1970 Starcraft 16' SS. It has an aluminum hull. The transom (wood) seems pretty weak, but looks easy to replace. It looks like just removing all the bolts, removing the top cap, and making a new one, sliding it in... The one point I noticed on this was the drain holes. This wood transom has drain holes built into it out of aluminum, how can I put ones in my new transom?

 

[Solittle]

Re: aluminum hulls and wood transoms

No need to replace unless there is evidence of rot. You can determine this by poking with a screwdriver. Rotten wood gets soft and mushy.

 

[roscoe]

Re: aluminum hulls and wood transoms

I've got 3 alum boats with wood in the transom.<br />Only one is rotting, but heck, its 45 years old, its riveted but DOES NOT leak.<br /><br />My 95 Spectrum has a welded alum shell over the wood. No water gets in from the top, and the bottom is open to the bilge area. And the wood does not go to the bottom, so it can never sit in the water.<br /><br />Why wouldn't your boat dry out after getting wet?

 

[Ripsnort]

Re: aluminum hulls and wood transoms

One note about sealing: Be sure to dry that would 100% before sealing or you could end up with dry rot.

 

[TheTinMan]

Re: aluminum hulls and wood transoms

Hi All, new member here. I need to to replace the transom on my 16' Monark Aluminum boat.<br /><br />DJ,<br />Could you please email me pics of your transom job on the alumninum boat. Thanks a bunch!<br /><br />gcarl40@yahoo.com