Pat_church25
Recruit
- Joined
- May 30, 2026
- Messages
- 2
Looking for some opinions on my idea for bracing my transom.
I have a SF14 with a short transom that I converted to a tall transom. At this point, I’ve blown past my money and time budget for the boat and just need it done. I have a weeklong boat camping vacation next week, so I’m willing to accept good enough and re-do it better later.
I made a plywood core out of two 3/4” sheets of ACX and epoxied them together. My idea is to use 2”x2”x1/8” square tubing (which I already bought) and run it the width of the transom, just below the motor mounts. I’ll through bolt the transom into that in 4 places. Then I’ll tie that into the sides by bolting that into aluminum angle through the sides. I’ll cap the top with a 1 3/4”x 1 3/4” x 1/8” C-channel to add rigidity.
Plan A: I’d wanted to put two more knee braces in, but additional welding is out of the question. Had a buddy do the welding for the skin. The welding came out….okay/subpar. It will work but it’s not nearly as clean as I’d hoped and, after paying for gas and his time and the sheeting, it still cost me $250. And I’m not going to bang rivets in the boat. The thing doesn’t leak, so putting holes in the bottom is not something I’m going to do at this time.
Plan B: I’d wanted to put a 1/4” sheet of aluminum on the outside for the motor mount, but the two sheets aren’t quite flush and I don’t think I can grind it flat without ruining the welds. Should I put a sheet on the inside and call it good?
Anyways, does my idea (Plan C) sound like the way to go, or is there something I’m missing?
Has a Johnson 28 on it, about 125 lbs. I did put a temporary transom in there for a few weeks and there was a good bit of flexing without additional bracing.
Thank you!
I have a SF14 with a short transom that I converted to a tall transom. At this point, I’ve blown past my money and time budget for the boat and just need it done. I have a weeklong boat camping vacation next week, so I’m willing to accept good enough and re-do it better later.
I made a plywood core out of two 3/4” sheets of ACX and epoxied them together. My idea is to use 2”x2”x1/8” square tubing (which I already bought) and run it the width of the transom, just below the motor mounts. I’ll through bolt the transom into that in 4 places. Then I’ll tie that into the sides by bolting that into aluminum angle through the sides. I’ll cap the top with a 1 3/4”x 1 3/4” x 1/8” C-channel to add rigidity.
Plan A: I’d wanted to put two more knee braces in, but additional welding is out of the question. Had a buddy do the welding for the skin. The welding came out….okay/subpar. It will work but it’s not nearly as clean as I’d hoped and, after paying for gas and his time and the sheeting, it still cost me $250. And I’m not going to bang rivets in the boat. The thing doesn’t leak, so putting holes in the bottom is not something I’m going to do at this time.
Plan B: I’d wanted to put a 1/4” sheet of aluminum on the outside for the motor mount, but the two sheets aren’t quite flush and I don’t think I can grind it flat without ruining the welds. Should I put a sheet on the inside and call it good?
Anyways, does my idea (Plan C) sound like the way to go, or is there something I’m missing?
Has a Johnson 28 on it, about 125 lbs. I did put a temporary transom in there for a few weeks and there was a good bit of flexing without additional bracing.
Thank you!
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