The outer skin is now fully cured, and all the solid rivets have been installed and set. I went around the perimeter of the transom skin putting a rivet in every 1-1/2", it came out looking very good and im impressed with the strength it added to the transom. I installed the Z braces with rivets again through both sheets of the transom, i decided to use some leftover aluminum from the skin and cut out 2 1"x26" pieces to sit between the transom and the Z brace to give me a bit more of a gap so the wood sits in better and allows for all the coats of sealer ill be putting onto the wood. I installed my stainless steel boat drain as well, used the rubber gasket it came with as well as a healthy amount of 3M 4200 to prevent the SS contacting aluminum, i put 2 solid rivets to hold the drain in place as i had many laying around and it seems like the best method for a secure hold.
In regards to sealing my wooden transom, does anyone have any experience using polyester resin? I'm aware on its own it has no strength without glass. Am i able to apply multiple coats of a wood sealant (old timers formula, thompsons water sealer?) and then apply the poly resin with glass to add extra strength? or is this a big no no? I thought the glass may add some strength but also help spread out loading as bolts are installed through and tightened down.
My idea was to apply many many coats of sealer as im not installing the transom for quite some time... I've yet to drill motor mount holes through the wood and aluminum as i don't have a motor for this boat quite yet and am hesitant/worried that the mounting holes may not align perfectly.