1986 16' Bayliner Capri transom repair

[jkopp55]

New to the forum, was wondering if anyone out there has replaced a transom in a 1986 16' Bayliner Capri. I have all the flooring, bulkheads, seat boxes, jump seat supports, floatation removed. found a little bit of rot in the transom. It appears to have a center piece, and two side pieces for the transom. Does this boat need to have the deck and hull separated to replace the transom? I can see the top of the two side panels of the transom are glassed to the hull, but can't see the center section because of the splash well. Stringers coming out this weekend.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 1986 16' Bayliner Capri transom repair

Welcome to iboats.

We are probably the best restoration place available. There are many people who have done Bayliners here.

The first piece of good advice I can lend is that you are FAR from the first to attck the transom in a bayliner. Since you are a member of the forum the SEARCH function works great. I would try searching Bayliner transom and be prepared for some great reading. Reading will prepare you for some of the frustrations related to the work.

We are picture junkies too! Take a bunch of photos

Since you are into the boat that far .... yes I will bet the cap needs to be removed.

 

[janddad]

Re: 1986 16' Bayliner Capri transom repair

jkopp55,
My 14 year old son and I just bought our first boat. It too is a 1986 Bayliner Capri. I see that the Bayliner is not a very popular boat around here, but I think I got a fair deal. Paid $2000 and got over $1000 in fishing gear. I had the engine checked out by a pro, and it was fine. Over 120lb of compression in each cylinder.

We just started pulling out the floor. The transom is soft, so we will be redoing that too. When I lifted the cap off, I saw the same three pieces inside the transom just like you mentioned. The two side pieces are all glassed in, so I am thinking they are probably still ok. I am considering using Seacast or NIDAbond. I am resisting taking the deck off to replace the plywood in the center. It is only 19 inches high by 36 inches wide. A 5 gallon bucket should be plenty.

I am eager to see what progress you have made. Please keep the posts coming.

 

[lowkee]

Re: 1986 16' Bayliner Capri transom repair

I would have to say, unless your capri is an OB, don't go the NidaBond route, as you will be using more time to fill and recut the transom hole than it will take to simply cut and glass a new section of wood.

I planned to use NidaBond (I actually have it in my living room now), so my transom was already gutted. After deciding against the goop, I simply cut off the inside portion of glass from the transom and used that as a template for the new wood. Now I simply need to re-cut the transom hole and glass it into place, which will be easy since the outside glass was never removed.

And as a fellow bayliner owner, here is a 10 step list I found to be true for my restore which you may find interesting/funny/horrifying:

The 10 steps of restoration denial:

1. That soft spot just needs a patch
2. The foam will dry out once I seal the deck
3. It's just the deck, the stringers are fine
4. i don't have to pull the engine; I can work around it
5. The transom feels solid
6. I won't have to remove the cap, plenty of room
7. i will just buy a couple of gallons of resin
8. $1,000 is plenty for a job like this
9. I should be on the water by the end of the month
10. I need a beer! Nothing is going as planned!

Cheers!