Hello everyone. This is my very first post. I am a do-it-yourself person. This is my very first boat restore and the first time that I will be working with fiberglass, so I am a bit excited and alot nervous. My boat project started like so many others that I have read. It started with a soft floor at the rear of the boat on the drivers side. It then turned into a rotten stringer and then a rotten middle transom (3-piece), and so on. I have now removed two-thirds of the wood in my boat. I am hopefully done with the grinding process unless I get feedback telling me otherwise. I would like to start building the middle transom this weekend. I plan on using exterior grade plywood and poly resin for my restore. I have followed Friscojarret's Youtube videos and plan on restoring my boat in a similar fashion. He used CSM and 1708. I will post my progress using Photobucket (once I learn how), so I am hoping that this forum gives me as much advice as it possibly can. This boat has been in my family for 25 years and I refuse to let it die. I am very motivated and I want to make this boat better then new. Sorry for being so long winded. I do have some questions about the transom.
1) The middle transom thickness varied a little becuase it appears that the rear of the boat fiberglass thickness varied, but the average was 2". The plywood appears to be in two pieces, one of them was approx. 1" and the other is approx. 3/4". I cannot get 1" at Home Depot, is it alright to make my transom out of 2 - 1/2" and 1 - 3/4" pieces of plywood? I know that the actual dimensions of plywood are actually a bit smaller.
2) After waterproofing, what type and how much fiberglass do I use for the transom? I have a 130 hp Mercruiser Alpha I.
3) The outer two smaller transoms appear good with no rot, and sound solid. I skinned some fiberglass back to inspect the wood. Can I just install new fiberglass in what I removed or do i have to remove the entire skin? What should I use to re-fiberglass this area?
1) The middle transom thickness varied a little becuase it appears that the rear of the boat fiberglass thickness varied, but the average was 2". The plywood appears to be in two pieces, one of them was approx. 1" and the other is approx. 3/4". I cannot get 1" at Home Depot, is it alright to make my transom out of 2 - 1/2" and 1 - 3/4" pieces of plywood? I know that the actual dimensions of plywood are actually a bit smaller.
2) After waterproofing, what type and how much fiberglass do I use for the transom? I have a 130 hp Mercruiser Alpha I.
3) The outer two smaller transoms appear good with no rot, and sound solid. I skinned some fiberglass back to inspect the wood. Can I just install new fiberglass in what I removed or do i have to remove the entire skin? What should I use to re-fiberglass this area?