1989 Chaparral Transom Repair

[Woodonglass]

I HOPE I'm misinterpreting your post. Did you mix the resin, cabosil, chopped strand and MEKP hardener all together in ONE container and then apply it to the transom wood and or the outer skin of the boat and then clamp the transom in place, OR as it sounded in your post separate batches of different mixes one with and one without hardener and then clamped them together???

 

[rad1026]

well two separate batches in two separate containers because I just really didn't know how much I was going to need. I had poured the resin and added the chop strand to the second batch in preparation. Then I spread the first batch on the wood and when I knew i was going to need more then added hardener and cabisol to the second batch to spread on the transom and put the two pieces together and clamp. Hope that makes sense. Yes I had good squeeze around all edges and the transom cut out.

 

[Woodonglass]

So NO Hardener in the First Batch???

 

[rad1026]

Yes, sorry WOG I guess I'm not explaining that very well. I mixed two batches with resin and chop strand. Then in the first batch I added 1% hardener and cabosil and spread it on the wood transom. Then I went back and added 1% hardener and cabosil to the second batch and spread that on the inside of the transom and clamped the wood. That whole process took about 20 minutes. I used what ever PB I had left to fill in the edges after squeezing the wood down tight. I had about another 20 minutes to work in the edges before the PB started to kick. The problem was I didn't know how much total PB I was going to need so I just wanted to have another batch somewhat ready in case I needed it. Hope I explained that better. It seemed to work really well.

 

[rad1026]

I'm sorry WOG I am not explaining this very well. I started with two separate batches of Resin and chop strand. Then I mixed hardener and cabosil in the first batch and used that on the back of the transom wood. Then I added the same mixture of hardener and cabosil to the second batch and spread that on the inside of the transom and then clamped the wood to the transom. That took me about 20 minutes. After tightening the clamps and working the squeezed PB around the edges I used what ever I had mixed up to fill in any gaps. It seemed to work really well. I just didn't know how much PB it was going to take me so I wanted to have a batch somewhat prepared so I could keep working as fast as possible.

 

[rad1026]

oops duplicate post, sorry. It said there was an error the first time I tried

 

[88Chapie]

That is a good lookin boat rad1026! I have the same boat in a blue scheme and it's an 88 model. Love the boat. But I need to do the same thing as you plus a new floor. Starboard side has some soft spots.

 

[rad1026]

bummer chapie. Yeah I love the boat, perfect for what we do. Big enough for Lake Powell and small enough for tubing, skiing and wakeboarding. Plenty of power. I am lucky that the damage is contained in the rear of the boat. But it is a great design and hull and worth the effort.

 

[Woodonglass]

Alrighty Then!!! You know... I AM an Old Dumb Okie so it takes me a bit longer to get things through my thick skull!!!! Fer sum reason I was reading it like you only put hardener in the last batch and it had me worried a bit. No worries now!!!! SORRY for being a pest!!!!

 

[Rick Stephens]

Alrighty Then!!! You know... I AM an Old Dumb Okie so it takes me a bit longer to get things through my thick skull!!!! Fer sum reason I was reading it like you only put hardener in the last batch and it had me worried a bit. No worries now!!!! SORRY for being a pest!!!!

BWAHAAAHAA

Yeah. How many gallons of resin has WOG hardened. Uncountable if you count the ones in his sleep.

 

[rad1026]

no problem WOG, I need all the help I can get on this. I think I was just not explaining it very well. In the mean time I have pressed in new bushings and reinstalled the intermediate shift shaft and lever. My transom gasket, y-tube gasket, new anode bolts, new transom bolts have arrived. I also acquired a used Merc. remote oil filter set up and I have been considering how I am going to mount it. I think somehow behind the alternator. I'm going to have to fabricate a bracket for it. The filter on this one mounts with the opening downward. I'm hoping it works out to be an easy modification.

 

[rad1026]

No Title

I finished the tabbing and final layer of 1708 on Saturday. Whew, that's hard work. I didn't get any pictures. I will post some when I get back in there. I think it looks really good. Solid as can be. I will never worry about the transom again that is for sure. On to the motor mounts now. I am really struggling here. My existing motor mounts just seem like complete overkill. 4 layers of 1.5" X 8" planks with a 1/2" plywood over the top of that. Its monstrous and takes up the whole bilge. I looked at my buddies Sea Ray with a big block in it and his motor mounts are completely different. They are identical to the ones Friscoboater built. The pictures I attached are how my original mounts are constructed. I can't find pictures of how frisco did it but it seemed much more simple. Give me some feeback here. Frisco just used 3/4" plywood glued together to make 1-1/2" shelves. Should I go back to the original design or go like the Sea Ray.

 

[rad1026]

Found a picture of Sea Ray mounts.

 

[rad1026]

no that's not working dang it.

 

[rad1026]

No Title

maybe this

 

[alldodge]

Dang !! you do nice work, wish I was that good.

 

[rad1026]

ha, I wish I was that far along. That is from a web site I found www.fiberglassatlanta.com. I was just trying to show the difference in the two types of engine mount designs. This is stout for sure. I did notice on the Sea Ray design there is another step down from the last stringer and the engine mounts are actually attached to that. Mine would not be that way. They would actually be attached to the most inside stringer. Is that a concern? I could build up the stringer. Double it up from the inside, that would give me a more secure area to attach the motor mounts.

 

[Rick Stephens]

I think I would be most tempted to make up a set of the upside down 'U' shaped perches like your second photo. Frisco did that as well with a 7.4L motor. You cannot have enough open space in your engine bay. Can't say I like the big stepped down mounts taking up all that space. Certainly not needed structurally.

Rick

 

[rad1026]

"Certainly not needed structurally." That's what I was hoping to hear.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Motor mounts should apply horsepower and torque to the stringers which then tie it into the transom. I don't think much of the big 'RV Leveling' block method for a number of reasons, already mentioned taking up space that might be missed. As well, a huge wood structure tends to rot out and be more work to replace. Biggest reason is the vibration, power and torque should not be applied to the hull. In that configuration the hull flexes and the motor mounts don't. Looks to me like bad things would start happening with those big blocks in there. Starting with stress cracks around the mounts.