Advice on making a splashwell for a boat that didn't have one from factory.

[Hayden Gooding]

I have a 1974 14' Mirrocraft Ski n Troll that I'm restoring. This boat from factory was not equipped with any kind of splash well. I am putting the max horsepower engine on this boat, which also has electric trim and tilt. So this will be a bit heavier than what the boat probably came with and therefore the transom may sit quite low in the water. Keep in mind that I'm not overpowering it, so please don't give me that lecture. I've rebuilt the transom and would now like to create some sort of small splash well. This is a low budget build as I am a college student with rent and loans to pay for. So I was hoping someone could maybe give me a bit of advice on how to go about this. I realize wood rots, but as far as budget goes, I believe it would be the best bet for me. Has anyone ever made their own wooden splash well? Also the last thing is, this boat has no kind of transom cutout where the motor mounts. It's a 21" transom all the way across, so the top of the transom is flat. I would think I could make some kind of wooden splash well, caulk all joints and stain it to make it a bit more resistant to water and the sun. Would just like some input on this and hear if anyone else has ever attempted this. Maybe I don't even need a splash well or can't have one because there's no transom cutout. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[briangcc]

My concern would be weight of anything placed back there. It's been mentioned that the outboard is already heavier and if you add additional wooden structure you may add enough weight to cause yourself issues.

Going off my own personal experience with my '99 Bayliner....The Force 120HP outboard that was factory installed left the splashwell drains about a couple inches out of the water. When I repowered to the Honda 115HP it was about 180lbs (rough guesstimate) heavier which caused the splashwell drains to be just above water level.

IF it were my boat, first I'd float it as it sits now with the motor to see where the waterline is. From there, add several pounds of weight to simulate the structure you'd be building and compare where the waterline is. From there, make a determination if the boat will support the weight of the additional structure. If so, I'd look at making a mold and then make the final product out of fiberglass.

But that's just me.

 

[Hayden Gooding]

Thanks for the response briangcc. That's actually really great advice. Never thought about doing a dry float with just the motor. Say I do end up thinking I need to add a splash well, I just realized that I would need to drill drain holes for it in the transom. The more I think about it, the more I think it would be better to not have one. Simply because of my specific situation, and the fact that the transom has no sort of cutout, so it may not even work properly. Thanks again for your help. Appreciate it.

 

[Chris1956]

Make the splash well the entire width of the transom, or it will be useless. I would make it out of 1/2" plywood and 1X3 pine, and paint it well.

How about attaching 1X3 pine to the gunwales, set an an angle from the top of the gunwale extending to a point under the motor clamp at the transom. Cut a roughly rectangular piece of plywood and attach to bottom of 1X sides with SS screws. Now a piece of 1X3 to edge it, and a hole drilled in the center of the transom to let the water out.

If you want to be a big dog, get some polyester resin and some cloth. Paint the splashwell (raw wood only)with resin and put a piece of cloth over the seams and saturate it. Now some light sanding and a coat of paint. That will last the life of the boat, I would think.