Home made composits

[BillP]

Re: Home made composits

Mark,<br />If your transom is 2 layers of 3/4" ply (like most are) that thickness of Seacast is probably way overkill in strength for a 40hp motor. I was thinking a low cost filler piece of ply could be used to displace where resin would normally go. Maybe take 3/8" or 1/2" ply and cut to a size that would slide down the center of the pocket. Drill or perforate with a bunch of 1" diameter holes in the ply before installing to let the resin move and tie everything together. Just a thought but I think it would work and still be plenty strong.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Home made composits

Bill,<br /><br />I had the same thought, but Seacast says it won't stick to wood. I could cover the plywood with a layer or two of fiberglass first. I like your idea of some perforations to tie front and back sides together. Like holes bored with a 1.5" or 2" hole saw. Maybe 6 or 8 of them would do it.<br /><br />One design point I want to keep is making sure that the area where the mounting bolts pass through is solid plastic. Either poly, epoxy, or seacast just so that water leaking in there will not cause any problems. Same for where the brass tubes are for the splashwell drains and floor/below floor drains.<br /><br />I think your right about the seacast being overkill for the 40hp. One nice feature of this boat is the solid fiberglass floor and stringer system it uses. That design is probably why there are lots of these MFG Niagaras still in existence. So eliminating wood from the transom will make a boat that is pretty rot proof and will outlive me.

 

[BillP]

Re: Home made composits

Mark,<br />Just my opinion but I don't think the seacast has to "stick" to the wood if it is well perforated and encapsulated. The perforation connections should keep it tight. I was thinking lots of 1" holes...spaced every 6" to 8".<br /><br />Hey, I almost bought one of the first MFGs and it had fiberglass stringers and frames identical to wood but made of fiberglass. Everything was screwed together like a wood boat. The transom had a bare wood structure as seen from inside the boat. Same basic hull as yours but I think it was 14'. I really like those MFGs.