McKee Transom Repair Options

[Toolfool]

Have a McKee that I got cheap. Transom was rotted. Some advice from a local repair shop said to cut out transom skin as shown. After cleaning, bevel and glass the skin back on. The do sea cure. Some things found:
1. Inside side of plywood has up to 1/4" filler before the inside skin. Thicker on the sides. Filler came out during cleaning. Also some of the filler is cracked.

2. Appears to be no wood stringers. Looks like all foam below floor and on sides. Does anyone know if 1980s McKees had any other wood in the hull?

3. Looking for suggestions for repair method. Other than seacure, is there a way to put plywood back, ie how to tie back to the inside skin and sides?

4. Also noticed what appears to be a blister on the bottom. Is this a deal killer?

Thanks

 

[sphelps]

Welcome toolfool ! I think that mean seacast ... You can use either one ... At this point seacast would probably be a little easier but a LOT more expensive ..
Usually we recommend cutting the inside skin out instead of the outside . Did you save the skin ?
The blister can be ground out and repaired without much problem ..

 

[Dixiedawg]

Hi Toolfool, just wanted to chime in as I also own a McKee (a 1978 Southporter) and have recently found some flex in the transom, so I will have to fix it. My research on these boats is that they are stringerless, with the hull's structural strength coming from the pressure injected foam. I have read that they have a strip of wood running inside the length of the keel, but it's not really a stringer. We have had our McKee since 2009 and love it. It has been a great boat. Good luck to you with your repair! I'm interested to see how it comes out!

 

[Toolfool]

Yes, I have the rear skin. The plan was to put in a 2" bevel on each side and lay in ever widening glass strips. Will this be strong enough or is there a better method for this joint? Emailed seacast and they did not balk at it.

I was wondering if I could still do a plywood repair? I don't know how to handle the gap where the filler was between the inner skin and the plywood. The outer skin was flush against the plywood. The inner skin has up to 1/4" of filler towards the outer thirds of the width.

Thanks

 

[sphelps]

Normally when you cut the outside skin out you should wrap new glass around the outside edges of the boat at least 8 to 10 inches .. That means the gell coat will have to come off for a good glass to glass bond .. It just takes more fairing to make it look right ... When done from the inside you don't have near as much prep for paint or gell . For the extra filler either put it on thick or add a few layers of glass to build up thickness . The transom is under a lot of stress at wot . Just 2" of tabbing does not seem like enough to me . But that's just my unprofessional opinion .. I have used seacast in 2 boat projects .. Good stuff but pricey ...
Hopefully some others will chime in ...

 

[ondarvr]

I had typed a long answer to this, not sure where it went ???

1. The filler is just cheap putty, it's used to fill gaps and other imperfections around the plywood, you will be doing the same thing.

2. No idea if there's any other wood in the boat, having no wood is good, having wet foam is bad. There is a hole in the hull and it appears to have water dripping from it, which means the foam is saturated in at least that area. The reason these jobs are normally done from the inside is because by the time the transom needs to be replaced other things inside need attention too, so doing the transom from the inside saves a lot of time and hassle. You will need to check the foam to see if it's waterlogged.


3. You can put plywood back in, it's a little tougher doing it from the outside, but you can do it. If you find wet foam and need to remove the floor, you can just do all the work from the inside, it will be easier. You will need to put the piece you cut out back in first though.

4. The blisters can be fixed, but it's kind of an all or nothing fix. If you want them gone for good it can be very expensive and a time consuming hassle, if you don't go that route the chances of them coming back are pretty good. The good part is that they're rarely structural, mostly just a cosmetic issue, so if they don't bother you, you don't need to do anything, and the fish don't care.

 

[Toolfool]

Thanks guys. I will do some more checking on the foam. I have had it tilted very high in hot Texas drought all summer and no water is showing at the cutout transom. Maybe it is trapped in places. Foam at transom appears dry now.