New to iboats & New to Boat Hull Repair - Transom Replacement Questions

[ahandy]

Good Afternoon -
I've been reading posts on iboats for about a month and have already gained a huge amount of knowledge.
Now I've picked up a project for myself and have a few questions/ looking for guidance on replacing the transom on my 1972 Winner Eliminator. As this boat has a very deep motor well I'm not sure how far up I should cut to access the plywood core. I should point out that this boat has layer of plywood making up the full stern/transom shape, then a second layer of plywood but only the height of the actual motor mounting position. The inner skin of fiberglass is almost non-existent and peels away like crumbling paint, so I'm pretty sure the pourable options won't work for me.

I appreciate the help! Yes, I will be doing this work myself....

 

[jigngrub]

Post some pics so we can see what you have to work with.

 

[ahandy]

I've attached a link to my photobucket page with the pictures of the boat I'm working on. Hopefully the link works. Thank you!

 

[ahandy]

Ok that didn't work either. Let's try this way.

 

[Woodonglass]

Welcome to iboats that might be the deepest splashwell I've ever seen on iboats

 

[ahandy]

Thank you - I've found so much great information on here. Definitely presents a challenge in accessing the transom core. I am torn between cutting off the outer skin to put new wood in, or going from the top and taking the whole cap off. Its a closed bow with a good sized cockpit area, so I think I might be able to push the cap forward on the hull to gain the access I need.

 

[Woodonglass]

The other option is to cut the splashwell at the gunwales about a foot in front of the splashwell, similar to this. In fact this boat is very similar to yours.

It will allow you access to the transom. I fear you may find that if the transom is bad your stringers and bulkheads will also have issues. Most of the boats we see here on the forum that have bad transoms also have issues with the stringers and bulkheads. I strongly advise you NOT to cut away the outer skin to replace your transom. It's the hardest way for a DIY'r to do the job and you still need to have excellent adhesion to the inner skin and hull sides and bottom. Since your inner skin is already gone this really is not an option for you. You need the outer skin for your successful restoration. Your link is not working. Pics of the entire boat from the side, front , back and interior will really help us to give much better advise.

 

[ahandy]

Thank you for the reply. That splashwell does look very similar to mine in terms of depth. Now that I have a better understanding of what the methods involve, I will not be cutting the skin from the outside. Why make holes in an otherwise leak-less hull? I'm thinking the method you showed above may be my best option. From what I've found so far, Winner were the first brand to use all fiberglass stringers instead of wood. However, I can't confirm that yet for my particular year. I do know the floor is solid despite the transom rot.






I will work on getting some shots from the inside with the canvas removed. Thanks!