After removing the sea drive unit I have two holes, approx 5 inch by 4 inch and a circle about 4 inch across, any suggestions? I read something about sea cast, a liquid bond that goes solid within an hour, any thoughts.thanks
I would probably prefer new transom plywood, entirely, before adding an aftermarket jack plate.
You'll need to account for the additional weight & torque being applied to the transom via the plate & it's mounting. Those existing holes are fairly large, and plug filling & glassing over them may not be sufficient............
If your not going to replace the transom, I also think you should build a plug and coat it with resin and let it cure. Then install them and glass them in. Really consider inspecting the heck out of the transom though. Just my thoughts.
Thanks guys, i plans will be to cut out plywood plugs, wrap them in glass and resin, place in the hole,secure plugs with a peanut butter resin and glass up. Jack plate and motor should be lighter than the old Sea Drive unit that was pretty heavy.
The rest of the transom is in good shape,I may even mount a aluminum plate to the transom and then mount the jack plate to it.
Just thinking . If it was me , I would cut the hole a few inches larger on the inside of the transom but only remove 1 layer of plywood . Clean it up real good and glass new pieces in . It would make like a staggered lap joint .
That would have to be stronger .. Just a thought.
To me the right way to do this is to replace the entire transom wood, then glass and PB the holes. I would bet it would almost be easier than piecing smaller parts in and then doing the glass work, wondering if the repair will support the torque and weight. How much does the new outboard weigh and how big is this your boat? What would the aluminum plate be for? maybe cosmetic?
its a 17 foot pro line, engine will be a 115 hp johnson/evinrude and not sure of the weight. the plate would be both strength and cosmetic
also considering this instead of jack plate
Compared to the current hole in the transom, there's not going to be a lot of meat around that hole (although filled, it's a seperate piece of wood, even if glassed over, and not as strong as a continuous plywood transom) when you thru bolt this to your existing transom:
that bracket ^^^ is not going to be inexpensive, neither will the motor. Might be a sizable loss if something happens......
Which an all new plywood transom (w/out the big hole) would prevent...............