Starcraft islander resto..... where to stop

[laurentide]

My $0.02 is you need to find all of the problem areas like this one and then assess the project as a whole: is it worth continuing. I urge you to read classiccat's SS thread and Watermann's Chieftain thread start to finish to see what it takes to deal with aluminum corrosion.

Fixing the transom is relatively easy with a big patch of Al sheet glued and riveted over the whole area. It's the spots below the waterline that will be really tricky to fix, e.g. fabricating sleeves and oddly shaped patches, as well as getting really familiar with solid Al rivets and clecos (temporary fasteners).

The guys who can help will need lots of photos of all the pitting and eaten away areas.

 

[Captaincrisp]

Thanks alot chemwire. I have found all the spots i just dont know enough to know whats reall bad besides when i can see though it.. can i just put another sheet over the hole transom..

 

[Captaincrisp]

Ok well ill go get some more pictures here.

 

[Watermann]

Recently a couple of SC forum members found similar corrosion damage and added a second skin to the outside of the existing transom. A sheet of 5052 .080 would work fine for a min and becoming more difficult to work with after that due to thickness. They adhered the outer skin using 5200, rivets, machine screws with nuts and clamps. If you want to go that route then you should also fill the holes and skin the major pitted areas with either marine tex or JB weld. You'll need a backing on the outside to help hold the material in place while it cures.

Have you removed the Z channel that the bottom of the transom rests in? If not you should do that to make sure it's not too badly damaged and clean out the corrosion sandwiched in there.

 

[Captaincrisp]

really glad i can save this this thing with a sheet.

Ok going back outside to pull of z trim and get things cleaned up for inspection.

 

[Captaincrisp]

 

[Captaincrisp]

Old woods still straight as an arrow.

 

[Captaincrisp]

 

[Captaincrisp]

Above picture is the hull at rear of boat. Its the worst bit off corrosion the boat has its fairly deep i plan on using marine tex to fill it and then maybe a little more on topfor good messure unless theres someone that steers me in a diffrent direction.

 

[oldhaven]

Of course all these repairs can be done in different ways, but I faced a similar transom problem, and used a 60 x 16 inch piece of 5052 aluminum from metal depot to cover it. So far so good. Look at the link to my project below and start at post 227, though the earlier pages show what it looked like when I was at your stage. The troublesome corrosion, as chem says, will be in the hull and seams. Dig a bit deeper into the archives suggested above to decide if you want to deal with those problems.

Ron

 

[Captaincrisp]

Thx alot ron ill take a look!!!

 

[Captaincrisp]

 

[Captaincrisp]

 

[Captaincrisp]

Tite bond 3 and 400 lbs i was wiping for 45 minutes i put it on with a small v notch tile trowel on one side of wood then flat troweled the other (almost no glue) then put buckets of water and my "boat jacks" ontop of it

 

[Watermann]

Did you seal both sides of the wood before gluing the 2 pieces together?

That's some nice looking ply btw!

 

[Captaincrisp]

Nope lol is that bad

 

[Captaincrisp]

I did 2 -3 inches in

 

[Captaincrisp]

Will tight bond 3 bond to epoxy? I still have another peice and coated both sides then was going to rough up and stick together with tight bond 3

 

[Watermann]

It's best if the glue is able to penetrate the layer of ply wood rather than be blocked by the sealer otherwise who knows if how "tite" the bond is if the glue can't penetrate.

 

[g0nef1sshn]

I sealed both sides and later realized that was not the right way to do it. My pieces stayed clamped together for almost a week though and onky one corner seemed not to bond. So i added screws to hold it together. Sealed primed and painted over them. Lesson learned but should still be a 15 year plus transom! Time will tell.

The best way is like mentioned above. Do not seal both inner sides for the bond into the wood.