Stuck Transom Wood

[SkipperPro66]

Hello everyone,

I am struggling to remove the last bit of wood from my transom replacement job. I feel like I have tried everything like using a an angle grinder with a chainsaw like attachment, etc. etc. This is my first time doing anything like this so any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JASinIL2006]

What sort of boat are you working on? I/O?

 

[airshot]

No idea without some pics...

 

[cyclops222]

Welcome to the exciting world of DIY.
Most important thing ? Do not use a power tool in a very confining space. It can remove flesh. Been there with a table saw.
THINK THINK what could happen if the tool JAMS for any reason.
Your mind will warn you that you are going into a dangerous operation.
NO NO risky work while alone !!! Cell phone in your pocket.
Good luck.

 

[cyclops222]

DO not FORCE yoursef to remove all parts. Simply cut the replacement to fit around the dangerous piece still in there.

 

[SkipperPro66]

What sort of boat are you working on? I/O?

It's a 70-something fiberglass tri-hull

 

[TripleJGraffis]

Get some pics in here by whatever photo downloading app you can find that will work for you.

 

[SkipperPro66]

No idea without some pics...

Get some pics in here by whatever photo downloading app you can find that will work for you.

https://imgur.com/a/LTTFw5G

 

[TripleJGraffis]

https://imgur.com/a/LTTFw5G

Hammer and chisel if you want to go the cheap route
Otherwise, if you can spare the cost, Get a chainsaw attachment for your angle grinder. I believe they are called carving discs. I never used them personally but have seen a few threads from people who have. Can't personally vouch for how well they work, but from what I have read, they seemed to do the trick in real quick order.

 

[matt167]

Was hard to see what I was looking at, but now that I see what I see, I’d call the boat scrap.

The reason that your transom isn’t coming out great is because you’re trying to do it from the backside cutting the transom skin off, and you haven’t removed the cap.

You need to cut/ remove the cap to gain access to the top of the transom, and then being a 70s tri hull, you’ll find your stringers are rotten and it’s not just a transom. You cannot pull the entire cap at this point because your transom skin is gone. You will need to cut it, because there is not enough structure. And you should have the hull supported in a cradle or on the trailer.

 

[Scott Danforth]

While you can repair the transom from the outside, it's 10x the work and you still have to address the stringers

To remove the wood, cut the wood in criss-cross patterns and use a pry bar. Then 24 grit to clean up the remainder

 

[cyclops222]

DO NOT !!!!!!! grind any of the fiberglass surface !!!! That is ALL needed for support . Some hairy wood fibers are O K

You MUST MUST put wood braces across the hull top to keep the hull shape CORRECT !! No excuses are correct. To keep the bottom in correct shape. ONLY cut open and remove 1 floor beam at a time. COMPLETELY replace that beam & the glass cover of it.
Before starting another one. 1 at a time is best. WE have found wood center keel first or last made no difference.

 

[Grub54891]

I’ve used the chainsaw attachment on the angle grinder. Dangerous as all get out, be very very careful if you go that route! Also a good respirator and Tyvex suit to protect yourself. I actually didn’t like using that attachment but there was no way to remove the cap on that particular boat. It was more work re-sealing from the outside than a simple repair from the inside. The only access from the inside was laying on your belly and the only room was about 2’ on either side.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The chainsaw attachment is about as safe as bolting in a trim saw blade in an angle grinder. If it slipped..... You're going to the emergency room

 

[Grub54891]

The chainsaw attachment is about as safe as bolting in a trim saw blade in an angle grinder. If it slipped..... You're going to the emergency room

Yes. It will tear you up in the worst way. Keep the guard on and firm grip. Not recommend for a rookie. Heck, I’ve done a lot of things but that one was as scary as it gets.

 

[matt167]

DO NOT !!!!!!! grind any of the fiberglass surface !!!! That is ALL needed for support . Some hairy wood fibers are O K

You MUST MUST put wood braces across the hull top to keep the hull shape CORRECT !! No excuses are correct. To keep the bottom in correct shape. ONLY cut open and remove 1 floor beam at a time. COMPLETELY replace that beam & the glass cover of it.
Before starting another one. 1 at a time is best. WE have found wood center keel first or last made no difference.

This is bad/ incorrect advice. Stringers need to be cut out, transom out. Fiberglass needs ground out for adhesion purposes to the new fiberglass.. shape of the boat kept with a cradle on the bottom. Top of the boat is less important than the structure on the bottom. But structure on the top wouldn’t hurt anything. Leaving the majority of the cap in place would do the same thing

 

[Scott Danforth]

It should be mandatory that everyone attempting a restoration read link 14 of the stickies. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/how-tos-and-other-great-information.283508/

 

[cyclops222]

Cradles require a LOT of building experience & extra cost. Not a beginners way. To do the each simple stringer method.
Boat on a trailer has a cradle under it. Get on with each replacement.

 

[Pmt133]

I used a harbor freight 58125 for grinding out the transom. It was a nice compromise between quick wood removal and not slicing my hand off if it kicked back.... The notched wood and prybar worked okay for some of it but due to my transom design only about 1/3 of the transom could be reached that way. Those chainsaw blades have no business being anywhere near an angle grinder in my opinion...

 

[matt167]

Cradles require a LOT of building experience & extra cost. Not a beginners way. To do the each simple stringer method.
Boat on a trailer has a cradle under it. Get on with each replacement.

WOG was a beginner when he did it. Friscoboater was a beginner when he did it. I was a beginner when I did it ( only reason that boat never floated is it was destroyed due to a building collapse mid resto ). I don’t have the itch anymore and stick with tin.

Quit giving bad false information.. and it’s bad information through and through. If you don’t prep the fiberglass for adhesion, it isn’t going to stick correctly. Not to even throw in the problems of dealing with wet foam and wood trying to make resin work. No restoration on this site ever suggested such construction methods.
L