We are not being negative and we are not being positive neither, not your kind of positivity anyway. When it comes to safety, we only can afford to be realistic.
This is an engineering exercise that doesn?t lend itself to superstitious forces/expectations. You can?t go build a bridge with half the cement required and say ?IF, big if by the way, I am lucky enough and no more than 2 full size trucks passes at the same time, I will be OK?. This would be an act of lunacy.
You are talking about the strength of the aluminum as if this plate is a standalone structure or as if you replaced the rotten wood with aluminum. It is not and you did not.
You created a structure consists of bad wood and aluminum. This new structure is a chain of materials and it is as strong as its weakest link. In this case, it is as strong as you rotten transom.
You are coming to a site full of experts on boat building and you are telling them with authority that
?This is how you fix a broken transom?. They replied, rightfully so, No, it is not.
Now, you argue, hope and pray that it will hold and calling us negative people because we are telling you that it will not. This type of discussion is going nowhere and it will become unproductive - if it hasn't already - much faster than your boat ending up on the bottom of whatever body of water you boat in (Ocean, Sea, lake). IMO, the only safe body of water this boat will survive in is a hot tub.
having said that, I do realize that what you do with your boat is your business. You have been advised, warned and told everything that can be said in this specific situation.
So, go do with your boat what you will; just don?t take your wife and children with you. Or take them but take enough life jackets. Or not, those coast guard people are so pessimistic anyway.
