transom plywood restore?

[medburd]

Hello all,

looking for opinions and insight to solidify my loosened transom plywood - by loosened it seems some of the 40 yr glue between the laminates has broken down. Now the wood itself is surprisingly fine(clean of any discoloration and rot but the lamination of the layers has separated slightly at the top and that penetrates about 4-5 in down - not all of them have and it isn't like a deck of cards or anything with defined loose layers but I can physically squeeze my transom in some areas and have about 1/64-1/16 of compression depending upon where I put clamping force onto. So I'll state any core samples of the transom I have taken and that has been with a 3/4" paddle and those samples top to bottom and left to right - (5 at this point) have been clean like new wood (albeit damp) samples. I'm in the process now of drying the transom out in the hope that there is a solution to the broken down glue between the laminates. Is this a pour cpes from the top of the exposed transom wood once dryed solution along with syringe injection into my created and existing holes, or is it just cut it out is the only real fix - I'm not looking for a magical solution nor is this a lazy approach band aid - Just curious what would you do - the plywood lamination is good in 3/4 of the transom and all the wood seems legit - would a thinned epoxy restore the bonding of the laminates and fiberglass as a solid unit again, should I thin epoxy to fix? Is a CPES product something to consider? It seems the dampened wood has broken down the glue over the years and I want to stop it, dry it and make it whole again - transom is strong near zero flex with my weight on the outboard lower unit as a step and bounce effort. Should I consider that there are possibly fungi in there as well...if so how should I treat that before using a bonding agent...I'm new to these marine restoration efforts (if you can't tell) but not shy of effort in general so I'll do what it takes...
- medburd

 

[Scott Danforth]

after 40 years, its a toss up if the wood sheared at the glue edge or the glue is failing

best way to fix it is replace the wood.

and since you can get to much of it, it should only be a weekends worth of work.

what are you working on?

 

[medburd]

after 40 years, its a toss up if the wood sheared at the glue edge or the glue is failing

best way to fix it is replace the wood.

and since you can get to much of it, it should only be a weekends worth of work.

what are you working on?

Scott
1979 mckee craft - offshoreman - the goal is to restore it with a hint of Whaler Sakonett and a flair for the flats.- its amazing to me how much they charge for jack plates, trim tabs & hydraulic steering....

 

[Scott Danforth]

the problem with whalers and whaler clones is the encapsulated foam has a tendency to get water logged. that moisture may be what is causing your moist wood delamination.

when you think about it, the cost to manufacture, overhead, profit, etc. the cost of Jack Plates, Trim Tabs and Hydraulic Steering become reasonable.

the average Hydraulic Jack Plate has $70 worth of raw materials, $400 worth of purchased hydraulics and about 2 hours worth of labor with full burden (about $130). add SG&A, liability insurance, etc. and $850 is a reasonable cost

Trim Tabs are $50 worth of raw materials, $200 worth of purchased hydraulics, $70 worth of electrics, and about 1/2 hour worth of labor, then add SG&A, insurance, etc..... so the $500 worth of bennett tabs is a great price

Hydraulic steering is the same, however its a bit different. $100 worth of raw materials, about 7 hours of labor, then SG&A.....however the hose material is about $2.25 per foot. so that $1100 is a deal.

our company looked into building Jack Plates, power poles, etc.... as a way to augment our Cranes, Davits and Gangways..... even with 100,000 sq feet of manufacturing, we cant match the price because we couldn't gain enough market share to have enough volume at low margins to cover the expense.

Boating is one of the most expensive hobbies in the world.

 

[medburd]

Yes the foam is actually 3/4 removed and was unbelievably saturated - I have a clear view of the transom under the deck and there was a little cracking at the feathered edge between the hull and the transom - so yeah there was a wicking point for sure. Surprised there was no tabbing to help reinforce that point..there will be before it’s completed though
I was just reading up on the Bennett Bolt system and it looks pretty nice, simple and a good warranty. I’ll definitely be researching those a bit more but there at the top of the list for that solution . The jack plate and hydraulic steering I have yet to settle on any one product & thanks for the breakdown on the cost for the 3 (it’ll be a bit easier to explain to the lil lady )