Transom repair on Lakeland fiberglass.

[Kranjack20]

Hell. I gotta replace the transom on my 94 Lakeland 16 footer tri hull boat but noticed something odd when taking it apart. I ripped the carpet off and saw that the wood of the transom was incased in this fiberglass shell so I ripped it off and saw that the wood was rotted so bad it looks like literal mulch. But now I’m wondering how do I go about this for repair. It seems like the transom was made like this permanently and never meant to be replaced but it quite obviously needs to be replaced. Do I put a new piece of wood in this fiberglass shell thing and call it a day? How do I keep the new wood from rotting? Here’s the pics. Hopefully someone has dealt with this before and knows the go to route for fixing this. Thanks.

 

[roscoe]

Its all got to come out.

All the info you need is in the thread below.

How To's and Other Great Information

Disclaimer iBoats has no control over external links contained in stickies and to be aware that links are fluid and may or may not work. 1. Coast Guard Safety Standards for Backyard Boat Builders Verified 2. Fiberglass Information Verified 3. Pouring Foam in's and out's Verified 4A. Basic...

forums.iboats.com

What to do, how to do it, materials to use, etc..

Start by removing the motor, and then part of the deck to expose the stringers below. Then determine if the stringers need replacing also.
This could easily turn into a job you really don't want to do, due to cost of material and time commitment.

It would certainly be easier and faster, probably cheaper, to find another boat.

 

[Kranjack20]

Its all got to come out.

All the info you need is in the thread below.

How To's and Other Great Information

Disclaimer iBoats has no control over external links contained in stickies and to be aware that links are fluid and may or may not work. 1. Coast Guard Safety Standards for Backyard Boat Builders Verified 2. Fiberglass Information Verified 3. Pouring Foam in's and out's Verified 4A. Basic...

forums.iboats.com

What to do, how to do it, materials to use, etc..

Start by removing the motor, and then part of the deck to expose the stringers below. Then determine if the stringers need replacing also.
This could easily turn into a job you really don't want to do, due to cost of material and time commitment.

It would certainly be easier and faster, probably cheaper, to find another boat.

Now could I do a half ass job and put a piece of wood in the transom in between that fiberglass shell?

 

[jimmbo]

You won't save much Time or Money by doing a Half Assed Job, vs. doing it Right, in fact you will likely end up doing it again...

 

[Kranjack20]

You won't save much Time or Money by doing a Half Assed Job, vs. doing it Right, in fact you will likely end up doing it again...

Maybe it’s because I’ve never done this before but if I cut a nice thick piece of wood to fit in there and epoxied it, bolted the motor back in then we’d be golden…or not? Lol. I definitely don’t wanna put a ton of time and energy into this thing but would like to get it going so I at least could use it for this upcoming season and then worry about getting another new boat after that. If possible.

 

[jimmbo]

If the Transom is that Rotted, the Stringers are likely in similar Condition.
You can do whatever You want, it is your Boat, and your Life, and possibly Other's Lives that will be on that boat...

 

[Scott Danforth]

or not?

you answered your own question.

outboard motors are trying to pry the transom off the boat. if it was me, I would want that transom to be right so the boat doesnt sink and kill me

the links in post #2 include all the information you need to restore a boat hull.

expect between $2k and $3k to restore your boat hull

 

[redneck joe]

Dont half ass it

 

[JASinIL2006]

This would be fun out on the water...

 

[jimmbo]

Fun, No! Boredom Relief, oh yeah

Should NEVER back the Trailer up with the motor down. Caution is also needed when on the water and reversing, as the same can happen if the motor strikes an Object

 

[airshot]

This would be fun out on the water...

View attachment 394435

Unfortunately I have saw similar occurances on more than a few ocassions in my 60 plus years of boating...

 

[airshot]

Boats rot from the bottom UP....so if the transom is rotted, so is rhe rest of the wood skeleton of the boat !! Dig deep, you have lots of rotted wood to repair !! By all means get good quality resperators and safety equipment, fiberglass dust will eat up your lungs before you are done if you don't use safety gear !!

 

[Kranjack20]

This would be fun out on the water...

View attachment 394435

Wow I can’t believe it ended up being this serious. I used the boat with the transom like this the whole past season. But I see now why half assing it isn’t smart. Thanks everyone.

 

[Kranjack20]

Boats rot from the bottom UP....so if the transom is rotted, so is rhe rest of the wood skeleton of the boat !! Dig deep, you have lots of rotted wood to repair !! By all means get good quality resperators and safety equipment, fiberglass dust will eat up your lungs before you are done if you don't use safety gear !!

I guess I didn’t think there would be all this wood on a fiberglass boat.

 

[kcassells]

I guess I didn’t think there would be all this wood on a fiberglass boat.

Ahhh... half the time the crap comes out of the factory like that waiting to fail.
So like the guys mentioned above this is no little butter up deal but it can be done. If you are uncomfortable with the tasks that need to be done then move on to another used boat with more than likely similar problems.
Been there done that.

 

[redneck joe]

Or go aluminum with outboard

 

[Kranjack20]

Ahhh... half the time the crap comes out of the factory like that waiting to fail.
So like the guys mentioned above this is no little butter up deal but it can be done. If you are uncomfortable with the tasks that need to be done then move on to another used boat with more than likely similar problems.
Been there done that.

I actually picked up this other boat kinda similar except there’s no wood on it. At least that I’m aware off. The whole transom is fiberglass. Everything looks to be fiberglass. Unless I’m wrong…

 

[Kranjack20]

I actually picked up this other boat kinda similar except there’s no wood on it. At least that I’m aware off. The whole transom is fiberglass. Everything looks to be fiberglass. Unless I’m wrong…

 

[Scott Danforth]

. Unless I’m wrong…

Transom is wood

Hull is foam core

Weigh the boat. Most foam core boats are waterlogged

 

[Kranjack20]

Transom is wood

Hull is foam core

Weigh the boat. Most foam core boats are waterlogged

If it’s wood then it’s solid because this transom doesn’t budge. And if it’s wood then it’s completely incased in the fiberglass. I’m not dropping anywhere close to 2k on that other boat I paid $1700 bucks for. So that one’s getting trashed. Sucks. I loved that other boat.