transom repair options

[so]

got a fixer upper and just realized the transom might be in worse shape than I anticipated. several big dry rots and termite damages on the port side of the transom, starboard side seems to be pretty solid.



what are my options besides cutting off the whole thing and glass in a new one? is this a good option,

? The guy said it's been two years and it's holding up.

what about peel off the bad wood on the inside, patch it with fiberglass and epoxy and then glass in another 3/4 inch plywood (like a sister transom, i guess you can call it)

 

[racerone]

Peel the wood off.----glue in new wood or composite.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Go here. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/how-tos-and-other-great-information.283508/

Read links 14, 15, 17, 18, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b

Start by pulling motor/drive, pull interior, pull cap, cut out bad, remake transom stringers and deck

You don't need epoxy, if done right, poly will last another 30 years

 

[so]

is this a good glass to get ? https://www.amazon.com/Fiberglass-Glass-Inches-Fabric-Surfboard/dp/B0B3SXHSDP/

 

[Scott Danforth]

Get your supplies from a fiberglass supply house.

You will need 1.5 oz CSM and 1708

It's all covered in the links I posted above

 

[so]

Get your supplies from a fiberglass supply house.

You will need 1.5 oz CSM and 1708

It's all covered in the links I posted above

reading some of the links, thx.
one question. does polyester resin work with both CSM and 1708 ?

 

[Scott Danforth]

reading some of the links, thx.
one question. does polyester resin work with both CSM and 1708 ?

Yes

If you go epoxy, you use 1700 and 2 oz cloth

 

[airshot]

Would it be easier to move into an aluminum boat ?? Hate the thoughts of all that glass work !! If you go thru with this, by all means don't forget the breathing apparitus, those glass particles will eat up your lungs in short order !!

 

[so]

Would it be easier to move into an aluminum boat ?? Hate the thoughts of all that glass work !! If you go thru with this, by all means don't forget the breathing apparitus, those glass particles will eat up your lungs in short order !!

yup, wearing respirator and tyvek overall for sure.
it's actually not that bad, just small area about 2ft by 1ft

 

[so]

Yes

If you go epoxy, you use 1700 and 2 oz cloth

look for idea what kind of tool can I get to make my job easier.
started peeling off the inner skin and bad wood, I'm using a mini circular saw, making tic tac cuts, some section came off real nice and flat (yellow circle below), others more ragged.

Is air chisel a good option. I'm trying to make the surface flat and more smooth.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Tools and process is covered in link 14 in the DIY sticky.

 

[so]

gonna drill bunch of holes (3/8") on the inside of the transom and feed some wood hardener (PC Petrifier) into them. Thing is the wood must be dry but from the wood dust that came out, they're kind of moist.

what is the best way to get it dry, run a fan for 24hrs? hair dryer? heat gun, etc? I'm in SoCal, btw.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Won't work, but it's your life.

And you could never dry it out even if it sat in the desert for 10 years

 

[airshot]

Unless you do a full replacement of that wood....I wouldn't use anything but an electric trolling motor and wear a life jacket at all times!!

 

[todhunter]

You can do bigger cuts with your circular saw. I cut mine in a grid about 3" or 4" square and knocked out the blocks with a hammer and chisel. Then used a hammer and chisel to remove the remaining big chunks of wood. Finally, a 36-grit flap disc on a grinder.

 

[mike_i]

what part of so cal are you in?

 

[so]

what part of so cal are you in?

Near Lakewood, 91 fwy and 605 fwy.

 

[so]

watched lots of transom replacement videos, I'm leaning towards a complete rebuild. But I just noticed, after I removed the outboard, that my transom is bow, how am I supposed to fit a flat/straight new plywood in there then? Would you slap on a layer of wood filler or PB, smooth it out with a straight edge like how they do it in a cement installation?

also, would you pull the splash guard as well?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Your transom didn't start bowed. When you replace it, clamping the wood to glass will straighten the glass

 

[so]

Your transom didn't start bowed. When you replace it, clamping the wood to glass will straighten the glass

Umm, you sure ? cause it looks like it's by design, the way it bows so uniformly on both sides but then this is my first rebuild so I don't really know much.