Re: transom repair
Ok took a while because of summer vacation and such but I built the new transom out of wood and poly resin(almost 10 gallons of resin and epoxy cost to High). Got ready to install in transom using west 105 and 206 hardener(slow) and the colloidal silicate to make peanut butter. followed direction on can mixed 1:5 ratio about half of a gallon total mixed for one minute and then stirred in silicate within 3 minutes of stirring in silicate the epoxy became so hot it went directly to a solid nearly burning us in process. Not sure what I did wrong but scared to even try again with remaining epoxy would like to know what I did wrong and If no good conclusions then how best to glue in transom with traditional poly resin(Had good luck so far with that stuff) the epoxy truly almost caught fire in the bowl, I was expecting a shortened working life becuase of heat and the thickness of product but four minutes! would hate to see what fast hardener does. As always thanks for any help.
I thought you were on a budget, I can't even look at epoxy.
When you try something new do a test batch first to get a feel for it, commiting that much epoxy to the first try is ...expensive.
At this point I would bond the transom with PL Premium construction adhesive, you can bed with it too , I form filets with it then glass over it when it cures a few hrs. Tab the transom all around to the glass with resin of your choice and cloth. Start with 4 inch strip of glass cloth , add another strip wider, each layer should be wider to spread the load, final layer 12 inches will give you 6 inches on the transom and 6 inches on the glass so grind glass accordingly before you start. This is probably the most critical joint on the boat so , no bubbles, no wax, no dust.
After that, are you gonna build a bracket for the engine, is it still an outboard? I think you'll need a 30 inch lower on an outboard and 12deg angle on the mount. Alum is popular, nice if you can weld your own, but many guys mold their own from glass. Whats the plan?
