transom replacement.

[rolmops]

This is for a 1984 aluminum sylvan 18 footer outboard transom
I have to replace the transom wood in this boat and I am wondering about how to do this.
The boat has an aluminum outer skin and the wood behind it is very rotten.
I did some reading up on the subject and found some people advising marine plywood,while others prefer to use outdoor plywood and then glass it in.
This will be a first for me and I know that I will need all the help I can get.
For those who know Sylvan fishing /ski boats.Is the transom a one piece affair or is it a left, a right and a center type?
How do I take the transom apart?
What sort of glue do I use?
Can the Sylvan company give me the specs for this transom?
And most of all:How do I put it back together?
As always,thank you for your help.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: transom replacement.

picture of the boat inside and out would surely help. there is also some good info in the completed projects forums. there are plenty of people here with experience replacing transoms. but we don't necessarily know all the boats and there configuations. why the pics help.

 

[rolmops]

Re: transom replacement.

I started taking the back side of this boat apart and it is amazing how simple it is to take things apart.(So far no damage done).
I found a place that sells 2 types of marine plywood (Okouma and marine fir).I explained my intentions and they advised the cheaper marine fir as good enough for a transom that is locked within aluminum.They also advised me to use the 100% waterproof Gorilla Glue,but they were not clear about the best material to paint the wood with.They were not to happy with the idea of fiber glass resin(they are wooden boat freaks).
What type of paint would be a long lasting (25 year)material that prevents rot?
What material is best to seal the wood where holes are drilled?
As always,thank you for your help and directions.

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: transom replacement.

Epoxy !!!! Is the best , you can use poly also !!! I would put 3 coats at least !! John

 

[rolmops]

Re: transom replacement.

Epoxy !!!! Is the best , you can use poly also !!! I would put 3 coats at least !! John

Please enlighten me.When I think of epoxy ,a small can with two different kinds of putty comes to mind and "poly" can be any of a thousand things.

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: transom replacement.

Please enlighten me.When I think of epoxy ,a small can with two different kinds of putty comes to mind and "poly" can be any of a thousand things.

hahahaha sorry there is a liquid epoxy that is two parts , US Composites has some great prices !!! poly is polyurethane !!

did you hit the search on here transom replacements !! John

 

[Stoutcat]

Re: transom replacement.

Hi Rolmops,

Thoughts...

* TD is right, pics would help.

* Given the choice of Okouma and marine fir, I'd go marine fir so long as the ply count and thickness was the same. Okoume is beautiful stuff, but not what you need unless you're building a showboat. Marine ply should be fine.

* As for glue, for structural stuff, I'd echo Jcsercsa... Epoxy! Granted, it's going to cost roughly twice polyester resin (and roughly the same as Gorilla), but epoxy is gap filling and brutally strong. I order from U.S. Composites in 3 gal kits... About $175 with pumps and shipping. (Also take a look at iBoats - they sell both MAS and West.) In general, be it epoxy or polyester, there are various additives you can toss in (or not) to make it a saturating liquid, a glue, a fairing material, wet out, or a filleting glop. You can look at the major epoxy sites for instruction (West, MAS, US Composites, System 3)... Also check out the Glenn L site... They've got some great instructional material.

* 25-year paint? I'd shoot for 5-year paint with UV protection for the epoxy. I've tried everything and have finally gone back to exterior house paint with UV protection. Hulls, stringers, transoms, decks can survive almost anything if there's ventilation and maintenance...

* Drilling holes? Saturate with unthickened epoxy with a chaser of 5200.

Hope this helps,

Alan

 

[rolmops]

Re: transom replacement.

So now I have the marine fir plywood,Gorilla glue,paint to paint the large surfaces and epoxy to seal the narrow sides.
After taking the measurements it turns out that I can rip a four by eight foot board lengthwise in 2 pieces.
Now comes my next question: Should I first take the boards and glue them together and only then cut the exact size transom, or is it better to first cut both pieces to the exact measurements and then glue them.
I know this sounds stupid,but I know next to nothing about wood working and I really do not know what comes first.
Thank you, Rolmops.

 

[Bondo]

Re: transom replacement.

Now comes my next question: Should I first take the boards and glue them together and only then cut the exact size transom, or is it better to first cut both pieces to the exact measurements and then glue them

Ayuh,...
It Really doesn't matter,...As long as the final piece is the size,+ shape you need....

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: transom replacement.

So now I have the marine fir plywood,Gorilla glue,paint to paint the large surfaces and epoxy to seal the narrow sides.
After taking the measurements it turns out that I can rip a four by eight foot board lengthwise in 2 pieces.
Now comes my next question: Should I first take the boards and glue them together and only then cut the exact size transom, or is it better to first cut both pieces to the exact measurements and then glue them.
I know this sounds stupid,but I know next to nothing about wood working and I really do not know what comes first.
Thank you, Rolmops.

I don't disagree with Bond-O that in theory it makes no difference.... in practice it is quite difficult to cut 1-1/2" of plywood.
I did my transom this summer and gave up trying to cut both blanks at the same time; cut the two seperately and then glued them together with resin, and sanded the edges to get them perfectly dimensioned.

 

[rolmops]

Re: transom replacement.

As with most things,bringing up the courage to take that first step is a lot harder than actually taking that step.After plenty of procrastinating and wondering and worrying I cut the wood glued it together,painted it and this afternoon dropped it in place.It fits perfect,well sort of perfect,but good enough for me.Now all that is left is putting about 500 screws,nuts,bolts,nails and rivets back where they belong and I should be good to go.
This really did a lot for my self esteem and it will probably do even more for my outboards because now I can hang them on a transom in order to winterize them.

 

[Bondo]

Re: transom replacement.

Ayuh,.... Cool,.. Glad to hear the Update....

 

[jonesg]

Re: transom replacement.

Just be sure to seal the edges of the wood with epoxy .

when putting any screws/bolts thru the wood use 5200 in the hole and on the screw, thats the best way to seal the holes.

 

[HDPipes05]

Re: transom replacement.

Just be sure to seal the edges of the wood with epoxy .

when putting any screws/bolts thru the wood use 5200 in the hole and on the screw, thats the best way to seal the holes.

+1 or all your hard work of painting will eventually be for nothing.