Transom repair

JCSuperman	Just bought a 1986 Bayliner Capri. After buying it, we went for ride, found that the Transom was broke.. or rotted. I like the boat (and the prior owner don't give a s**t about the screw job he gave me) SO, here I am in need of replacing the transom... I am a veteran of Body repair and glass work.. BUT...would this type of repair be different than an auto repair? any info or a book regarding this would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks, Jerry	2002-09-02
snapperbait	A good book is THE FIBERGLASS BOAT REPAIR MANUAL by Allan H. Vaitses. It's avalible at boaters world, boat u.s., and west marine about $25 bucks and well worth every penny.. I think West marine also has their own book on the subject too.. rip out the old stuff. sand the surface of the inside of the transom real good. clean with acetone to remove any oil or crud..if the transom is flat 3 layers of 1/2 inch plywood should suffice.. if curved 3/8 or 1/4 inch is ok too just use enough layers to equil at least 1 1/2 inches... For the first layer of wood wet out some 3/4 ounce mat on both the transom and the back side of the plywood.. set plywood in place.. use some screwes through the outside of the transom as a clamp to pull the two together.. use as many screws as you can. Use some small blocks of wood to back up the screws...once the resin has cured remove the screws... next piece of plywood same thing 2 layers of 3/4 mat one on each side but screw the next piece from the inside.. remove screws when dry..Repeat untill you have the right thickness.. Then glass it up good & heavy with extra in the corners..seal it up good.. Polyester works ok but epoxy is better.. If u use epoxy be sure too use mat that is compatible with epoxy..... P.S. regular plywood works just fine.. no need for the marine stuff unless u want too spend the$..	2002-09-03
JCSuperman	Thanks Snapperbait, I was just reading another post from "iRich" from August 28th about "another transom repair question". I read the entire post... WOW!!! all the info is awesome!!! I will use all of your info and also from the other post, and I know I will have enough knowledge to do the repair myself then. Thanks for the reply... This is one AWESOME forum, Oh yeah, and the only one I am a part of... Jerry	2002-09-03
crab bait	This topic pops up like WACK-A-MOLE.. CLICK search on this page.. type in rot/ transome rot.. kick back & read for hours..	2002-09-03
Basenjib123	Definately use EPOXY resin , IMO poly is not a good choice to rebuilt the transom with.	2002-09-03
iRich	Hey JC, Have you started your project yet? I finally got my boat back together, just need to do a little gelcoat work and put the motor back on, install gas tank, etc...It wasn't hard at all thanks to this forum. People answered any questions I had and gave great advice. Good luck and keep us posted. Rich	2002-09-03
denniz	I agree with snapper, don't but the high dollar marine grade, boat manufacturers dont. Buy cdx and resin the **** out of it. I do4-5 transoms a year, been doing it for 20 years, I'm also a engine tech, that's why I only do 4-5 a year. GOODLUCK	2002-09-03
crab bait	Voids in plywood ,, the bigger the better for trapped air in the void,, causes condinsation & can & will cause rot from the inside ... no matter how much resin you apply to the outside.. you get what you pay for...	2002-09-03
snapperbait	Hey crab bait I realize the void issue but I've seen some marine ply lately that's full of voids.. Terrible lookin stuff...I just think it's a waste of money.. If Jc uses good judgement in his choice of cdx & finds a good piece he should have a transom that will last a long time.. I'd point the guy in the total composite direction but not for a first timer...	2002-09-03
Basenjib123	When I rebuilt my transom I used 1/4" Luan Wood and layered it 5 sheets thick. I also put Bi-axial cloth between each sheet. Luan is relatively cheap and absorbs the Epoxy well. That was 5 years ago and all is still well with my transom. Good Luck, Joe.	2002-09-04
iRich	I used 1/4" plywood and one thing I would point out is that the plywood itself was made up of 3 layers, 2 with the grain and one against so I used 3 full pieces and for two layers I cut them the opposite way on the sheet even though I had to put a piece on each end. I alternated them also..1 full, pieces, 1 full..etc. That way I ended up with roughly an even number of the plys in each direction. It also saved me from buying another sheet of plywood because I got the smaller pieces from the leftover of the larger pieces. Rich	2002-09-04

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