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Transom repair questions
Well after cutting out fiberglass cladding around the stringers and removing the rotted plywood I figured I should test drill the transom (from the inside) and as expected....that plywood sandwich was shot too (water came oozing out my test holes). I got the gimbal and sterndrive completely removed,cut around the perimiter of the transom and chiseled and scraped the rotted plywood out. Using a 4" grinder with sandpaper completely sanded the interior surface of the transoms fiberglass and got that looking new. When I replace the transom plywood what is best to use for sandwiching the plywood together and what's best to adhere the plywood to the fiberglass transom.
Thanks all
Paul Sr.
After you trowel the epoxy onto the inside of the transom glass and the wood. You will need to clamp the new transom wood in place to get a good bond as it setts up.
Cut a 2x4 the width of the transom on the outside(less about 6 inches). Place the 2x4 across the back and clam the new wood to the transom with the 2x4 clamped on the outside(using the transom cutout). You will need a good sized c-clamp or a pipe style clamp because you are clamping 3 1/2" (2x4) + the transom fiber glass + the thickness of the transom wood..
If you have the wood and the clamps do several 2x4's across the outside.
, but the good stuff is up there ^
The best way to bond wood to the fiberglass transom is to use water proof epoxy. This is also the best way to bond the plywood achieve the desired thickness.
Some people will have issue with this part.. 3/4 plywood is really all the transom needs for a stock I/O with small horsepower and the area around the mounting should be double plywood. A lot of people will say make the whole transom area double, and that's ok too, but it is a little overkill for small hp setups.
If working from the inside, replacing the transom wood can be a trick to put in ONE piece of wood. Remedy is to replace the main piece of wood in 2 pieces with the butt or seam as tight as possible and add a layer of plywood in the center to bridge the joint. If the layers are bonded properly and the center piece goes from the hull clear to the top, 6 to 8 inches wider than the cut-out, It will be plenty strong.
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