basscrazy Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Hey so I'm in the process of buying a 14 foot fiberglass Jon boat style boat. One problem transome needs work, plywood is starting to rot. What kinda of project would I be getting myself into if I was to buy the boat? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walleye5 Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 can be easy but I would check the stringers too once theres rot everything starts. if you get the boat free ok other wise pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 I replaced a transom in a 16' boat many years ago . I carefully took the old one off and traced it on a piece of 3/4" plywood & added another piece of 1/2" plywood to it to get the thickness I needed .I used some roofing tar to bond the wood together and sealed the edges with it. I used some clamps to hold it in place & drilled through the existing holes to put the new bolts in . I also coated the back of the wood with tar to seal it against the transom . I put a generous amount of silicone sealer on each bolt to seal up every bolt . It was a cheap fix but was worth the effort. Note......ignore this post ....I was thinking about my old aluminum boat ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 I don't think I would be using roofing tar. Use something like PL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveC Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 Transom is not to bad if your handy. Its a pretty dirty job though and involves fibreglass work. Best way, is to do it from the inside of the boat if you have access. A mikita grinder and cut the facing layer of fibreglass away and separate it from the wood. Then you will also have to cut out the majority of wood. Cut two pieces of 3/4 plywood to fit into the cavity you remove the wood from. Mix up some fibreglass resin and generously coat both sides of the new wood before you install it. Join the two 3/4 pieces of wood with premium construction adhesive and coat the back as well and clamp it back into the cavity against the external fibreglass of the boat. Once that has cured, remove your clamps and the complete inner side of the boat will need to be re-fibreglassed with resin and fibreglass matting. A paint brush and a roller to cover the complete wood and laminate it from one side of the transom to the other so the new transom is completely encased in glass and mesh. Once that's done just spray bomb it white or whatever colour it currently is and install all your trim. It should be rock solid with new wood inside, and new glass covering it all in and laminated at the top edge into the exterior glass. Doing it from inside the boat is always way easier than cutting the exterior glass. Like I said, if your handy its really not to bad...but if you have no experience with fibreglass, or fear of a dusty, itchy garage may as well forget it. There's no two minute fix for a sponged transom....do it right or pass on the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w1w Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 This is not relevant to fiberglass. I replaced the transom (wood) in my Pro-V Lund (aluminum), a few years ago. After I removed the top capping and hardware that attaches the front/back skins to the wood, I couldn't get the wood out (no pun intended). So, I drilled 2 vertical holes in the middle of each side. Then screwed in 2 big eye screws. Tied a rope to each eye. With the boat, hooked up to the truck, I backed up to a forklift. Tied the ropes to each of the forklift 'fingers' while they were 1 1/2 feet above the transom. The operator of the forklift moved the fingers up and it picked the whole back end of the boat and trailer up in the air. The boat was strapped to the trailer. There is no way I could have dug the wood out by hand, earlier. Then the operator started shaking and bouncing the fingers. One side of the transom started to come out (slowly). Finally, the other side came out (slowly). No damage to the skins. Probably would have been if I attempted to dig it out by hand. Used a similar procedure, described by DaveC, to complete the project. 3M has a great product for below waterline applications when re-installing hardware. You can use it for transducers, too. Takes a week to cure but it's magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Just a note if you are doing this on an aluminum boat. DO NOT use pressure treated plywood. The chemicals in the treatment will react and eat the aluminum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgm Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 You should use a good marine grade plywood. More expensive, but worth the cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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