Skeeter Transom Replacement - Attaching the Transom

[pamlicopanther]

Hello.

1979 Skeeter Project in progress. I have the new transom ready to install. I was wondering what the proper process is to glass in the transom and attach it to the hull.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have read the other topics relating to this but I am a little confused on exactly how to go about it.

Thanks.

[boostedone]

http://forums.bateau2.com/view...rt=60

[pamlicopanther]

I had read that but let me make sure I understand it correctly.

Use clamps to hold the top snug until your epoxy dries?

Drill holes in transom and hull and insert screws to hold the bottom part?

Do you just use a thick epoxy to mount the transome to the hull or do you need to use any glass?

I hope these are not dumb questions.

Thanks.

[boostedone]

I'll post about it later tonight.

[North Texas Fiberglass]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pamlicopanther &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I had read that but let me make sure I understand it correctly.

Use clamps to hold the top snug until your epoxy dries?

Drill holes in transom and hull and insert screws to hold the bottom part?

Do you just use a thick epoxy to mount the transome to the hull or do you need to use any glass?

I hope these are not dumb questions.

Thanks.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Use fiberglass between the hull and transom when you go to install the transom itself. Use oversize clamps to hold everything in place while it cures.

DO NOT DRILL ANY HOLES IN THE HULL ITSELF!

Make sure your transom is only as thick as the original one was. Otherwise your top cap may not fit back down on the hull again.

[boostedone]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pamlicopanther &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I had read that but let me make sure I understand it correctly.

Use clamps to hold the top snug until your epoxy dries?

Drill holes in transom and hull and insert screws to hold the bottom part?

Do you just use a thick epoxy to mount the transome to the hull or do you need to use any glass?

I hope these are not dumb questions.

Thanks.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Basically what I did was:
Get the old transom completely removed. Sand the fiberglass skin smooth on the inside.
Get some cardboard and make a template. You may have to tape two peices together if you cant find a box big enough.

Cut out your new transom boards. My old transom was 1.5" thick, which meant laminating two peices of 3/4".

Anyhow, once you have your first transom board cut out, test fit it. Make adjustments to it as needed. Note, on final fit you want about a 1/4" gap between the sides and bottom of the new transom and the hull.

The next step is optional. After completion, I did not want all the new holes that were going to be drilled for the motor mounts, thru hull fittings, tie downs to drill into the wood, its only going to give water a place to go. So I decided to make those holes oversize before installation and fill them with epoxy putty. That way when the holes get drilled they are just drilled into epoxy, not wood, so the wood never sees any of the water that would seep in. If you are going to do this, clamp the transom board to the transom along the top edge and mark each hole with a sharpie marker.

From now on Im guessing you are going to have to laminate to get your thickness...

Once you remove the fitted transom board, transfer its shape to the second peice. If you are going to do the puttied oversize holes like I did, get some hole saws that are bigger than the holes you have. Clamp the boards together and put the holes in both boards at the same time. I used a 1 3/8" hole saw for everything 1" and smaller, and a 2" I think for the larger ones.

Next, I am going to assume you are using epoxy resin. If you use polyester, ask Mike from NTF....

You are ready to laminate the two boards into a single transom peice.
Mix up resin and coat boath boards with epoxy(no glass). When I did mine, I coated both sides and all edges of the boards. Then you want to mix up some epoxy glue, which is epoxy resin mixed with wood flour to a consistancy slightly thicker than ketchup. Spread the glue over the still wet resin on one of the boards at the mating surface(such as the fwd face of the aft board or the aft face of the fwd board) using a notched spreader. The notched spreader will essentially give you a grooved profile of the glue like you make when you tile a floor. Once you have the one peice with glue on it, set the two peices together and put MODERATE weight on it. You dont want so much weight that you squash all the glue out of the sides. You want a nice layer of glue to remain inside.

From there, if you did the oversized hole thing like I did, fill those holes completely with epoxy putty(resin mixed with woodflour so it has the consistancy more like thick peanut butter).

Time saving note: Later I found that when laminating big peices like this, only coat the peices that are applicable to the lamination with resin. Reason is, once the resin hardens when you want to apply glass to it later you have to sand it. I found it easier later on to just leave the rest of it bare until I was ready to move on to the next steps.

Once your transom is laminated, pick it up and test fit it into the boat. Use some clamps across the top and fit it for its final position. Punch a few of the holes through. I chose the lower motor mount bolt holes and the lower two tie down hook holes. These will provide some more even pressure when you "bed" the transom.

At this point, if you used the above time saving tip, coat the sides and rear face of the transom with resin. If you coated both sides of every board with resin at lamination, sand the surface. Then apply a layer of putty with the notched spreader to the entire transom face. Place the transom in the boat, and put the bolts in and tighten them SOMEWHAT. Again, you dont want to squeeze all the epoxy out of the joint.

At this point, STOP and let the transom set up. I went on to making my filletes(filling the gap between the transom and hull), but later found a better way about going about this. In the mean time, you can use your cardboard transom pattern to precut your glass. Roll out your glass on a nice flat surface and trace your transom pattern on it. Trace out the transom pattern, then extend the line for the sides and bottom. You will do this 3 times if you are using 1708. Once like 4", then 8", then 12" or so. What this gives you is a pre cut peice of glass that will cover the transom board and extend up the sides of the inside of the hull. If you used 1700 like me, I recommend 5 layers and still shoot for the final 12", and 4" as your first overhang.

Once the transom is set up, remove the bolts and clamps. The glue should be holding the transom in the boat. If you used the time saving tip, coat the forward side of the transom(all you can see of it at this point) with resin. If you didnt use the time saving tip, have fun sanding it. From there, mix up some epoxy putty and use it to pack the gap between the transom and the hull. Then leave a raised bead of it all the way around. Next, before the putty starts to set, start resin coating your glass and getting it installed. This job it definately helps to have a helper. Big batches of resin are needed to wet out that glass, and if you run out of resin before wetting out a peice of glass a helper can make the difference between the resin starting to gel up on you midway. Lay your glass in there while the fillets are still hardening.

Its not the end of the world if your fillets are allowed to harden before you apply the glass, but then you have to sand them to the nice radiused contour between both surfaces(what I had to do).


If you use polyester resin, the process for laminating the transom, bedding the transom and glassing it is slightly different. Basically you have to apply matt at all layers rather than putty, and before your first layer of glass. Matt doesnt give you any strength, its more of a bonding agent as polyester doesnt stick very well to wood by itself.

[Ritchie]

Scott, thanks for taking the time to put your steps in one post. I remember you going through this in your thread, but it's good to see it again.

[pamlicopanther]

Wow - Thanks.

That was just what I was looking for.

I already have my transom cut and the 2 pieces glued together and fit and ready to install so I am on my way. My main concern was attaching the transome to the hull which I now feel confident doint.

Thanks again - This forum i great.

[boostedone]

Your welcome.. I typed about 5 times what I planned on, but oh well....

What are you using materials wise?

[pamlicopanther]

I used high quality plywood for the replacement transom, stringers and flooring. I could not find any marine grad local. I used an epoxy resin solution that is supposed to permeate the wood and protect it from moisture.

All my pieces are cut and ready for installation I jsut need to prepare all my surfaces. It is coming but is very time consuming.

Thanks again for your help.

[boostedone]

Ok, I was curious as to what you were using for the resin and fillers.

Don't cut your resin with acetone or anything to make it "penetrate" the wood. BTW.

What are you going to use ot make the glue and putty?

[merklerob]

to do it right you laminate the pieces of plywood individually in place. you use 8oz wetted mat between the layers and the glass. its best to extend the layers out as far as possible to the sides.