so just picked up the boat (no motor), hasn't seen water in about 25 years..i got a 1969 50hp merc running i had from another project and set it up. when home from my first trip out, i see a long crack in the transom, i'm assuming from the weight of the motor back there. i'm guessing it happened from trailering the unit to and from, and not from the trip down the connecticut river. so i invest in a "transom saver" shock absorber type from cabellas and fit it to the motor and trailer for towing, and i sand down the cracked area, dig at it a little, and start applying some polyurethane to seal it up. it is very solid, and doesn't have any flex.
am i missing anything and should i be doing anything else to prevent this or repair it? also its the original trailer i am told, and although it is sound, its nothing like the sturdy new trailers they make now adays..
i can't find much info on the older hiliners, although it should just follow the same rules as other wooden runabouts, right? do i need additional bracing or a plate to help distribute the weight from the motor instead of just the two circlular outboard clamps & two lower bolts? i am using a 3/8" spacer on the outside of the transom as shown, but its just to clear the wood trim on the transom water line. i also added a piece of 5 x 28" aluminum 3/16 bolted in 4 places and motor clamped over to give some additional bracing and spread out the 2 clamp circles..
am i missing anything and should i be doing anything else to prevent this or repair it? also its the original trailer i am told, and although it is sound, its nothing like the sturdy new trailers they make now adays..
i can't find much info on the older hiliners, although it should just follow the same rules as other wooden runabouts, right? do i need additional bracing or a plate to help distribute the weight from the motor instead of just the two circlular outboard clamps & two lower bolts? i am using a 3/8" spacer on the outside of the transom as shown, but its just to clear the wood trim on the transom water line. i also added a piece of 5 x 28" aluminum 3/16 bolted in 4 places and motor clamped over to give some additional bracing and spread out the 2 clamp circles..
