1979mercTN
Cadet
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2008
- Messages
- 21
My parents quit using this boat over 20 years ago because the transom rotted out. We did a temporary fix to the transom last summer just so we could make sure the engine worked. Turns out the engine is in great shape, so now we have to do the real repair.
After doing a lot of research we decided Seacast seemed to be the way to go. So, this weekend we started the hard part, the prep work. Cuttung the top off the transom was pretty easy because it was completely cracked in the back. My saws-all worked great for that. I naively thought we could complete the prep without buying a chainsaw. However, I broke down fairly quickly and bought one. I have no idea how you would prep the transom without it.
Of course, we ran into a few snags. Taking out all the rotten wood left some gaps between the existing fiberglass and the good wood. I also made the stupid mistake of cutting a hole in the bottom of the hull. It actually made it a little easier to get all the saw dust out of the transom, but I'm pretty nervous about the hole. Our solution was to use a fiberglass cloth to cover the gaps and the hole I cut. We then put several layers of duct tape to make sure it molds properly.
Based upon Seacast's claims and testimonials on their forum I think we'll be ok. Anyone have any tips/suggestions? The hard part is over now, I think. I'll post some pics when I get them down to size.
After doing a lot of research we decided Seacast seemed to be the way to go. So, this weekend we started the hard part, the prep work. Cuttung the top off the transom was pretty easy because it was completely cracked in the back. My saws-all worked great for that. I naively thought we could complete the prep without buying a chainsaw. However, I broke down fairly quickly and bought one. I have no idea how you would prep the transom without it.
Of course, we ran into a few snags. Taking out all the rotten wood left some gaps between the existing fiberglass and the good wood. I also made the stupid mistake of cutting a hole in the bottom of the hull. It actually made it a little easier to get all the saw dust out of the transom, but I'm pretty nervous about the hole. Our solution was to use a fiberglass cloth to cover the gaps and the hole I cut. We then put several layers of duct tape to make sure it molds properly.
Based upon Seacast's claims and testimonials on their forum I think we'll be ok. Anyone have any tips/suggestions? The hard part is over now, I think. I'll post some pics when I get them down to size.
