Trying to assist my father in rebuilding the rotten transom of his bass/bay boat. Having joined this forum and after reading much, it's something we're willing to undertake ourselves. Undecided yet as to the repair method (pour seacast, etc or new wood and glass). He has some fiberglass experience. I'm limited to what I've learned here at this point.
My question regards the wisdom of simply cutting away the back 2-3 feet of the cap in order to access the transom properly. Ideally, I'm sure one would prefer to remove the entire cap, but we are hesitant due to lack of manpower/means to lift it off, and also the way the cap is integrated into such things as the console, and forms the top of the bench seat/live-well that spans from side to side, etc.
The thought is to cut across the gunwale somewhere in the vicinity of the stern light receptacle and down the inside (after rub rail removal). Once cut on both sides, we think the rear section of the cap, including splash well should come off pretty cleanly. There is not much height to the cap on the exterior where it joins the hull, so the tricky cutting should be minimal.
The rear section of the cap needs it's own repairs. In the first pic, you can see the fractures where the front of the splash well meets the sides, caused by the sag of the transom when motor was installed.. The fracturing actually extends up under the vent cover. The other side is even worse. Below you can see a fracture under where the motor was mounted and also fracturing where the bottom of the well meets the back wall. We think having it off would make all the splash well repairs easier.
The concerns we have regard reattaching the cap sections back together down the road. There is relatively good access to the underside where we propose to cut. I would think we could re-glass under there to the point where it is just as strong as before.
I have seen other posts where folks have cut off the entire back skin to fix the transom. Others have cut out the splash well area. We are wondering whether it's a bad idea to only cut the back section off the cap. We are unsure as to what strength the cap contributes to the overall boat.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
My question regards the wisdom of simply cutting away the back 2-3 feet of the cap in order to access the transom properly. Ideally, I'm sure one would prefer to remove the entire cap, but we are hesitant due to lack of manpower/means to lift it off, and also the way the cap is integrated into such things as the console, and forms the top of the bench seat/live-well that spans from side to side, etc.
The thought is to cut across the gunwale somewhere in the vicinity of the stern light receptacle and down the inside (after rub rail removal). Once cut on both sides, we think the rear section of the cap, including splash well should come off pretty cleanly. There is not much height to the cap on the exterior where it joins the hull, so the tricky cutting should be minimal.
The rear section of the cap needs it's own repairs. In the first pic, you can see the fractures where the front of the splash well meets the sides, caused by the sag of the transom when motor was installed.. The fracturing actually extends up under the vent cover. The other side is even worse. Below you can see a fracture under where the motor was mounted and also fracturing where the bottom of the well meets the back wall. We think having it off would make all the splash well repairs easier.
The concerns we have regard reattaching the cap sections back together down the road. There is relatively good access to the underside where we propose to cut. I would think we could re-glass under there to the point where it is just as strong as before.
I have seen other posts where folks have cut off the entire back skin to fix the transom. Others have cut out the splash well area. We are wondering whether it's a bad idea to only cut the back section off the cap. We are unsure as to what strength the cap contributes to the overall boat.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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