Yet another "Stringers and Transom need work" type thread

[blaze_125]

I wanted fresh upholstery for the upcoming season. So I ripped the carpet and seats out of my boat only to find out my floor is rotten. After some more digging, it turns out the stringers are also rotten and falling apart.

Stringers issue:
I am wondering if I can use the 2X4s I've had in the basement for over a year. The 2X4s are dry and I would cover them in fiberglass resin before installing them in the boat. Does that sound like a good solution?

Transom issue:
The transom is also in very very bad shape. As you can see in one of the pictures, the fiberglass cracked and the crack is a good 12" long. The wood that sits behind the fiberglass is also rotten and falling appart. I have no idea how to get to it since there is a "pit" right in front of it. How should I tackle that job?

And expansion foam... Can the HomeDepot type foam be used or do I need to buy something fancy and pricey?

 

[blaze_125]

Re: Stringers and Transom need work

Re: Stringers and Transom need work

Call me nuts, or set the record straight. I just add an idea

The transom seems like a b**ch to get to because of it's configuration. I figured removing the wood should be fairly easy. It's putting new one in that'd be a pain in the neck. So here's my idea... tell me if I'm lunatic or if I missed something.

The transom layout looks like this.

|*|
|*|
|*|

| being a layer of fiberglass
* being a sheet of wood

So what if I was to do this:

|~|
|~|
|~|

| being a layer of fiberglass
~ being poured in resin

So basically, I'd remove all the wood and fill the void with resin(and vertical rebars). I'd end up with a (approx.) 1" think resin transom.

And what if I was to do the same with the stringers? Remove the rotten wood, create channels, pour resin in the chanels and voila!

Pros:
It will never rot again
It's easy to make it happen

Cons:
Probably mad expensive to make such a thick plate of resin

Stronger than wood? The transom is currently holding a 45hp motor, I may upgrade sooner or later to a 50hp motor. It's a relatively small boat, so by law, I can't go crazy on HP ratings... Would a poured slated of resin crack over time? If it did crack, it'd be easy to patch. So my question should probably be... Will it shatter when it gets stressed?

My other concern is weight... How heavy is that going to be compared to wood? On the other hand, my uncle used thick steel plate to replace his transom when he installed a 200hp motor... I can't image resin being heavier than steel.
???

 

[blaze_125]

Re: Stringers and Transom need work

Re: Stringers and Transom need work

Cons:
Probably mad expensive to make such a thick plate of resin

All I can say now is "Holy *@$%&#@"
I just did the math with approx. measurments.

Assuming the transom was this size: 1" thick, 48" wide, 40" high
It would hold a volume of 8.3 gallons. 8.3gal@100$/gal = 830$ to pour a transom

Now the stringers... 8' long, 2" high, 1.5" wide X 2 maybe 3
A volume of 1.24 gallon each. 1.24gal@100$/gal = 124$ per stringer

I knew it'd be expensive, just not THAT expensive lol. I'd still like to know if it would be solid enough though. I don't really plan on going that route anymore, but I'd like to know.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Yet another "Stringers and Transom need work" type thread

It's not a viable option.

 

[blaze_125]

Re: Yet another "Stringers and Transom need work" type thread

It's not a viable option.

Even if I had a million $ to blow on useless crap?
Not flexible enough? To heavy?

Here's my new theory.
I really have to change the transom so I got to find how I'll do it. I don't want to cut out the well and have to glass it back in(if I can avoid it).

So... could I simply cutout the circled portion, slide a new wood sheet in, then glass the top to seal it?

 

[92excel]

Re: Yet another "Stringers and Transom need work" type thread

Pourable transoms are possible with the correct material. you have to use seacast or Nidabond or one of the other similar products out there.. you CAN NOT use just plain old resin.

Look at http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=265693
for a recent poured transom

 

[92excel]

Re: Yet another "Stringers and Transom need work" type thread

Stringers issue:
I am wondering if I can use the 2X4s I've had in the basement for over a year. The 2X4s are dry and I would cover them in fiberglass resin before installing them in the boat. Does that sound like a good solution?

its your boat so you can use whatever you want.. more often though people choose a layer or two of ply laminated together as ply will take the resin and glass and adhere better then dimensional lumber.

As for foam.. you dont want to use the foam cans from home chepo.. there have been people that have used the pink or blue sheet foam.

 

[blaze_125]

Re: Yet another "Stringers and Transom need work" type thread

Pourable transoms are possible with the correct material. you have to use seacast or Nidabond or one of the other similar products out there.. you CAN NOT use just plain old resin.

Look at http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=265693
for a recent poured transom

That's a very interesting read.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Yet another "Stringers and Transom need work" type thread

Resin, either epoxy or polyester is very brittle when used in an application like this, their strength comes from the glass fibers used with it. The products designed for this purpose can work well, the cost is high, but sometimes less work and much faster. They have fibers and other ingredients to make them stronger and cure correctly in a mass this size without cracking. There isn't a good short cut to fixing it, read a bunch of the threads here and you'll get a good idea what you need to do for a good repair.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Yet another "Stringers and Transom need work" type thread

8.3gal@100$/gal = 830$ to pour a transom

I just paid $163 shipped for 5 gallons of NidaBond. NidaBond or SeaCast are the only two things you should be pouring in that transom anyhow. What you are thinking of doing is completely doable, but you will first have to repair that crack, or the transom compound will expand right through it, spill out and harden into a overly thick, hard as heck mess.

Click on my resto thread in my signature for how I cleaned out my transom. There is also a nidabond start-to-finish thread on here somewhere.

 

[donnyskz1]

Re: Yet another "Stringers and Transom need work" type thread

I am the one that used the nidacore. Go to the seacast website and use there calculater and that will tell you how much you will need of there stuff then contact nidacore with the numbers and they will recalculate it and let you know how much you need. It is all based on cubic centimeters. One bucket of nidacore is $120.00 plus shipping you will need to provide your own MEKP to mix it with. It pours very easily. As far as the stringers if you are able to get to them I would do them the same way as the transom except after cutting the cap off the stringers and getting the wood out I would wrap a layer of glass on top of the stringers and then just pour the nidacore into an opening that you will leave at the highest point of the stringer. The nidacore is thin enough it will flow right where you need it to. To give you a little bit more working time you would want to cut down the mixing formula a little bit.

As far as the weight factor of the nidacore it weighs about 37 lbs per bucket.

Good Luck