My transom repair

[smkinnan]

I just wanted to upload some of the pics I took during the transom repair I recently did. I used Arjay based on recommendations from this site. I am really glad I did. If you are considering doing the transom repair, this is definately the product to get. Get in touch with Fiberglass Services in Tampa. They are the suppliers of this product.

[smkinnan]

and more....

[smkinnan]

more...

[smkinnan]

during the finishing process....after the Arjay was poured

[smkinnan]

and after applying the Pettit paint. This stuff is amazing....

[smkinnan]

and finally with the engine installed....

[jdawg69750]

:clap:Looks good man. I'm planning on doing it at the end of summer. how much was the total cost?

[tsubaki]

DANG!
I love it!! :clap:

[phatdaddy]

looks great

[smkinnan]

:clap:Looks good man. I'm planning on doing it at the end of summer. how much was the total cost?

The Arjay was about $360, the Pettit paint was $35 from a surplus place we have down here in Daytona. Ended up buying another gallon for $80. Gonna finish painting the rest of the boat with it...

[Bygracealone]

Very nice! Seems like that Arjay stuff is the way to go. The finished product looks beautiful.

Thanks for posting all the pics.

[reelapeelin]

Very nice! Seems like that Arjay stuff is the way to go. The finished product looks beautiful.

Thanks for posting all the pics.


:clap:...X2!!...:clap:

[nymack66]

Excellent work, Looks good as for Arjay I am not sure why go any other way when replacing a rotten transom. Its 15 times stronger than wood, easy to work with, very economical, floats and is truly life long. I can't remove the traces off my driveway to this day, talk about bonding !!:clap:

[RWilson2526]

Great job, another successful transom rebuild....I'm taking notes.

[moneyhole]

That repair looks great. How will you apply the final paint?

[inaforty]

Great job!:beer:

I would imagine that this job is in my future

Few questions...

1) How hard was it to get the coring out and what did you use?

2) What type of Petit paint did you use?

[VVelez216]

Very nice! thanks for pics, Arjay is the way to go!

[smkinnan]

Great job!:beer:

I would imagine that this job is in my future

Few questions...

1) How hard was it to get the coring out and what did you use?

2) What type of Petit paint did you use?


For the question above, I applied the final paint with a spray gun. Reduce it (using Pettit reducer) 15%.

Answer 1. My "coring" was basically mulch; hence the "worse the rot the easier the job". We used and combination of long flat steel (bought long pry bars from Harbor Freight) and a long 1" flat blade drill bit with an extension on a drill. That did the most damage. I know some people have used a chainsaw but we didn't have one. A long bladed chainsaw would have made the job much easier. There were times I wished we had one. Getting the old stuff out and preparing is the hardest and longest part of the job. Took us 5 or 6 hours just to clean it out.

Answer 2. I used the Pettit Easyproxy. Its one part and literally you can mix 10 oz. of paint and an once and a half of their reducer and pour it right in to a spray gun and spray to your hearts content. Use laquer thinner to clean up. VERY easy process.

Make sure you have plenty of plastic gloves for this job. And MAKE SURE you do a really good job of covering the holes in the skin of the transom. If you don't, the Arjay will find you ;) trust me.

Good Luck

[nipper]

I am curious as to whether anyone has had to do a transom repair on a stern drive V20.

[inaforty]

Thanks smkinan!

[mauryc]

Three plus years (maybe four, I can't remember) and she is still solid. No cracks, no flex, no movement - nada.

Maury

[Richie Rich]

Modern Chemistry.....amazing stuff

[Genie Aye]

Okay--I am just going to ask---:bat:

I am getting the feeling that you dig out the rotten wood--make a backing board inside the hull and then just pour this Arjay product in and that replaces the wood and will not rot.

Looks great by the way!!

[smkinnan]

Okay--I am just going to ask---:bat:

I am getting the feeling that you dig out the rotten wood--make a backing board inside the hull and then just pour this Arjay product in and that replaces the wood and will not rot.

Looks great by the way!!

actually, there is an inner and outer fiberglass "skin" that the old, original wood was sandwiched in between (at least it is that way on my center console). All you have to do is dig out the wood between the two skins, making sure you get as much of the old wood out that you can, cover the holes in the transom really well, and pour in the arjay. It really is that simple. It actually is quite a job but with few steps. Digging out the old wood is the hardest part of the job but the right tools help.

[Genie Aye]

Thanks---I looked agian and you are right--there is a inner glass wall as well in the DC. I will have to remember this when my turn comes for this job.:clap::clap:

[reelapeelin]

actually, there is an inner and outer fiberglass "skin" that the old, original wood was sandwiched in between (at least it is that way on my center console). All you have to do is dig out the wood between the two skins, making sure you get as much of the old wood out that you can, cover the holes in the transom really well, and pour in the arjay. It really is that simple. It actually is quite a job but with few steps. Digging out the old wood is the hardest part of the job but the right tools help.

If faced w/transom rebuild in the future, it's the route I'll take...l:clap:

[thunderbug]

Picked up an '88 20'CC with rotten transom; all else is solid. Got most of the wood out and plan on using Nidabond. Before you pour, is anything needed to prevent resin from running out at bottom of transom, if that makes sense. Haven't gotten down that far yet, just planning ahead.

[tsubaki]

When you get the wood out the way, take a rod and bend the end to have about a 2" 90 degree angle in it.
Probing in the bottom and any other places, see if there are voids toward the front or sides. Making the angle slightly longer than the fill area makes it quicker to find holes or gaps.
If you do find voids, you can pack some stuff in that general area to slow the hemorrhage of the fill material.
One thing that worked for me was a scuff material designed for floor sanding (from HomeDepot or Lowes). Looks like woven glass. If I can access the site long enough I'll try to see if there are pictures of the stuff (so far unsuccessful).

[tsubaki]

Go to this link and see post #65.
http://www.wellcraftv20.com/community/showthread.php?t=2808&page=7

[Shawsee]

Looks great! I will be having to do mine soon also. The 76 V is showing all the typical signs of transom rot. I will be using the same stuff because of all the good reviews everyone says about it. Thanks!

[thunderbug]

Hey tsubaki, checked the link you sent - lots of great info and pix. Couple of questions: you mention "pour & pack"...are you putting cloth in as you pour or shredding scrub pads as filler so as to use less resin? Also, the fiberglass panels you cut. Did you pour on both sides, encasing the panels, again to cut down on resin needed? The stuff is costly and I've been toying with ideas to save a few bucks but still have a good, solid transom.

[tsubaki]

I'm sorry the progression of that thread was so poor. That was the first time for me using a site and posting pictures and had the boat repairs going on too.
Yes the pour and pack was glass cloth and resin with the panels held in the center of the pour.
The scuff material was used to dam voids to reduce hemorrhaging of the resin into open areas. Small pieces were also used as shims to keep the panels in place.

[thunderbug]

Hey Tsubaki, went back and read more of that link, your explaination of the process is pretty good. I was at work first time I looked and didn't read far enough. I've got an old deck boat in the yard that will need to be cut up for disposal and I'm pretty sure I can get some good "panels" from that. Between that and the glass cloth, I may be able to do this with 'bout 6 gals of resin. Thanks again for the great step-by-step.

[thunderbug]

Looking at the pics from the beginning of this post, it's not hard to imagine how bad the transom was from the metal plate that was bolted to it. Mine had a 2x8 cut to fit the inside of the splashwell... I'm closer to getting all the wood out and want to ask again about the "voids" I may find. I would guess that these voids would allow water to get to the stringers and such if the transom was bad enough. While everything seems solid in the bilge and all other areas I've checked, is there anything more I need to do before "The Pour"?

[tsubaki]

Don't use duct tape for anything, use masking tape.
The heat generated renders the duct tape useless and it will come loose.

thunderbug, start you a thread on yours. Post pictures and progression.
Also put your animals description in your signature and your location too, it's easier for us to keep up!

[fishmagnet]

great work! We used NidaBond for our transom repair... Worked out very good as they are similar products. The removal of old wood SUCKED... alot to drilling, cutting, scrapping. vacuuming. But now that it is done, it is nice to know that you will NEVER need to worry about wrought again!

here were our steps (sorry no pics)
1: remove top cap
2: use large diameter drill bits (twist and ogger type) to drill down BETWEEN inner and outer fiberglass layers
3: Use chainsaw to cut/gouge between the drilled holes between fiberglass layers
4: I made scrapper toold from 1.5" x 1/4" thick steel flat bar with a sharpened tip with a slight bend about 1" from end to help provide clearance/leverage. Use this tool to scrape the wood off the inside of fiberglass layers
5: vacuum ALOT.. I used a length of PVC pipe to reach down between layers to get the the bottom.
6: fill all inner and outer holes ( I would maybe recommend filling transom with fresh water to locate holes..) we had a few on the inside that we have to "frantically" fill once we started pouring NidaBond.
7: Let air out to remove moisture from wrought
8: mix NidaBond with hardener and stirr well.. we used a cement/mortar mixer on a drill.
9: Pour away.. we used a construction cone with top cut to "funnel" NidaBond between layers..
10: They say that NIdaBond can be poured in separate pours after curing, however we kept mixing to get all product in before it set..


And yes.. the fiberglass does get hot while the chemical reaction goes off.. I would not recommend tape for filling holes..

here is a pic of how we built up the transom for the swim step/bracket. this was all done in layers of fiberglass mat, and cloth prior to the pour!