patching up transom

[Kajun]

i'l be pulling off my motor this weekend in preparation for another brand of motor...i'm assuming the mount bracket holes will be different so i'd like to gather up materials i'll need to do the patching...

what all do ya think i will need?....as for the holes in the transom what should i plug them with? wood or fiberglass chop?

hopefully i dont find that my transom is rotten :( that would be another kick in the gonads.

[macojoe]

Thats about the only thing that is standerized on all motors!!

You hve to fix nothing should bolt right on!!

[Seacrets]

What year was your force?

[Kajun]

MJ that would be great if i didnt have to do anything to it

sea..my force is a 1990.....i'm looking at *older evinrudes and johnson for repower


what about sealing the bolts and bracket...5200 or 4200?

[macojoe]

well I have gone from OMC, Merc, Yamaha and they have all had the same bolt holes.

I used 5200 on mine but 4200 should be ok?? I like that the 5200 takes longer to cure and I think that gives a better bond??

Just go around the whole bracket make a line , complete circle around the bolt hole, then a line to the next hole and do the same. This is not a place to skimp on the 5200, load it up!!!!!!

After bolts are tight wait 30 min and retighten to be sure!!

DO NOT CUT OR CLEAN EXTRA 5200 TILL DRY!!

put 5200 on all bolts when you insert them.

YOU CAN"T USE TO MUCH 5200!!

Did I say you should buy stock in 3M yet??

[Seacrets]

MJ's right, This will make your bracket truly water tight and provide the flotation you will need. Some brackets have a drain hole in the event water gets into the chamber. I had a bracket boat and there was a hole thru the transom. If water got into the bracket, it drained into the hull and removed with the bilge pump.

[Bygracealone]

I'm a little confused ???

Kajun, are you installing a bracket with a setback on the transom (like a Gil, Armstrong, Stainless, B-Bracket)? Or are you talking about the engine mounting bracket? If the latter, then MJ's right, the holes will match up.

However, if the former, then you will likely have to fill those holes before you instlall the bracket. In that case, MJ gave me some good advise when I had to fill my holes. Use wooden dowels covered in resin. You may want to knock them in just a little bit under the transom surface to give yourself a lip for surface putty or whatever you plan to use to finish the body work and get it ready for paint...

Just some further thoughts FWIW...

[racerx]

i thought all motors mounted up the same. till i replaced my 86 force with a rudy 150. the force was different. whoed a thunk it? but, good luck. and i just filled my old holes with 5200 and went about my buisness. no probs. but, that was on a bayliner and frankly, who cares, it gonna rot anyway.

[msbhammer]

Hey Grace, Dumb question here, but I gotta ask. When you did your bracket, did you have to level the boat out on the trailer first. Everything seems to be a pain in the A$$ when trying to level something out on a boat.

[Bygracealone]

Hammer,

Not a dumb question at all. We thought about it, but as you said, we decided it would be too much of a headache. We thought we would remember to make the small adjustment when hanging the bracket, but we forgot and made the bracket perfectly level, while the boat itself wasn't perfectly level. The good news is that the difference was very small, so I think it will be alright. Good question buddy.

[TheTinMan]

Force holes are different.

As far as filling the old holes, what about drilling out the holes larger to make sure you get into dry wood, then fill w/epoxy.

This is the preferred method for many drilling into their transoms to install stuff like, swim platforms, transducers, trim tabs etc....

Oversize the hole, fill then redrill into new epoxy.

I believe the majority of rotten transoms are due to improperly drilled holes for mounting things.

[macojoe]

I think when crysler owned force the holes might have been different, but I think his is a mercury force and the holes should be ok.

When I did my bracket I mesured down from the rub rail on both sides and drew a line the bracket is perfect level with the boat, Maybe I just got lucky??

Best way to level is to see which side has to go down and let the air out of the tires till you get were you want. Then just refill after you get you line drawn.

[Kajun]

nah no bracket for me...just putting it straight on transom....i got the bolts out tonight.. they were a #$%^&!!! and now i cant get the steering tube and cable out of the tube thing...oh we'll i'll work on that tomorow.....i'll just wait till i get another motor and see if it matches up to the force holes..i hope it does...

went look at a motor today.. 96' johnson 112 spl...$500....motor was locked up...pulled spark plugs and there was rust on the plugs...looked in one cyl and seen rust...no thanks lol...told him i'd take it for a project *if he was gonna junk it...hehe

[macojoe]

spry the crap out of the cable, might use just a little heat??

If was I, I just pull the whole cable out and start with new, with a new motor!!

Going to be nothing but trouble now that it has rusted in there now!!

[Kajun]

thats the thing its not rusted at all..very greasy..not a speck of rust in sight..its like the end that connects tot he rod that moves your motor is too fat for it... i'll take some pics tommorow if i cant figure it out.

[chumbucket]

Sometimes those cable ends take a beating or someone, at sometime put a hammer to the cable end to try to remove it. The end gets out of shape and almost impossible to feed throught he steering tube. Take a file to the end and put a slight taper to the cable end. Do one side, then insert a screwdriver into the hole to rotate the cable and file the other side. It'll come out

[macojoe]

I have a 4 1/2" grinder that will make short work of it!! :o

When all else fails grind it out!!

[racerx]

is it stuck, or is it a clearence problem? half the time you gotta lift the motor first to have enough room to clear the tube. if you plan on reusing the steering cable, dont put a grinder on it. get a file. good luck.

[macojoe]

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[Kajun]

ok..i went look at a 1993 mariner 115hp today and really liked it... had even 110psi compression on all 4 cyl's(i just remembered we didnt open up throttle it stayed in neutral) and looked like it was cared for..the guy says its has very low hours but not sure how many since he is second owner and since he never used it, was bought for a project boat that never happened..its been sitting in his garage for 3 yrs in a *corner...we pulled it out..hooked everything up and turned over a few times then she started right up and sounded great...he wouldnt budge on the $2k price though :( so i decided the heck with it i'll just buy it and worry about food and bills later * ;D lol going pick it up next week... what ya think?

ok...it does have different bolt hole pattern than my force....so looks like i will have to fill in the holes....i'm gonna stick some wood pegs in and then glass both sides.....what type of resin should i put on the wood pegs ...5200 or fiberglass resin?.....also should i glass directly to the gel coat or take down the gelcoat to go glass to glass?

[macojoe]

If it was I I would take a dowle and cut it like 1/2 short, then I would coat the dowle with 5200 and hammer it in. going in 1/4.
This would give me 1/4 on each side. Then fill with Marine tex, or Formula 27 sand and you are done!!

[Kajun]

sounds like a plan MJ!

[Airslot]

Yo Kajun, thats a great fit. We had a V-18 /w a 115 Merc (same as Mariner) and it was a great boat. My Dad ran it without oil after about 1000 hours, had it rebuilt and put another 500 on her before he sold it to buy his new Aquasport 215 EX. Funny thing is he is still looking for the right V-18 cause the Aquasport is to big for him to single hand.

[Kajun]

well i hope it last me that long ..thanks for that i was starting to have buyer remorse before i even bought it lol ;D....i'm kinda wondering how it has 110psi even on all cylinders..would seem like it would have worn down somewhat alil uneven..and the guy said it has low hrs...and if it did...why is it at 110?...the other thing i'm depressed about is i couldnt talk him down lol ;D he was a tough cookie to crack.....me being the cheapskate i am...dont think i got a deal unless i can knock off atleast a $100 lol

[Seacrets]

Kajun,
Make sure you use hardwood dowels to fill your boat holes. Clean out the holes very well and cut the dowels a little short (1/4"). Coat the holes with 2 part epoxy and do the same with the dowels. Install the dowels and recess them the 1/4", let them set up and then use Marine Tex to finish. That's how I've done them in the past. Good luck.