[macojoe]

well first off you need to get the transom fixed. I did this my self and saved a ton of cash!! And it is not hard.

After you pull the motor and out drive you need to make sure the transom is in good shape!
I drilled a few 1/4 inch holes on the inside of the transom to see what the wood looked like. It will be a little crapy near the hole but should get better as you move away.
After that you want to take a saw and cut the inside of the transom square big anough ot get to good wood! There is double 3/4 in the center of the transom, so set the saw to 1 1/2 so you no cut thur the transom.
Now pry that piece of wood out annd clean the fiberglass real good getting all the wood off.
The fiber glass here is like 1/2 inch thick!!
Now set the saw 3/4 and cut the hole 2 inches wider on the top pice of ply only!
Then take a piece of ply cut to the size of the inner hole and coat with resin. Then cut fiberglass cloth 2 inches bigger the the board. Wet the cloth and put in hole covering the hole and then hamer the ply in the hole. Taking the extra cloth and over lap on to the bigger hole on top.
Take 2nd ply cut to fit top hole and do the same as th first and screw it to the first ply.
Now using cloth and resin just keep layering till you have filled hole to meet the oringal fiberglass overlaping to get a good seal.

Now go out side and start filling the hole with glass matting and resin till you meet the out side glass.
I sanded till smooth and thats it. IMO there is no reason to gel coat here as it is going to be inside the bracket, but if you must Marine tex is fine.

Now the transom is all set at a cost of $150 ?? I got most of my glass cloth free from a friend and just had to pay for reasin and ply.

Now get a good bracket. I like my stainless marine bracket with platform. All aluminin and powder coated. Platform like mine is $1500, but there are alot of take ffs around!! I got mine for $400 and there were more for like $500. If you must go new you can get brackets with out platforms for like $700 or so. The nice thing about getting new is you get it for your boat!! So it fits the curve in the transom. Mine is from a 23 Seacraft and I had to make some wedges on the corners to make it fit. You can see in my gallery.

Then I had a friend weld me up a excat same bolt pattern bracket on the inside of the boat, out of 3" x 1/2 inch flat stock. I coated it with 4 coats of ZRC Galvanetic Compound. Has had lots of salt water in the bildge for 2 years now and no rust yet!! Cost was for flat stock only $50

Now you have to get the thing lined up on the boat and mark all the holes. This is the hard part!! ou need to get the holes drilled so that the bracket, boat, and the inside bracket all line up!
Put all the bolts thur and get the nuts and washers just started. Use longer bolts then you need!!
Now get a couple of tubes of 5200 $12 each total $24 and start pumping all the way around the bracket between the bracket and boat. Don't be cheap with the stuff!!
After you get all that on there start tighting all the bolts. The stuff is going to squeeze out all over the place!! Thats ok!! tigten all real good and come back in a couple of hours and retighten again. remove excess!

Your Done!! So let see
$150 fix transom
$24 for 5200
$50 for inside bracket
$60 SS 1/2 bolts
$30 quart ZRC paint
$400 Bracket
$50 miss. for stuff I forgot like brushes and stuff

total $764 if new bracket $1500 = $1864

$1800 1989 175 Yamaha
$450 to get it ready
$75 for me to leanthen the wireharness as it is now at a 28" set back.

Total for me $3089 give or take a few dollars

And its the best thing I have ever done!!

Anything else you want to no?? Just ask!!