My transom repair

[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!