My transom repair

[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!