Transom repair

[Striper80]

What's your plan for finishing the cuts? Gelcoat?

[SkunkBoat]

I'll be glassing and painting inside the splash well.
I'm hoping to do the structural glassing from the inside, since I have access to the inside of the cuts through hatches.

For the very visible cuts in the stern of the cap, if I can get away with it, I'm going to try and just fill the outside line with Marine Tex. If so, I don't have to paint the entire cap.

[phatdaddy]

whose amputated bloody finger is that in the second pic?

[smokeonthewater]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

whose amputated bloody finger is that in the second pic?

No sh!t ... WTF? over

[Striper80]

Originally Posted by SkunkBoat

I'll be glassing and painting inside the splash well.
I'm hoping to do the structural glassing from the inside, since I have access to the inside of the cuts through hatches.

For the very visible cuts in the stern of the cap, if I can get away with it, I'm going to try and just fill the outside line with Marine Tex. If so, I don't have to paint the entire cap.

I'm up in the air on this as well. I was hoping you were going to say gelcoat and you had a place to purchase it locally already tinted. I've messed around trying to tint gelcoat to match my Grady and its been a royal pain, and I do it all the time with cars.

[SkunkBoat]

So! A question about the hardness of cured ceramic compound has come up from another guy on the forum who just poured a transom also, saying
"it is supposed to be as hard as a rock and you can’t drive a nail into it”.
His is not. Mine is not.

Now I figured that, as a core material, it would not be that hard.
There is no official info about it on Carbon-Core's site or Arjay's site

I have a hockey puck shaped piece that I made in a measuring cup during my pour.
It is dry. Not tacky.
It seems solid to me but it can be easily screwed into, easily drilled, and while I can’t get a finish nail into it, a cement shingle nail goes in readily. It does not split or chip at the nail hole.
The edges can be shaved and the shavings hold together somewhat.
I drilled the drain hole in the transom with a 1 inch spade bit and it was like smooth fine grained wood.
It is not brittle and it certainly is not “hard as a rock”.

The transom itself is solid, no flex with my 200 lbs jumping on it.
It got really hot so it definitely kicked and it is not tacky.

Before I glass everything back together and hang a 429 lb motor on it, can anyone with first hand experience set my mind at ease (hopefully) or tell me not to put the motor on without more life insurance.

[bgreene]

Suggestions......

1. Put your question on the Hull Truth web site - likely get fast, experienced feedback.

2. Call the product mfg. and ask about it.

[never satisfied]

Ok,
Heard back from Arjay.. First I want to say how grateful I am they took my same issue with great importance
Second by the time they received my sample it had fully cured along with the sample I have on my desk. They said it was exactly what you would expect with the material. I am waiting another week to hang my engine but I feel so much better knowing, that they said it was good

John

[SkunkBoat]

Yes, I feel better too.
...back to work!!!!

Now I'm adding a layer of woven with epoxy to cover the repaired inside skin.

I have some new deck drains, scuppers, flush rodholders and flush cleats to add before I glass the motorwell back in.

Raining like hell though...

[SkunkBoat]

Since I have clear access with the back cap off...

Added the new rodholders and flush cleats.
I wanted some 30 deg rodholders angled out 90deg. There is no way to get them in gunnels because they are too narrow.
I found these from Gem-Lux. They don't have screw holes so they are only 3.5 inch on the diagonal instead of normal 4.5 inch.

Put the rodholders right over the old holes for the cleats.

Thought they would clear the tubs in the transom hatches but they don't. 15 deg holders would clear or angling them out 45 instead of 90 would work. There no changing your mind...once you cut an angled hole thats it.

so now I have to figure out what to replace the tubs with. Only use them to hold boat soap & hand cleaner I think I'll tab in some rails to inside transom and the cap wall to mount a shelf. Thought about mounting a bucket in there but it would never come out once the cap is on.

If I ditch the tubs I'll post them here cause people are always looking for them.

Cleats went in easy. I like them. Don't use the stern cleats much since I clip to transom u-bolts.


solid week of rain has me behind on the project and just not enough time.