How To Reinforce A Fiberglass Boat Transom
You can read through many rebuild threads in the repair section of our message board To get specific technical support for your boat, register for the forum and start a new thread for your project. Squeeze the core material tightly between your thumb and finger to determine whether the material is wet or dry. There are various ways you can accomplish this task; this is just one of them. Repair will depend on the extent of the damage. You may want to consider reinforcing your boat's transom if you find yourself hitting obstacles often while on the water. Once you find soft spots, they call for the execution of the steps on how to reinforce a fiberglass boat transom. You'll only need to be attentive when the putty gets too thick as it encourages heat build-up. We suggest that you consider our RHINO TOP, which is an acrylic/epoxy water-based coating that can have spherical sand suspended in an emulsion for traction. If you do not, you may end up with a boat that leaks. Joints out near the sides of the transom will affect strength less than if they are all staggered near the middle. How to Reinforce a Fiberglass Transom for Outboard Engine Br. The new wood going in should be thoroughly saturated with CPES™, and then all vacant areas filled with the L&L Epoxy Resin™. You want to find the edges up to the good wood and mark the area.
- Rebuild transom on fiberglass boat
- How to reinforce a fiberglass boat transom repair with coosa board
- Repairing transom on fiberglass boat
- How to reinforce a fiberglass boat transom repair instructions
Rebuild Transom On Fiberglass Boat
How To Reinforce A Fiberglass Boat Transom In 5 Easy Steps? The photograph shows a typical I/O mount with steel pedestals through-bolted on a chopper-glassed wood beam. All that remains is to tie your transom into the stringers using stringer splices. Drill and assorted bits. Rebuild transom on fiberglass boat. Before dismantling damaged parts, you have to take measurements of the parts around the transom. You need to drill the perimeter and treat with epoxy.
A reciprocating demo saw, grinder, hammer and chisel are good to have. It is essential that the face of any wood not replaced be thoroughly soaked with CPES™. Moisture penetrates the plywood core, leading to delamination and eventual rot. It will never shatter.
How To Reinforce A Fiberglass Boat Transom Repair With Coosa Board
Occasionally decks and cabin sides will delaminate from the core. The challenge with this endeavor is that fiberglass boats are not easy to work on. The entire rebuild was documented by the owner of e-boat inc. at our message board. Step 9: More Info (reconfiguration, Etc. Over time cracks develop. The glass laminate over the stringer is not thick enough to provide structural support if the wood rots. You have to put 3 or 4 layers since the transom's opening is smaller than the core. The new core should have a similar thickness to the original plywood. Repeat this process, screwing each successive sheet of plywood to the previous sheet with wood screws, until the void is filled with snugly fitting sheets of plywood, all epoxied around the sides and bottom. But contact with water can cause wood to rot after a while. Repairing transom on fiberglass boat. Reinforced Stringers: Reinforced stringers are very important for a fiberglass boat because they add a lot of structural integrity to the transom.
Heat applied to the outer skin may help. 10-foot measuring tape. Now is when the transom template comes in handy, you use it trace out your inside skin pieces. The new inside skin will be much stronger, and better bonded to the core because of the superior materials (epoxy and biaxial fiberglass). Step 3: New core installation.
Repairing Transom On Fiberglass Boat
Finish the cut through the core with a razor knife. Level off at the surface. Continue reading this guide to reinforce the fiberglass transom. All materials in this rebuild were purchased through. Make sure you discard bubbles before the resin dries. Keep a copy of the papers for future reference.
How To Reinforce A Fiberglass Boat Transom Repair Instructions
6) Measure, cut, glue (if required), and CPES™ treat the replacement wood. They set too quickly, are brittle, and not sufficiently strong for an engine mount lag/bolt. This will harden any remaining soft wood, and it will help eliminate all fungi/bacteria in the wood. NOTE: ACETONE IS FLAMMABLE. Unfortunately, there's no natural cure for rot.
This can sometimes be repaired with the engine in place, or the engine can be jacked up and skidded over to give access to the hole. Stringers and Supports. You can also test drill through the deck to take a look. The cored decks and cabins of sailboats are another problem which we'll get to later. Install the new core. Examine the core material removed by the drill for signs of decay. How to reinforce a fiberglass boat transom repair with coosa board. With balsa you must put it in place first because the backing compound is dissolved by the CPES™, or you can order the balsa core without the film backing. Find a paint that matches the original finish reasonably well and apply it using techniques that you are comfortable with.
Doing these two things is termed as 'wet on wet'. If the wood is totally shot then it should be replaced. You were taught that when you first received your box of crayons. 2) Remove any aluminum plates or other items have been added to improve the structure. You'll need fiberglass, epoxy, wood, and paint for this project. Blisters on the hull bottom are common on some boats. Depending on the boat's construction, you may be able to remove the deck cap, or you may need to make a cut through the deck and sole. How to Reinforce a Fiberglass Boat Transom | Powerful 10 Ways (2023. Apply them one layer at a time until the same skin thickness is achieved.
A clean, professional repair in progress by one of our customers: Stringers were evaluated. It hasn't the adhesion and it hasn't the strength or flexibility. Yes, you can replace the transom on a fiberglass boat. The first step is to gain access to the transom. I launched her into the waters of Grass Lake, in Fox Lake, Illinois in late August 2010. Moisture can also penetrate the transom skin at hardware fasteners, around drain holes and I/O cutouts. When the right time comes, apply the glue evenly on the plywood with a notch spreader. Nowadays these are usually wood chopper-glassed over, although a few use a glass molded unit and on older boats they laminated a mat, cloth, or roving mold over the wood to create a strong structure (see photo at right and Diagram A below). I can count from this shot 25 separate glass penetrations in the below-water transom area. This prevents dimpling in the fiberglass skin which would require considerable filling and fairing later. The product of choice here is CPES™ (Clear Penetrating Epoxy Sealer). I personally like using a paint roller and tipping brush approach to apply a quality two-part linear polyurethane paint. If the fiberglass skin is 1/8″-thick, the width of the bevel will be at least 1 ½" long. Step 4: Use a paintbrush or fiberglass mesh to eliminate any bubbles that might have formed while the resin was having fun with the hardener.
Support planks and sections should be torn away and replaced if at all possible. Another piece of plywood should be used to back up the splash well. Most transoms are 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch thick. Then, strengthen the surface with these marine sealers. NOTE: We use drilled holes, but one of our web readers (thank you, Jeffrey Manosh) suggests slits cut with a circular saw across the deck, that is, side to side—beam to beam, which would allow more air through, easier application of the CPES™ and L & L™ Resin and better ventilation for cure time. Step 1: Prep Work: Before beginning demolition: Take measurements of all the parts around the transom; fiberglass thickness of outside skin, plywood thickness, inside transom skin thickness, stringer location, string thickness, etc... You will want these measurements as a reference later.