Be sure to apply unthickened epoxy to the abraded fiberglass surface that you will be bonding against. This process is done on the edges of the first layer of marine plywood too. Fiberglass can be worked on with certain solvents. Our Fill-It™ dries just off white and smoothes nicely. Next, the old transom is cut out with a plasma or arc cutter, right down to the hull. Sometimes they require repair as well, and we do cover this process under Stringer Repair in a later section. 6) Fiberglass boats usually have a wooden transom core (in addition to the fiberglass skin) that can rot or be damaged by impact. The boat's transom carries the substantial weight of an outboard motor. Adjust the amount of thickened epoxy applied based on the results of the previous section. Use the reciprocating saw to cut the first sheet of marine plywood to these dimensions.
It can be a somewhat tricky process, but you can always take your boat to a professional if it becomes too complicated. Although CPES™ will partially displace light moisture, in almost all instances it will be necessary to use some sort of drying method. A fiberglass boat transom is the rear part of the ship that attaches to the hull. Use the transom as the basis of the template for new pieces of plywood. Some folks prefer boat covers, while others dislike them.
It needs to be said again: this way is not as thorough as the standard method. After 3 layers total, we have the total core thickness epoxied into place. Outdoor carpeting can also be put over the new flooring, and any exterior grade carpet adhesive will bond with the CPES™ treated wood. As a result, you'll be more safe and comfortable with a strengthened seat, and you will also feel safer as well. Inboard/Outboard Transom Repair. Excessive motor movement may be your first sign of trouble. Pour or pump (see our Reusable Caulking Tubes) it into the mounting hole. Step 3: Removal of Old Plywood Core. If you frequently hit things on the water, your boat's transom may need strengthening. This article may help you strengthen your fiberglass boat transom, which I hope will assist you in the future. A caulking gun can help you to come up with beads of similar size when spreading the epoxy. Apply epoxy to the edges of the outer fiberglass skin of the transom and over the heads of the screws holding the skin to the plywood, and lay a strip of fiberglass cloth over the epoxy.
So feel free to join us and share your beautiful journeys to the sea! As soon as you detect that the material is leaking, you must remove the clamp and wipe off the extra. The deck cap in this model did not need to be removed to be able to access the very top of the transom. Cut new wood and treat with CPES™ and insert into transom, clamp/epoxy-glue it to the back of the transom, fill in all gaps with either the Fill-It™ epoxy filler or a putty-mix of the L&L Resin™, and then re-glass the inside. It may be necessary to work skin free from core with the edge of a putty knife; apply heat to loosen further if needed. 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. A little more about Biaxial Cloth: Biaxial Cloth is available in several weights.
Let's take a look at a standard repair: IMPORTANT: to prevent recurring rot, all wood in the surrounding area (even if it is not rotted) needs to be treated with CPES™ as well. Many of you will elect to repair the core without removing the deck skin. Many times, fiberglass is over-coated with resin. The key to repairing a rotted-out transom is gaining access to the wood inside of the transom. Then the Layup & Laminating Resin can be applied. The challenge with this endeavor is that fiberglass boats are not easy to work on. This is the rule for cutting the transom core and large pieces of fiberglass that will fill in the space between the new wood and outer layer. 4) Give the areas a few days (or longer) to dry out, that is, vent away moisture that may be trapped inside the stringer fiberglass laminate. We suggest you consider our Layup & Laminating Epoxy Resin™. Cut carefully, save the pieces, and then re-install with epoxy filler. Repeat this process until the fiberglass repair is level and even with the rest of the transom. Drill and assorted bits. After filling the gap, using the same putty, you will make a fillet all around the joint between the core and the hull.
Palm sander and #000 grit sanding disks. Joints out near the sides of the transom will affect strength less than if they are all staggered near the middle. Dry-fit the core into the cavity, trimming as necessary. After the tabbing, you will wrap the entire stringer spice (overlapping up the old stringer) with enough heavy biaxial cloth to build up to at least the same thickness as the skin of the original stringer. Still, it might in the end be worth it because things happen a lot faster this way. Use only epoxy resins for re-bonding, and we can suggest our Layup & Laminating Resin™ as being an excellent choice. Plan a cut with future restoration in mind. If there's an outboard motor, you're obliged to take off the existing pieces of equipment. If you have questions on supporting the hull, please ask them on the forum. Below is a general diagram section of a sailboat showing the cored decks and cabin top.
More often than not the rot is in the center section and the sides are intact… you'll find out when you get into it. A reciprocating demo saw, grinder, hammer and chisel are good to have. A primer coat is sometimes required by fiberglass layering. The plywood core near the corners of the transom will be the biggest challenge. 8) Fiberglass boats are built to have reasonably smooth, uninterrupted surfaces that help water runoff and keep hull drag low. It can get messy with the chances of inhaling toxic fumes but you can avoid undesirable circumstances if you know the proper ways. Here is a typical inboard engine installation for a shaft drive. Exterior grade plywood may have more voids in the inner layers of veneer than true marine grade.
Ensuring the sturdiness will assure that you won't have to fix anything soon. If you don't maintain your fiberglass and keep it in good condition, a leaking boat may result at the end of your journey. Most transoms are 1 1/2 inch to 2 inch thick. Also, you have to remove any excess amount of epoxy. If you are changing anything about the design of the transom (higher engine mounts, enclosed transom, bracket, etc... ) you may need to make adjustments to the thickness of the core. Just as often the damage is a matter of stripped-out mounting hole wood that has gone soft. Come back now and mix a thicker mix of the L & L Resin/sawdust and using our re-useable caulking tubes pump or pack it down into the hole until it backs up against the poured mix.
Use whatever clamping schemes that are available to you to hold the plywood in place while the epoxy cures. Blisters on the hull bottom are common on some boats. It's possible to reinforce a boat's transom in two methods: one by one or layer by layer. To be sure that there's delamination, you may drill 5mm-diameter inspection holes. Blow the holes with a hair dryer for a few hours before proceeding with the CPES™.