Transom replacement

"I know this is a marine engin

"I know this is a marine engine discussion board, but if someone could point me in the right direction as to where I can learn how and discuss the replacement of my transom in an old trihaul that would be appreciated."

"Been there done that Shawn.

"Been there done that Shawn. I replaced the transom in my 1981 V-hull boat using a material called Seacast. You can find info about it here: http://transomrepair.com/zk/seacast.shtml I will say this is not necessarily a cheap way to replace a transom, but I have found that my transom is as strong as I could ever want it to be.

If you would like detailed info on this process, feel free to click on my name and shoot me an email.

I'm convinced that when done properly, this material is stronger and longer lasting than a wood transom.

KJ"

"I did come across the Seacast

"I did come across the Seacast stuff, it does looks nice and I will look into more. (want to keep costs down as much as I can). The rest of the boat is in ok condition, its definately a little rough but solid still. I plan to redo the transom just to get a couple years out of it, its a 1972 larson trihaul, so its an old boat.

What are some methods to test the strength of it now? I really do not know if its really bad or just a little bad or not bad at all lol. with no motor on it I can flex it a little bit.. not much and takes alot of force shaking back and forth but it will flex. The back of the transom has a solid 1/4" thick steel plate, almost the whole back of the boat/transom is this plate. There is a crack on the top edge of the transom in the fiberglass."

"If there is a steel plate and

"If there is a steel plate and it still will move when you push, then my guess is the transom is rotted. That steel plate is a common fix people use to reinforce a weak transom. With no metal supports, and a 140HP outbaord hanging on my transom, I can push, pull, whatever and there isn't the least bit of flex. That crack in the fiberglass is a classic sign that the transom has flexed significantly at some point.

I would guess that with Seacast you could fix this transom for under $500. To repair your transom with wood you will have to cut the floor away from the transom and possibly also split the top and bottom half do the hull to get at it properly. With Seacast, you can simply cut off the cap on the motor well, chisel out the rotted wood, then pour in the material.

KJ"

"Ahh ok.. so pretty much this

"Ahh ok.. so pretty much this haul is worthless and probably not to safe is my guess, maybe I will just look around for a new haul. If it will take 500 dollars worth of seacast to redo the transom its just not worth it on this old boat, 200 I could swallow I think."

"I'd have to look back to

"I'd have to look back to my records from 2004, but I seem to recall using 2-5 gallon containers of Seacast on my hull. I actually made my core thickness nearly 2" (overkill I know), so that took a little extra material. So yeah, at $180 per 5 gallon bucket plus shipping and catalyst, when all is said and done, you're probably in the $500 ballpark.

You could go the plywood route, I'm not saying that you can't. You probably could do this in the $200 range if you went with Plywood. However, to do it with wood, I would think splitting the hull would be an absolute must to have clear access to the area.

One thing to remember is that even a 10 year old boat could have a rotten transom. There is no garauntee that just because the boat is newer that it will not have it's own problems. If you like your boat, it suits your needs, and most everything else is in good shape, then maybe it's worth the repair. Obviously you have to be the judge of that.

My boat was actually a pile of junk when I bought it (with trailer) for $200. The transom was rotten, the floor spongy, and the engine was blown. $4,000 later I had a new transom & floor, fresh engine, and all new interior. COuld I have spent that much on a good used boat? Yep, but who's to say that the floor or transom had been (or were) wet. Also, how many hours were on the motor? My thinking was I could put that money into a boat I rebuilt myself and have the comfort of knowing that everything was is tip top shape. This rig should last me for a long time and I don't have to worry if someone else cut corners somewhere.

KJ"