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Transom Repair on a 1985 Bayliner

boatdokker

Regular Contributor
This Bayliner has some damage to the transom. It is also missing the Bayliner transom cap and trim. I took this boat to the local boat
shop and two supervisors viewed the damage. They said that the original transom plywood most likely has "dry rot", and they also said the best option for this boat is "git-rot" for the transom and 1/4" aluminum plate for both sidesP1010472.jpgP1010468.jpgP1010470.jpgP1010459.jpg of the transom. A transom cap then would be welded to the top of one of the
1/4" plates. 5052 or 6061 aluminum are options for the aluminum plate, I believe. A fiberglass vendor viewed the damage and suggested laminating a layer or two of biaxial 1708 to the inner side of the transom and gluing two stainless steel pipes into the transom to prevent crushing of the transom while installing the aluminum plates on each side of the transom. Here are a few photos of the Bayliner transom. How is "git-rot" supposed to be added to this transom? Drilling with a 3/16" drill bit across the outside of the transom, then sanding and painting with gelcoat paint? W.R.
 
One way to fix this junk is to cut the outside skin off the transom.-------Dig out the rotton wood ( beaver puke ) and glue in new wood.----Glue the outside skin back on.------But if the transom is in this state what are the stringers like ?--------You need to think this over if you go out in big water / big waves.----Safety is # 1 here.
 
Yeah...thanks. We also disassembled the brass bilge drain from the transom and found that the wood was pretty solid, really. Wood at the transom cap is also pretty solid. Maybe they backed the boat and motor into cement blocks or something, thereby causing some damage. However, it’s the only Bayliner that I got...in good condition, probably valued at $1,500 to 3,500. I’m not planning on taking it to the ocean...it does have a metal 45 gallon fuel tank in the hull.

So, “racerone”, I’ll be working from the outside of the boat when I cut away the gelcoat layers and transom plywood? The “stringers” look o.k. Some wood panels surrounding the flotation foam will need to be replaced and reglassed. It’s gonna be a challenge, I imagine. Thanks.
 
Yeah...”racerone”, the fiberglass vendor said the same thing....peel back the first layers of mat to view and fix the damage at the transom. BoatLife, makers of “git-rot” say this about repairs...”

For transom repairs, you may drill vertically down through the transom, and then pour in “GIT”-ROT. For decking, drill thru the surface to treat the wood underneath...” They really make it sound easy!
 
Tried to grind away some of the mat from the inside of the transom on my Bayliner Capri. What I realized is that the transom is laminated on the inside by a thin layer of gelcoat...most likely sprayed on very lightly. There wasn't a mat layer to "peel away". I did cut into the wood a bit...no more than 1/4" trying to find the fiberglass mat layer. I didn't find any "rot"... only a few wood splinters.

Conclusion....the transom is really pretty solid. There are one or two fractures...one from one isolation mount to the other and another fracture meandering up from the starboard side isolation mount. I gotta say that this repair will likely be trying to add epoxy to the fractures, laminating the repair area, and maybe bolting aluminum plates to each side of the transom.

Here's a few photos of the transom after the initial grinding and cleaning, and a diagram from a boat repair book.

Transom edit II.jpgTransom edit III.jpgP1010488 (2).jpg
 
After sanding the transom and wire brushing any remaining gelcoat or factory mat, I used a "git-rot" type epoxy on the transom with some carpenter's braces to keep everything together. I put a heat lamp and heat gun on the repair area because the temps. in northern Arizona have been in the low 30's to low 60's. I'm going to let the epoxy cure, lightly sand the repair area, and laminate with polyester resin and one or two layers of 1708 mat and 2.0 ounce mat.P1010011.jpgP1010007 edit.jpgP1010465.jpg

I got another challenge with this boat, however. Where is the hatch supposed to go on the deck? I've seen other Bayliner Capri's and the hatch seems to be located somewhere between the seats, from about the middle of the seat cabinets to about the front area of the fuel tank. I going to say maybe right over the bilge trench, between the buoyancy foam and the front of the fuel tank. I was thinking about just putting fiberglassed 3/4" plywood over everything from the cabin panels to the transom.
 
O.K. I got the deck hatch design about done. A batten made of 3” wide 3/4” plywood under the deck and some stainless steel bolts will keep the hatch panel in place. (That’s from a yachtsurvey bulletin board.) The bolts gotta be countersunk in the deck and the lower edge of the hatch panel gets routed. I’m sure most of the Bayliner Capri’s had hatch panels someplace on the deck.
 
That's the repaired transom (second image) after drilling and painting the transom with epoxy and laminating with about one or two layers of
"biaxial" fiberglass mat. I'll most likely go to 2.0 ounce mat for the rest of the repair. I still got to make a few repairs on the deck.
Can the fuel tank be evaluated while it's still in the boat or will it need to be removed to adequately evaluate it? It's about a 45 gallon metal fuel tank(first image).DSCF6018 (2).jpg

P1010007.jpg
 
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