Transom reinforcement

[kevin]

" I know this is a little off

" I know this is a little off topic, but I recently heard of a product you can inject into a water logged/ rotted transom that will harden and strengthen the structure. Has anyone heard of this and does it work? I have a 25 year old boat that I know the transom is soft and I'd like to make it last as long as possible without the cost of rebuilding a transom. In fact, the entire hull probably worth as much as that job would cost. "

 

[jon]

" kevin,

If I was a

" kevin,

If I was at the point where I was considering injecting a transom with something to strengthen it, I'd either just find another hull, or I'd do it right and replace the transom.

If you have your mind set on injecting it with something, your best bet would be to look into some type of two part epoxy. I've seen products advertised to fix dry-rotted wood, they are thinner than most other epoxy's, so that it is possible to soak it into the wood. What you're going to need is something that will adhear under damp conditions (most epoxy works well in damp conditions, and some flavors will even set while submersed). I'd stay away from anything polyester or vinylester, (also known as polyester resin or "fiberglass" resin) for the same reason as I'm recomending epoxy, these products are much cheaper, but they arn't really adheasives, and will not set correctly in damp conditions.

I'm not sure how you're planning to get the stuff in there, but you'll probably have to get creative - mabye come up with some type of syringe, to punch holes through the skin of the transom and soak the rot with expoxy.. hope that helped, good luck.

Jon "

 

[F.E. Bear]

" Hi Kevin,
You did not say

" Hi Kevin,
You did not say whether the boat is wood, aluminum or MFG. If it is aluminum it should not be a very difficult job to replace the wooden part of the transom with pressure treated or marine plywood.
If it is wood or MFG you will need to have the necessary skills & tools.
Good luck & post your progress.

Fred "

 

[sparky]

If the boat is fibreglass you

If the boat is fibreglass you can use a router and cut the outer skin of the transom. Remove the outer skin and then dig out the rotton wood. Epoxy in a new lamination of plywood and then epoxy the outer skin back on.This is a method from a boat repair manual.