TOPIC: transm repair

what type of cloth and mat do I need to repair this . I tore this off yesterday to see what I had and the genius that tried to repair it used boat carpet for he cloth. an suggestions or pics would be greatly appreciated.

ok now I have it

btw this is a 1958 owens I think it is a speed ship but the back hatch seems to be different in the way it opens.

I am certainly not the resident expert, but I have to say, if that were my boat, I'd take a step back and think this through. Boat carpet and is that mild steel angle bracket across the top? This reminds me of an MGB I almost bought when I was 16. The guy used chicken wire, newspaper and bondo to "fix" the rusted out rockers.

If it were me, I would split that boat top from bottom. Removing the deck will allow you to really fix that transom. I have to assume the stringers are bad too, or at the very least they can't be well tied into the transom.

Other, much smarter, members will be along to help shortly.

how would I go about taking the deck off. ive been working on diging out the rot. got all the old rotted wood out. found moor work to do they also cut the inner transom out in the same place as the outer.

WOW, that is some CHOICE repair work!! Can't believe that actually held an engine... seems like one good hole shot would have peeled that whole mess off and sent the works to Davey Jones
Yeah, reminds me of a Fiat 850 spider I almost bought at 16 too. My buddy and I sat down in the thing to check it out, I opened my door, then he couldn't open his. When he threw his shoulder to it, the door popped open and the whole car sagged down, pinning his knees against the dashboard! I had to pick up the side of the car to get him loose... Lifted up the carpet and found a plywood floor, sealed around the edges with roofing tar. Fenceposts slid inside what was left of the rockers...

First, I'd separate the top from the bottom. Then I'd cut the transom as shown below, leaving about 1" of the original fiberglass on all three sides. Next, laminate two pieces of marine grade 3/4" plywood with 3M 5200 and copious screws and cut to fit fairly tight behind the 1" lip. The wood can then be held in place with screws slightly countersunk in the 1" fiberglass lip. After that, add a piece of thin plywood (1/8"?) that fits exactly to fill the thickness of the fiberglass. Epoxy all the screw holes and cracks and sand everything fair, fiberglass and all. Apply thin woven fiberglass cloth to cover the entire transom, sand fair. Gelcoat, sand, prime and paint. Piece of cake.

there is a very thin layer of glass on the inside most of it is cracked and loose can I just cut the remainder out and replace from the inside. my only problem that I see is I will have to remove the motor well. the inside except for the transom is in really good shape. I measured the gap from inside to outside on the transom and it only measured 1" could they have been that thickness in 1958.

Thanks
John

yeah once I tore the carpet off the only place they put new plywood was right at the motor about a 16x24 piece not attached to anything. they probably made it weaker than it was. if I get my nerve up to remove the motor well I think I can get a full length transom back in fairly easy. I'm not a fiberglass guy but with help from the forum I hope I can make this happen I know its in bad shape but I love this style boat.

Yeah, you can cut the fiberglass holding the top on pretty easy with a "multi-tool" that uses an oscillating plunge cut blade, or even a sharp scraper/chisel. You could just cut out the splash well, but then you'd have to patch that seem and fair it out. Plus you'll have much better access to the floor and rotten stringers. Don't give up on it though, it's a cool boat!! Plenty of picture tutorials and advice here.

here is no floor in this boat dose not look like there ever was the stringers are hollow fiberglass. there are 2 supports running for and aft in the back of the boat with no damage so I hope I can cut the splash well out and replace the transom. get the cosmetics done and enjoy the boat. not trying to do a full restore but want it safe and looking good.

getting closer to identifying the model I found this barely clinging to the inside of the transom. if any one has any info please let me know.

There is no excuse for putting in a partial transom. Several ways of doing it are to "pop the top" which means to completely separate the two halves of the boat. It can be done but looking at your pictures I think it can be done without that procedure. It's going to take some crawling and maneuvering on your part though. Before you go any further take all the stuff off the transom. Those pull rings etc. get a large piece of cardboard, an old box or something and make a full template of the transom. Have someone hold the cardboard to the back of the transom and trace an outline with a sharpie or some type of marker. Now you have the general shape and size of the work. Make up a board like Jan, Nautilus described as your starting point and then crawl inside the aft, take measurements and trim your new piece of work to fit. It will take a few tries. When you get the good fit, clean the inside of those edges that are left and bed the new board with 3M5200. Let that cure for a week and then glass in the entire new board inside, fill in all gaps with long strand glass (Bondo long strand works good for that) When you glass the inside make sure to run the edges entirely around to the sides overlapping by at least 6". You will now have a 1.5" new transom that will safely handle you motor. When everything is set and dry you can fill and fare the outside. I usually do this with about seven layers of glass mat and cloth alternating between the two. Kinda went over the procedure fast but others will fill in things I left out.

thank you for the reply I did crawl inside and cut out what was left of the inside transom had to cut some of the splash well out to allow me to get the transom in full length. will get a pic of what ive done.

Thanks
john

will the epoxy resin that lowes sells be ok for this project.

Yes, that will work.
Follow the directions on the box/can. A good rule of thumb is 12 drops of activator to each oz. of resin. Once you mix that you have about 5 minutes to get your work done or the mix will begin to cure and you'll have a mitt full of jelly, don't ask how I know
I found it easier to get a handful of those throw away cheap brushes, about ,50 -.75 apiece, a box of latex gloves and save the plastic microwave dinner bowls. Usually work with 3 to 5 oz of resin at a time. You can keep using the same tray and brush as long as they're pliable. Work with smaller pieces of glass mat or cloth and just overlap and piece then together as you work. A staple or two to hold the cloth in place works wonders, keeps down the frustration of the cloth folding away before the set. When you're finished for the day toss the bowl, brush and gloves in the trash, no mess no fuss.
Here are two pictures of a Lone Star Mystic that was done a few years ago but you can see how the new wood should fit. First pic is the bare glass transom that was ground down with a wire brush. The second picture is the new transom in place before being glassed over.

can anybody give me a guestament of how much epoxy resin and hardener to buy for this project.

When I rebuilt the transom on my '60 Glasspar G3, I used four pieces of random strand fiberglass cloth each about 48" X 20". I used two of the sheets to laminate three pieces of 1/2" marine plywood to fabricate the transom and a third sheet to laminate the transom insert into the hull. I was able to keep the original outside fiberglass skin of the transom but you will need to use a fourth sheet to replace that which you have had to remove. It took about 3/4 gallon of resin to make the transom laminate and to laminate the assembly into the hull. Since you had to cut out the exterior skin, you'll have to use at least one additional piece of fabric.

I used the Bondo resin and hardener carried by Home Depot and it was identical to what I bought directly from a fiberglass boat repair business that was willing to sell resin in single gallon quantities and random strand fabric by the yard. They charged $35/gallon for resin and hardener and fabric for $12.50/yd. They recommended random strand as being cheaper and stronger after curing. I also brought acetone by the gallon from them for about 25% less than Home Depot. Note: it's the only thing that will effectively cut through uncured/semi-cured resin. You'll need a lot of it.

I hope this info is helpful to you. Doug

I could not get the new transom to fit tight against the bottom due to the ribs sticking up there wasn't enough room to get it in from the inside will this be a problem or can I glass it to the bottom of the boat lapping it in 8" or so and be ok.

its about an inch off the bottom

That's why it has been suggested that you separate the top from the bottom of the boat...so you have complete access which would have allowed you to drop the plywood in from the top and accurately measure to fit around the ribs.

At this point, if I were you, I would get small pieces of thin plywood that could be cut to fit the bottom of the boat exactly and staple them to the transom you have made. When all the pieces are in place so they all fit tightly to the bottom, pull out the transom and use it as a pattern to make one that actually fits properly. The new transom should be bedded in 3M 5200 everywhere it comes into contact with anything. There's no such thing as too much. Just remove the excess and wipe with lacquer thinner. Run the screws through the fiberglass as I mentioned before to hold everything tight and exactly where it needs to be and then leave it alone for about 5 days.

Take the time and trouble necessary to do the job right. If you're not doing it right, then by definition, you're doing it wrong...and that's what the first guy did.

I can and will get the transom to fit right it will lower the original height of where the motor mounts by about 1 inch which I don't think will cause a problem because I will have to reform this rea anyway. keep me straight and thanks for the help.

john



got the transom to fit much better but still have a small gap about a 1/4 inch in the middle I am going to fill it with the 3m 5200 and go with it the bottom of the boat is so irregular I don't believe it will fit much better. I'm positive this will be a much better fix than was done before.