Question on Transom Demo
 

I have a 1974 SF that I'm redoing. It's an I/O I'm converting to outboard with bracket. I'm getting ready to demo the transom and had a question about what I'm going to find. I know on some boats with I/Os, the entire transom isn't cored... just a smaller area surrounding the outdrives. Is this the case with the Seacraft I/O transom, or is the entire transom cored - even in an I/O.

I'm going in through the inside skin.

thanks!

Its all cored

Thanks!

yep, side to side top to bottom. two 3/4" plys tacked together was factory...


I have done two 74 model 20' hulls and both seemed to be rotted from the top down where the top edge of the plywood was not sealed. Also found bad rot around the IO hole. The inside fiberglass transom skin will be thin but the hulls outer skin will be fairly thick. I like to cut the inside thinner skin out and go back a little thicker to match the outer skin.

Yup what flyingfrizzle said.

Mine had 2-3/4” ply’s tacked (maybe were staples in a about a dozen random places)

I recommend this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-4...S01G/202830887

Was a huge help getting wood and wood bonded to fiberglass off. I also had some delamination around keyholes so don’t forget to do tap test and grind out and repair.

Great. thanks! I'm removing all the coring. I'm sure it's shot (just took off the tabs and ever screw was embedded in mush (some of the screws were rotted too). Maybe it's rotten enough that it will fall right off the glass!

Haha. Now that’s funny...

Another tip is take your circular saw and score the stuff once you reach hard wood and work in squares. Hammers, chisels, pry bars, that grinder thing did wonders after chopping off the big stuff.