transom height, to change or not to change?

[sparrow]

Hey guys, this site rocks! I've got a 1974 20' SF that needs to be completed. interior glass work and fairing, non skid deck, and a few exterior patches, paint, wiring,steering,motor... You get the point. I am embarressed to say but I got the boat midway through its restore. I thought, sure, no problem, i'll finish this off, it'll be a thing of beauty! That was a year ago and not a lot has changed. Between now and then I got married and bought a house, and yada yada. Anyway, the fella who gave me the boat did the transom for a 20" motor. A. Who knows if he did a good job? B Is it worth my time to replace it anyway(being a first timer) when I do have carpentry skills, but not a lot of time or money. I still need to buy all the other stuff, like a motor and lights and the basic staples for it? I do see the benefit of the higher transom or even a bracket project! Yes, I am preplexed and a greenhorn. For now I'll just pretend my yard is the water and my driveway is the dock. Thanks. Oh yeah, what's the best way to make sure the fiberglass that I apply wont decide to crack or peel down the line?

[GroveGuy]

Sparrow,
Obviously you'll have to have someone with experience look at the previous owners work. If you can post some pics maybe some of the local true experts can chime in.

IF the transom has issues I personally would recommend rebuilding it to 25". I too was a novice(and still have alot to learn) at this kind of thing, but armed with some basic tool, construction and internet research skills you can accomplish rebuilding a transom yourself.

IF the transom checks out OK then yes, it is possible to live happily with a 20". Considerations would include mounting a 20" engine straight on or 25" shaft engine raised the extra 5" with a jack plate. You could also consider fabrication of a splash guard.
Best of luck!

BTW I like your temporary setup idea in the yard. You could practice fishing by casting milkbones at the neighbors dogs!

[bunderwood]

Lets see some pictures of the work in progress.

[sparrow]

Thanks, Grove Guy. The boat does have this issue and it will only bother me if it goes down during a massive rain or storm, while at dock. I know these boats are susceptible to this. For now though, maybe I can cast some milkbones to my dog too. Do you know what kinds of prices yards are giving for jackplates? I imagaine a newly fabricated transom would run around $3500 up here in CT. It would probably take me 4 days to do myself.

[GroveGuy]

Sparrow,

Not sure if you are concerned with the structural integrity or the height of your transom (or both).
This is what some of us have used in the past with much satisfaction when we had 20" transoms:


http://www.bobsmachine.com/
manual jack plate #MJ5

I would not however recommend this if you have doubts about the structural integrity of your existing setup. Again, try to have an expert take a look if that's the case.

That price seems to be in the ballpark. 4 Days? Sure, but it took me about 4 months of planning!

[dtmackey]

Depending on the jackplate complecity the price will vary. Here is a CMC C-channel "jack plate" that allows 5" of lift to fit a 30" motor on a 25" transom and it's sub $200. This is for one season only and then the transom gets redone to 30". Pardon the messy transom - new tabs not yet mounted.





D-

[sparrow]

Thank you for your input guys. The 4 days does seem lofty, especially when I am at the helm of the project. The jack plate looks like a really nice alternative though and perhaps this is a nice way for me to buy a newer nicer motor, with future plans to do the transom, when I don't need the boat---wintertime. Thanks again.