How to cut out transom skin

[rockdoc]

Nice hot saturday in July, and what am I doing? working on my boat! I should be out fishing. I really should be at that Barnstable SeaCraft get-together......but I have two Seacrafts that need work.

My '70 Seafari needs a transom, and it needs to be replaced from the outside. What have you guys used to make the cut through the outer skin? Grinder? Jigsaw with short blade? It seems to me a grinder with a nice heavy grit disc would do the the job, but I'm just wondering what you guys have used.

I'm in the process of pulling the MerCruiser engine and drive, everything, ( alpha one gen II) off the '70 Seafari to put into the '65 Bowrider. The BR has a great transom so that makes life a lot easier, but once I get the drivetrain out, I'd love to fix the Seafari and get it ready for either a bracket or another I/O setup. We're looking at a lot of beer to get these two projects done! I try to think of the time I spend sweating it out in the driveway as just another form of boating, but it's a stretch!

rockdoc