Transom replacement???

[warthog5]

I disagree. The use of a bracket will spread the load bearing area and stiffen the transom. Is a fact,not just my opinion. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

My brother say's the exact same thing and he's a mechanical engineer w/ a PE. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[BigMike8o9]

I know that the bracket is better and going to stffen the transom if attached well, my reason for distributing the load to the stringers is because I have a longer and rougher trip to the ocean then you guys.
A trailer boncing the motor up and down on a bracket pulls away from the hull. The bolts will compress the wood and become loose. That's why I plan to ad on some wood and braces up the hull on the stringer and ad the knees because the deck will be cut down to get rid of the outboard well. It's small not like the big ones some of you have, about six inches. But still it will support the deck and I will create a flush below the deck cross brace. Then a flush hatch and I get a little more fishing room. That's my guess anyhow...

[Finster]

BigMike, IMO redo the the transom, and instead of using 3/4" or 1/2" ply use 1/4" or 3/8" and put two layers of mat in between. The more glass you get in there the stronger it will be. The transom will then be bullet proof.

BTW, the knees won't help you any. If you have excessive flex they'll give.

[BigMike8o9]

I was wonderin about that. If I did I would bag it on the table first. Then install it. Double bullet proof.

[Ed]

Hi Don-

I know you have a ton of experience restoring boats and transoms and obviously you have a business that sells beautiful brackets which promote a "bolt on" application. I also can definitely see why adding a bracket distributes the load over a greater surface, especially on a new boat.

However, I still think that "blindly" recommending that one simply bolt on a bracket to an existing 10, 15, or 25 year old transom without doing anything else is unwise for the following reasons:


1) Liability and safety- many people who visit this site don't have a ton of experience (or are continually learning, like myself) with this stuff and I would hate to see someone loose their hard earned money (or their life)because of a bracket/transom failure.

2) While many older transoms appear to be okay on initial inspection, often upon closer inspection they are in dire need of replacement due to water intrusion/rot, termite/worm damage, delamination from hull, etc. Overlooking these potential areas of concern and slapping a bracket in my mind constitutes a band-aid approach.

3) Finally, if you are going through the expense of adding a bracket to an older boat, in my opinion, you're better off spending the extra money/taking the extra time on rebuilding the transom so that you can start off with a clean slate.

Call me overly cautious.....but this is how I was taught to do it and I would just sleep better knowing that I spoke my mind.

-Ed-

[BigMike8o9]

Hi Ed, Maybe a bit hard on Don, we have decided that a good inspection of the transom is necessary before it could be left on. I think the fact that he makes or sells a product has nothing to do with recomending it as it is in his mind a good product. I think it is and may get one.
On some of the marlin sites I belong to I sometimes recomend my stuff because I thinks it may be the best for someone.
I know tapping on wood is the way many people test the transom but I know from many years of repaireing boats the best way would as i've done checked around the through holes like the engine bolts and scuppers and of course the drain plug.
Those being like new, I will drill small holes in the corners and along the top.
If still clean good holes I won't take out the whole transom just fill in the top and step scarf the piece in.
My method to conect the bracket to the hull more and the transon less should give me strenth I want.
I got a lot of good info from emails that are a real help. And some great on line stuff. Thanks guys, I'll photo log it as I go.
BigMike

[Ed]

Actually, I was not trying to be hard on, Don. He has my complete respect and is an asset to this community. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to judge "tone" on email/websites, etc. and often what is simply a matter a difference of opinion is often miscontrued as a personal attack.

What I was trying to do was give you the most information to make the best decision that was right for you while also making others aware of the pontential problems associated with old transoms.

Put it this way, if I ever add a bracket to Mako (or maybe even a pilothouse), Don would be the first person I called.

Ed

[hermco]

However, I still think that "blindly" recommending that one simply bolt on a bracket to an existing 10, 15, or 25 year old transom without doing anything else is unwise for the following reasons:

Ouch! [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[oldbluesplayer]

this is sometimes the problem with Internet chat, two guys who have the same intentions, getting a little lost in the verbage - you're both on track, methinks.

BigMike - I was wondering if your boat is a OB, or IO, and if OB, do you have the single wide, or double wide motor cutout ?

Also I wanted to point out that there is alot of difference in brackets - for instance, my bro converted a 23 Sea Bird from IO, to bracketed OB - he used a single engine Armstrong bracket, which at the point it connects to the transom, has a fairly small footprint, not that much bigger than an OB's attach footprint. Conversely, a double motor bracket, and especially something like the Hermco/Potter bracket, has an even bigger footprint.

The bracket attach footprint is important - because that directly translates to spreading the load out over a greater area, which results in reducing the forces, and functionally strengthening, the transom.

In my brothers boat, it had an old OMC first generation oudrive, and a 350-V8. He pulled the motor, pulled the outdrive, and then plugged the original hole in the transom, with plywood and fiberglass. Then they went inside, and glassed in a big plate of 3/4" plywood, covering probably 2/3 of the transom area - much, much bigger than the plug put into the old outdrive hole. Then bolted up the armstrong bracket, thru the transom and support plate, adding a beefy pice of aluminum angle iron inside the transom - further spreading the load uniformly across the transom. He's been running this boat with no problem in the seas off MV for the last three years, since doing the conversion, and I can attest that it scoots nice with a single 235 on the back.

I'm not familiar with the bolt up pattern of the Hermco bracket, and in the early stage of this thread, BigMike mentioned something about possibly fabricating his own bracket - either way, I think remembering the key element of spreading the load out across the transom will be significant - and if it were me, I would be adding probably two, or maybe three knees, to further spread the load forward and down, into the hull/ stringers, as well - probably depending on whether I was going to hang a single, or twins, off the bracket.

and Mike - given what you said about nasty trailering conditions, I'd also keep in mind an idea about using a transom saver support rod, or two, for the trailering - though that might be a bit difficult to rig up with bracketed OB's.

just some stray thoughts.

Bill

[afernand]

Finster: do you (or any of the CSC members) know of "carbon fibers" to reinforce the transom on the inside? Thanks for your info, aaf