23' Transom Advice Request

[Water Rat]

I am hoping to tap into the considerable talent of the membership here and thank you in advance to anyone responding. I have a 1978 23' Sceptre I/O (some pictures are in the gallery section under "Chris Downey's 23 Sceptre" (thanks to Trayder) which finally needs a new transom. I am kicking myself that I did not recognize this last fall before I winterized the boat and could have had the work done over the off-season, duh.

I'm seeking input/advice from those in the know on this site. Thanks to the incredible contributions many have made here over the years, I've become something of an "armchair" mechanic/restorer but will have to have the work done professionally due to lack of time and skills (though will attempt to do what I can without screwing it up or getting in the way).

My thought on the right way to do this is from the inside of the transom vs. outside. I am de-rigging the transom and having the engine block pulled now. My thoughts are to do the following for the actual transom replacement:
1. remove interior fiberglass skin, leaving a "lip",or flange around the perimeter approx. 3"
2. remove/grind out the existing core (rotten plywood) and prep the surfaces (degrease/
clean/grind/sand)
3. replace core with Coosa Bluewater 26 panels instead of marine plywood
4. have the whole job performed with epoxy vs. polyester or vinylester
5. I have no real idea of what type of glass or lay-up schedule should be used
5. by having the replacement done from the interior, I am assuming a stronger transom
repair can be achieved by being able to "wrap" the new glass forward on the interior
hullsides, bottom and stringers - a side benefit would be relatively little fairing and
cosmetic work at the end of the process compared to doing this from the outside

One question for those that have done a 23' transom from the inside, is there enough room between the transom and the aft bulkhead of the cockpit liner (approx. 16") to allow this to be done? Also, to allow access, could the gunwale/cap be cut just forward of the hawse pipes for the stern cleats and removed from the stern area to allow better access and working room, then be re-installed and the cut re-glassed and faired with no loss of strength to the cap?

My goals are to have the job done right, with the best materials for the application, and to make it as strong as possible; while the boat will remain I/O for now, there is the possibility of converting to bracketed outboards in the future. I'm sure there is a lot I'm missing and again, thanks in advance for any input here.

Thank you,
Chris

[77SceptreOB]

Chris that is an excellent plan! That is exactly how I plan to redo my transom when the time comes (probably Fall of 2012 maybe 2013) I think transom replacement from the "inside" is definately the way to go. More labor & expensive, but over the long haul it's worth it. Especially with your boat's lineage and family history. I'll sure you plan on keeping it in the family for a long time. I also think you should seroiusly consider the solid transom/bracket/outboard concept. You would gain extra room in the boat, increased performance and reliability. Put a 300hp Yamaha V-6 4 stroke on that baby and you will be all set for another 10 years. Of course it's easiler to spend some one else's money, but that would be my dream concept of restoration.

Jim

[DonV]

"Of course it's easiler to spend some one else's money"

Amen Jim!!! I can think of a million great ideas for someone else's boat using their money.

[strick]

Chris-

I have not looked into our Tsunami but I'm fairly sure that you could cut the cap and remove it to replace the transom. See the beer can in the picture on the right just aft of Bucks hand? Cut there, remove the rub rail, drill out the rivets and pop off the cap. The cap can then be glassed back in place and your good to go. Personally I dont like doing the transom from the out side as it is a lot of work fairing it out. In the long run I think it is easier, faster, and as you eluded maybe even a little "stronger" to do it from the inside. We are going to be restoring out 23 Tsunami very soon!

Strick

[Capt Chuck]

Chris

Look at my '78 transom redo in the photo section. I'm not a glass guru at all but even thou it's an outboard, The pics will give you a idea of the transom from the inside and cutting the cap like Strick recommends. The 16" wrap space should be sufficient.
Good luck with your redo

[Entourage]

Do it from the inside. Take my advice. Just finished mine and would never do it again from the outside.

[Water Rat]

77, Strick, Chuck, Entourage, thanks very much for the replies and confirming my suspicions. Don, I appreciate the advice on spending other peoples money - I have been pretty good at it myself

Still open to any more advice and criticism.
Thanks,
Chris

[kneedeep]

i removed the hawse plate and made my cut in the center of the hole.

[FishStretcher]

Peter Alarie's repair notes are here: I bookmarked them for when I do my transom.
http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...=taper+transom

a link to his work: http://www.classicseacraft.com/peter...220/index.html

I hope kneedeep doesn't mind me posting a link to his link to his photobucket page of his well documented transom work.
http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...592#post190592

But you should check out the links on using seacast. That way you keep both inner and outer skins. Seems like a really great idea. New, but great.
http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ad.php?t=23537


I haven't done it, but it seems like removing the outer skin offers easier access and you keep the original fiber reinforcement path from stringer to inner skin that way. It seems difficult (to me) to maintain this integrity if you remove the inner skin unless you grind away a lot of the inner hull and stringer surfaces to create a long wide patch from the inner transom skin to stringers and hull.

To me, the outer skin of the transom seems much less structural than the inner.

With either approach, I would reinforce the upper hull side to inner transom skin with more layers of glass, just to keep the gelcoat from cracking where the thin upper hull (just below the cap) intersects the stiff transom.

Obviously, there are more than a few knowledgeable people on the list who have actually repaired a transom and/or added and built brackets, and so far, my opinions are just opinions when it comes to transom repair.

[floorboy]

Looks like a great plan, the only thing I am wondering about is the 3 inch lip your planning to leave on the inside. I am thinking you will end up cutting it all out and retabbing it to the hull and glassing everything back in if you follow me. Maybe not..... either way take some pics, mines not getting any better......