Using Seacast or similar with 5in" Tarnsom Increase

[Eric B]

The 30" transom does not affect the hole shot at all. with my set up and tabs all the way down I am on a plane at 11 knots. A normal hole shot is very quick and clean. here are some pics of the finished transom, how it sits in the water and how it rides on a plane.

[Rybones]

Eric B, that is a gorgeous Sceptre you have. A friend growing up had the same boat/color but his was an I/O. It rode very nicely and was a great fishing boat but a little on the slow side. It doesnt look like you have that problem. Although my 20 and your 23 have a similar hull design, the dimensions are very different. So transom height, ride and reversablity would also be very different, COG between those 2 boats is very different and you have a 300 hanging on there compared to my 2stroke 150. I have seen a 20 in the keys with a 300 on it. Wonder that thats like.

[FLexpat]

A 26" transom would be good for a 25" shaft mounted on the transom and a 31" transom would be good for a 30" shaft ; this is to get the AV plats somewhere between 1 and 2 inches above the bottom of the V. If you have a jack plate with 5" setback you could probably go a couple of inches above that.

Laying glass can really be done from either side - I would probably do it like I described because it seems easier for me to get a good finish - that said, I don't know your exact transom arrangement or skillset with fiberglass and resin. I consider myself to be a learner with a long way to go in that area. The big thing is to make sure the inside skin can handle a lot of tensile loads that come with an outboard hanging on it - especially with a jackplate which gives it a bigger lever.

Also - plywood weights: Okoume and Meranti (I think Lloyds certified too) are both pretty close to 26lbs/ft3 like Coosa Bluewater 26 and unspecified 'marine' plywood is more like 30-35 lbs/ft3.

[Rybones]

Thanks for the answer on the transom hight Flexpat. I think I'll go the 26". As for the glass layup, I was talking about doing the from the inside-side of the of bothe the inside skin and also on the outside skin but your point on where it is easier to work on from and get the best finish. And yes, the jack plate definatly acts as a lever. It had a static JackPlate on it for 10 years that was fully lifted the entirre time to compensate for the 25" shaft. That is part of my concern and the reason for my expediencey to address this so that leverage doesnt lead to some catastrophic failure where I become reliant upon mermaids..