Savage Boats

[garfield28]

59 minutes ago, noelm said:

I guess you are sort of committed to doing it from the outside now, doing it from the inside does require cutting the "cap" off and maybe some other bits, but the finished job is so much better. Anyway, just cut it all out and dig the rotten ply or whatever was used out and make up a new transom with whatever material you choose, making extra sure it's "glued" to the inside properly. Finishing the exterior to look right is a challenge, but, seeing as it's fairly small (not a full width) it might be OK. Make sure bungs and motor well drain holes are sealed, that's where the rot starts.

Found some pics of when I started, how far I have gone and when I first found the rot. Wasn't real bad but it was there and the thing was soaking wet behind the skin

[garfield28]

[garfield28]

[garfield28]

[garfield28]

[garfield28]

[noelm]

Just persevere and dig the lot out, there is a few options for materials, simple layers of ply right up to modern no rot materials, the choice is yours, they are all easy enough to work with. Start saving ice cream containers and buy a heap of cheap paint brushes, don't try to clean them, the cost of acetone will be 5 times the cost of brushes, buy at least one metal roller to roll the air out of the cloth, are you OK with glassing or a complete newbie? Just note...everywhere is going to get covered in resin, doesn't matter how careful you are, it will get on your shoes (then into the house) it will get on your shirt (then on the lounge) none of those things are a big hit! Be extra careful mixing resin, the catalyst (hardener) in your eyes can cause permanent damage real quick, I found it best to have a helper mix resin batches while I worked, saves stopping and messing around. Think the whole thing out and have stuff ready, cloth cut and stuff like that, cutting cloth mid job will see bits of glass stuck to your hands and the scissors, I am a long way from an expert, but years of surfboard repairs, a couple of boat floors and transoms I have made just about every mistake possible!

[noelm]

OH, and acetone will dissolve your finger nails after constant use......

[Fab1]

3 hours ago, noelm said:

OH, and acetone will dissolve your finger nails after constant use......

Chew them off like I do.🤣😂

Great tips mate.

[zmk1962]

I spent a lot of time investigating various FG boat manufacturers production techniques while looking for a replacement for my HH635L. Some use carbon composite materials (cruisecraft), some mold an fg latticed transom plate (evolution). But you could replicate Caribbean’s approach and make the transom out of ply but drill oversized holes for engine bolts and bung hole. These holes are then filled with resin and fg mat - overlapping the ply for strength at various stages.  When you eventually drill the correct holes for bolts and bung you are penetrating solid glass. Caribbean claim that is why their hulls have such longevity. 

Measuring out the final holes would be relatively easy as you could make a cardboard template from your existing transom.  Best of luck with it.

cheers Zoran 
 

Edited February 18, 2022 by zmk1962

[noelm]

Yep, that technique works OK, and modern materials, like Coosa board and Thermolight will make the repair permanent, ply is good, because it's cheap and easy to get, as long as steps are taken to seal it, then it will last for a very long time. Do a bit of research and see what you're comfortable with. One of the biggest failure points is those silly plastic drain gizmos they use in the splash well, and where the bung/s are, and careless motor installers who just drill holes and put bolts and screws in with no thought of sealing.

[noelm]

Just to note (I don't know your level of experience with fibreglassing) doing vertical surfaces are not easy, resin is heavy and will run very easily, so, you need to keep that in mind. Spread a big tarp on the ground where you are working, this will keep those blobs if resin off the garage floor/driveway/grass, I don't know where you are planning on doing it. Make sure you get the resin mix right, going off too quick (and burning like hell) will be weak, not going off at all is just as bad, if you get a run, I found it easier to kind of "cut" the run off just as the resin cures, it will trim nice and easy when it's soft..hint, don't use your wife's good kitchen knife for this! All in all, it's a steep learning curve doing it as a newbie. Buy resin in a drum from a reasonably local supplier, or get it delivered, buy mat on a roll, you often see mat for sale cheap on Facebook and places, don't even think about doing it with stuff from places like Bunnings, it will be 10 times the price in the long run.

[Fab1]

Loving the read guys.No ones mentioning that by the time even the most basic repair rots again most of us will be long gone,the boat will be or both the boat and us.

  Love your drawings Z.You're the Sterlo of Fishraider mate.

[zmk1962]

19 hours ago, Fab1 said:

Love your drawings Z.You're the Sterlo of Fishraider mate.

Thanks mate ... I do try and call it how I see it ... 

Noel's been providing the goods on this post.

Cheers Z

[noelm]

Please feel free to add anything that will help, even condemn my "methods" I am very much a home handyman but have done a few and made some mistakes along the way, learning from mistakes can be expensive and a life lesson.

[zmk1962]

Nothing wrong with being a handyman and learning from mistakes - nothing ventured nothing gained.

The only fibreglassing I have done on my now ex-boat was when installing the anchor drum winch to reinforce/seal the anchor well. That was mostly on flat horizontal surfaces - and it was largely out of sight so "finish" was not a major concern.

I had a go at fibreglassing and flowcoating some flat vertical panels in my workshop to see if I could use them as replacement gunnel panels with different cut out shapes - but that exercise did not go well at all. Encountered all the problems you mentioned Noel - and I quickly realised I needed to invest way more time to build skills in this art form than I was prepared to do - so that project was abandoned. 

Cheers Z

 

[noelm]

Yep,  vertical and even worse, upside down does require some skill, add gelcoat to the job and you're really learning your limitations real quick! That's one of the main reasons doing it from the inside is way better, plus it becomes a stronger transom because you can "tab" the back/transom to the sides.

[Fab1]

7 hours ago, zmk1962 said:

Thanks mate ... I do try and call it how I see it ... 

Noel's been providing the goods on this post.

Cheers Z

Love your work mate and the thought and effort you put in to everything you do.Noel is a champion too mate.

[garfield28]

Thanks heaps for the info everyone... Kinda wish I had a heap of money and could get it professionally done. 

[Bryant fish]

Mate if you know your way around basic tools it's not that hard but messy and time consuming. Find as much info as you can you will be fine I done my floor and transom about 6 yrs and all good

[frankS]

Geoff. You can make your own glass roller for getting bubbles out of the fibreglass.

Get paint roller take the fluffy bit off and you have a shaft, get 2 different sized washers ( bunnings ) place one large washer on shaft then small washer , repeat this till you have the length of roller you want then use cable ties to hold washers in place ( instead of nut as the shaft is not threaded ) .

I don't have photo but have made a few in my time and it works well, much cheaper than buying proper one. and when job is finished you can use washers for household jobs.

I could post you some matting but the way post costs are these days probably cheaper to buy the mat.

Frank

[garfield28]

3 hours ago, Bryant fish said:

Mate if you know your way around basic tools it's not that hard but messy and time consuming. Find as much info as you can you will be fine I done my floor and transom about 6 yrs and all good

The hardest thing has been most videos or info relating to transoms is they are all flat standard straight across the back transoms. Mine is so different and has been off-putting.

[garfield28]

3 hours ago, frankS said:

Geoff. You can make your own glass roller for getting bubbles out of the fibreglass.

Get paint roller take the fluffy bit off and you have a shaft, get 2 different sized washers ( bunnings ) place one large washer on shaft then small washer , repeat this till you have the length of roller you want then use cable ties to hold washers in place ( instead of nut as the shaft is not threaded ) .

I don't have photo but have made a few in my time and it works well, much cheaper than buying proper one. and when job is finished you can use washers for household jobs.

I could post you some matting but the way post costs are these days probably cheaper to buy the mat.

Frank

Cheers Frank. 

I have a fibreglass roller mate as I've done some fibreglassing on the boat of late, and thanks for the offer on the matting but I'm not too too far from Trojan fibreglass and have already bought a heap of gear from there of late. 

[Bryant fish]

Is it only the pod section that needs fixing?

[noelm]

2 hours ago, garfield28 said:

The hardest thing has been most videos or info relating to transoms is they are all flat standard straight across the back transoms. Mine is so different and has been off-putting.

It's kind of no different, just treat it as a small full width transom, that's what you have in a kind if way, the sides of the pod are the sides of the boat with a full width transom, if you get what I mean?