# Transom replace



## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

Is it really that much of a pain? I've got a 14.5 sea nymph fishing machine with soggy transom between the aluminum and have put untreated 2x6 as a temp fix. So far I understand i'd have to drill out all the rivets and scrape out the rotted wood for the new to go in. I've never riveted before and don't know much about it, I'm sure I can learn but don't want my first learning f up to bite me while on the lake. Any advice is appreciated during his down time of no motors on the water. I'm in the Lansing area if there are known services out around but the Marina's I've called don't do replacements.

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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

A couple pics...
















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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Yu could always replace rivets with truss head bolts and use a cap nuts on the inside of transom


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## maddiedog (Nov 21, 2008)

It's not terrible but not really fun. Use marine plywood and pl5200. Try to save the old one for a template.


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## Offfishn (Nov 12, 2017)

maddiedog said:


> It's not terrible but not really fun. Use marine plywood and pl5200. Try to save the old one for a template.


I did a Sea Nymph in 2004, using marine plywood and coated all wood with a couple coats of marine epoxy also.
I'll look for the pics I have on CD somewhere.
Yes having that template is a big help.


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## will48374 (Dec 30, 2010)

Actually you can replace the wood without taking off the back aluminum pieces so no riveting of the main pieces (back or sides) is involved. By taking off the top trim pieces and removing all the "through transom fastners" the wooden transom can be lifted straight up and out (see pics). I did this with a 17' Sea Nymph last winter and it turned out great.

Best advice I can pass along is to use a chain fall and or come along to lift the old transom out.

Have more pics if you'd like to see them and happy to answer any questions (as others have graciously offered as well)

Will


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## Bucket-Back (Feb 8, 2004)

It's not much harder than what you just did.

You have plenty of time, just keep asking questions. I've done 3 transoms in aluminum boats and lots of fiberglass transoms

You can use the current wood as at template.
Tape cardboard on the wood to fill the gaps, then trace it out on another board.


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## Slimshady (Apr 4, 2002)

They also sell some stuff called Sea-Cast for transoms. If you take the top part off and get the old wood out, you can pour in the sea-cast and it will fill the entire void and will never rot. I haven't tried it myself, however, I have seen the videos on YT and it looks like a good way to go.


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

By the pictures you posted you may not have to take out some of the rivets. Check to see where the wood stops on the transom. There is a row of rivets a little over half way don tat should be the splash well. If the wood is above this it will be a easy job. Just take your time and don't bend the metal if you do not have to


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## roger15055 (Dec 27, 2011)

If you take off the end caps it will not hurt the boat!!this will give some work area! The rivets do not go into your wood. Take pics as you go. They come out rather easy. Remember it is a small boat it is easy to work on. I have probably done a half dozen or so over the years. Just remember Do Not Use Wolmanized wood on a alum boat for nothing it will eat the boat up. The guys above are correct spend the money on good marine plywood and you can knock it out in less than a day. Those old sea pimps are great boats . A guy in each side and it will go smooth. The ones I did I cut out with a jig saw. I think your boat is 60” at the transom. It looks way harder than it is!! The first one I was worried I would do something wrong and be blasting on the river then off flies the motor!! Luckily my neighbor who plays with wood said stop being a little Sissy and let’s do this!!


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

I think maybe the hardest part of this will be getting the screws out of the corner caps. That was my case so I drilled the head off and took the cap off. I then used vise grips to get the screws that were stuck out. On t he one I did I think it had set out side all its life and t he water had run down the side rails under the corner caps rotting the wood out. When I put it back together I layed a bead of silcone along this edge of the cap to seal it


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## roger15055 (Dec 27, 2011)

Scout 2 - Exactly I had a couple that went smooth as could be and one boat was a real pain. I used a grinder until I was close then drilled threw. Your idea I will keep in the think tank if I ever have that problem again!!


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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

Thanks for the replies! I'll definitely take pics and report back with any questions/progress. Prolly start taking it apart sometime this week.


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

maddiedog said:


> It's not terrible but not really fun. Use marine plywood and pl5200. Try to save the old one for a template.


This.. Did mine and it wasn't an issue at all. Pretty simple actually. Solid as a rock too. 

2 pieces of 1/2" marine plywood sealed together then put sealant on the back of the one that's on the transom. I'll get another 20 years out of it from the feel of it..  my buddy helped me cut it. And glue it together. 
I put it back in drilled holes and fastened it back to the boat by myself out of my wheelchair... Probably replace motor again before I'll have to replace the transom !


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## roger15055 (Dec 27, 2011)

Snortwheeze- you are right! You can kill a motor be for that wears out again! It’s just the thought of tearing into it that makes ya nervous at first!!!
Roger.


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

roger15055 said:


> Snortwheeze- you are right! You can kill a motor be for that wears out again! It’s just the thought of tearing into it that makes ya nervous at first!!!
> Roger.


Many times worrying about how hard it is to do is worse than the job


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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

Finally got to starting it and remembered why I stopped first time I tried. The cap is one piece of aluminum that's bent over the top. Worried about how to get that off. Looks like a lot of rivets that need to be drilled or grinded out to remove that part of the aluminum. Or am I going to have to peel the cap back in addition to drilling out the rivets? Without a rivet gun also, should I plan to use some bolts and marine adhesive to replace?























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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

Kidd17 said:


> Finally got to starting it and remembered why I stopped first time I tried. The cap is one piece of aluminum that's bent over the top. Worried about how to get that off. Looks like a lot of rivets that need to be drilled or grinded out to remove that part of the aluminum. Or am I going to have to peel the cap back in addition to drilling out the rivets? Without a rivet gun also, should I plan to use some bolts and marine adhesive to replace?
> View attachment 522673
> View attachment 522675
> View attachment 522677
> ...


I left the cap on mine.. Took everything else off, not sure if that's an option for you. Then just slid old one out from under the cap and slid new one up back under. 
All new bolts and marine sealant on all the bolts.


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## textox (Jan 30, 2020)

snortwheeze said:


> I left the cap on mine.. Took everything else off, not sure if that's an option for you. Then just slid old one out from under the cap and slid new one up back under.
> All new bolts and marine sealant on all the bolts.


Did my previous boat(16'Areocraft)w/74"beam, 50 hp Johnson unbolted and lifted up under tree with comealong. Removed corner trim and rivets and top strip rivets using 3/16s drill bit.
Plywood (rotten) came out in pieces,so held new plywood on outside and traced outline.With a little more trimming to refine fit it went in and fit snugly.I replaced all bolts and nuts with Stainless available at Ace Hardware.Bolt length is critical because you will want to use domed locknuts
so no threads are exposed on bolt ends.Those exposed threads are sharp and can "Magically" snag fishing lines.You could grind long bolts if you have to. A hand pop rivet gun is a pretty inexpensive tool and you will find more uses for it at a future time.Took about 4 hours start to finish working by myself. Used 3-M marine sealer on all bolts liberally.Easy Peasy in IMHO...


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## textox (Jan 30, 2020)

roger15055 said:


> If you take off the end caps it will not hurt the boat!!this will give some work area! The rivets do not go into your wood. Take pics as you go. They come out rather easy. Remember it is a small boat it is easy to work on. I have probably done a half dozen or so over the years. Just remember Do Not Use Wolmanized wood on a alum boat for nothing it will eat the boat up. The guys above are correct spend the money on good marine plywood and you can knock it out in less than a day. Those old sea pimps are great boats . A guy in each side and it will go smooth. The ones I did I cut out with a jig saw. I think your boat is 60” at the transom. It looks way harder than it is!! The first one I was worried I would do something wrong and be blasting on the river then off flies the motor!! Luckily my neighbor who plays with wood said stop being a little Sissy and let’s do this!!


I agree way easier than you may think,and marine plywood is the best plywood it is 7 to 9 plys and NO glue voids and NO knots...


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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

textox said:


> I agree way easier than you may think,and marine plywood is the best plywood it is 7 to 9 plys and NO glue voids and NO knots...


I've got the two side caps off, but not sure if the top cap will come off before drilling the rivets. Guess I'll drill them and see if it will come off as one piece or I'll have to bend the top piece to get the wood out. See the pics above to see what I'm talking about. If that part doesn't count for any structure integrity I'm not opposed to bending it back and forth if needed to.


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## Bucket-Back (Feb 8, 2004)

Just drill the rivets out, it's not that hard. 3M 4200 for temporary, 3M 5200 for permanent job.

I just take off what I have to, and fix what I damage during removal later. It's not the best plan, 

but that's what I do. 
Now that we can Motorboat again I need to finish my project before the gills get on the beds


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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

Bucket-Back said:


> Just drill the rivets out, it's not that hard. 3M 4200 for temporary, 3M 5200 for permanent job.
> 
> I just take off what I have to, and fix what I damage during removal later. It's not the best plan,
> 
> ...


Yup! Glad we can get em back out. Time to knock this out quick so my own actions don't keep me off the water too much longer.


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Kidd17 said:


> Finally got to starting it and remembered why I stopped first time I tried. The cap is one piece of aluminum that's bent over the top. Worried about how to get that off. Looks like a lot of rivets that need to be drilled or grinded out to remove that part of the aluminum. Or am I going to have to peel the cap back in addition to drilling out the rivets? Without a rivet gun also, should I plan to use some bolts and marine adhesive to replace?
> View attachment 522673
> View attachment 522675
> View attachment 522677
> ...


Drill them out and lift off in one piece. Be carefull not to bend it. Make sure you drill the shank of the rivet out or very carefully spring the cap just slightly


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Kidd17 said:


> I've got the two side caps off, but not sure if the top cap will come off before drilling the rivets. Guess I'll drill them and see if it will come off as one piece or I'll have to bend the top piece to get the wood out. See the pics above to see what I'm talking about. If that part doesn't count for any structure integrity I'm not opposed to bending it back and forth if needed to.


DO NOT BEND anything you will never get it to look nice when you are done. That looks like a very easy one to replace. Only place you may have to bens anything is under the corner caps just in the back edge and the corner caps will cover it when done


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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

Scout 2 said:


> DO NOT BEND anything you will never get it to look nice when you are done. That looks like a very easy one to replace


So do you think drilling out the rivets, I'll be able to pull that piece out then? Either way I gotta start drilling. Are there any rivets you see I don't have to drill or is it all of them?


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Kidd17 said:


> So do you think drilling out the rivets, I'll be able to pull that piece out then? Either way I gotta start drilling. Are there any rivets you see I don't have to drill or is it all of them?


Take all of them out and remove the piece . It mey be stuck so you may have to pry on it lightly once it pops loose it is all yours. If your wood is not rotted out all the way make your self a flat blade type tool and work between the wood and the metal to free the rotted wood from the metal take your time. I used an old butcher knife with a real long blade


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

Did you get the end caps off these have to come off before removing that strip


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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

Scout 2 said:


> Did you get the end caps off these have to come off before removing that strip


Yeah, I got the two end caps off easy.


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## textox (Jan 30, 2020)

Kidd17 said:


> Yeah, I got the two end caps off easy.


The heads will come off once drill gets past them .Push them out with a punch.If you bend top cap you can knock it back in place with a dead blow hammer ,no big deal.BTW the rivets only hold metal to metal...


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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

Got it off finally, finding time with a 1 and 3 year old is tough. I thought the board would have went the full back end but is only a 1.25x10 board on top half. Luckily I didn't drill out any rivet not needed. Now time to get some new foam back in since some has been destroyed and the wood. Any recommendations on foam? Of course marine grade will be used for replacement wood. Thanks for gassing me up. Barely touched the wood and broke. Guess it was time for the 30 yr old.
















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## John Koos (Dec 20, 2017)

Kidd17 said:


> Got it off finally, finding time with a 1 and 3 year old is tough. I thought the board would have went the full back end but is only a 1.25x10 board on top half. Luckily I didn't drill out any rivet not needed. Now time to get some new foam back in since some has been destroyed and the wood. Any recommendations on foam? Of course marine grade will be used for replacement wood. Thanks for gassing me up. Barely touched the wood and broke. Guess it was time for the 30 yr old.
> View attachment 523511
> View attachment 523513
> 
> ...


I covered my wood with West System epoxy, quick and easy.


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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

Been a long time coming now. I had to special order the 5/8 in board from Menards to achieve correct thickness. It took over a month to receive at store, then with kids and all else it's been moving slowly. Finally got around to posting this. It's almost complete just a few final touches. 

I forgot to take a pic of the clean up I did on the boat prior to putting the wood back in. I washed away the wood fibers shown above and sanded down a couple small corroded areas, filled the holes from my previous patch fix with jb water weld then gave it a coat of self etching primer. Plan to add another layer of jb weld to the old holes on the exterior of the transom as well.

Ended up gluing the crap outta the board and gave a couple coats of epoxy/resin mix. The board wanted to bend a little bit so applied a bunch of weight and it got better. 

Very glad its getting done thanks for all the help! I might make a you tube video from this project since I wasn't able to find any type of transom replace for this style of boat.


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## CrawlerHarness (Dec 9, 2017)

thanks for the updates Kidd. Looks good.


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## kroppe (May 7, 2000)

Great project, well done.


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## textox (Jan 30, 2020)

Kidd17 said:


> Been a long time coming now. I had to special order the 5/8 in board from Menards to achieve correct thickness. It took over a month to receive at store, then with kids and all else it's been moving slowly. Finally got around to posting this. It's almost complete just a few final touches.
> 
> I forgot to take a pic of the clean up I did on the boat prior to putting the wood back in. I washed away the wood fibers shown above and sanded down a couple small corroded areas, filled the holes from my previous patch fix with jb water weld then gave it a coat of self etching primer. Plan to add another layer of jb weld to the old holes on the exterior of the transom as well.
> 
> ...


Just finished a restoration on a 14' Mirro Craft for a friend.New Epoxy paint in side and out,didn't like price on 4x8 x 3/4 Marine plywood ($95) 2 pieces sandwiched together glued and screwed. Have to buy whole sheet.Paint,reducer,hardner,tape and clean up supplies $200 inc plywood total.Looks like a new boat,wish i could load pics. Wondering what price on 5/8 was?1 and 1/4" thickness an odd size compared to most common 1 and 1/2"?


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## Kidd17 (Feb 25, 2016)

textox said:


> Just finished a restoration on a 14' Mirro Craft for a friend.New Epoxy paint in side and out,didn't like price on 4x8 x 3/4 Marine plywood ($95) 2 pieces sandwiched together glued and screwed. Have to buy whole sheet.Paint,reducer,hardner,tape and clean up supplies $200 inc plywood total.Looks like a new boat,wish i could load pics. Wondering what price on 5/8 was?1 and 1/4" thickness an odd size compared to most common 1 and 1/2"?


The 5/8 was something around $85 after the shipping costs. I still have the board left that would complete another transom project for these boats. Was thinking of making another transom out of it... or making it into a new wet bar top for the basement since I got epoxy left over. They shipped it sandwiched between two 4x8 sheets of plywood so that was a bonus for other projects.


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## textox (Jan 30, 2020)

Kidd17 said:


> The 5/8 was something around $85 after the shipping costs. I still have the board left that would complete another transom project for these boats. Was thinking of making another transom out of it... or making it into a new wet bar top for the basement since I got epoxy left over. They shipped it sandwiched between two 4x8 sheets of plywood so that was a bonus for other projects.


I wasn't aware Menards carried marine,bought mine at Drayton Plywood in Waterford.They cut
it for me that is the two pieces that would span the transom.After i sandwiched the two together
i cut the drop for the 15 " transom height with a jig saw,a time consuming job.Have enough left over to make some nice fish cleaning boards! Thanks for replying!!


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