92 23' Explorer Transom Rebuild; vinyl ester or epoxy resin?

[jee352]

I've started the process of a transom rebuild on my 23' Explorer. The hardest part was deciding where to cut. From the outside or from the inside? after consulting with an co-worker who has rebuilt a few transoms on the on the issue, i decided to do it from the inside. I have attached some pics of my progress. He is suggesting using vinyl ester resin. I have worked with epoxy resin with much success. Which one would be better suited for my situation? I live in the South Florida area. Cure time is an issue with epoxy resin in warm climates. When it is time for laying large areas i can put the back end of the boat in my garage, partially close the door, and turn on a portable air conditioner to extend working time. Any suggestions?


     

     

[RickK]

Welcome aboard jee352  :!:  :!:
Man I know you hated to drop that saw through those big stringers  :cry:
Looks like a wise place to cut into the floor though - to where the doors close - smart.  Where did you cut the top of the cap?  Should fit right back together when done 8)

I'll be watching this topic closely so I'll be ready in case I ever have to do my '92 230.  Keep the pix coming and don't miss any details  

[Marcq]

If I ever have to redo my transom on my boat, it's going to be the Seacast way
http://transomrepair.com/zk/

Marc..

[jee352]

Took the pourable transom into serious consideration. Calulated the amount needed per seacasts' webpage. the total was almost 25 gallons at $ 210 per 5 gal. not including tax & shipping. Do the math. I have about $ 400 into glass, epoxy, and wood.The weight was also an issue with 25 gallons. I did alot of searching and was unable to find any long term experiences for seacast.

I have more picson photobucket

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll192/jee352/

[LilRichard]

Lee,

If given the choice between epoxy and vinlyester, I would go Epoxy - because the only real advantage of vinyl is blister resistance.  Epoxy has a stronger bond for repairs.

Now that being said, I did a complete rebuild with polyester and am very happy with the results.  Poly is easier to work with IMO (no grinding between layers, quicker cure times, etc) so it allowed me to do more work on a given day.  And let's face it, the rest of the boat is Poly and has held up fine.

[jee352]

Old transom cut out & new one put in.

     

     

     

     

     

[Mad Dog]

For repairs epoxy resin bonds better with polyester than polyester resin does.  I have a rebuild in process and have only used epoxy.  I found it easy to work, easy to mix correctly, and when needing multiple layers I worked wet-on-wet which gives you both a chemical and mechanical bond.  

I have used polyester resins before but I could never get a consistent mixture or cure time.

I am glad to see that you removed the inner skin and replaced the old core with marine ply.  That's going to be a stronger repair than a filler will.  One tip I have followed is with remounting hardware.  When you get to that point mark the holes you need to drill throught the wood core.  Then drill them about twice the diameter of the of the hardware.  Then plug the holes with epoxy putty made from woodflour.  Let that cure then drill the hole out to the proper size.  Using this method you eliminate the primary access point for water (around the mounting hardware) and rot.  

Good luck

MD  

[RickK]

Looking good. How many layers of wood do you have in the pics? Looks like only one so far.

[jee352]

I bonded 2 3/4" marine grade together. Bonded them in w/ epoxy resin & cabosil. I used a 1/4" tile trowell. Just finished 3 layers of 1808. no pics yet

[Mad Dog]

I bonded 2 3/4" marine grade together. Bonded them in w/ epoxy resin & cabosil. I used a 1/4" tile trowell. Just finished 3 layers of 1808. no pics yet

Good choices.  That's going to be very strong.  You're a brave guy.  That 1808 is some heavy duty stuff.  My first try with 1708 kicked my butt.  Had to grind it off and start again.

Good Luck.

MD  

[jee352]

I am getting a new fuel tank for the 92 23' Explorer. The one that came out was 140 gallons. I'm glad i will never have to fill that one up. It was set up for twins. Is a 80 gallon tank enough for a 92 200 hp Johnson? We are not planning any Bahama trips.

I had some help with the 1808. The gentleman that helped me said the boat was built like a tank. He had never seen so much glass used before in boat manufacture. Excellent blue water boat.

The transom is glassed in . Can I still open up the holes in the transom & fill as Mad dog suggested?

[LilRichard]

Looks good.

I would put as big of a tank as will fit in there, only because you do not want to limit the future use of the rig.  Sure, you are not going to the bahamas, but you might decide to later, or might sell the boat.

That motor probably burns ~15-18 gph, and a 80 gallon tank will only have about 60-65 usable gallons - or the equivalent of 3-4 hours.  That's not much.

[RickK]

You only have to fill the 140 once - and then top it off after that  
Divide HP by 10 for WOT fuel useage.  My 250 burns about 25-27gal/hr WOT, about 16gph at 30mpgh.
Ditto on what LilRich said, I'd put a 140 back in.

[Mad Dog]

The transom is glassed in . Can I still open up the holes in the transom & fill as Mad dog suggested?

Absolutely!  Anytime before you close off access to the inside of the transom.  

MD  

[jee352]

I'm considering putting a thru hull transducer in before closing up the boat. The little i've read about them, they seem to use them on inboards. Any comments?