the bobbie boat 72 19.6

[knagle]

So I was just planning on re-powering this boat for the summer, then start rebuild in the winter. But now I'am not sure. When we parked the boat 5 years ago the transom seamed solid, however I figured with its age I would eventually need to rebuild it. This spring we decided to Get it on the water the transom did not show any noticeable movement. We had an old merc 140 tower of power on it but it did not like all the sitting around it did, all the wires and cables rusted out the the pivot tube was rusted. So we started looking for a more modern motor where part would be easier to come by. Today I decided to clean out the old bolt holes and will them in. the wood was wet around the bolt holes but it all seemed to be there. I was thinking about using some Git-Rot to help preserve the transom for the summer (with the intentions of rebuilding the transom over the winter). When I drilled some holes on the cap the motor mount area and the left side(from back of boat had solid wood. However the right side after the rise was hollow at least in the very center of core, atleast 10" down I put a bore scope in and poked around It seems that the outer wood seems to still be intact but rotting. Now I am thinking fix the transom now dummie ( some one please tell me I am over reacting ). I am thinking about pouring the transom. I could also use some advise on raising the transom I was thinking about taking it to the top of the gunwale and cutting the inner glass to help with the cleaning process. At this moment I to not want to tackle the floor which is solid and the can of worms that comes with that.

[knagle]

Here is a link to some pics.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PrDzAVfu65tA9gVo-3ORR6bCBHEDrnRU?usp=sharing

[knagle]

" I could also use some advise on raising the transom I was thinking about taking it to the top of the gunwale and cutting the inner glass to help with the cleaning process. At this moment I to not want to tackle the floor which is solid and the can of worms that comes with that. '

Some of the questions I am pondering is will is be significantly useful to cut the in glass down to 3" from the floor or if I do not want to cut the floor would it be better to just leave the inner glass intact? Should I cut the back few inches of the floor and cut the inner glass further down? Would it be better to just pour to current transom height for now and tackle raising the transome over the winter?

[wingnut]

Not overreacting. I poured mine and am very happy with the results. Raised sides 3” or so. Check out my rebuild or pm me for details. If you’re not removing the deck it’s the way to go in my opinion.

[knagle]

somethings I am wondering about. In all the videos I have watched people are using a grinder to cut top of transom. I went out to buy a respirator but of course with Covid-19 there are none to be found. With the amount of dust the grinder kicks up I am wondering If  a sawzall would do the job without causing to much damage, by just cutting the top 3/4 to 1 inch of the transom off. I have seen some pics where the glass looks like it was cut with a saw. The other thing I am wondering is how bad would it be to only pour to the 20" line and fill the wings with would or thickened resin.

[knagle]

Made the first cut used a sawsall , the inner glass is 1/2 inch thick WOW outer skin less than a 1/4 inch.  I am glad I cut the top 1" off the cap was 3/4 of an inch no wonder the transom did not show signs of rot  as thick as it is it might not even need any core.

pic
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Sg6G8oF1P8H84uFT_643R8v0B_zaHeg8/view?usp=sharing

[RickK]

Yup, the outer thickness is part of the hull.  Then the transom core is glassed in and then the liner is glued in. The liner could be any thickness - usually this was sub'd out.

[wingnut]

What did you decide to do regarding the liner? Are you going to cut it back or just remove the core from the top? Curious to see another pour come together.

My only words of caution on the process:
1) be careful when you get to the bottom of your "excavation", it's easy to dig too hard an punch through.
2) when you get it clean, put a flashlight in the bilge then look down inside the transom to see if there are any light leaks. It would be a bummer to lose all of your resin into the bilge through a leak you didn't see!
3) pay attention to the expiration date on the resin. Mine was a 90 day shelf life, and it started crystallizing right after 90 days.

Good luck!

[knagle]

Got the whole cap off last night that 1/2 of glass was a bear. So I do not think I will be cutting the inner liner back, I am now thinking that If I need to cut more I will cut the back . Going to start drilling in a bit. I did some test holes with a Forstner bit. The good wood is going to be a pain I think

[knagle]

Started drilling! Most of the wood was still solid and it was a major pain to drill. So I decided to cut back glass Pics coming I will put them on the link I provided previously.

[knagle]

Added pics
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PrDzAVfu65tA9gVo-3ORR6bCBHEDrnRU?usp=sharing

I was going to add pics to gallary but I can not figure it out. Is it not working?

[wingnut]

It's definitely a pain! I had good luck with a 1 1/4" Speedbor auger with 12" extension. It is self threading and helps your arm from doing all of the work. I ended up buying a corded D-handle drill from Harbor Freight for this (no way a battery drill was going to keep up) and it performed flawlessly.

You have probably already discovered this, but the auger tends to pack the wood chips downward. Running a chainsaw at low speed and plunging the bar straight down after augering lifts the chips out and clears out the loose bits that are still hanging on.

Mine was pretty much rotten throughout, but I can imagine it being much harder if there are portions of yours that are still solid. Then again, my transom had 31 holes drilled in it over the years by previous owners, so it's no great surprise it was toast.

[knagle]

Pics of my helper


She would not touch the rotten wood with her hands. She did however get almost all of it removed from the inner Glass with those pliers.

[knagle]

I am wondering what I should do about the de-laminated inner glass




Also the wood on the outer glass Is still glued real good it really does not want to come off, getting worried about messing up what is left of the outer glass.


I am starting to think It would Be faster and maybe better to go ahead and cut the inner skin and a foot or so of the floor. Then re-glass the back from the inside. But Im not sure that the Inner skin Would be usefull at that point.

[wingnut]

That's interesting - mine did not have any glass between the plywood layers. You've got a bit of a pickle, having completely rotten areas right next to very solid areas.

Another member posted a method a few months back, but I can't find it anywhere.

He took a circular saw and cut the outer portion of the hull on the transom, leaving 2" or so as a flange around the edges, if I remember correctly. Cleaned out the rotten wood, cleaned the cut portion of hull, glassed it back in, then poured. With some portions of your plywood being solid, this may be a good bet.

Anybody remember seeing this?