1973 196 rebuild question

[Ulysses485]

If I was in your position and set on scaping the idea of a 20'' transom, I would be considering closing in the transom altogether. However, that requires either an Armstrong style bracket or porta bracket which can be costly ($3-5kish?). I haven't seen many 19-6s with porta brackets because I believe they are more sensitive to weight. I just closed my flatback 222 in the other day by laying up the outer skin to full height to about 1/4'' thickness. It will get a Porta Bracket and weight will be distributed as far forward as I can. To answer your question, raising it 4'' ....I would cut back at least 2'' down (from the top) of the existing coosa, taper the outer skin of the glass (from the inside out of course), build a melamine mold outside the transom, and lay up the outer skin glass to full height @ 25'' against the mold giving you a flat even surface to lay the glass on. Once that sets up, I would piece in the remaining necessary Coosa @ 4-6'' tall added and then cap it really well with full sheets of glass at 1/4-3/8'' thickness to the inside over the Coosa. Hope that makes sense.

[RickK]

I d9nt know if the pic is good enough to see. I am having a difficult time getting the 1708 over the corner of the transom. How rounded does the corner need to be or should I use csm?

Yeah, cloth doesn't like corners and on a 2" transom the corners are too close together to get a good transition. You can fill it with CSM to fix it cosmetically. All the strength in the transom comes from the layers of cloth before and after the core, the troweling of the glue onto the core and the clamping and then how the core is tied into the hull sides and bottom. Remember, the engine pushes on the outside of the transom to propel the boat forward. All the mechanical connections of the fiberglass between inside and outside makes the transom solid and part of the total boat. The top edge of the transom is cosmetic for the most part. The inside liner of the boat covered the top edge of the transom and hid the same problem you're having.

Now about fixing the transom height problem, my $.02 is it is easier to cut the notch down an inch and cover the top with CSM and another partial layer of 1708. The engine mounts through the transom via 4 bolts, the notch allows the tiller arm and steering tube to reach into the boat. Again, my $.02.

[Duffy1470]

the 25 inch transom is better but I have a 20 inch motor.  So the setback of a jack plate wouldn't be easier or solve the issue at all? If not, what weapon would you use from your arsenal of tools to do the cutting?  Did anyone happen to see the divinycell  coring question? Any thoughts on that?  Thank you everyone for your help.

[Ulysses485]

Rule of thumb on brackets is 1'' higher cavitation plate for 12'' back offset. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable running any kind of jack plate using a 20'' transom (just more weight on the transom and weight further back from offsetting the motor) other than maybe a flotation bracket. If your dead set on reusing the motor you have, I would be cutting 1'' down as Rickk indicated and be done.

The Divinycell coring is something I am doing to both my projects. I ran across a large supply of it so it made my decision easier. I think its rare to see anyone here putting anything other than a layer or two of glass back (when they scrap the liner) but I like overbuilding stuff. It also helps to build some structure and sound deadening to the hull sides.

One build you can refer to for A LOT of great information is Tampa Bay Mike. He captured just about everything IMO that could be in a build thread. The modified 222 is pretty identical to the 19-6 so most everything would apply in general practice. Here it is  https://classicaquasport.com/smf/index.php?topic=14797.0

[Duffy1470]

Ya'll have me thinking now about adding height to my transom.  I am dead set on using my existing outboard so I will be cutting.  That ship has sailed. Life is full of regrets, oh well. Glad to hear the coring idea is not a crazy one. That seems at least as easy as adding 1708 and csm on the gunnels.. in my mind the coring process is 1. Glue coring to hull side  2. Cover with csm. I would assume shaping the core to better accept the csm would be part of that process. Thanks for feedback. I appreciate it more than you know.

[Ulysses485]

What HP motor do you have with the 20” shaft? What style of fishing do you have planned? Your in Pensacola fishing in the gulf, correct?  Not to make this more difficult of a decision for you but you could use a 20” shaft motor with a closed transom using a porta bracket or Armstrong style bracket. Motor shaft length will be determined where the bracket is mounted so technically either 25 or 20 shaft length motors can be used. Again, not trying to make this difficult for you but want to make sure your thinking about all the options available because these projects change direction considering how LONG they can sometimes take. I started off my ‘81 222 project dead set on keeping my 225hp ‘87 Evinrude and transom mounting it (25”) but ended up with 200hp 4 stroke Suzuki and wish I closed in the transom!

[Duffy1470]

That sounds about right. This way or that way. I dunno. If I enclose the transom, then I'll wish I hadn't because I can't get in and out of the boat when at the beach.  No such thing as a perfect boat or person for that matter. To your point though, when I swamp the boat snapper fishing, I bet I'll wish I had enclosed the transom.

By the way, your 81 project was super cool. Really enjoyed looking at and learning from it.

[RickK]

You could look through Blue Agaves posts - same boat as yours but all tricked out. See pics in this link https://classicaquasport.com/smf/index.php?topic=13989.msg139278#msg139278

Scroll down to Capt Bob's post, he links to Blue's boat and a 196 specific thread.

[Duffy1470]

Yall are worse than drug pushers. Tempting me like that. I suspect I will spend more than I budgeted but that abyss is endless. Love that homemade tower

[Duffy1470]

Popped another stringer in the mold today. Used the packing tape release method 8nstead of lining the mold with plastic. It took longer to set up but the end result was better, higher quality. Probably took 10 minutes to set up instead of 5. I'll take a picture of the difference. My phone is full so I am having Pic difficulty right now. Phone is 10 years old? An s7 samsung. I am strangely proud of that.

[Duffy1470]

Here we go. I will get both of them side by side tomorrow.

[Duffy1470]

While ponder8ng what tool to use to cut down transom, I made this for the bow eye. This will work ? Coosa for the bow eye?

[Duffy1470]

Have not laminated the bow eye thing together.

[RickK]

I think you'll find that the sharp edge needs to be rounded to fit down into the area where it's needed. You need to test fit it. As for coosa, the original in my 170 was balsa or some soft wood with a metal backer on it. So I would say coosa is fine. I used a reshaped 4x4 in mine. I would suggest a metal backer or big washers at a minimum.

[Ulysses485]

Duffy, That's about what I did for my '81 - 222 bow eye. The wood was shot and shaped like a triangle to contour the v of the bow. I remember bedding the Coosa in thickened resin and then covering it with a few layers of heavy glass. These small projects are what I found a place for the heavier 3610 woven glass that I came across cheap years ago. Its a funky little spot so just make sure its bedded well and capped well so you don't end up with moisture migration from the bow eye. I also threw an aluminum plate that I had for good measure. Ill try to attach some photos the new way.