Process of bonding Epoxy to steel reinforcement.

[Bronn]

Hey all,

I am in the middle of restoring an old '72 Wellcraft Bowrider and seeking some advice.

The transom which hosts a 80 hp outboard is rotted in the middle. Where the bottom clamp of the outboard rests on the transom is right above the bilge pan and it was sitting for years with salt water rotting away the resin and wood behind it. So the lower clamp is pushing in the transom right above the bilge and the top of the transom is pulling out away from the upper clamp, approx. 1 1/2".

My solution was going to be installing 3 steel plates 1/4" thick. One plate across the top of the transom full width of the transom with angle stock to keep it rigid. Then another plate inside the boat above the bilge roughly 12" x 18". Finally another plate across the transom in the shape of a T which will span most of the transom's width. The upper part will thru bolt to the upper plate inside and the bottom part of the T will bolt to the plate inside the bilge area. There will be more bolts to keep the whole thing tight.

Now its not a lot of weight, about 50lbs, which i will compensate by moving the two fuel tanks forward.

Barring all that....I want to encapsulate the steel in epoxy, wrap all steel in a layer of fiber glass, epoxy and paint for a finish.

Can this be done? I really didn't want to rip off the entire transom but i do want to do it right.

Any advice appreciated.

[ondarvr]

What you need to do is completely rebuild the transom, the floor and stringers are very likely rotten also, so you'll need to gut it and it build back similar to what it is now. Just bolting steel to the outside will be an inadequate bandaid at best.

If you don't want to do this amount of repair it would be best to find a new boat.