Needing advice on repair

Discussion in 'Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building' started by Ryan Look, Nov 7, 2019.

  1. Ryan Look
    Joined: Nov 2019
    Posts: 5
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Long island NY

    Ryan Look Junior Member

    How are you guys, I am new to boat building but not new to construction and fabricating things. I am rebuilding my glastron new stringers, new transom, new floor, etc. The story of how this all began is my 115 horsepower outboard almost ripped the rear transom off. I did not know the scope of the rot until I really ripped apart. The inner part of the transom was so crowded that there's just no structure for the motor to bolt to. In turn the splashwell / area where the outboard boats to up top cracked really bad. I am unable to split the cap from the bottom of the boat just due to the original builder of the boat. Its fiberglassed from the inside the whole cap on I felt it was way too much work to take the whole cap off considering I was needing to cut that part of the splashwell out anyway. Now to where I need the advice and where I think I made a big mistake. I think where I cut the splashwell it's going to be extremely hard to make as strong again a major point of stress as it's where the engine really holds on to the boat. I am planning on using seacast in the whole center section of the boat since I can't get a full piece of wood across the whole back of the boat with the way the splash well is designed. I have seen some other builds where people have cut basically the entire splashwell out. is that my best option at this point is to cut the entire well out and repair the damaged section I removed that way I can really get glass on the back very well or do you think once I see cast it I'll be able to Glass that structural to that after? I am building knees for the boat as well to really tie the transom into the floor so I do believe it will be strong enough.

    Glastron cv16 build https://imgur.com/gallery/vM8NfPZ

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/SqcAGqRzH5hnh8DUA
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/uF7czLLSx6JUdQCi6
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/SqcAGqRzH5hnh8DUA
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Nov 7, 2019
  2. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
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    Location: usa

    fallguy Senior Member

    Pics would help.

    In general, remove cap, remove motorwell, remove knees, remove inner skin, remove core. Replace with full pieces of core.
     
  3. Ryan Look
    Joined: Nov 2019
    Posts: 5
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Long island NY

    Ryan Look Junior Member

    My photos aren't visable? I was saying in the post that removing the cap is not an option, what reinforcement do people recommend when cutting the splashwell out ? What type of cloth etc?
     
  4. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Location: Australia

    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    G'day Ryan. It is always a lot easier to assess situations on site, so excuse us if we appear unclear, but are you saying the bottom through-bolting of the outboard was absent ? And you hit a sandbank or such, and it nearly tore the engine off the boat, seriously damaging the upper part of the transom ?
     
  5. Ryan Look
    Joined: Nov 2019
    Posts: 5
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Long island NY

    Ryan Look Junior Member

    how's it going mr. Efficiency, no basically what had happened is the transom and stringers were so rotted that the top bolts of the motor being clamped probably slightly too tight, and the overall flex of the boat made stress points for the cracking in which the leverage from the heavy motor cracked the inside of the splash well where the top bolts bolt to. Which in turn started to rip the motor off the back of the boat. I heard the crack initially when I went over a wave so I was luckily able to prevent the whole motor from ripping off and ripping the back of the boat off. Essentially what saved the boat was the splash well beingstrong enough to not have the motor just rip off. The back skin of the boat is in great shape and I am going to be building a new inner skin. The mistake I believe I made is I decided to cut out the splashwell area that had gotten cracked and damaged to rebuild it with new glass,but now I'm worried that I'll never be able to repair that area strong enough to not rip off. I'm thinking instead of cutting that section out I should have built glass on top of it but I also had removed it to gain access to get the new transom wood in there. I'm going to try to get more pictures again on here I don't know why they didn't upload it shows that they did for me.

    Am I overthinking this? Once I build the transom strong and make new stringers as well as tie in knees to the transom that were not ever part of the hull design should this be enough to keep the motor in place?
     
  6. Blueknarr
    Joined: Aug 2017
    Posts: 1,447
    Likes: 411, Points: 83
    Location: Colorado

    Blueknarr Senior Member

    Ryan look

    Welcome to the forum.

    Unfortunately the transom is likely just the tip of the iceberg.

    Quoting you " mr. Efficiency, no basically what had happened is the transom and stringers were so rotted that . .
    the whole motor from ripping off and ripping the back of the boat off. "

    The most economic solution is the finish ripping off the outboard and attaching it to another sound hull.

    The work to repair that hull is straight forward but extremely time consuming.

    Remove entire interior including cockpit sole
    Remove rotten transom core from inside the boat
    Remove aft foot of stringers
    Replace transom core.
    Remove and replace all rotten stringers
    Repair splash well
    Replace cockpit sole
    Reinstall interior

    Since this is likely your first time at this, plan on a couple of thousand hours of labor and a couple of thousand dollars in supplies.

    Save your marriage. Change hulls

    You have been warned!!

    But if you insist we will be here to walk you thru things . (There might be a better forum to handle the divorce)

    Good luck
     
  7. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
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    Location: usa

    fallguy Senior Member

    I saw the pictures.

    Ditch the hull.

    The only way to fix it right is not worth the economics.

    Blueknarr has laid out the reality, and the cap is still a problem.

    I have seen other people attempt these repairs from the exterior, but it is foolhardy if you have stringer rot.

    Go find a hull now in any northern latitude. You can get that hull solid, no rot for $1500.

    Use that hull for a way to know a bad one versus a good one. Learn all the problems and you'll know what to look for..

    16' 1974 Glastron V162 futura https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/boa/d/somerset-glastron-v162-futura/7010415894.html
     
  8. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
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    Location: usa

    fallguy Senior Member

    The problem is economics; not capability.

    You can spent 500 hours and $1500 dollars repairing that and then you have something home repaired worth about $1500 which means the 500 hours was wasted.
     
  9. Ryan Look
    Joined: Nov 2019
    Posts: 5
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Long island NY

    Ryan Look Junior Member

    Thanks again for the advice guys, this is where the pictures would really come in handy and where visually seeing what's going on in the point of where I'm at. Let me say first thing that I have always liked a challenge.
    I should have mentioned I already have gotten deep into the teardown/rebuild. I removed the stringer until the bulkhead upfront, the transom front skin and all of the wood has been removed I am almost at the point of being ready for grinding preparation now to get everything prepared for the new glass.
    I fully understand that's something like this is uneconomical however I really like the boat and I am looking for something to do for the winter. The boat is in my toasty garage on dollies and the ease of working on it is there. I'm not working outside in the elements. I have already seen the work entails just from removing what I have, and understand that this is just the beginning but I love to learn new trades and have done a lot of research.

    Point is, I'm ready for the point of no return, boat is stripped of outboard, interior, floor, center stringer which is all the boat originally had, the interior transom skin, the transom plywood, the corner foam pockets and walls, and the piece of damaged splash well. I am debating between seacast or a resin encapsulated plywood transom

    Let me get some images up so you could see what I'm dealing with
     
  10. Blueknarr
    Joined: Aug 2017
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    Location: Colorado

    Blueknarr Senior Member

    I'm sad to hear your emotional attachment.
    Lets move on to the repairs.

    Leave any remaining stringers more than a foot forward of the transom. Add support under hull to prevent deformation of hull. At this time partial support from a rotten stringer is better than no support.

    Same goes for the splash well and cap. Keep in place until transom is sold.

    Stop debating. Seacast IS NOT appropriate for transom coring!! It will crush as easily as the rotten plywood did. Transom cores must be dense enough to withstand the engine mount bolts.

    Dry fit replacement plywood. Mark engine mount holes and all other know bolt/screw locations. Remove plywood and drill out screw pattern with 1.25 inch drill. Fill holes with thickened resin. This eliminates many potential rot starting points.

    Good luck
     
  11. fallguy
    Joined: Dec 2016
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    Location: usa

    fallguy Senior Member

    I really like corelite board for transom work. Cheaper than coosa, a bit brittle perhaps, but I built my transoms with it and they don't budge. If your transom is smaller than 2'x4', you can get it shipped in pieces and avoid freight. You can also use Roseburg marine ply, but it will

    For the splashwell, you can build the splashwell just like I built mine.

    All you do is place cleats or flanges in the appropriate locations, then glue the top and side panels (if removed) using thixotropic materials. Then you seal all seams with fillets and minimum of 1208 tapes, although I would just use 1708 tapes. Your panels and cleats can also be made from corelite board that has been glassed on both sides.

    Take some more pictures.
     
  12. Ryan Look
    Joined: Nov 2019
    Posts: 5
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Long island NY

    Ryan Look Junior Member


  13. SavageM
    Joined: Aug 2019
    Posts: 1
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    Location: NSW, Australia

    SavageM New Member

    Hi Ryan Look, Good luck with the rebuild. I'm in a similar situation in that the transom of my Savage Commander 17ft half cabin was rotten and only apparent when I stood on the rear step and it sheared off as the bolts had corroded through. On inspection, the transom core had water intrusion and rotted out completely. The point is the challenge! I've been told to pour petrol on it or tow it out to sea and sink it but the fact remains that it's a learning opportunity in boat building. I've got my transom in place and need to glass it up and then the fun starts with the stringers and the flooring. It's been out of the water 2 years now and I'm still married. Good luck with your endeavours!
     
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