Completely clueless

The wood is solid. I'm not sure how you would fix an exterior crack from interior without completely dismantaling the boat. Granted it may have been easier but that would greatly increase the money I'd be throwing at it. Not trying to take shortcuts or anything just trying to fix it cheaply

 

Well. I've never heard of anyone cutting away sections of glass in a transom, and then leave the ply be. I guess there has to be a first for everything ! I am at a bit of a loss to understand why you cut it out.

 

Like 80% of the hull was cracked below transom

 

The glass on the transom was cracked, but the ply insert is sound ? One wonders how that situation arose.

 

Good to hear wood is sound. I was under impression that part of plywood was replaced. Like previous stated changing core from inside would have provided access to crack. But as not replaced, this is one of few times external repair waranted.

Don't add to your labor by trying to replace sound wood.

 

(Straight up assuming here) my guess would be the previous owner noticed the cracks after a trip and it sat parked for 16 years. So it got wet but not soaked.

 

The sole rotted and the boat was used; so the hull was flexing badly under power I'd say. He should be looking for more cracks before doing any more anything. If it was flexing at the transom edges; the vee or keel should be closely inspected on the centerline all the boat; stem to stern.

I once saw a boat with cracking both sides there and it no longer had hull integrity. The thing had lost its seaworthiness. I can only describe it as loosey goosey.

I use cabosil at a vol rate of 1-3 ounces per foot of fillet.

I use 5/8 radius, 3/8 radius, and 1/4" radiuses. Different for different stuff. More structural bits like transoms and BH and stringers 5/8. Sometimes, I'll cheat and drop down to the 3/8 on a stringer or BH if I run a bit short.

For 100 feet of stringer repair; I estimate at 300 ounces cabosil, but other guys might say my fillets are too fat. And you were gonna leave them in some, iirc.

I'd recommend the hang on the side test. Hang on the side of the boat and try to get it to move at the gunwhale. If it moves; report an estimate back on how much.

It is foolproof; despite the lack of quantitative objectivity.

For Pete's sake man; slow down. Someone asks you to look at the transom and you go in and cut it to bits.

I honestly think you ought to cut your losses. All those items can be sold locally on clist.

I hit delete on my last post and had to rewrite. I'm wandering and tired.

 

It is pretty difficult to know how best to proceed, unless an experienced hand looks at it in the flesh. Transom cracking is usually associated with the breakdown of the ply part, causing excessive flex, hard to know what the antecedents are here, if the transom is cracked, but the transom ply is solid, Unless someone has slotted some new ply in, after cracks developed, but left the glass be.

 

You'd know if it were new ply.

How did the skin come off so cleanly or are my half open eyes misinterpreting the fuZy pic?

Give a picture; not fizzy one of the inside of the transom.

 

By inside you mean the interior glass on transom?

 

Did you have a bond between the glass n ply. Looks too clean to me.

 

After I cut a section of glass I used pry bar to break the connection of glass to wood

 

People bodgie up old boats in all sorts of ways, and sometimes you need to be a clairvoyant to work out what the antecedents are. I once saw a glass boat that had had a hole ripped through it, below waterline, maybe 3-4 inches by 3/4 inch, that had been "repaired" with just car bog. The fault only became evident when pressing and prodding the suspicious looking area. The bog fell out. Another reason to be wary of painted glass hulls.

 

It usually comes away pretty easily, proving that the bond of polyester to wood is tenuous.

 

See if the inside looks original. And hang on the side. Boats with caps rarely have integrity problems.

I still say cut your losses. You are gonna do a 3000 dollar boat repair on a boat worth a grand or so only.

Then since its gelcoat; it'll look like a hack job and you'll struggle to sell it. Sorry, but I took 3 boats to the graveyard I thought I could fix and another one that was known to be garbage I bought for parts. I had positive economy on selling the parts on two of the boats and broke even on one other. So only upside down on one and I have the trailer here for it in the yard.

Sometimes; you are better off.

These old boats with caps are a lot to repair if you are completely clueless.