Rebuilding Transom/Stringers

Hello All,

I wanted to document the process of replacing the transom and stringers on my Crestliner 1668 (1984 I believe) Boat is a 17’ deep V hull with a 100hp Evinrude. When I purchased it, the left motor well drain tube was missing and simply covered with duct tape. The bow eye bolt was also loose which I replaced at the time with some wood and 4200. Upon an extremely wavy day, the transom cracked at the bottom of the motor mounts as I noticed by increased bilge operation and odd motor performance but I got it back in safely. I realized the transom had rotten out and will need replacement. When I looked at removing the transom from the interior, the floor was noticed to be rotten as well in spots and the underlying stringers had also deteriorated from the 40 years of use. I am mostly curious how one would go about accessing/removing the wooden transom, and should it be kept in 1 piece if possible or can it be built in sections among the 2 pieces of wood required. The stringers are all 3/4” and the middle piece is harder wood that’s two 3/4” pieces glued together. Transom is 1.5” thick.

 

Hello Michael,

To get started, I would visit the website Boatworks Today. In the video section there is a link to some transom repair videos.
https://www.boatworkstoday.com/videos/

I think the rest would be to replace like for like or better, use good materials, make sure all surfaces are cleaned and prepped before fiberglassing, and wear appropriate PPE (safety gear).

PS-As we are coming into fall in North America, shop temperature must also be warm enough to do good glassing.

 

All the work should be done from the inside.

The boat has a cap and you will need to determine whether to lift it or cut it, but can be very hard/impossible to work around.

 

It is difficult to properly audit old boats, except that with age and visible structural problems usually are like the iceberg, there is a lot more under the surface out of sight ! How does it feel walking around inside the boat, if it is spongy underfoot, that would not be encouraging. That boat is a moderate vee hull, I doubt a "classic" hull in demand, and some really good hulls that size from the past when restored, are worth the money and effort put into them, but those boats are few, and far between.

 

Upon reopening my account for a new project boat i've started, i was reminded that i had this post from before. The fibreglass boat has been fully repaired and went over and is still running strong to this day, I'll post some pictures of the before and after changes and the new design i set up for fishing.

 

this was the original layout of this boat the day i brought it home

 

to remove the transom, i cut the top out and vacuumed what was left of the prior core (not much lol). I also accessed the transom by cutting the inner skin out to clean all surfaces and apply fresh glass to the outside before dropping the wood in. To reattach the cap i reinstalled the original cap and glassed it in, as well as installed some braces beneath the top corners so it has a good grab to the gunnels.

 

This was right after i completed adding flotation foam beneath the flooring and before sealing the wood.

I got a colour matched paint for the carpet i intended to use so the sides would look more visually pleasing.

Repainted the bow as it was the one spot i hadnt done while replacing the transom, installed my bow mount trolling motor to make walleye jigging a breeze.

 

I used a sheet metal plate with some threaded rod welded on so my seats would be securely attached to the flooring, yes i realized steel was heavier so i went with a thinner piece so it would distribute the load as well as add some weight forward without the additional seating and added kicked motor to the aft.


The doors and cover i made for access to the storage section beneath the bow. Added a nice LED light bar which has came in extremely handy for night fishing trips. Main On/Off switch for my battery

The hull with the flooring and carpet installed.

The bilge area door and side compartments reinstalled.

The final layout with my seats installed, new steering system, and the additional electronics i put in which eventually includes an audio system, phone & VHF radio chargers, backlights for my gauges, bilge pump, nav lights.

 

I'll be done adding anything else to this thread, I was notified in a separate post that i never came back to update with how everything went. Unbelievably happy i went with my gut and trusted the process, it has caught many many fish and made many great memories and im glad to see it still going strong.