For you boaties out there…I’m updating/remodeling a 16’ fibreglass skiff this winter, be my new fly fishing ride in tidewater.
All the glass work I’m doing on the boat will be with epoxy , as it will adhere better to both the boat and the marine grade plywood being used in some of the modifications.
So here’s the question - I want to beef up the transom/sides corner intersection to better handle the weight of the outboard I’ll be installing. Because of the way the boat was built, there is a ‘gap’ of about 2" deep x 2" wide x 12" long I want to fill at the intersection and then carry the cloth 6 - 8 inches along the sides and transom.
So far have 2 ideas. First, build up the area with layers of 18 oz cloth, lay in a thin fillet of Marine Tex, more cloth, more marine tex, cloth, layer it until have created a fillet filling the gap, bonding the sides/transom. Second is to glass in a wood filler strip and use that for the top layers of cloth.
Any suggestions on another way to better tackle this from the knowlegeable?
Pictures would help a ton. First off, no Marine tex. Make any fillets you need using the proper resin fillers.
My questions right off the bat are: Are there cracks in the corners already? Is that the reason you are looking to reinforce? What is the condition of the current transom core?
Whenever possible I would avoid wood. Divinicel, Nidacore and Corecell are all alternatives to wood that will never swell or rot. You can also get very creative with pour foam.
I’ve seen high density Divinicel and epoxy used in the construction of all PU foam core/epoxy dory’s, up to 16 feet long. The D-cel was used in high stress/load areas. The dory in question, as well as several others, was built by Alan Nelson, of both Windansea and Waimea (Nov. 1957) fame. I consider Alan to be one of the most talented surfboard craftsmen, and creative designer/thinkers, EVER.
Most production boats have a weight/power rating @ the transom for outboard motors , complying to marine survey specs…it’s not advisable to go above this for insurance reasons alone , without a new survey or very good advice for your own peace of mind. Have you considered mounting the outboard on a pod ?
boat is a 16’ 1984 Clackacraft Powwer Drifter, can be either rowed or powered, and was never plated with a hp rating by the manufacturer,verified by the guys at Clackacraft who I called after buying the boat (my third Clack, the other were 2 drift boats). Regarding HP plate ratings - under 20’ the manufacturer plate must comply with decades old USCG formulas. 20’ and over, manufacturers provide their own. A river boat with primary propulsion oars, not a rating for auxilliary power. go figiure.
As it is, only going to hang a 20 hp off the back which Clackacraft says is no problem, however, encounters with newly formed sandbars is a common problem where I run, so want to improve the original structural integrity as part of refurbishing the boat.
Here’s a pic of the boat and the transom/side gunnel intersection I want to strengthen.
Got it figured out after going through the Jamestown Distributors website, who carry all things for boat repair.
The filler fillet will be comprised of equal parts West 404 Density Filler, Total Boat Milled Fiber, and Epoxy. Will fill the space, then overlay multiple 12 oz. glass patches. should be hella strong…
Lance any of the above as suggested wood / could work. Unless you are dying to be itchy; I would take it to Jim Allen in PC. He is one of the best for this kind of work. Drift boats & dorys are his area of expertise.
Yea, Jim’s work is well known. However, looking forward to doing the work my self. Haven’t worked on a glass boat since one of my early Ranch runners, all my boats have been aluminum since…
The way it’s been down there the last year; anything more than a “rubber duckie” is a waste of time and money. That is unless a guy likes a bone jarring run to and from SB. Everybody looked down their nose at my 14’ Achilles until the hoist or pier would go down for 6 mo’s or a year.
imagine jet ski the craft of choice going forward, or a move to a docked boat in SB.
and that’s a long ride from SB, even on a 28’ Radon I was fortunate to get a few rides on.
We arrived at the pier one morning, having driven from HMB, not knowing that the winch had been down for 2 weeks… saw the out of order sign, bummed out, wondering whether to set-up camp and then check out Ventura for waves or just head home, when a county maintenance truck drives up with the part they had been waiting for.
an hour later we launched, oil glass, pulled into Cojo and watched perfect overhead waves reeling from way around the corner all the way into the cove, no boats, no cars on the beach, didn’t see another surfer until early afternoon.
Just three friends trading wave after wave, hooting and hollering, was the birthday of one of them, reason why we had made the trip.
Don’t mix and apply too big a batch at once. Epoxy with filler exotherms very easily. I find a mix of milled glass fibres and epoxy exotherms quickest of all.
RIB. The park is still open. 8–5 is what I heard last for day use. Overnite was available recently but haven’t checked In a month or so. Regulars don’t like jet skis …
The Void looks a little to deep to fill with a resin chopped glass mix. You need a small piece of filler Divinacell or like product then fill the small voids around that filler and the hull and transome.
Then lay glass and resin over your fill. I would use some fiber glass tape running across the fill to ancer to the transome and side of the hull, Then glass over that. Make sure that you you have agood bond WEST is a good product. useing the pumps is the way to go. saves the hassle of measuring just one pump of resine to one of hardner. I sent 20 years refinishing and repairing boats from 8 foot prams up to 120 foot Yatchs
