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May 4th 05 - Before Starting
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This winters project is to replace the transom on The Brown Hornet. For those that don’t know, TBH is a 1984 Seafarer Viking 17. It’s a classic fibreglass offshore fishing boat that handles the rough stuff incredibly well, is tough as nails and with stacks of fishing space which is perfect for my requirements. I’ve thought long and hard about buying a new hull but it’s money that could be better spent and as I intend having boats all my life, I’d like to have a crack at fibreglass repairs myself.
While there is no flex in the transom (even if I reef the leg of the raised outboard), I have drilled a couple of holes and the sawdust is damp. As I take the boat offshore where it cops a bit of a hiding, I want to have 110% confidence in the structural integrity of the hull so the transom is to be replaced and at the same time I’ll inspect and if required replace the floor and stringers as well.
I’ve done heaps of reading on this topic. By heaps I mean an estimated 50-100 hours over the last few months reviewing websites, reports, articles, books etc. The thing that amazes me is that there seems to be no obvious ‘best practice’ and opinions differ greatly between experts on the topic.
I’ll give you an example:
There are two basic approaches to replacing a transom. One is to cut the glass from the back (outside) skin of the transom to gain access to the timber innards. The second method is to cut and/or remove the deck & floor and cut the glass from the front (inside) of the transom to get to the timber. Some writers say that to go from the back is basically suicide and absolutely the wrong thing to do while other writers will say that cutting the exterior skin is by far the easiest and best way to go and to only go from the inside if the floor and/or stringers need work as well.
As you can see, the ‘best’ approach is not as clear as you might think. I want to do the best possible job but at the same time I don’t want to create unnecessary work for myself.
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By the end of this stage I will know the extent of the damaged timber and what needs to be repaired or replaced. This includes the transom (well I already know this), stringers / cross-members and the floor.
Without pre-empting the professional advice I am seeking, I suspect I’ll be doing alot of tapping with a screwdriver as well as some exploratory drilling and cutting to determine the extent of any damage.
To start with I’ll have a good look at the floor because due to some cracking of the gelcoat I reckon there is at least one section that is very suspect. If this is the case it makes the decision pretty easy and that’s to cut the floor out and have a good look around. If the floor is ok I’d say I’ll be drilling some core samples or cutting a small section of floor to get to the stringers and check them out.
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What am I in for?
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Pre-Reading
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I purchased ‘How to Replace Fibreglass Boat Transoms – You Can Do It’ by Dale C. Whiteman. This can be purchased as an ‘e-book’ and downloaded in .pdf format at Helendale Publishing http://www.helendalepublishing.com/ebooks.htm . The cost is US$20 and well worth it.
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‘How to Replace Fibreglass Boat Floors– You Can Do It’ by Dale C. Whiteman. This can be purchased as an ‘e-book’ and downloaded in .pdf format at Helendale Publishing http://www.helendalepublishing.com/ebooks.htm . The cost is US$20 and well worth it.
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More Pre-Reading
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You guessed it . . . Even more pre-reading!
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I have also ordered ‘Runabout Renovation - How to Find & Fix-Up an Old Fibreglass Speedboat’ by Jim Anderson.
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I have also just purchased two DVD's "Learning Fiberglass Repair" and "Transom Repair" from Will Borden.
These are excellent and can be found at http://www.fiberglass-repair.com/
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Pre-Viewing
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May 9th 05 - Clean Up
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This weekend I took everything out of the boat and gave it a thorough clean inside and out. Next Monday the boat is off to the mechanic to have it's 10 hr service (following the engine rebuild).
The mechanic is disconnecting all the cables for me as I'm not particularly interested in mucking about with the motor. For a $50 labour charge I'd rather leave this to the experts.
When I have the boat back I'll drop the motor and remove the fuel tank.
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An early Friday arvo finish gave me time to build my motor stand
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Motor Stand
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