I wish I would of saw this video before I spent the money and time to replace mine with seacast. I was trying to find the best cheapest way to fix my transom that was in the same condition as yours. I only have one day a week to work on the boat and would of been finished by now if I had used your technique but I still have another day or so to get the job done. Thanks for posting this. I just wish I would of saw it before I started..lol Happy boating my friend!!!
Sorry for the late reply. I'm not sure. I've actually never heard of that stuff. The product I used is still holding strong and I've already had the boat out last week. I'm very impressed with the repair so far
Someone else told me that too. I've never even heard of that stuff. Perhaps when this repair fails that will be my next option. Had the boat out last week and it is still holding strong
Ending my third season since the repair and it is still holding strong. I did hit to gravel bar's quite hard. This end of season it is showing a tiny bit of movement and I might actually do a full transom repair over the winter. But I must say I'm super happy for how good did end up working for me.
I would just recommend drilling smaller holes so you leave more wood. This literally lasted me four seasons and I nailed quite a few gravel bars. I recently just gave away the boat but it was not because the transom was soft. It's because I got a bigger one.
Wow that is amazing and thanks for sharing idea, I have the same problem but in the up bolt of transom and a friend told me use a plate to reforce the the transom.
That’s just how I chose to do the repair. I don’t recommend anybody else do this, but I will tell you that mine is still holding strong today. And I have hit a couple gravel bars, pretty hard, and it held perfectly fine.
@@FishGawd wow that's great, I know but repair the all transom is very spensive because I have a 22' stratos boat walkaround 1994 and is huge transom, I just need reforce with polyester resin and fiberglass, thanks for the video
This is awesome! Ive got a jon boat totally not worth going through the trouble of replacing the transom. Ill mostly be trolling on flat water. Just curious why you reinforced with metal plates. Was it only to keep the motor mounts from deforming the fiberglass? Ive got really thin aluminum cover plate on the inside. You a much smaller extra plate would be sufficient? How did you reattach the top metal piece. Not sure if that provides any structural support for my boat.
I believe I put the top metal strip back on with screws. I also put a whole bunch of no more nails wet grab underneath it.. Good luck with your project. And thanks for watching..
Sorry for the late reply. I sometimes get behind on keeping up with the comments. If you check out my most current video at gull Lake. We actually hit a gravel bar at full throttle. The transom held up like a champ. I'm actually shocked at how well this silly repair worked. I was just hoping to get the rest of that season out of the boat before I had to replace the transom but this is now the fourth season. Thanks for watching and the support. Tight lines my friend
well I did it summer 2019. I sold the boat this winter and new owner is out enjoying the boat still right now. I suggest drilling smalller holes to leave in more wood meat. Good luck if you going to do this.
How well is this holding up I just bought a bass boat that has a little flex at the top and this looks like a good fix for it along with a reinforcing plate.
And since I posted the video it has been holding strong. As a matter of fact I have seen stress cracks on the sides of the boat but nothing has changed on the transom. So far. I did this repair because I had nothing to lose. The transom itself was going to be a complete rebuilt however I'm super impressed at how well it worked. My advice would be to use a much smaller diameter drillbit to leave more meat in the Wood.
@@FishGawd what do you think about not using a drill bit at all and just letting is soak down / in? You think it might penetrate enough? I was thinking of doing this as well and was only concerned about drilling holes and weakening things more etc
Sorry Josh sometimes when people reply to my reply it slips through the cracks. Did you do the repair? How did it work out? As far as your question I think drilling small holes would be advantageous. I do not feel you'll get full penetration or absorption. But again I just tried this to see if I could buy some time and save some money. Let me know how your results work out..
After some seasons how has this held up?? My transoms in pretty similar condition, and like your boat mine was (almost) free so spending a ton of money in it doesnt make much sense for me. Curious if its still strong and rigid?
Heck yes. I actually gave the boat away this winter and the new guy has a 125 on the back. It held up amazing. Tons of people told me it would never work in the comments but it stayed strong.. I believe a lot of it had to do with the awesome aluminum plates as well, but nothing in the transom was spongy. Thanks for watching.
I just bought a B.O.A.T. About a month ago and have put in quite a bit to get it and keep it lake ready. I’ve done some rewiring, got new bunk boards ready to install, new wheel bearings and a bunch of small things to top it off. Every time I took it to the lake so far my hull was getting filled with water. Locating the leak led me to several poorly sealed through hulls and plug tubes. Im looking to do what you did since I’m only planning to keep it a couple years and selling it. Have you had pretty good luck with this fix as I really don’t want to tear into it more than I have to. Also is there a plate that goes on the inside for the bottom bolts?
I’m thinking of trying this same process but drilling more holes to hollow out the transoms without cutting into the fiberglass and filling with SeaCats think it would work?
Several other people commented about that same product. I don't know anything about it because I've never tried it. I will see the product I used is holding strong. I actually had the boat out last week for the first time this season and I am still very impressed. Sorry for the late reply sometimes I miss the comments. Thanks for watching and stay safe
You have to remove all the wood for SeaCast to work. It will not preserve the wood unfortunately and leave voids. I used a chainsaw and a similar product pour in transom. It was extremely solid
Finally someone with common sense. Every boat video on here is a full on restoration and to make themselves feel better they act like its the only option when this can prolong it for a while. You never claimed it was permanent. Just a couple more years. My "couple of years" is now on year 5 and im probably going to have to actually replace it next year and im fine with doing that but thrilled i got 5 out of some wood hardener and plate lol
Rock 'n' roll. Thank you for the compliment and I'm glad that your transom is working as well. I'm now moving into another season with confidence. And I even nailed a gravel bar really bad last year. It held strong. Thanks for watching
How well did this last for you I'm on my way to look at a boat right now that has some cracks in the back where the guy left the motor down when dropping them both in the water and it cracked the transom
This summer will be my fourth season on this repair. I’ve even hit a gravel bar twice with that repair. One is so bad it damn near knocked over the blade off my prop. I would recommend smaller holes.
Doing a similar “fix” without the hardener as my transom isnt as bad. Just have cracking in gel coat where the motor mounts to so I figure I reinforce the whole transom w 1/4” 40”x18” aluminum on exterior and 8”x30” on the interior. How were you able to drill the motor mount holes to match up with current motor mount holes? Clamps snd use the current holes as guides?
The plate was off the back of an old electrical panel. It was probably 3/8 or half inch thick aluminum. I cut out off the bottom the pieces I needed that acted as the inside plates as well.
I am no boat expert by any stretch of the imagination. I'm sure there are many reasons for soft or cracked transoms. In this particular case the original motor had cracked fibreglass for some reason before I got the boat. My new motor seemed to make these cracks worse and my boat always had a little bit of water in it. This slowly got worse as well. When I removed my motor I saw how bad the cracks were where it was bolted through. Upon further inspection I realized the wood or the material between the two layers of fibreglass was spongy. I literally got this boat for free and the estimate I was getting for a rebuilt transom or thousands of dollars. I figured I had nothing to lose when I tried what I did and it is still holding strong to this day. I'm sure a large part of the strength of my repair is the large plate that I used to spread out the weight of the motor. I believe some common reasons for cracks in the fibreglass on and around the transom and motor have to do with a soft core inside the transom. Motor bounce when you are towing your boat over the years. One tip I received for this is to get something called a transom saver. It goes from your motor to your trailer and illuminates the torque caused by hitting bumps with a large motor balancing on the transom. I hope my comment covered your question. Thank you for watching. Let me know if you find out anything different about your transom. I am interested
Thanks for the video. My transom is in better shape than yours was, it’s just a bit squishier than it oughta be. I was just going to do a steel plate, but maybe I’ll do this first to firm things up before they get worse. Did you do anything in particular to dry out the wood before hardening? To better reach the lower bits where it’s softest, I’m considering drilling some angled holes from the inside of the boat about 6” up from the bottom. Then cap the holes with epoxy. Thoughts?
Sorry for the late reply. Sometimes I miss the comments. I really did nothing to prepare except let the box sit for a few hours. With the top open. I had the boat out last week and it is still performing awesome. Did you end up going with this type of repair? If so how did it work for you
No, haven’t done it yet. Been focused on getting the engine running (almost done). Plan is to leave the transom as is for this season, then implement a similar reality this fall. Only difference is instead of the 2 individual plates, I’ve got a local shop here that can bend me a one piece stainless steel cap/plate that will slide over the transom.
Just had the boat out last week. The repair is still holding strong and I'm very impressed. Thanks for watching the videos and sorry for the late reply. Sometimes I miss them.
How did this end up working? Don’t think my boats worth replacing the whole entire transom so was thinking of something as a quick fix. Did it last long?
Yes. It's holding up fantastically. I just had the boat out last week and it is still holding very strong. I even had a gravel bar last season going quite fast and nothing happened to the boat. I'm very impressed. To be honest I didn't expect it to work at all let alone so well. Good luck with your boat and stay safe
I believe that video was 2019. If you check out my channel I just recently was up in very rough weather in cold lake northern Alberta. I was not worried about the transom at all. I have not even had a single drop of water leak. I've had plenty of other UA-camrs thank me and tell me it worked on their boats as well. The only thing I would've changed as I would've drilled much smaller diameter holes to leave even more wood in place. The aluminum plate that I used was probably 3/8 of an inch thick inside and outside. That probably has a lot to do with helping. Thanks for watching
If you love the boat… I mean like plan on keeping it, passing it down, etc… Do the transom repair, and add a engine bracket! Gain about 2 feet in length, (fantastic diving or casting platform) 2 feet in deck area, and no more low area on the transom for water to flood in and out of. My first boat didn’t have a bracket, but when the transom failed, it was loaded down with resin instead of more wood, and it was nice to stop now and not have water plowing over the back. My “new to me” 23’ proline is definitely getting a bracket, even though there’s nothing concerning about her transom. Seriously, if you love that boat, consider a outboard extension bracket.
The plan was when that quick fix was getting soft I was going to add a pod similar to the boats in Florida. I would rebuild the entire transom when installing the pod. This way I could get rid of the flood deck and add about 2 feet to the room in the boat as well as moving my power backwards and getting up on plain better. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this boat right now because I have just come into possession of another fantastic project. Stay tuned to find out when I choose to do I guess. Thanks for watching and tight lines
well I did it summer 2019 and its still strong now.. I hit a gravel bar hard this season and she held fast. if you try it I suggest smaller holes to leave more material to harden. Thanks for watching.
More important than my measurement is the fact that I just went as wide as I could on the inside. Obviously the more you spread out the weight the better it will be. This goes for the inside and outside in my opinion.
I'm in the same situation as you. Soft/cracked transom, bolt "sucking" through... What was the spacing on the holes you drilled and what size bit? I'm probably going to do the same exact fix as you.
mitragorz Are used half inch stainless steel bolts with Nylok Nuts and lockwashers. My Trans Am was roughly 1 1/2 inches thick. I added 3/8 aluminum plate on the back and I used 3/8 aluminum plate as large washers and backing on the inside. Make sure you use sick a flex or polyurethane on all your holes.
@@FishGawd Sorry, I meant the holes you drilled vertically in the plywood before pouring the Varathane, or did you just go willy-nilly? My transom is probably only an inch, maybe a touch more. I'm planning on 1/4" 5052 aluminum, 18x30 sheet on the outside and 6x29 (not a big splashwell) on the inside. Lower bolts are in the bilge, so I;ll have to cut up some plate for that separately. I'll probably be using 3M 4200 on the holes. The motor is only 90hp, so hopefully the hardener+plates will hold.
The video with Wendy , walleye fishing we hit a gravel Bar at around 3 knots. It held solid. Between the wood hardner and the aluminum plates. SOLID so far Thanks for watching.. Have you subscribed?
How is the repair holding up? I just bought a boat and was thinking of using carbon core but it would cost $1000 for the pour in ceramic filled polyester
My most recent video Gull lake 2022 on that trip we actually had a gravel bar from full throttle. It is season four and I was concerned it might be starting to get soft but it held strong. Thanks for watching
It's actually holding super strong to my surprise as well. There's a lot of other soft spots on the boat and I'm probably not gonna spend a lot of money on it as I have a different boat project that we will be hopefully fishing soon. We will not be cutting corners on the boat. Thanks for watching
you are correct. I would never rely on that repair on the big drink. But it is 3 years now and still strong.. Thanks for watching. lots of my videos are on lakes. check them out. tight lines my friend
Definitely not the right way and it is definitely holding stronger than even I anticipated. Already had the boat out four times this season and it's still rocksolid. Thanks for watching
@@FishGawd We recently bought an inboard/outboard boat with a highly deteriorated engine box cover, your video helped a lot! I poured a can of hardener into the shell, rolled paper towels and pushed them in with a screwdriver about 1-1/2", filed it to the top with fiberglass resin. Solid as a rock now!!! I did something similar to the deteriorated swim platform. taped all the holes and filed them fiberglass resin and until it would take no more (over 1 quart), solid!!!
Contrary to all the negative comments. It is still holding very strong. I have noticed a little bit of flex in the corners where it attaches to the rest of the hull however it is still running very strong and holding very well. For such a simple idea it is definitely lasting. If I did it again or I recommended it to somebody I would suggest drilling much smaller holes than I did and leaving much more of the meat intact but all in all it's saved me thousands of dollars and I'm now going into my fourth season on this repair
Our full rebuild was always the intention but I figured why not try something new and innovative. This is the end of the third season. I have put over 100 hours on the transom. It is holding up surprisingly well but I can tell it's slowly getting softer. I'm going to do a full re-build this winter. When I did that I was hoping it would just last one season but I am very impressed. Thanks for watching. Tight lines my friend and good luck with your boat rebuild.
I absolutely agree. However this is a very old boat and wet rotten plywood is just an unfortunate reality of owning old boats . Although sadly I have seen so many brand new boat builders still putting nothing more than treated plywood in the transoms. Thank you for watching my videos and let me know if there's any type of fishing or boat related videos he would like to see. I will do my best. Tight lines my friend.
It does seem funny to me that they put wood in between the layers of fiberglass. However my Larson is quite old and I'm sure technology is much better nowadays. Thank you for watching and stay safe
Absolutely. I knew I needed a new transom but I literally got the boat for free so I thought I would simply try it. I am massively impressed. The boat is still holding strong. And even after I hit gravel bar at almost 25 km/h. I do not recommend anybody does this. But it was my boat and my safety so I thought I would try. Thanks for watching the videos. Tight lines.
I agree. Sometimes I'm not planning on making a video and I quickly put something together with my phone once I realize it's an interesting topic. Thanks for the constructive criticism. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Also sorry for the late reply. Sometimes I miss them
@Nonneo why are you so angry and aggressive? you should watch only funny happy vids for awhile. you are commenting throughout all these comments and not one happy positive thing to say. I am sorry your life is not going a direction that makes you feel happy and content. perhaps talk to a friend about your feelings and go see a doctor. best of luck. hope you find your happy.
So you drill away half the wood and put in wood hardener that can only harden what's left .ho my god that's a accident in waiting .awful excuse for a bodge job
Hey Dave. The idea of drilling the holes was so the product could get deep down into the wet softwood. I'm not relying completely on the product or the repair. That's why the large aluminum plate and big aluminum washers. The repairs holding up fantastically. I even hit a gravel bar last season and nothing happened to the boat. I was prepared to do a complete fibreglass repair but I thought I would try something innovative and inexpensive first. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching
I really didn’t care about the boat if it didn’t work. But it turned out being awesome and I’m getting lots of responses from other people who have tried it. I just recommend everybody drills smaller holes and or fills those holes with epoxy after they’re done, but I just sold my boat. Took off the motor and the transom was still wicked strong.
That's funny. Thanks for the comment. The boat was given to me for free and I did not want to spend too much money. I was prepared to do a complete trash some fibreglass repair however I thought in this particular incident I would try something innovative and inexpensive. I must say I'm very pleasantly surprised with how well the repair worked and how well everything is holding up. Thanks for watching and stay safe
@@FishGawd i believe sir you half ass everything in life you can. especialy since you thought videoing a half ass job was a brag. one day your half assing things is going to kick you right in the nuts.
@@southernprojectsyt6340 wow Thanks for the thoughtful insights. I will review everything I’ve done in my life and contemplate my existence and how to live up to your standard from this moment forward. Stay safe my friend and I hope you enjoy the rest of my videos
I understood going into it that it was the wrong way. The boat was given to me for free I was hoping to just get another season out of it. Last year I hit gravel bar going full out and it held strong. And I'm going into this season feeling very confident in the strength of my transom. I appreciate it to you it's the wrong way but I would suggest that it is just what is proving to be another way. I do agree that it is a Band-Aid but it is one heck of a strong Band-Aid and I get lots of comments from people who have done this and they are very happy as well. Thanks for watching. Maybe send me a link to the type of transom repair you think I should've done.
Sorry this isn't how you fix a transom. Should've spent the extra time and money ( since you got the boat for free) and done the job right and wouldn't have to worry about it. Not gonna be so happy when the motor is submerged in the water with only the cables keeping it from going to the bottom.
I cringed when I saw this for a repair! Bolting a heavy steel plate to the transom inside the boat would be far stronger. This is a diaster waiting to happen. Either the motor will fall off on the water, or going over a bump while towing will break it. Replacing a transom on a boat this size is not that hard. The easiest way is to drill out all the material and fill with seacast... Or cut the inner skin out, dig out the old transom. Use marine plywood and epoxy the new wood in. I understand wanting a quick fix, but damn!!!
Keith Evans Thanks for the input. It is solid. Last trip out we hit a gravel bar. Transom held rock solid. Cracked the fibreglass 20+ inches up on the port side a bit. Happy youtubing keith.
@@FishGawd im not here to harp on you or bust your balls, but the reason the fiberglass cracked the 20+ inches is because the transom flexed, because the transom was rotten.
I know right. the boat was free and i thought I would just try it. its 3 seasons later and still strong and water tight. thanks for watching and tight lines my friend
This is NOT HOW you fix a transom. Materials are so damn cheap in America, you should have done a proper job. You only risk wider structural failure, resulting in losing your engine, even sinking.
I totally agree with you. Although I am not in America. I was going to replace the whole transom at a professional fibreglass shop but I thought I would try something innovative and inexpensive. This is now the fourth season I've been using the boat since the repair and I must say I'm very impressed with how strong it is holding. I even hit a gravel bar going quite fast and came to a dead stop. It held strong. Sorry the reply took so long. Sometimes I miss the comments. Thank you for watching and stay safe
did it 2019 summer and she is still strong. Hit a gravel bar hard this season and it held fast. I was already needing a new transom so I figured why not just try. worst case I woul replace the transom. but to my amazement it worked great.. The new aluminum plates help a lot too. Thanks for watching
Hey man thanks for this. Obviously you know you can do the whole 9 yards and there's lots of videos for it. But I like knowing you don't have to spend a week on and off replacing everything. Especially in my case, I have some flex but not near as bad as yours is so I think it's worth shooting some hardner in there and replacing the cheap wood the motor bolts to in the inside. I'm going camping for the 4th and don't have the energy to hope I can rip the transom out and deal with the full process. 🍻 💪 👍
Justin K Thanks justin. Lotsa trolls on this one lol. But my transom is solid and I even hit a gravel bar hard. It held fast. Do yourself a favour and drill smaller diameter holes. But just as deep. Good luck and happy 4th of july
Yes, I'm going smaller on the holes because of your comment, plus I figure the more wood, rotted or not, the better. My transom has glass and gel coat over the wood where the cap is so I have 2 choices. I can try to use the existing screw holes and hope enough hardener gets in, or cut the top sheet of glass off so I can really feed that wood. I wanna let it dry out as much as I can as well. I'm going to try blow compressed air through it to help, and thinking about trying to blow that hardener through as well. Hopefully it won't go straight to my eyes 😂. I'm also going to make an engine hanger with my ladder 😂. I want to obviously have it strapped or chained then lift the bow up and pull the boat itself out just enough to get to the transom cap. I'm going to attempt it with unhooking the least amount of components. This shit is gonna be interesting, I'm thinking about making a video of the process. Anyway, sorry for the novel, happy 4th
@@FishGawd I did! It's been holding up a year now and still going! I reinforced it with a sheet of steel, wanted aluminum but it was hard to find around me. Anyway it's holding strong!
Hey John. To be honest I wasn't sure if the repair was going to work. I was totally prepared to go to the fibreglass shop and get a complete transom repair but I thought it would be a good opportunity to try something innovative and inexpensive. To be honest the repair is holding up very well. I even hit a gravel bar last season going quite fast and there was no damage to the transom. Anyway thank you for watching and stay safe
Certainly not knocking you on attempting a simple short life fix, if it worked, great.. But the extent of rot can be incredible, which worries meself, I am just sorting mine, I cut out a 150mm square on the inside fibreglass, the wood went from crumble to a putty like substance, I thought I had a small area of it, not a chance lol, it covered the full transom as I found, so this wood hardener would not have had a chance, mine's a full re-fit ...
Best of luck my friend. To my surprise I've already had the boat out a few times this season for the third year. It's still holding rocksolid in my case. But of course always do it the right way. Check your local regulations. And building codes lol. Thanks for watching and by all means keep me updated on your repair
How many bottles did you use? Also how long did you actually wait for it to cure. I’m doing this tomorrow and will only Be using it on a lake with a 50hp motor. Most of the transom is decent I believe!
That one took me I believe five bottles. If you’re going to do it, I recommend drilling, smaller holes so you’ll leave much more material in the transom, but I just got rid of my boat a couple months ago. The person I sold it to was happy, and the transom was still holding strong. Good luck. Feel free to let me know how it worked out.
I would never do this myself, replacing the hole transom does not take more than days, meaning that you could of had it done and gone fishing in a week including the dry time and paint time, one does not put a band aid on when one can just do the hold surgery quick
You're absolutely right. I do get this comment from a lot of people. However it was not so much the time issue but more of the money issue. I got this boat for free and did not intend on keeping it for very long however this repair is still holding up. If you watch my most recent gull Lake video we actually nailed a gravel bar at full throttle. The transom held up like a champ. Either way thanks for the advice and thanks for watching. Sorry for the late reply. I do my best but sometimes I fall behind
I’m not sure. Nothing I did. There was conventional. I had to take mine off because the transom was so soft that my motor actually poked a couple holes in the fiberglass and I was taking on water when I was fishing at Lake Baptiste. Please let me know how it works out for you. Also, I recommend using a much skinnier drillbit and taking out far less material, or if you use a big drillbit, fill the holes afterwards with some kind of epoxy
I really like your approach. My transom does not appear to be super bad, but I won't know until I open it up. Now I need to find the hardener you had. I saved this info so I can use it when I do mine.
You can do it!. I suggest you drill smaller diameter holes. But mine is still holding strong regardless of all the negative comments I get. I don't think you should use this approach if you're going to take your boat out in big waves like out in the ocean but it's holding up really well here in the lakes and I've been in some very rough weather. Thanks for watching and good luck with your boat
I’m not sure. Mine is holding strong. I have hit a couple gravel bars over the years since the repair. I’d be interested to find out what you chose to do.
It was holding up awesome. I have sold the boat this winter but I know for a fact the person who bought it has taken the boat out a few times already this year. I suggest everyone drilling, smaller holes as deep as possible to leave as much of the original woulIt was holding up awesome. I have sold the boat this winter but I know for a fact the person who bought it has taken the boat out a few times already this year. I suggest everyone drilling, smaller holes as deep as possible to leave as much of the original wood meet as possible.
Man that's a great deal. Yes I just had the boat out last week and it's still holding strong. I was sceptical because of all the negative comments I got but I must say I have had zero issues since the repair. Good luck with your new boat. Sorry for the late reply sometimes I miss the comments
robert papp It saved my but. Actually hit a gravel bar the next trip out. Only thing I would do different perhaps I would drill smaller diameter holes so that I leave even more meat in the transom. Good luck.
I am filming a new boat playlist now called find it. Fix it. Fish it. Starting with a river jet boat. It too needs transom work. So stay tuned for more. Soon.
Man. I get a lot of heat over this repair. But the fact is I've now been out six times in the third season since the repair. I even hit a gravel bar shortly after the repair. I did not expect this repair to work so well but it is holding up perfect and taking on no water. Thanks for watching and tight lines my friend
Man oh man. The repair is holding up amazing. I even hit a gravel bar last season and nothing happened to the boat. There's been a lot of negative comments. And honestly I did not know if it would work. But I did and I'm very impressed with the results. I just wanted to try something innovative and inexpensive. Thanks for watching and stay safe
@@FishGawd thank you for that I have a trans om that seems to be soft around one of the top bolts but it seems to be hard all the way around the Earth and I was thinking about doing this just to reinforce it
Initially I had nothing to lose as I intended to replace the entire transom at the boat shop so I thought I would try this cheap repair. So far I'm very pleased as I am coming into my third season and it is still holding very strong. One change I would make and suggest is to use a smaller diameter drillbit to leave more of the wood.. Thanks for watching..
This repair is still holding strong. Honestly this is the first year I've seen any sort of small movement in the transom. That being said I did hit two different gravel bars on two different occasions. I am thinking of pulling it into my shop this winter and doing a proper transom repair. Keep your eye out for that video my friend.
this is the worst idea ever...no one should ever do this to their boat and then actually put loved ones in it! You're putting your passenger's lives at risk just to save a few bucks.
That is some good insight. However the results of the repair would have to disagree. The repair is holding up strong. I even hit a gravel bar last season going quite fast and everything held up. I was going to replace the entire transom at a fibreglass shop but I decided to try something innovative and inexpensive. So far I've been very impressed with how strong everything is holding up. Sorry for the late reply sometimes I missed the comments. Stay safe and good luck with your boat repairs
i dont make money off repairing boats? that was a free boat that was ready for the graveyard. thought I would try something innovative and new... did not know or care if it worked.. just wanted to try and it worked amazing. I love thinking outside the box and finding new ways.. I find it strange how mad and aggressive people who are "this is the only way" box thinkers get in the comments when someone who has nothing to do with them does it another way... Thanks for watching. tight lines my friend
Sorry for the late reply. Sometimes I miss them. Honestly it was the first time I try to repair like this and we could use the Hardner on a house renovation to stop the stairs from squeaking. We also put it around the damp wood near an old leaky toilet. I was super impressed and just thought it would be a good option. This will be another season problem free on the water since my repair
Fish Gawd thanks! Today we reinforced a transom on a Euroline Fish and Ski 175 with a Merc 120 Force. Then with 1/4 inch diamond plate, silicone caulking and nuts/bolts to brace everything together again, we’ve resuscitated a rare boat from Wisconsin ✌🏻
derrick mcmullen So far fantastic. The weekend after I did the repair I actually hit gravel bar. It held up great. It also solved the slow weeping leaks I was having in the boat that I couldn’t find. Must’ve been all those micro cracks in the fiberglass.
Are used four. If you’re going to try this I would recommend drilling smaller holes to leave more meat in the transom. And for the record it is still holding strong and I’m going into next year without any worries. I actually didn’t think this was gonna work as good as it did. Sometimes when you try things you fluke out.
Sorry for the delay. This one did not show up in not responded to. Want to pour in the bottles the hardening process starts. You're going to want to probably clamp everything in the position that you want it to be in when it is dry. I did not do this and there's a slight bow in the fibreglass but once I clamped on the aluminum plates it fixed this issue.
That's funny and a good suggestion all at the same time. Honestly I was ready to scrap the boat and I thought I would just give it a try. We use that product in home renovations quite a bit. It's still holding very strong and doing well. Much to my surprise to be honest. Thanks for watching.
I wish I would of saw this video before I spent the money and time to replace mine with seacast. I was trying to find the best cheapest way to fix my transom that was in the same condition as yours. I only have one day a week to work on the boat and would of been finished by now if I had used your technique but I still have another day or so to get the job done.
Thanks for posting this. I just wish I would of saw it before I started..lol
Happy boating my friend!!!
Thanks for the view and hope your boat gets fixed soon. Your way will end up better and may last longer. Tight lines my friend.
I found a free 1964 glastron futura on the side of the road that's totally solid except for the transom. I'll definitely be giving this a try. Thanks!
Rock ‘n’ roll my friend. If I could suggest some thing would be to drill narrower diameter holes. Let me know how it works for you
You can use seacast to redo that transom, it’s a pourable ceramic putty that takes place of the old wood.
Sorry for the late reply. I'm not sure. I've actually never heard of that stuff. The product I used is still holding strong and I've already had the boat out last week. I'm very impressed with the repair so far
Remove all the rotted wood and fill the void with Seacast. Permanent fix, better than new.
Someone else told me that too. I've never even heard of that stuff. Perhaps when this repair fails that will be my next option. Had the boat out last week and it is still holding strong
@@FishGawd hows it now
Ending my third season since the repair and it is still holding strong. I did hit to gravel bar's quite hard. This end of season it is showing a tiny bit of movement and I might actually do a full transom repair over the winter. But I must say I'm super happy for how good did end up working for me.
That look so good , I just got a old boat and I hv to do the same repair I would do the same thing u did thanks for the information 😊
I would just recommend drilling smaller holes so you leave more wood. This literally lasted me four seasons and I nailed quite a few gravel bars. I recently just gave away the boat but it was not because the transom was soft. It's because I got a bigger one.
Wow that is amazing and thanks for sharing idea, I have the same problem but in the up bolt of transom and a friend told me use a plate to reforce the the transom.
That’s just how I chose to do the repair. I don’t recommend anybody else do this, but I will tell you that mine is still holding strong today. And I have hit a couple gravel bars, pretty hard, and it held perfectly fine.
@@FishGawd wow that's great, I know but repair the all transom is very spensive because I have a 22' stratos boat walkaround 1994 and is huge transom, I just need reforce with polyester resin and fiberglass, thanks for the video
This is awesome! Ive got a jon boat totally not worth going through the trouble of replacing the transom. Ill mostly be trolling on flat water. Just curious why you reinforced with metal plates. Was it only to keep the motor mounts from deforming the fiberglass? Ive got really thin aluminum cover plate on the inside. You a much smaller extra plate would be sufficient? How did you reattach the top metal piece. Not sure if that provides any structural support for my boat.
I believe I put the top metal strip back on with screws. I also put a whole bunch of no more nails wet grab underneath it.. Good luck with your project. And thanks for watching..
Looks mint man, it's not stupid if it works!
Sorry for the late reply. I sometimes get behind on keeping up with the comments. If you check out my most current video at gull Lake. We actually hit a gravel bar at full throttle. The transom held up like a champ. I'm actually shocked at how well this silly repair worked. I was just hoping to get the rest of that season out of the boat before I had to replace the transom but this is now the fourth season. Thanks for watching and the support. Tight lines my friend
How long did this repair last?!
well I did it summer 2019. I sold the boat this winter and new owner is out enjoying the boat still right now. I suggest drilling smalller holes to leave in more wood meat. Good luck if you going to do this.
How well is this holding up I just bought a bass boat that has a little flex at the top and this looks like a good fix for it along with a reinforcing plate.
And since I posted the video it has been holding strong. As a matter of fact I have seen stress cracks on the sides of the boat but nothing has changed on the transom. So far. I did this repair because I had nothing to lose. The transom itself was going to be a complete rebuilt however I'm super impressed at how well it worked. My advice would be to use a much smaller diameter drillbit to leave more meat in the Wood.
@@FishGawd what do you think about not using a drill bit at all and just letting is soak down / in? You think it might penetrate enough? I was thinking of doing this as well and was only concerned about drilling holes and weakening things more etc
Sorry Josh sometimes when people reply to my reply it slips through the cracks. Did you do the repair? How did it work out? As far as your question I think drilling small holes would be advantageous. I do not feel you'll get full penetration or absorption. But again I just tried this to see if I could buy some time and save some money. Let me know how your results work out..
After some seasons how has this held up?? My transoms in pretty similar condition, and like your boat mine was (almost) free so spending a ton of money in it doesnt make much sense for me. Curious if its still strong and rigid?
Heck yes. I actually gave the boat away this winter and the new guy has a 125 on the back. It held up amazing. Tons of people told me it would never work in the comments but it stayed strong.. I believe a lot of it had to do with the awesome aluminum plates as well, but nothing in the transom was spongy. Thanks for watching.
I just bought a B.O.A.T. About a month ago and have put in quite a bit to get it and keep it lake ready. I’ve done some rewiring, got new bunk boards ready to install, new wheel bearings and a bunch of small things to top it off. Every time I took it to the lake so far my hull was getting filled with water. Locating the leak led me to several poorly sealed through hulls and plug tubes. Im looking to do what you did since I’m only planning to keep it a couple years and selling it. Have you had pretty good luck with this fix as I really don’t want to tear into it more than I have to. Also is there a plate that goes on the inside for the bottom bolts?
Im on season 4. 217 hours on the motor since the fix. Still strong. Out on cold lake alberta right now. Storms and big waves. Holding strong still
I’m thinking of trying this same process but drilling more holes to hollow out the transoms without cutting into the fiberglass and filling with SeaCats think it would work?
Several other people commented about that same product. I don't know anything about it because I've never tried it. I will see the product I used is holding strong. I actually had the boat out last week for the first time this season and I am still very impressed. Sorry for the late reply sometimes I miss the comments. Thanks for watching and stay safe
You have to remove all the wood for SeaCast to work. It will not preserve the wood unfortunately and leave voids. I used a chainsaw and a similar product pour in transom. It was extremely solid
Finally someone with common sense. Every boat video on here is a full on restoration and to make themselves feel better they act like its the only option when this can prolong it for a while. You never claimed it was permanent. Just a couple more years. My "couple of years" is now on year 5 and im probably going to have to actually replace it next year and im fine with doing that but thrilled i got 5 out of some wood hardener and plate lol
Rock 'n' roll. Thank you for the compliment and I'm glad that your transom is working as well. I'm now moving into another season with confidence. And I even nailed a gravel bar really bad last year. It held strong. Thanks for watching
NICE!!!
Did you do the same thing to yours?
Did you follow the same procedure as described here? or did you do something different?
How did repair hold up over time? I see this video is 4 years old? Awesome content
Did it work? Update video perhaps?
Great idea. I will today. Im out on cold lake today in storms and big waves. Still strong. Season 4 and 217 hours later.
How well did this last for you I'm on my way to look at a boat right now that has some cracks in the back where the guy left the motor down when dropping them both in the water and it cracked the transom
This summer will be my fourth season on this repair. I’ve even hit a gravel bar twice with that repair. One is so bad it damn near knocked over the blade off my prop. I would recommend smaller holes.
I enjoyed watching this...thanks!
Nice and organized tools too!
Doing a similar “fix” without the hardener as my transom isnt as bad. Just have cracking in gel coat where the motor mounts to so I figure I reinforce the whole transom w 1/4” 40”x18” aluminum on exterior and 8”x30” on the interior. How were you able to drill the motor mount holes to match up with current motor mount holes? Clamps snd use the current holes as guides?
I clamped the flat sheet against the transom and then drilled through from the inside. Then I did the same in the other direction
Could you send me the link where you got the plates from?
@FishGawd
The plate was off the back of an old electrical panel. It was probably 3/8 or half inch thick aluminum. I cut out off the bottom the pieces I needed that acted as the inside plates as well.
Soft transom means what exactly?? And what exactly causes it because I have one that cracked fiberglass..
I am no boat expert by any stretch of the imagination. I'm sure there are many reasons for soft or cracked transoms. In this particular case the original motor had cracked fibreglass for some reason before I got the boat. My new motor seemed to make these cracks worse and my boat always had a little bit of water in it. This slowly got worse as well. When I removed my motor I saw how bad the cracks were where it was bolted through. Upon further inspection I realized the wood or the material between the two layers of fibreglass was spongy. I literally got this boat for free and the estimate I was getting for a rebuilt transom or thousands of dollars. I figured I had nothing to lose when I tried what I did and it is still holding strong to this day. I'm sure a large part of the strength of my repair is the large plate that I used to spread out the weight of the motor. I believe some common reasons for cracks in the fibreglass on and around the transom and motor have to do with a soft core inside the transom. Motor bounce when you are towing your boat over the years. One tip I received for this is to get something called a transom saver. It goes from your motor to your trailer and illuminates the torque caused by hitting bumps with a large motor balancing on the transom. I hope my comment covered your question. Thank you for watching. Let me know if you find out anything different about your transom. I am interested
Thanks for the video. My transom is in better shape than yours was, it’s just a bit squishier than it oughta be. I was just going to do a steel plate, but maybe I’ll do this first to firm things up before they get worse. Did you do anything in particular to dry out the wood before hardening?
To better reach the lower bits where it’s softest, I’m considering drilling some angled holes from the inside of the boat about 6” up from the bottom. Then cap the holes with epoxy. Thoughts?
Sorry for the late reply. Sometimes I miss the comments. I really did nothing to prepare except let the box sit for a few hours. With the top open. I had the boat out last week and it is still performing awesome. Did you end up going with this type of repair? If so how did it work for you
No, haven’t done it yet. Been focused on getting the engine running (almost done). Plan is to leave the transom as is for this season, then implement a similar reality this fall. Only difference is instead of the 2 individual plates, I’ve got a local shop here that can bend me a one piece stainless steel cap/plate that will slide over the transom.
keep me posted how she turns out.
There you go now you have a hollow transom! Awesome!
Just had the boat out last week. The repair is still holding strong and I'm very impressed. Thanks for watching the videos and sorry for the late reply. Sometimes I miss them.
How did this end up working? Don’t think my boats worth replacing the whole entire transom so was thinking of something as a quick fix. Did it last long?
Yes. It's holding up fantastically. I just had the boat out last week and it is still holding very strong. I even had a gravel bar last season going quite fast and nothing happened to the boat. I'm very impressed. To be honest I didn't expect it to work at all let alone so well. Good luck with your boat and stay safe
How did it go since you fixed it?
I believe that video was 2019. If you check out my channel I just recently was up in very rough weather in cold lake northern Alberta. I was not worried about the transom at all. I have not even had a single drop of water leak. I've had plenty of other UA-camrs thank me and tell me it worked on their boats as well. The only thing I would've changed as I would've drilled much smaller diameter holes to leave even more wood in place. The aluminum plate that I used was probably 3/8 of an inch thick inside and outside. That probably has a lot to do with helping. Thanks for watching
After watching this video, we are doing this same repair next weekend. What kind and how much glues/calks did you use on the back?
Make sure you use a polyurethane or sikaflex
Damn, just rebuilt the whole transom. This looks easier. 😂
If you love the boat… I mean like plan on keeping it, passing it down, etc…
Do the transom repair, and add a engine bracket!
Gain about 2 feet in length, (fantastic diving or casting platform)
2 feet in deck area, and no more low area on the transom for water to flood in and out of.
My first boat didn’t have a bracket, but when the transom failed, it was loaded down with resin instead of more wood, and it was nice to stop now and not have water plowing over the back.
My “new to me” 23’ proline is definitely getting a bracket, even though there’s nothing concerning about her transom.
Seriously, if you love that boat, consider a outboard extension bracket.
The plan was when that quick fix was getting soft I was going to add a pod similar to the boats in Florida. I would rebuild the entire transom when installing the pod. This way I could get rid of the flood deck and add about 2 feet to the room in the boat as well as moving my power backwards and getting up on plain better. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this boat right now because I have just come into possession of another fantastic project. Stay tuned to find out when I choose to do I guess. Thanks for watching and tight lines
It's a small boat that repair will last you for ever good luck.
How long did this repair hold up?
well I did it summer 2019 and its still strong now.. I hit a gravel bar hard this season and she held fast. if you try it I suggest smaller holes to leave more material to harden. Thanks for watching.
I did the small holes worked out well! How wide are the front and back plates?
More important than my measurement is the fact that I just went as wide as I could on the inside. Obviously the more you spread out the weight the better it will be. This goes for the inside and outside in my opinion.
I'm in the same situation as you. Soft/cracked transom, bolt "sucking" through... What was the spacing on the holes you drilled and what size bit? I'm probably going to do the same exact fix as you.
mitragorz Are used half inch stainless steel bolts with Nylok Nuts and lockwashers. My Trans Am was roughly 1 1/2 inches thick. I added 3/8 aluminum plate on the back and I used 3/8 aluminum plate as large washers and backing on the inside. Make sure you use sick a flex or polyurethane on all your holes.
@@FishGawd Sorry, I meant the holes you drilled vertically in the plywood before pouring the Varathane, or did you just go willy-nilly?
My transom is probably only an inch, maybe a touch more. I'm planning on 1/4" 5052 aluminum, 18x30 sheet on the outside and 6x29 (not a big splashwell) on the inside. Lower bolts are in the bilge, so I;ll have to cut up some plate for that separately. I'll probably be using 3M 4200 on the holes. The motor is only 90hp, so hopefully the hardener+plates will hold.
@@mitragorz Yup willie nilly. I would recommend smaller holes so more wood remains. But as deep as you can
willy nilly.
How many cans of the verethane did you use
hardner not verethane.. answer 4.
Fish Gawd the brand name was Verethane right.
hmmmm?
yup
How is it holding up?
The video with Wendy , walleye fishing we hit a gravel Bar at around 3 knots. It held solid. Between the wood hardner and the aluminum plates. SOLID so far
Thanks for watching.. Have you subscribed?
How is the repair holding up? I just bought a boat and was thinking of using carbon core but it would cost $1000 for the pour in ceramic filled polyester
My most recent video Gull lake 2022 on that trip we actually had a gravel bar from full throttle. It is season four and I was concerned it might be starting to get soft but it held strong. Thanks for watching
@@FishGawd Thanks for the reply. I bought a long 1/4” drill bit. I am going to give it a shot.
For real Ron. Let me know how it works out. Maybe shoot me some pictures at my email. fishgawd11@gmail.com Best of luck and tight lines
@@ronminervino6718how did it go?
@@csorse it didn’t work. I put in a new transom
Nice!!’
thanks mang.
Update????
was just out in rough weather and she is still holding solid. I am even surprised at how well this worked.
Seems good to make it though a season, I would def consider just fixing it the right way though in the winter
It's actually holding super strong to my surprise as well. There's a lot of other soft spots on the boat and I'm probably not gonna spend a lot of money on it as I have a different boat project that we will be hopefully fishing soon. We will not be cutting corners on the boat. Thanks for watching
@@FishGawd the boat projects never stop 😂 but at least you are getting some use out of it, it’s all about the entry price and free a good price
l assume u guy fish on those little lakes and not the ocean. cool
you are correct. I would never rely on that repair on the big drink. But it is 3 years now and still strong.. Thanks for watching. lots of my videos are on lakes. check them out. tight lines my friend
Learned something new, thanks! I am working an old 1987 Ranger project and this may come in handy :)
Definitely not the right way and it is definitely holding stronger than even I anticipated. Already had the boat out four times this season and it's still rocksolid. Thanks for watching
@@FishGawd We recently bought an inboard/outboard boat with a highly deteriorated engine box cover, your video helped a lot! I poured a can of hardener into the shell, rolled paper towels and pushed them in with a screwdriver about 1-1/2", filed it to the top with fiberglass resin. Solid as a rock now!!! I did something similar to the deteriorated swim platform. taped all the holes and filed them fiberglass resin and until it would take no more (over 1 quart), solid!!!
Right on Richard. I didn't know if it work when I did it but I'm glad it did and I'm glad it helped you
Where is part 2 ??
part two? Thats all. did I say there was a part two in the video? LOL because thats it my friend
Great video! Where did you get the metal plate to cover the transom?
The metal plate was the backing from an electrical panel that my neighbour gave me.
Update on it ?
Contrary to all the negative comments. It is still holding very strong. I have noticed a little bit of flex in the corners where it attaches to the rest of the hull however it is still running very strong and holding very well. For such a simple idea it is definitely lasting. If I did it again or I recommended it to somebody I would suggest drilling much smaller holes than I did and leaving much more of the meat intact but all in all it's saved me thousands of dollars and I'm now going into my fourth season on this repair
@@FishGawd thanks for responding , hell yea. As long as it last through the seasons sounds good
Very dangerous-if the fiberglass cracks-the wood is rotten. Patching is dangerous. Replace with Seacast™.
Our full rebuild was always the intention but I figured why not try something new and innovative. This is the end of the third season. I have put over 100 hours on the transom. It is holding up surprisingly well but I can tell it's slowly getting softer. I'm going to do a full re-build this winter. When I did that I was hoping it would just last one season but I am very impressed. Thanks for watching. Tight lines my friend and good luck with your boat rebuild.
I dont know mich bit I do know wood should not be used.. there are so many better new materials that are water resistant
I absolutely agree. However this is a very old boat and wet rotten plywood is just an unfortunate reality of owning old boats . Although sadly I have seen so many brand new boat builders still putting nothing more than treated plywood in the transoms. Thank you for watching my videos and let me know if there's any type of fishing or boat related videos he would like to see. I will do my best. Tight lines my friend.
Just another reason wood don’t belong in boats
It does seem funny to me that they put wood in between the layers of fiberglass. However my Larson is quite old and I'm sure technology is much better nowadays. Thank you for watching and stay safe
That’s not how to fix a transom that’s how to put on a bandage
Absolutely. I knew I needed a new transom but I literally got the boat for free so I thought I would simply try it. I am massively impressed. The boat is still holding strong. And even after I hit gravel bar at almost 25 km/h. I do not recommend anybody does this. But it was my boat and my safety so I thought I would try. Thanks for watching the videos. Tight lines.
Really need to put the camera on a tripod. Holding it is ruining the video.
I agree. Sometimes I'm not planning on making a video and I quickly put something together with my phone once I realize it's an interesting topic. Thanks for the constructive criticism. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Also sorry for the late reply. Sometimes I miss them
Stop bitching and go and make your own videos then
@@Fluid36 shut your hole liberal scumbag
@Nonneo why are you so angry and aggressive? you should watch only funny happy vids for awhile. you are commenting throughout all these comments and not one happy positive thing to say. I am sorry your life is not going a direction that makes you feel happy and content. perhaps talk to a friend about your feelings and go see a doctor. best of luck. hope you find your happy.
That hand thing you do needs to stop holy shit...gonna go see if you do it in every video
ya. I do.. but way less and trying new transitions. lol.. thanks for watching
So you drill away half the wood and put in wood hardener that can only harden what's left .ho my god that's a accident in waiting .awful excuse for a bodge job
Hey Dave. The idea of drilling the holes was so the product could get deep down into the wet softwood. I'm not relying completely on the product or the repair. That's why the large aluminum plate and big aluminum washers. The repairs holding up fantastically. I even hit a gravel bar last season and nothing happened to the boat. I was prepared to do a complete fibreglass repair but I thought I would try something innovative and inexpensive first. Thanks for the comments and thanks for watching
i get this is 4 years old but thats terrible
I really didn’t care about the boat if it didn’t work. But it turned out being awesome and I’m getting lots of responses from other people who have tried it. I just recommend everybody drills smaller holes and or fills those holes with epoxy after they’re done, but I just sold my boat. Took off the motor and the transom was still wicked strong.
interesting. however, you know what your video tells me. it tells me to never buy a boat you've owned.
That's funny. Thanks for the comment. The boat was given to me for free and I did not want to spend too much money. I was prepared to do a complete trash some fibreglass repair however I thought in this particular incident I would try something innovative and inexpensive. I must say I'm very pleasantly surprised with how well the repair worked and how well everything is holding up. Thanks for watching and stay safe
@@FishGawd i believe sir you half ass everything in life you can. especialy since you thought videoing a half ass job was a brag. one day your half assing things is going to kick you right in the nuts.
@@southernprojectsyt6340 wow Thanks for the thoughtful insights. I will review everything I’ve done in my life and contemplate my existence and how to live up to your standard from this moment forward. Stay safe my friend and I hope you enjoy the rest of my videos
@@FishGawd i don't like people that halfass a job. or condecending people. you are both.
@@FishGawd all crap aside. i'm glad it worked out for you.
That is completely the wrong way to fix it my friend
I understood going into it that it was the wrong way. The boat was given to me for free I was hoping to just get another season out of it. Last year I hit gravel bar going full out and it held strong. And I'm going into this season feeling very confident in the strength of my transom. I appreciate it to you it's the wrong way but I would suggest that it is just what is proving to be another way. I do agree that it is a Band-Aid but it is one heck of a strong Band-Aid and I get lots of comments from people who have done this and they are very happy as well. Thanks for watching. Maybe send me a link to the type of transom repair you think I should've done.
Such a hack job😂😂😂😂
Thanks for watching the video. I look forward to future constructive criticisms. Tight lines and stay safe my friend
Sorry this isn't how you fix a transom. Should've spent the extra time and money ( since you got the boat for free) and done the job right and wouldn't have to worry about it. Not gonna be so happy when the motor is submerged in the water with only the cables keeping it from going to the bottom.
I cringed when I saw this for a repair!
Bolting a heavy steel plate to the transom inside the boat would be far stronger.
This is a diaster waiting to happen. Either the motor will fall off on the water, or going over a bump while towing will break it.
Replacing a transom on a boat this size is not that hard. The easiest way is to drill out all the material and fill with seacast... Or cut the inner skin out, dig out the old transom. Use marine plywood and epoxy the new wood in.
I understand wanting a quick fix, but damn!!!
Keith Evans Thanks for the input. It is solid. Last trip out we hit a gravel bar. Transom held rock solid. Cracked the fibreglass 20+ inches up on the port side a bit. Happy youtubing keith.
Michael H. Thanks for the views. The plate is aluminum and we did big plates inside tooo. Happy youtubing.
@@FishGawd im not here to harp on you or bust your balls, but the reason the fiberglass cracked the 20+ inches is because the transom flexed, because the transom was rotten.
Hey Keith, it worked, try thinking outside the box or are you a boat builder who loves to make 5k off repairing transoms?
That stuff is meant to hard the wood just enough to make sanding consistent and the grain from lifting in high humidity 😅
I know right. the boat was free and i thought I would just try it. its 3 seasons later and still strong and water tight. thanks for watching and tight lines my friend
This is NOT HOW you fix a transom. Materials are so damn cheap in America, you should have done a proper job. You only risk wider structural failure, resulting in losing your engine, even sinking.
I totally agree with you. Although I am not in America. I was going to replace the whole transom at a professional fibreglass shop but I thought I would try something innovative and inexpensive. This is now the fourth season I've been using the boat since the repair and I must say I'm very impressed with how strong it is holding. I even hit a gravel bar going quite fast and came to a dead stop. It held strong. Sorry the reply took so long. Sometimes I miss the comments. Thank you for watching and stay safe
I do not believe this worked at all
did it 2019 summer and she is still strong. Hit a gravel bar hard this season and it held fast. I was already needing a new transom so I figured why not just try. worst case I woul replace the transom. but to my amazement it worked great.. The new aluminum plates help a lot too. Thanks for watching
Hey man thanks for this. Obviously you know you can do the whole 9 yards and there's lots of videos for it. But I like knowing you don't have to spend a week on and off replacing everything. Especially in my case, I have some flex but not near as bad as yours is so I think it's worth shooting some hardner in there and replacing the cheap wood the motor bolts to in the inside. I'm going camping for the 4th and don't have the energy to hope I can rip the transom out and deal with the full process. 🍻 💪 👍
Justin K Thanks justin. Lotsa trolls on this one lol. But my transom is solid and I even hit a gravel bar hard. It held fast. Do yourself a favour and drill smaller diameter holes. But just as deep. Good luck and happy 4th of july
Yes, I'm going smaller on the holes because of your comment, plus I figure the more wood, rotted or not, the better. My transom has glass and gel coat over the wood where the cap is so I have 2 choices. I can try to use the existing screw holes and hope enough hardener gets in, or cut the top sheet of glass off so I can really feed that wood. I wanna let it dry out as much as I can as well. I'm going to try blow compressed air through it to help, and thinking about trying to blow that hardener through as well. Hopefully it won't go straight to my eyes 😂. I'm also going to make an engine hanger with my ladder 😂. I want to obviously have it strapped or chained then lift the bow up and pull the boat itself out just enough to get to the transom cap. I'm going to attempt it with unhooking the least amount of components. This shit is gonna be interesting, I'm thinking about making a video of the process. Anyway, sorry for the novel, happy 4th
did you get the boat done? how did she turn out?
@@FishGawd I did! It's been holding up a year now and still going! I reinforced it with a sheet of steel, wanted aluminum but it was hard to find around me. Anyway it's holding strong!
Glad to hear my friend. Best of luck this fishing season.
Nice, where you find metal skid? How name it?
This is a joke, right?
Hey John. To be honest I wasn't sure if the repair was going to work. I was totally prepared to go to the fibreglass shop and get a complete transom repair but I thought it would be a good opportunity to try something innovative and inexpensive. To be honest the repair is holding up very well. I even hit a gravel bar last season going quite fast and there was no damage to the transom. Anyway thank you for watching and stay safe
Certainly not knocking you on attempting a simple short life fix, if it worked, great.. But the extent of rot can be incredible, which worries meself, I am just sorting mine, I cut out a 150mm square on the inside fibreglass, the wood went from crumble to a putty like substance, I thought I had a small area of it, not a chance lol, it covered the full transom as I found, so this wood hardener would not have had a chance, mine's a full re-fit ...
Best of luck my friend. To my surprise I've already had the boat out a few times this season for the third year. It's still holding rocksolid in my case. But of course always do it the right way. Check your local regulations. And building codes lol. Thanks for watching and by all means keep me updated on your repair
did you fix your boat yet/ how did it turn out?
How many bottles did you use? Also how long did you actually wait for it to cure. I’m doing this tomorrow and will only Be using it on a lake with a 50hp motor. Most of the transom is decent I believe!
That one took me I believe five bottles. If you’re going to do it, I recommend drilling, smaller holes so you’ll leave much more material in the transom, but I just got rid of my boat a couple months ago. The person I sold it to was happy, and the transom was still holding strong. Good luck. Feel free to let me know how it worked out.
I would never do this myself, replacing the hole transom does not take more than days, meaning that you could of had it done and gone fishing in a week including the dry time and paint time, one does not put a band aid on when one can just do the hold surgery quick
You're absolutely right. I do get this comment from a lot of people. However it was not so much the time issue but more of the money issue. I got this boat for free and did not intend on keeping it for very long however this repair is still holding up. If you watch my most recent gull Lake video we actually nailed a gravel bar at full throttle. The transom held up like a champ. Either way thanks for the advice and thanks for watching. Sorry for the late reply. I do my best but sometimes I fall behind
Howdy. I have a 90 hp Johnson. Do you think it's necessary to take the outboard off for this repair?
I’m not sure. Nothing I did. There was conventional. I had to take mine off because the transom was so soft that my motor actually poked a couple holes in the fiberglass and I was taking on water when I was fishing at Lake Baptiste. Please let me know how it works out for you. Also, I recommend using a much skinnier drillbit and taking out far less material, or if you use a big drillbit, fill the holes afterwards with some kind of epoxy
I really like your approach. My transom does not appear to be super bad, but I won't know until I open it up. Now I need to find the hardener you had. I saved this info so I can use it when I do mine.
You can do it!. I suggest you drill smaller diameter holes. But mine is still holding strong regardless of all the negative comments I get. I don't think you should use this approach if you're going to take your boat out in big waves like out in the ocean but it's holding up really well here in the lakes and I've been in some very rough weather. Thanks for watching and good luck with your boat
@@FishGawd I am going to drill 1/4 inch holes and after i pour the hardener in I am going to hammer in 1/4 dowel in the holes
I have a 1977 wellcraft with a 150hp do you think this would hold up with a motor that big
I’m not sure. Mine is holding strong. I have hit a couple gravel bars over the years since the repair. I’d be interested to find out what you chose to do.
It’s been 4 years since the video. Is the transom still holding up?
It was holding up awesome. I have sold the boat this winter but I know for a fact the person who bought it has taken the boat out a few times already this year. I suggest everyone drilling, smaller holes as deep as possible to leave as much of the original woulIt was holding up awesome. I have sold the boat this winter but I know for a fact the person who bought it has taken the boat out a few times already this year. I suggest everyone drilling, smaller holes as deep as possible to leave as much of the original wood meet as possible.
Now, this is a certified smart video wow great job...
Glad you liked it!. its still strong.. even after 2 gravel bar hard hits.. thanks for watching
Power boss. Thanks for the idea. Hope can find the hardener in Malaysia..hahaha
Good luck!
Still holding up gonna try this on a 76 sidewinder I’m getting for 500$ with a trailer
Man that's a great deal. Yes I just had the boat out last week and it's still holding strong. I was sceptical because of all the negative comments I got but I must say I have had zero issues since the repair. Good luck with your new boat. Sorry for the late reply sometimes I miss the comments
How about some rebar spikes?? Whadya think bro?
that is a great idea. put them in the holes you drill after the resin hardener. great thinking. thanks for sharing. tight lines my friend
Did you use stainless or aluminum plates?
Aluminum. Still holding strong today
How long did that last?
This is year 2. even hit a gravel bar and it held fast
just had her out last week. still strong
Oh man...
thanks for the video. Exact on time. I’m in same project, to save a transom.
robert papp It saved my but. Actually hit a gravel bar the next trip out. Only thing I would do different perhaps I would drill smaller diameter holes so that I leave even more meat in the transom. Good luck.
I am filming a new boat playlist now called find it. Fix it. Fish it. Starting with a river jet boat. It too needs transom work. So stay tuned for more. Soon.
@@FishGawd thanks, I'll follow it.
@@FishGawd how did it go?
Is it still NOT taking on water?
Man. I get a lot of heat over this repair. But the fact is I've now been out six times in the third season since the repair. I even hit a gravel bar shortly after the repair. I did not expect this repair to work so well but it is holding up perfect and taking on no water.
Thanks for watching and tight lines my friend
It's been a year later according to meet her this fixed holding up for you
Man oh man. The repair is holding up amazing. I even hit a gravel bar last season and nothing happened to the boat. There's been a lot of negative comments. And honestly I did not know if it would work. But I did and I'm very impressed with the results. I just wanted to try something innovative and inexpensive. Thanks for watching and stay safe
@@FishGawd thank you for that I have a trans om that seems to be soft around one of the top bolts but it seems to be hard all the way around the Earth and I was thinking about doing this just to reinforce it
@@billmatlock4118 Best of luck. Let me know how it turns out
Ive watched this video a few times, are you happy with the results
Initially I had nothing to lose as I intended to replace the entire transom at the boat shop so I thought I would try this cheap repair. So far I'm very pleased as I am coming into my third season and it is still holding very strong. One change I would make and suggest is to use a smaller diameter drillbit to leave more of the wood.. Thanks for watching..
@@FishGawd did it stop it from taking water ? Thanks
This repair is still holding strong. Honestly this is the first year I've seen any sort of small movement in the transom. That being said I did hit two different gravel bars on two different occasions. I am thinking of pulling it into my shop this winter and doing a proper transom repair. Keep your eye out for that video my friend.
this is the worst idea ever...no one should ever do this to their boat and then actually put loved ones in it! You're putting your passenger's lives at risk just to save a few bucks.
That is some good insight. However the results of the repair would have to disagree. The repair is holding up strong. I even hit a gravel bar last season going quite fast and everything held up. I was going to replace the entire transom at a fibreglass shop but I decided to try something innovative and inexpensive. So far I've been very impressed with how strong everything is holding up. Sorry for the late reply sometimes I missed the comments. Stay safe and good luck with your boat repairs
Says the guy who makes money off repairing boats, also please spare me your loved ones nonsense.
i dont make money off repairing boats? that was a free boat that was ready for the graveyard. thought I would try something innovative and new... did not know or care if it worked.. just wanted to try and it worked amazing. I love thinking outside the box and finding new ways.. I find it strange how mad and aggressive people who are "this is the only way" box thinkers get in the comments when someone who has nothing to do with them does it another way... Thanks for watching. tight lines my friend
What made you pick that wood hardner over a boat epoxy?
The hardener penetrates the wood very deep and replaces most of the moisture in
it, - no epoxy does it !
Sorry for the late reply. Sometimes I miss them. Honestly it was the first time I try to repair like this and we could use the Hardner on a house renovation to stop the stairs from squeaking. We also put it around the damp wood near an old leaky toilet. I was super impressed and just thought it would be a good option. This will be another season problem free on the water since my repair
How thick what's that aluminum
3/8. Came off the back of an old commercial electrical panel
Thank you how thick is the angle iron
i think that one was 2"x2"
Exactly what I was looking for!
How many bottles of hardner did you end up using?
it took me 4.. I feel smaller diameter drill holes would be better too, but still as deep as you can so hardner penetrates. Best of luck
Fish Gawd thanks! Today we reinforced a transom on a Euroline Fish and Ski 175 with a Merc 120 Force. Then with 1/4 inch diamond plate, silicone caulking and nuts/bolts to brace everything together again, we’ve resuscitated a rare boat from Wisconsin ✌🏻
@@briantima5397 well lets go fishing.. Have fun and stay safe
How's the transom holding up?
derrick mcmullen So far fantastic. The weekend after I did the repair I actually hit gravel bar. It held up great. It also solved the slow weeping leaks I was having in the boat that I couldn’t find. Must’ve been all those micro cracks in the fiberglass.
How many cans you use?
Are used four. If you’re going to try this I would recommend drilling smaller holes to leave more meat in the transom. And for the record it is still holding strong and I’m going into next year without any worries. I actually didn’t think this was gonna work as good as it did. Sometimes when you try things you fluke out.
@@FishGawd thanks for the info. my transom is nowhere as bad as yours and im gonna try this and see how it holds up.
Do you use clamps once you pour the bottles ?
Sorry for the delay. This one did not show up in not responded to. Want to pour in the bottles the hardening process starts. You're going to want to probably clamp everything in the position that you want it to be in when it is dry. I did not do this and there's a slight bow in the fibreglass but once I clamped on the aluminum plates it fixed this issue.
If your going to half ass it, you should have run a chain saw down the gap. Then filled with epoxy.
That's funny and a good suggestion all at the same time. Honestly I was ready to scrap the boat and I thought I would just give it a try. We use that product in home renovations quite a bit. It's still holding very strong and doing well. Much to my surprise to be honest. Thanks for watching.