Suggestions for repair...

[mikew4]

Originally Posted by HDAV

Or just result in a larger section being cut out.....

Why manufacturers don’t put a couple of strips of 2” wide stainless or similar or layer it into the ply core along the transom under the gel coat at manufacture which wouldn’t cost anything but minor material costs would certainly make life more difficult for this type of theft.

For a crim using an angle grinder, that would slow him down much! Life a knife through butter...

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by mikew4

For a crim using an angle grinder, that would slow him down much! Life a knife through butter...

But it would slow down his colleague that came with a chainsaw because he knows a grinder on fibreglass and wood transom will be prety slow but a chainsaw will do it in 1/4the time. Until it hits the suggested hidden stainless rods that is.

[xpertski]

Originally Posted by beamishken

But it would slow down his colleague that came with a chainsaw because he knows a grinder on fibreglass and wood transom will be prety slow but a chainsaw will do it in 1/4the time. Until it hits the suggested hidden stainless rods that is.

I’m all up for Belt and braces! Cost depending of course ... contacting a couple of potential people who can help with the crack so will feedback with what I find and what solves it [emoji106]

[HDAV]

The idea is that the steel blunts the chain yes if they have a grinder as well with a Steel disc thy could nip the hidden steel and then back to the chainsaw until they hit the next....the key is to make it hardersome chain stop fibres mixed in too will clog the saw the ply will burn up he steel discs the steel blunts the chain saw makes it more hassle yes your transome will be wrecked but other option is wrecked transom and no motor.....

[Ribtecer]

During the manufacturing process the transom needs to be laced with stainless chicken wire. That would scupper a chainsaw and make it to difficult to use a disc cutter just to cut the metal.

[GuyC]

Originally Posted by Ribtecer

During the manufacturing process the transom needs to be laced with stainless chicken wire. That would scupper a chainsaw and make it to difficult to use a disc cutter just to cut the metal.

or a strip of 'dry' kevlar embedded in the top edge of the transom, similar to chain saw trousers, which would clog the chain saw. I'm not sure how it would react to a disc cutter though.

[gtflash]

Bondo in UK is isopon body filler. This stuff absorbs water like a sponge and isn’t recommended on websites like boat design.net for marine applications. There are marine versions but don’t use car versions

[Pete7]

I suspect that crack has been there for a while allowing rainwater and saltwater to soak into the inner and possibly outer layers of ply. The big freeze last February probably did a nice job of of freezing the water and delaminating the inside layer of GRP away from the plywood.

So if you want to do it properly then you need to remove the inner layer of GRP from the transom and probably the knees to see how far the delamination and wet plywood goes. If its only a small area of wet plywood then DIY repair possible. This would also reveal if the engine mounting bolt holes are also wet, not an unknown occurrence. Larger or all the transom then still repairable.

I would start with an angle grinder and cut the top which will have to come off anyway plus a couple of inches of the inside away to see what is going on.

A DIY repair will need to be epoxy and cloth but you will also need air temperatures of plus 10.c for most epoxy repairs.

Andy Hightower had his BWM (South Coast Ribs version) repaired with a big GRP lay up after similar cracking around the knees, so it can be done.

If you don't want to go down the DIY route, Plancraft are just around the corner from you and might be worth approaching at this time of year.

Rogue Wave might also take it on.

Pete

[Poly]

Originally Posted by beamishken

But it would slow down his colleague that came with a chainsaw because he knows a grinder on fibreglass and wood transom will be prety slow but a chainsaw will do it in 1/4the time. Until it hits the suggested hidden stainless rods that is.

Thing is by the time his chainsaw hits the steel you’ve probably caused major damage to the boat. If they are going to chop my transom I’d rather they get away with the engine so the insurance claim is unambiguous rather than a repair job.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Poly

Thing is by the time his chainsaw hits the steel you’ve probably caused major damage to the boat. If they are going to chop my transom I’d rather they get away with the engine so the insurance claim is unambiguous rather than a repair job.

Thats fine if you keep everything insured, I have several boats and dont keep all insured all the time. Probably quite a few others do the same. If you own a 15yo minter engine and some low life nicks it then replacement within insurance payout may be difficult.

Im sorry but in my opinion if the crooks get away with nothing for their effort thats a bigger incentive to give up and not go trying someone elses property.

Just relying on a good insurance payout may get your engine replaced but doesnt deter the crooks, physical barriers do!

Id rather find a wrecked engine and boat left behind and have the satisfaction that the scumbags had a load of agro for nothing

[Poly]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Just relying on a good insurance payout may get your engine replaced but doesnt deter the crooks, physical barriers do!

Aye - thats why mine is in a locked shed, in a locked compound, with a dog that scares the bejesus out of me! But obvious physical barriers that make not even trying seems better to me - than a hidden one that leaves your (uninsured) boat ruined.

[36valley]

Am I the only one interested in who the the marine workshop who said there was nothing to worry about is ?

Did they look at the boat or just the photos you've shown here ?

[xpertski]

Originally Posted by 36valley

Am I the only one interested in who the the marine workshop who said there was nothing to worry about is ?

Did they look at the boat or just the photos you've shown here ?

Hi, was a workshop in Guernsey when I was there on a visit this summer, they just had a visual inspection...

[69cmw]

Originally Posted by xpertski

Hi, was a workshop in Guernsey when I was there on a visit this summer, they just had a visual inspection...

I would imagine your not the only 1 with that issue on here, a lot probably don’t even realise it as the engine will hide it [emoji849]

[Bigtalljv]

Here’s a good site on fiberglass work. Generally for hard boats but still a great resource

http://bateau2.com/howto/transom_repair/index.php

[xpertski]

Update, taken top layer off to see how wet the wood was today. It seems bone dry, the wood where the crack was is a little wet though it seems that’s just from water entering the crack directly. So rather the crack let water in and not internal expansion through wetness creating the cracks through expansion. It could be that flex over time has created the cracks so with drying out, re coating it should be ok (thoughts?). Then maybe a alu/stainless plate up and over the top as well to make extra strong .... thoughts from the photos? You can make out where the crack was/is through an extra dark line.

[xpertski]

Also either side of the transom where it joins the tubes, not sanded these bits back yet but ...

[69cmw]

Do your trailer rollers support it directly under the rear of the transom?

[xpertski]

Not far off but not directly under the very back of the transom, closest roller starts at 38cm from transom

[jwalker]

Good find, it is marine ply so should be water resistant but it did look ominous from the outside. I wouldn't just cover it over. Route out the wood to 6-8mm deep and rough up and chamfer the internal corners of the fiberglass to improve the key for the new resin. Cut up some strips of csm the width of the wood and laminate them into place to fill the routed out rebate and finally over the top edge. Rather than fit each strip of csm into the groove, you may find it easier and more convenient to wet out a puddle on a piece of board and lay your strips of csm, one at a time and on top of each other, onto the board wetting out with resin between the layers of csm. When you've got five or six layers wetted out, lift them as a soggy piece and lay them into the routed groove in a oner. Use your layup brush to stipple them into place and expel any trapped air. Repeat as necessary until you've got four or five layers over the top edges of the transom. After it's hardened, trim it back to neaten it up and apply a finishing layer of coloured resin to finish the job. If you have wax in styrene to add to the final layer, all the better, but you only need a very small amount. You can get away with making your own. The wax is candle wax dissolved in styrene and the solvent in your resin is styrene - it is possible to take enough resin for finishing and finely scrape some small shards off a candle and stir them into the resin until dissolved. You need only a very little wax. Do this before adding catalyst and pigment, of course. The final resin doesn't need to be gelcoat and it's certainly not worth buying gelcoat specially for such a small area.

When you find out what's below the other cracks I'm sure you can work out what to do.

Regarding the engine bolts holes; I'm always amazed that folk are willing to drill large holes through the transom and expose the core and then just plop a bit of sealer around them in the hope that all will stay good, most likely it won't. I know they'll be bolt sized as is but drill them out a tad to remove all old sealer. Mix up a small amount of resin and catalyze it, take a small paint brush (a water colouring paint brush is ideal) and apply the resin right through the bolt holes to seal the end grain plywood inside the transom. Apply multiple coats. I bet you'll be surprised just how much resin will be absorbed.

Good luck with it.