# replacing a STUMPNOCKER transom



## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

HMMM do you think I should replace my transom? ;D



















And I guess in 82' they used nails to put the transom pieces together. Crazy










The outside fiberglass shell is fine so should i just take the wood out use it as templates lay the new wood against the inner shell and fiberglass the new wood back in?


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

I hate to break it to you but you aint gonna use that wood for a template!  ;D  Use better wood and newer nails to put it back in.   ;D

Leave the outer skin alone and rebuild from the inside.


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

Ya I actually need to get some height on the transom and cheat a couple extra inches out of it because i have a long shaft motor to fit on there with a jack plate.


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

And while im thinking it over should I just add another 5 or so inches on it forget the jack plate?


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

Yeah that looks as tasty as one of my projects. I hate to say it, but have you checked the stringers for damage at the transom? I get to gut mine all the way. Yes, now would be the time to set transom height to match your motor if you plan on sticking with the longshaft. Eliminating the JP would simplify things and remove weight. Just make sure to tie the old skin in with the new section. I'll leave it to others to give you a good layup schedule for that. Might as well only cry once and get it all out of the way if you plan on keeping the hull. Or should I say itch scratch sneeze....

Swamp


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

i didn't know there were any stringers on a flat bottom stumpnocker. i did some more work on it this afternoon tearing more fiberglass from the transom its wet all the way through to the corners i will replace the transom this weekend for sure. Do i need to keep gutting until i get dry? not just stop at the three corners


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

May not be.  In the photos you posted it looks like there may be, but they look very small.  Those may just be battery "boxes" or whatever. Post a pic of the whole bottom especially at the transom.

I would not dream of replacing only part of a wooden transom, especially given the extent of your damage.  I'd replace the whole thing with high quality marine grade ply coated on all sides with epoxy at a minimum.  IMO wood and polyester resin are not a long term recipe for success, use epoxy.  Keep in mind epoxy will stick to polyester but not the other way around.  Many people don't want any wood in their boats and will go with foam core.  On a small boat like that I'd be comfy with the ply and epoxy. On a larger boat where the materials alone are going to cost $$$$ I'd go with foam core. But that's just me.  Some of the guys on here do this sort of thing for a living, they can give you the bottom line on what the professionals would do.  I'll admit I'm a hack with a little experience compared to some.

Good luck, I hope it will be a rewarding and successful project.


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## jms (Apr 21, 2011)

> I would not dream of replacing only part of a wooden transom, especially given the extent of your damage.  I'd replace the whole thing with high quality marine grade ply coated on all sides with epoxy at a minimum.  IMO wood and polyester resin are not a long term recipe for success, use epoxy.  Keep in mind epoxy will stick to polyester but not the other way around.  Many people don't want any wood in their boats and will go with foam core.  On a small boat like that I'd be comfy with the ply and epoxy. On a larger boat where the materials alone are going to cost $$$$ I'd go with foam core. But that's just me.  Some of the guys on here do this sort of thing for a living, they can give you the bottom line on what the professionals would do.  I'll admit I'm a hack with a little experience compared to some.
> 
> Good luck, I hope it will be a rewarding and successful project.




good advice - very good advice

polyester based resins are pourous,and provide a "surface bond",when used with wood

epoxy is allways the best choice,when working with wood...


nothing "wrong" with using wood,provided that wood is sealed completley with an epoxy 


word to the wise:

the garboard plug is often the most overlooked area,it's best to drill that area out much larger than what's needed - fill that hole with epoxy/mixed with a thickening additive - i like west system 403 - it's an adhesive,after that mix kicks,drill the hole to the correct size

another tip:

allways coat wood to be laminated,with a coat of epoxy first - no additives,then spread the laminating mix


do not throw the epoxy mixing containers in the trash - as it kicks,it makes heat - enough to start a fire

a drawback to using epoxy is amine blush - some epoxy resins do not blush,others do - west system,what i use,it blushes - this needs to be removed with soap and water,before sanding...

a guy i know,mad mike,a nice gentleman,but,he has a problem - he believes his skill level is way beyond what it is - he borrowed some supplies from me before.he was attempting to make gutters on his boat - he laminated some parts with epoxy and attempted to use a polyester chop strand putty on top of that west system,without removing blush - he complained to me,"that stuff would not set","it's trash" - after i asked him a few questions,the problem was explained to him... :


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

ya those are the batt box and gas tank spots. thanks for the info, the whole transom will definitely be replaced with treated ply then glassed in and painted. what i meant is, do i need to keep tearing away the glass all the way up the sides of skiff?


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

When you say treated ply you aren't talking about pressure treated right? Pressure treated makes a lousy core.


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

I mean taking a good 7 layer ply cutting it to form then cut another, coat both with epoxy, glue together and mount it up. I went hard at it today nearly finished digging all the rot out.  
















Only thing that really worries me about this, which its more worry of having to do the work  is that the floor which seems to be either ply itself or ply strips is rotting. 
















I just dont want to have to rip it up should i just put the transom up, glass her in and pretend i never saw nuttin'


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

See what??

If it were mine and I did not want to repair it right I would at least tear up the last foot or so and put the transom in down to the hull rather than the transom to the sole and replace the section after the transom is repaired so I could tackle that project at a later date. That would also be dependant on how rotten the sole is. If it looks like the transom, you need a bigger grinder than a Dremel.

On the 30th anniversary of the boat - wanna place a bet?


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

Okay that sounds like a good plan.

As far as getting rid of any rotten wood, I think you know the answer to that.  :'(

Remember your life may depend on the integrity of that boat even in calm weather.  You might be surprised what you find when you follow the rot.  A soft floor is not a good thing.  If installed properly a floor/sole is a working part of the hull, not just a place to stand.

Probably not what you want to hear.  Sorry. As Duck nut said though you may not need to take out the whole sole and can use butt blocks to join the old and new. You will end up doing some work twice if you cheat now though.


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

i know i will end up doing it because i wont resist the urge of pulling the floor up to see how bad it is, and take yall's advice to just butt old against new. After the transom is put in i want to put in a back deck but i will get to that at a later date. im just really happy that sides of the boat remain untouched i cut open the end of it and found that the bulges on the sides are a foam core.  








Thanks for the advice I really appreciate it im sure when i start really getting into it i will have plenty of questions.


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## Swamp (Jul 12, 2010)

Good on ya. Like I say cry once not twice.

Have you checked this out? It' s a bigger more complex boat but the principal is the same. http://boatbuildercentral.com/howto/transom_repair/index.php

If you buy your materials from them they will make sure your layup schedule is correct and make sure any changes you want to make are structurally sound.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

> found that the bulges on the sides are a foam core.


That is good news.

Need to drill spot holes and insert a moisture meter. You may be carrying a couple hundred extra pounds.


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

WTF! really..wow did not know that i will make sure and check it out. it looked as though they were sealed seeing how i had to cut into the end butting up against the transom to peek into it. But i will check it out for sure.

got into the floor and im gonna keep it. It looks bad from the pics but i didn't exactly clean it up. but its just wet rot has not gotten it yet so i flipped and going to let dry out see what happens.


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## jms (Apr 21, 2011)

> WTF! really..wow did not know that i will make sure and check it out. it looked as though they were sealed seeing how i had to cut into the end butting up against the transom to peek into it. But i will check it out for sure.
> 
> got into the floor and im gonna keep it. It looks bad from the pics but i didn't exactly clean it up. but its just wet rot has not gotten it yet so i flipped and going to let dry out see what happens.



that wood - 

it's never gonna dry out


seeing what you're pulling out,rotted wood,you're still gonna use a wood core ?


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

well im gonna see what happens. I got the boat for free basically and would rather keep cost to a minimum. It really looks worse in the pic i tried chipping with a wood chisel didnt chip easy or dent. I belive it will be ok


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

The clear indication that something is going on is that the glass over the top came off of the wood.  If everything was fine you would have ripped chuncks of wood off with the glass.  The glass has seperated from the wood - delaminated.

If you are not going to repair the floor then don't disturb the foam in the sides.  Leave it as it is and fix it when you do the sole.

BUT! when cut the sides and the sole back far enough that you can repair the transom from side to side and down to the floor and then bring the sides and sole back to the transom.  In essence two seperate repairs.  That way when you tear the sides and sole out you won't disturb the transom.


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## jms (Apr 21, 2011)

> well im gonna see what happens. I got the boat for free basically and would rather keep cost to a minimum. It really looks worse in the pic i tried chipping with a wood chisel didnt chip easy or dent. I belive it will be ok



attempting to keep costs at a minimum,and,being cheap are 2 different things -running into problems later down the line,it makes you think - "mabey i shoulda did that a little different"...



polyester resin:

wood laminated with a cheap polyester resin,it will pop apart,the skin can almost be "peeled" off - due to it not having much absorbtion -it provides a surface bond,and the fact it's porous...wood,even if it's dry,it pops easily with a stiff paint scraper...none of that's possible with epoxy resins...

the wood in those pictures,it's got black areas - that's not good...it's clearly soaked with water...

i wish you well...


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Since you have the back ripped open and I don't believe you'll get anything to stick to the wet wood - at a minimum you should cut it, rip it out and replace the exposed area.


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

so after much debate im going to do the floor also, take the whole thing on and get it redone from scratch. I will keep it a front seat stick steer because my motor does not have a tiller handle and is set up for remote. unless finding a tiller handle for a 86 mariner is easy then i might reconsider.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

The tillers can be had on evil bay. 

The great thing about those old mariners are their simplicity. All you need is the tiller handle and the bolt and washers and the different throttle piece it connects to. All can be had for under $100.


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## menzor29 (May 23, 2012)

so a couple questions.

first, would a 15hp tiller fit a 25 a buddy who is a outbourd tech says it should and that most of the difference between them is the porting in the motors? not that i dont belive him just looking for a second opinion. ive already looked the part up on boats.net but im sure something could be simply modified.

second, how much epoxy and cloth do i need? and whats the best choice for doing the floor and transom.


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