Transom Repair

Hi, I have a 1985 1436 aluminum flat bottom boat with a 5 horse outboard. last year i took two fishing trips up to wisconsin. i towed the boat 160 miles each way. after the getting home from my second trip up, i was shocked to discover that I had A large crack in the top aluminum of my transom. The crack must exhist because of the amount of stress thats bieng put on the transom by my outboard from towing down the road. i was amazed to find this damage caused by my little 5 horsepower outboard which is a pretty light little motor. I have a mercury 7.5hp in my garage that i plan to be putting on this coming spring. so long story short, i have two questions. number one: I have a piece of plywood on my transom right now (inside the boat only) would it help prevent this damage from happening if I added a piece of plywood to the back of the transom (outside the boat as well);so i would have plywood on both sides of the metal to kind of cushion it from the motor to prevent damage to the transom while towing? Number two: What do I do to repair my cracked transom? And also what can I do to Help prevent this kind of damage to the transom while towing? thanks.

Do you have any pictures? What condition is the wood on the transom now? It might be time to replace the transom wood on the inside and add some wood on the outside. I would get the crack Tig welded and use a transom saver.

lckstckn2smknbrls said:

Do you have any pictures? What condition is the wood on the transom now? It might be time to replace the transom wood on the inside and add some wood on the outside. I would get the crack Tig welded and use a transom saver.

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+1

No need to put wood on the outside. You just need to build a strong transom and install it properly and it will be just fine. My guess is that you should have a double layer of wood for the transom. If you don't have two layers then that is your first problem. Most transom's are 1.5" thick. If yours is not then it should be. You will need to have the tear in the aluminum repaired. You can have it welded and that would be the best option. Let me know what I can help you with. I repair fiberglass and aluminum transom's for a living. (actually we do all sorts of fiberglass repairs)

Most all transoms that I've seen have wood on the outside.It is so the motor has something to bite to when you clamp it to the transom & don't dig into the aluminum.Also if your corners are weak that will cause some problems also.I have a 20 hp Merc on mine & tow many miles without a transom saver with no problems.This is a pic of my corners with built in rod & light holder.

Pay a pro to weld the aluminum.
Plywood on one, or both sides, doesnt matter.
Tow with teh motor in the down locked position, same one used for running in the water, except its locked so it cant bounce. If running down and the skeg hits the ground, invest the $20 in a transom saver and tilt the motor up and held in place with the transom saver. Never tow with teh motor in up position and no transome saver. The bounceing will break your transom.