laxtond
Member
I recently purchased a 17ft Smokercraft 1750 with a 28hp Johnson 2 stroke. I'll be using the boat more or less as is until the beginning of winter when I'll not be using the boat much then doing some repairs and modifications. My first order of business will be fixing a few slow leaks and (potentially) repairing the transom. My brother had originally bought the boat, we had used it a few times as is, and then we decided I'd be the one to keep it. The transom is currently pretty structurally sound but if i'll be investing a lot of time and a fair amount of money in the boat I'd like for it to be a once and done job.
Hopefully the pictures I've attached give a good idea of what the repair will entail.
I only see two routes to take to get this done:
1) Cut the top off of the cap, along with corner braces and remove from the top, replace and have the entire thing re-welded
2) Remove the side braces/decks beside the rear bench, remove angle brace, and remove the bottom Z channel to get the wood out from the bottom then replace all rivets drilled out (and possibly have some welding done to reinforce things)
I'm all for getting things done right the first time, but I have a history of diving into things head first and then somewhat regretting the work I've made for myself. I'm hoping to keep this boat for a while and want to make sure it is safe and will last for a while.
I've probed some of the holes that are already in the aluminum to assess the condition of the wood and it seems to be holding up pretty well. If I leave the transom as is I'll waterproof all of the holes to keep moisture out and maybe add a piece of aluminum to the inside of the transom to help distribute the force being applied by the circular feet of the outboard.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my post, any input is greatly appreciated.
Hopefully the pictures I've attached give a good idea of what the repair will entail.
I only see two routes to take to get this done:
1) Cut the top off of the cap, along with corner braces and remove from the top, replace and have the entire thing re-welded
2) Remove the side braces/decks beside the rear bench, remove angle brace, and remove the bottom Z channel to get the wood out from the bottom then replace all rivets drilled out (and possibly have some welding done to reinforce things)
I'm all for getting things done right the first time, but I have a history of diving into things head first and then somewhat regretting the work I've made for myself. I'm hoping to keep this boat for a while and want to make sure it is safe and will last for a while.
I've probed some of the holes that are already in the aluminum to assess the condition of the wood and it seems to be holding up pretty well. If I leave the transom as is I'll waterproof all of the holes to keep moisture out and maybe add a piece of aluminum to the inside of the transom to help distribute the force being applied by the circular feet of the outboard.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my post, any input is greatly appreciated.