Lowe Transom Fix

Board in my Lowe Rover Jon (L1440M) rotted out. Replacing the board would be a monumental task requiring popping rivets and weld. I'm not sure if I'd get it back together again if I took it apart to replace the board, so I had my brother-in-law make me a U shaped bracket out of thick aluminum which I slid over the transom. I'm hoping this will hold for a few years, if not indefinitely. If not might be time to just get a bigger boat

PS not sure why my pictures always upload sideways, I think it's a website problem...

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do it right.

lckstckn2smknbrls said:

Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do it right.

Click to expand...

Doing it right in this case (replacing the wood) was not possible. I don't have the tools or skills to break rivets and welds and then put it back together again replacing welds and rivets. Paying someone to do it would cost more than what the boat is worth.

I replaced the transom on my 1989 16 foot Fisher Marine jet jon with 6061 Aluminum welded on by a buddy in the aircraft industry. Not sure if my boat is a different composition of alloy or its age or the fact it had been in saltwater was a factor but finding and welding up all those pinhole sized leaks was a real PITA. I finally just painted the whole bottom and transom with Coat-it which solved all my leakage problems! Hopefully if the transom does ever fall off I won't be underway at the time......

This isn't a replacement it's just a U bracket that slides over the existing transom. Wood inside the aluminum was soft, so bolting the motor to the transom was an issue.

It's just a Band-Aid not a true repair. You can use stainless steel bolts and nuts as replacements for the solid rivets you remove. Some welding might be necessary. Search the site most likely someone has done one of these boats or one very similar and the other member of Tin boats will be glad to help you solve any issues that come up.