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87 Eluder transom Repair HELP!!

Bhillard175

Bhillard175

Member
Currently my Eluder is in desperate need of the transome being rebuilt. I have checked everything out as far as the foam boxed and the knees and as far as I can tell its dry. If the transom is wet can the moisture get to the knees or is there a layer of glass between the wood. Has anyone split one, and what exactly do I need to do to get the deck seperated aside from the rub rail and drilling rivets? It looks like there is a good amound of some sort of epoxy under the splashwell in the rear corner attaching the deck to the inside of the transom. I am going to have to do some glass and bondo work to fix the cracks and breaks one fixed and have the transom painted so I may be open minded to make a cut in order to aid or make any part of this process less painful. Also has anyone ever dug out the rotten transom and used the sea cast product? Any help or pictures of any kind would be helpful.
 
Bhillard175 said:
Currently my Eluder is in desperate need of the transome being rebuilt. I have checked everything out as far as the foam boxed and the knees and as far as I can tell its dry. If the transom is wet can the moisture get to the knees or is there a layer of glass between the wood. Has anyone split one, and what exactly do I need to do to get the deck seperated aside from the rub rail and drilling rivets? It looks like there is a good amound of some sort of epoxy under the splashwell in the rear corner attaching the deck to the inside of the transom. I am going to have to do some glass and bondo work to fix the cracks and breaks one fixed and have the transom painted so I may be open minded to make a cut in order to aid or make any part of this process less painful. Also has anyone ever dug out the rotten transom and used the sea cast product? Any help or pictures of any kind would be helpful.
Click to expand...

The short answer is, if the transom is wet typically the knees and part of the stringers are as well. This will get you started: http://checkmate-boats.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15673&highlight=eluder
In the meantime post some pictures.
 
When I did the transom on my Predictor I cut out the splashwell. That is an approach that can be used, however no I have a crack along the seam that I cut because the fiberglass on the splashwell side sandwiched together when I bolted the motor on. Splitting the deck and hull have been done on may restores with lots of good info here. The transom gets glassed in separate from the foam boxes and knees but like Rob mentioned, you might as well check them because you are going to be working right there. Might as well take the extra time over the off season and find any and all rot and get rid of it, then enjoy your mate for many more seasons.
 
I have a few pictures of the transom and splashwell area not sure how to post them, also I saw that thread on the eluder but I believe its a I/O I cannot see any of the picutre to tell for sure judging by the word doghouse..?
 
I did my Starflite approx 5 years ago. You can review my resto using the Photobucket address in my signature. that will give you some info as to what the process would be to replace the transom. Your Eluder would have some different issues but the basics will be the same.
 
i bet everythings gonna be rotted or wet. I would/have split the deck to do it and its probably the easiest. Don't waste your time with that cast stuff unless you only want a trolling motor on it. Once you remove the rub rail and drill the rivets, that filler in the back should pop off pretty easy.
 
teamhart2 said:
i bet everythings gonna be rotted or wet. I would/have split the deck to do it and its probably the easiest. Don't waste your time with that cast stuff unless you only want a trolling motor on it. Once you remove the rub rail and drill the rivets, that filler in the back should pop off pretty easy.
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What exactly is the filler in the back and does it need to go back also I will be running a bridgeport so should the transom get gussets as well?
 
I replaced the floor a few years back fuel tank out and all and the stringers and the knees felt good no mush and i just checked the foam boxes and seem dry is there a way to do this transom without disrupting the floor that I have already done and it looks to me that the knees and the boxes have to come out to do the job. What kind of material is the best to use and do I have to use marine ply or is a 5 or 7 ply acceptable. Btw I am a carpenter by trade and also have limited glass experiance I am very apprehensive to start but I'm sure once I start I will be fine expecially with you verterans that have already tackled this.
 
Bhillard175 said:
I have a few pictures of the transom and splashwell area not sure how to post them, also I saw that thread on the eluder but I believe its a I/O I cannot see any of the picutre to tell for sure judging by the word doghouse..?
Click to expand...

That thread posted is an outboard, start on post 20 toward the bottom of page 1. Groundloop shows how to remove the top cap. Page 2 shows really good information on the transom removal. The first few posts aren't pictures aren't showing.

Here's page 2:http://checkmate-boats.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15673&highlight=eluder&page=2
 
Bhillard175 said:
I replaced the floor a few years back fuel tank out and all and the stringers and the knees felt good no mush and i just checked the foam boxes and seem dry is there a way to do this transom without disrupting the floor that I have already done and it looks to me that the knees and the boxes have to come out to do the job. What kind of material is the best to use and do I have to use marine ply or is a 5 or 7 ply acceptable. Btw I am a carpenter by trade and also have limited glass experiance I am very apprehensive to start but I'm sure once I start I will be fine expecially with you verterans that have already tackled this.
Click to expand...

It is a ton of work to do it properly... which is what you should do. However if you are a carpenter you will be totally capable of the job. Follow the threads posted above and don't cut corners. Seacast is not the way to do it. It is not going to hold a high HP motor on a jackplate. A Checkmate needs a strong transom. Do it right once and it will last forever.
 
Bhillard175 said:
Btw I am a carpenter by trade and also have limited glass experiance I am very apprehensive to start but I'm sure once I start I will be fine expecially with you verterans that have already tackled this.
Click to expand...

I know this exact feeling! Sounded like me when I started my Exciter Resto. The wood working portion of the project was easy for me, but the fiberglass work was frustrating to say the least. By the time I was done, I had a pretty good handle on the glass and would not hesitate to do more glass work.

My Exciter had screws, rivets and sealer holding the hull and cap together. Once I got all of the fasteners out, I used a combination of a razor knife to cut what I could and gently prying the two apart. Once everything was free, I went to work on the splashwell area.

The filler in the splashwell area did not come apart very easily on my boat. I ended up using a floor jack and a few 4x4's to break it free. Don't forget to remove the brass drain tube first. Once everything was loose, I was able to lift the top cap myself and walk it forward to give me room in the transom area.

My advice in prep of the glass work - Use a 1/2" roundover router bit on all outside edges of the wood and use whatever epoxy with Cabosil, or similar, to create a 1/2" cove in the inside corners. Any less of a roundover/cove and the heavier glass is damn near impossible to work with.

Make sure you find a good filler to replace the existing filler in the splashwell area. I did not do a perfect job with it and ended up with small cracks in the splashwell.
 
So I think I'm pretty comfortable with taking the deck off and replacing and glassing in the transom I'm just not sure how to fix the cosmetic damage as far as the cracks in the splash well on the outside of the transom I know I'm going to have to have it painted when it's all said and done I'm just not sure how to go about fixing it cosmetically
 
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