Daysailer II Transom

[Capt Dave]

I recently purchased a '73 Daysailer II that the original owner took incredible care of. However I would like to install a motor mount on the port side of the transom to support a regular length shaft 4hp motor. With the limited access to the transom from the cockpit area I am looking for advise on the best way to mount the bracket. What is the transom made out of? Should it be through bolted? Any advise would be helpful. This will be the first post of many as I intend to bring her back to as close to original condition as possilbe. As you can see I have some time before she is going on the water.

[Roger]

Because a bracket places the weight of the motor further back, the transom drags in the water. Instead I would recommend a mounting pad right on the existing transom. An epoxied piece of plywood on the outside back and a thin sheet of wood or metal on the inside worked well for me. I used three bolts to secure it to the top of the transom above the cockpit seat. I can send you pictures if you need more detail. roger02 att mts dott net.

The transom has a plywood core so any holes you drill should be drilled oversize, filled with epoxy to seal the wood, then redrilled through the epoxy using the correct sized bit. The wood is then isolated from any water intrusion potential.

[Capt Dave]

Any pictures would be a big help. I never considered the drag this might induse. I like your method of sealing the wood with apoxy after drilling. She also has a few small chips in the gel coat that I would like to fix; any advise on how to repair those?

[talbot]

I would use 2-part gel coat repair material. You can get a tinting kit to match color. If you will be refinishing the gel coat, do that polishing first, so you match to the color, not to the oxidation on the surface.

One caution. I patched some major dings at the keel near the prow with Marine-Tex, an epoxy. Gel-coat will not adhere to epoxy. You can tint Marine-tex just like gel-coat, but it doesn't look the same. My lower prow now has a mottled look that I probably will paint over some day.

[MarcCram]

Speaking of Marine-Tex, I just removed a patch that a previous owner applied 25 years ago and is still tacky. I guess the moral with 2-part resins is mix until you can't mix anymore and then mix again, and again.

[GreenLake]

One caution. I patched some major dings at the keel near the prow with Marine-Tex, an epoxy. Gel-coat will not adhere to epoxy.

I keep reading that. However, some manufacturers of expoxies disagree. I found some published tests on the West System site where they claim to not being able to verify the claim.

It's not an issue for me, since my hull had already been painted over when I got it. But I'm curious whenever I find contradictory statements.

[GreenLake]

I guess the moral with 2-part resins is mix until you can't mix anymore and then mix again, and again.

Are you sure it's epoxy? If so, it's not only the mixing, but also the measuring.

Speaking about mixing: I like the new mixing nozzles you can get for epoxy cartridges. System Three sells a non-sagging formulation that I have used and from their ads it looks like West System does as well.

I really like not having to worry about the mixture, and, for larger projects, as long as you work steadily, you get as much or as little of it mixed when you need it.

There's some waste or unmixed resin in the tip and you can't reuse the tipe, but I think the process is cleaner and it probably wastes less over time - there's no pot that can go "off".

[talbot]

I agree that there is some contradiction. I have also read not to put gel over epoxy until it is "fully cured." All I can say is that I ignored the advice and found that indeed the gel coat didn't stick to Marine-tex. But maybe it wasn't fully cured.

[MarcCram]

Are you sure it's epoxy? If so, it's not only the mixing, but also the measuring.

This is also true. I use System3's general purpose resins in gallon/half gallon sizes with their pump system. It makes dispensing fool proof because even though the mixture is 2:1 the dispensers only require one pump of each. Even if the measuring is correct if the hardener doesn't mix completely with the resin, let's say at the bottom of your mixing container, and it makes it out to your bonding surface it will never totally cure.

And yes I'm sure it's epoxy, I had a great time sanding it off the back of my motor well (marine tex was used to repair a rotting piece of plywood that was sandwiched between the motor well and the transom) it kept fowling up my sanding discs. After chipping some away with a chisel I noticed where it was supposed to have adhered to the motor well hadn't and was just tacky.
Needless to say I coated the replacement piece of plywood with new resin, and glassed it in place before rebonding the hull/deck joint.