Hanr3
Well-known member
My boat was built in 1967 and I replaced the original transom 3 years ago. The original white oak board was 40+ years old. IT had one small soft spot under one of the plates, both of the screws in the corners had broekn off making repair next to impossible, and looked like crap. Structurally it was still rock hard.
The plywood piece on the outside of the transom was completely shot. I replaced the plywood with more plywood. I've pulled the motor a few times, there is a visible difference in the amount of wear to the plywood and white oak. The white oak has the stain/polyurathane removed, the plywood has grooves plus the stain/polyurathane removed. No matter how well you treat the wood, that treatment will wear off under the vibrations of the motor, thus exposing raw wood to the elements. White oak naturally will outlast plywood.
The plywood piece on the outside of the transom was completely shot. I replaced the plywood with more plywood. I've pulled the motor a few times, there is a visible difference in the amount of wear to the plywood and white oak. The white oak has the stain/polyurathane removed, the plywood has grooves plus the stain/polyurathane removed. No matter how well you treat the wood, that treatment will wear off under the vibrations of the motor, thus exposing raw wood to the elements. White oak naturally will outlast plywood.