New transom for tiny tinny

[DaleH]

Ah well, they can't last forever now, can they?

My transom on the vintage '78 12' Starcraft skiff was starting to show her age. I like this hull, with the way the ribs and chines were formed, she's as tough and stable as any 12-footer I've ever been on. The stern width was > 49" so I ended up buying a half sheet, 4' by 4', of 23/32" exterior plywood and cut the pieces across the diagonal to have enough length to make them fit.

A good sand and prep, followed by a vinegar wash and zinc chromate priming and it was time to throw in the wood. I had enough epoxy from my former-frp boat owner days to last me a lifetime, so I wet-out the edges twice with a ultra-thin viscosity mix, then covered each piece w/ std mix, then laminated them together and bolted it into the transom. To prevent the clamps from sticking, I put synthetic grease on the tips. Each bolt threads and nylok nut also has the same grease added, plus all bolt/nut washers were well sealed with LifeCaulk by BoatLife.

Now to form the new transom cap ...

You'll note I put the new stern-most piece down a little around the knee, just in case I upgrade to a 15hp motor on her once the crew (my girls) get older :wink: .

 

[Johnny]

whhhaaatttttt ???????
no new transom skin ??
no new poured transom panel ??
I think that Pressure Treated Plywood stuck on
with 100% pure silicone would have been a good choice.


looks great, man !! hope your girls have many
fun summers with you puttering around the pond.

 

[jethro]

Is that a through-hull bilge petcock I see? On a 12' tin? First time I've seen that!

 

[DaleH]

Is that a through-hull bilge petcock I see? On a 12' tin? First time I've seen that!

Sure is sir ... this skiff is left in the water at the dock 24/7 from May through end of October. It's just to keep rain water out, but we'll get Summer squalls (dock is on a saltwater estuary) that practically fills 1/4 or more of the boat's capacity if you didn't keep a pump in them.

Other members don't add pumps and we see 1 or 2 skills swamped and sunk during the season. Or I'll see others taking 20-30-minutes to bail out their skiff using a bucket or bailer. I don't have such time to waste, haha! Run 8-miles down river, another 10-miles East across the bay to Glostah ... and if still heading East ... you'd hit France! So yeah, I'm darn close to the big Atlantic Ocean .