Transom Wood - If you had your choice

[tonynoriega]

I wish I could say money is not object, but alas tis...

I wanted to know, if you had your pick, free of charge, spare no expense... what kind of wood would you use for your transom?

I have two pieces I want to replace.

This piece here I believe is 1/2" thick.

And this piece here is 1" thick.

Not that I can actually afford it, but curious to see what you would use.

There is a woodworking shop near my house, and they sometimes have a "bargin bin" of sections of wood...so maybe I will come across something worth picking up.


They had a nice chunk of "Purple Heart" lumber...that looked amazing... I could imagine it with a few coats of some nice gloss, it would just make the entire boat.

 

[rscottp]

1st choice would be teak, 2nd would be mahogany. I used plywood for mine!

 

[joshhegwood]

Yea teak would be great. I did use mahogany which has held up great. It was installed about 2 years ago

 

[Kier]

White oak resists rotting. That would be my first choice. I went with plywood coated in spar urethane

 

[T Man]

2x4 box aluminum....if money wasnt an object.

 

[dieselfixer]

X2 on White Oak

 

[muskiemike12]

White oak is tops in this part of the country. You will use exterior ply on the outside no matter what. Just coat everything in spar urethane.

 

[tonynoriega]

Why exterior ply on the outside?
Is that just from the constant wear and tear from the outboard?
Not worth the money because of the abuse it will take?

muskiemike12 » Today, 07:45[/url]"]White oak is tops in this part of the country. You will use exterior ply on the outside no matter what. Just coat everything in spar urethane.

 

[kfa4303]

Cypress is very popular with the old timers down here in FL. You don't even need to add any sealant. The trick is finding a large enough piece, but it can be done. That being said, 2 layers of non-pressure treated, exterior grade plywood, laminated together, sealed and mounted with stainless steel hardware will outlast your grandchildren. You could even go all out and have a welder intsall an aluminum transom using bracing and plate.

 

[muskiemike12]

You are not going to be able to find white oak plywood. You could get red oak veneer, but that's not exterior grade. I used 7/16 exterior ply in mine and its just fine. You might have to go to a sawmill to find white oak.

 

[Kier]

From what I have read, plywood is stronger than a single board of white oak due to how they cross lay the plys of plywood. Plywood is cheap and easy go for it.

 

[surfman]

If money was no object, my first choice would NOT be wood.

 

[muskiemike12]

Seeing that this is a 40 year old Alumacraft that takes a portable motor, that clamps on, aluminum would not be wise to use. If you are bolting the motor on then go for it. The hand tight clamps will have nothing to bite into and you motor will go overboard!

 

[surfman]

Just use good quality exterior grade plywood. CDX is the worst and AB or AC is probably the best you will find at your local lumber outlet. Seal it with Epoxy, the best alternative or a good spar varnish next best thing, use SS fasteners.

 

[Christopher21]

Typically small boats have transoms made of wood, as the years pass the wood will rot and become useless. hardwood flooring

 

[huntinfool]

Solid fiberglass. I have done several, last a lifetime.

 

[krawler]

The correct answer is; marine plywood sealed with epoxy. Call around you can find it at a lumber yard near you. Here in California, it runs about $75 a sheet.

 

[huntinfool]

The correct answer is; marine plywood sealed with epoxy. Call around you can find it at a lumber yard near you. Here in California, it runs about $75 a sheet.

you for realize the only difference in "marine" ply and regular ply is there are no voids in the plys. Marine ply is also considered cabinet grade.

 

[surfman]

huntinfool » Today, 14:09[/url]"]

The correct answer is; marine plywood sealed with epoxy. Call around you can find it at a lumber yard near you. Here in California, it runs about $75 a sheet.

you for realize the only difference in "marine" ply and regular ply is there are no voids in the plys. Marine ply is also considered cabinet grade.

Yep.

 

[tonynoriega]

If I did a marine plywood, sammich two 1/2" pieces together...can I put a nice stain on it?

Was looking at this nice dark red stain at the REstore the other day... I think it was exterior grade.

Then put a few coats of spar urethane over that?

Or Epoxy over the stain?