Wood on both sides of transom??

[alteredpilot]

I recently picked up what I suspect to be about and '82 Sea Nymph 14R. Its in pretty darn good condition having sat in a dry dirt lot for 20 years. I'm looking at the transom. It looks like on the interior there is a typical block of wood sandwiched between the hull and a sheet of aluminum. On the exterior of the hull there is a square plate. There are two quarter inch holes all the way through where two screws are missing. Should there be a block of wood on the backside of the transom or just clamp the motor up to the hull?

 

[Stand Up]

I'm thinking the 2 holes are where the previous outboard was bolted to the boat. Assuming they are above the water line? Sounds like you could just mount the motor as is. A picture of the details would be good on this thread.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Very common on small boats to have wood in both those places. Helps hold motor in place with clamp style mounting.