Fronk

I got some nice 3/4 Marine grade Miranti Mahogany to build the transom and also for my bench seat covers. It smells amazing and looks great. Got my transom blanks cut out and ready to laminate together, then I'll jig saw the rounded cutout for the outboard area.

On 6/10/2024 at 8:12 AM, Shakemsam said:

I bought my Total Boat Penetrating Epoxy on Amazon and just checked... available with delivery in 6 days. 

Unfortunately it was 14 days to get to my address. I found a place 30 mins away that sells west system epoxy for adhering and system 3 penetrating epoxy for sealer.. so I just went with that.

I live in Canada. Unfortunately they don't ship here. Amazon is the only place I have found it but the shipping time is 2 weeks and I want to work on it sooner than that. 

I was told that a local wood supplier carries it, I'm going to be calling them for wood today so we will see! 

Looking for any store or shop that sells TotalBoat High Performance Crystal Clear 2:1 Epoxy. I can only find it on Amazon with long shipping times. Would love to pick it up or have it delivered from somewhere local instead. Any suggestions? 

 I will use some kind of tube epoxy to laminate the two sheets of 3/4 plywood together. Any recommendations on the laminating epoxy?

Would people recommend that I coat both sheets of plywood with pentrating epoxy first, THEN laminate them together.. Or should I laminate them first then coat the whole thing after? It seems like a good idea to get the inside faces coated with epoxy sealer, but im not sure if the epoxy glue will work the same if the surface already has an epoxy coating. 

I still can't find a place to order totalboat pentrating epoxy. Walmart and Amazon are the only places that I can find the brand, and they have every item except penetrating epoxy lol.

I am currently restoring my tin can, I have a thread going if anyone is interested. Right now I am researching to find which penetrating epoxy is going to be the best to seal the entire thing. Lots of info out there, but basically none of the products people talk about are available without ordering online, and totalboat penetrating epoxy seems to be impossible to order from anywhere.

This transom was rotted out, and the Aluminum back plate and interior insert were completely destroyed with pitting, corrosion, holes, pulled through bolts, etc. I had a local fabricator weld on a new 1/2 plate on the back and bend up a brand new insert. Next step is to get the wood cut up and sealed. 

Hey everyone! I am posting to get some suggestions on my boat restoration project. I have owned this boat for 3 years now and we have been on many adventures together. Unfortunately, the transom is completely rotted out, and it has no storage of any kind other than the floor. I want to change that and renovate the entire thing. I want to build out a custom livewell, replace the transom, and add a bunch of storage compartments. I will finish it all off with new seats/floor/paint and some rod holders.

Deconstruction/Demo
So far I have managed to build an engine stand, remove the engine, remove the rotted Transom (in pieces), and Remove/Cut the Wood/Aluminium/Saturated foam from the seats for storage compartments and reinforcing for seats. It is unbelievable how heavy and wet the massive blocks of foam were. I had to cut them apart with a reciprocating saw, then pry/smash out everything. It came off the sides pretty easily. 

The Transom Troubles

My transom was completely rotted out, and the Aluminum making up the back and inside of the boat are in really rough shape. Some of the nuts/bolts had pulled through from overtightening in the past by some other owner, and they put plates on to add some strength for the bolts to grab onto. The aluminum is also pitted and full of holes like you wouldnt believe. I think that my only option was to have a welding shop make up and install a new back plate and insert panel, which I had done this week. Next step is to build wood core from two sheets of 3/4 marine plywood and seal it with epoxy, then mount and drill holes for everything. 

Storage

I am thinking that I want to build some compartments in every bench seat. It would be nice to stash the battery/fuel cell under the back bench opposite the driver, and also have a spot for lifejackets/tackle boxes and other misc stuff without them being on the floor. Im not sure which position will be ideal for everything yet because I still havent decided which seat I want to build the livewell under. I am leaning for the middle seat. If anyone has experience with these things and has any tips or tricks to offer, I am all ears! 

Livewell

I am planning on building a custom livewell inside one of the benches. I will do this by framing it all up nicely, then I will find a plastic container that fits my dimensions perfectly (maybe build it to fit the bin lol). I will have an aerator setup and a pump for filling and draining. I wanted to pipe the fill/drain ports out of the back of the boat. I was thinking that the drivers side rear bench would be the ideal location because it would take minimal plumbing to get to the ports at the back of the boat, but I am not sure if it is a good idea to add that much weight into the back of the boat when it is filled with water. I already have my engine, myself, battery, and fuel cell back there. The middle seat is probably the ideal spot. It would allow for a much larger tank, and it would distribute the weight better. Only downfall is that I need to run piping to the back, which isnt that big of a deal.  I would love to hear any suggestions/tips/tricks! 

  
Looking forward to talking to some of you about the project!