transom on an arkansas travelerer question

[tbulhead]

I'm replacing the transom on my 15 foot 1956 Arkansas Traveler. I just finished the wonderful fun of grinding off the rivits and hammering them out. The transom was 57 1/2" long with a height of 16". The problem is the width is 1 1/4". Home Depot really does not have anyting close to being that wide. Any suggestions? Should I go with the largest they have or try to join 2 sheets into 1? Any ides?

[W.W.IV.]

I had to redo the transom on my 1961 17ft. Arkansas Traveler I had to laminate three layers together to get the right thickness. I glued and screwed it together. Mine was a 17ft.cuddy with a 8ft beam and winshield on the hard top, keep the waves from coming over the top and down your neck. It was the best boat I ever owned for solo fishing,I could fish in four footers set four riggers and fight fish without running back and forth to the wheel. Good luck with the transom. BTW I sealed it with Epoxie before I installed it.

[Big Dave]

Glue two sheets to make the one the right thickness. You would have been better off to drill out the rivets. Now you know for next time.

[Jack]

The last one I did I used two sheets of outdoor plywood to get the thickness. Instead of glue I coated the two side with a healthy coat of fiberglass resin then clamped and screwed together . I then fitted the new transom and drilled any holes that were needed pulled it out and made the holes a bit bigger and coated all sides and holes with a couple coats of resin to prevent any water from getting into the wood. Very strong and will last a lifetime .

Good Luck !

[MCF]

On a 56 Crestliner I needed to replace some other wood besides the transom, the only way to do it was to buy two to make the width.

[BullGator]

Plan on keeping her more than a couple years?........Marine grade plywood should be used for the transom, two 5/8" thick pieces or a 3/4" and a 1/2". Not available at Home Depot, and its not cheap. Gander Mountain and other retailers sell it online. Its laminated with waterproof glue, and is chemically treated to slow down rot.

Like Big Dave said, you really should have drilled the rivets out.