Transom repair????

[skinny420]

Well the old bayliner is......well.....a bayliner! Lol. So i got a older 1710 fish and ski. It isnt that bad and i could get a few more years out of it....but.....i just want to do it this year. Its got a transom where its just the center needs to be ground out and filled with seacast. Thats not a big deal really but i want to put in an aluminum L bracket across the inside spanning the entire transom so i can bolt on a kicker and tie it into the floor. It will be 70" wide 8" up the transom and 8" into the floor. Anybody with aluminum knowledge. If i used 6061 aluminum should it be .35 or 1/2"? 3/4? Is 6061 strong enough? Is there stronger aluminum? I dont really need this extra bracket but i already own this boat and got more in it than it will ever be worth. If i do it now i can fish it till i die and never worry again. So if you were putting a bracket on your boat what would it be? I know nothing about metal strength.....or much else. Just dont want to order a piece of custom metal and get it to find out its to weak or heavy or brittle. Honestly 6061 might steel for all i know???

[Egoody]

McMaster Carr has good information on the properties of different types/grades of aluminum.

Here is a link that may help you. It doesn't speak to the thickness recommendation you asked for.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-aluminum-sheets/=1c2xg2r

 

Good Luck &

Boat Safe,

Egoody

[Fishnut]

I would think .250 or 1/4” would be more than thick enough. The more important thing is what you are bolting it to and how.


Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[stoneam2006]

Compare the weight on whatever aluminum you use to stainless. May be difference of a few pounds and stainless may be a better option

Sent from my SM-N920V using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Fishnut]

If you go with stainless you could go a lot thinner also. Like 1/8”


Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[Egoody]

From the description is sounds like you're going to make an L bracket to bolt to the flooring the inside of your boat and also to the inside of the  transom. Be sure what ever material you use you can bent or welded to make the L shape in your bracket.

The stainless can be bent at a sheet metal shop. If you decide on aluminum, some grades can be bent or welded but not necessarily both. The stainless may be a better option.

Boat Safe

Egoody

[Knotlost Charters]

Alum is the way to go, Its hard to picture what you're describing but you can make it very strong with alum, and the 6061 will work fine. The differences in the alloys in your usage is very small so what you want is what is available at a reasonable cost. 6061 is what you would probably choose anyway if you could choose any of them.  If welding it then makes sure it all is taken into account with what needed to weld properly.  Don't fret about the differences in alloy but the design is more important in your project. I have worked with alum with boats a great deal and its great to work with. Some people think you're making a space station so they go a bit overboard in worrying about things that would take 1K years to be a real problem.