Aluminum transom has had heat distortion

[racerone]

Make a new plywood insert.----Make this piece curved.----Test fit with screws in existing holes.----Might look nice.

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

What do you mean "the whole piece"?

I meant taking the whole rear panel out, to avoid having a seam that could open up from being torqued around by the motor.

Thank you all for your input. To tell you the truth, my dad is in hospice and this boat project sort of serves as moments of relief as I am able to work on her.

Sorry to hear about your dad. I understand getting burnt out on the project.

It looks like the planned cut will be along the bottom edge of the transom. I think this will make a bad stress point because all of the leverage is going to be right on the seam. Maybe cut a piece of aluminum to fit the whole transom area on the inside, cutting around the braces, and then do the sheet on the outside to replace what you cut out. Talk to your cousin about that, and what he thinks will be a good structure.

Why is the coosa only half the height of the whole transom area?

 

[Seasons Recreational]

I meant taking the whole rear panel out, to avoid having a seam that could open up from being torqued around by the motor.


Sorry to hear about your dad. I understand getting burnt out on the project.

It looks like the planned cut will be along the bottom edge of the transom. I think this will make a bad stress point because all of the leverage is going to be right on the seam. Maybe cut a piece of aluminum to fit the whole transom area on the inside, cutting around the braces, and then do the sheet on the outside to replace what you cut out. Talk to your cousin about that, and what he thinks will be a good structure.

Why is the coosa only half the height of the whole transom area?

Hey Mike, Thanks for the sentiment, and for the advice. I agree, it might become a stress point. I’ll have to think about it.

The Coosa being only partial height, I can’t remember exactly why I did that. The original wood transom sat above the knees and was only about 8” deep, maybe I just though I’d replicate it and dip it in the center.

 

[Mc Tool]

I do understand the concept of taking on a project with an anticipated happy outcome with a view to lifting ones spirits...been there (still there). Sorry to hear about your Dad .
The boat ....after getting the heart involved ( I dont really know how to say what I mean ) I think I would get me a sheet of quality ½" marine plywood and a box of stainless nuts , bolts and washers and sandwich as much of the transom as I could both inside and out. Couple of tubes of sealant and Bobs yer Auntie

 

[Seasons Recreational]

I do understand the concept of taking on a project with an anticipated happy outcome with a view to lifting ones spirits...been there (still there). Sorry to hear about your Dad .
The boat ....after getting the heart involved ( I dont really know how to say what I mean ) I think I would get me a sheet of quality ½" marine plywood and a box of stainless nuts , bolts and washers and sandwich as much of the transom as I could both inside and out. Couple of tubes of sealant and Bobs yer Auntie

Thank you MC Tool. Appreciate the regards for my dad. Yes, I think it'll still be a happy outcome. Part of the distraction is learning, shopping amazon and other sites, watching Sampson Boat Co. build Tally Ho. All good stuff.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I would back cut and weld.

 

[Texasmark]

shouldn't be a problem either......check the transom for movement when you goose the engine, like you are trying to get on plane fast.

 

[Seasons Recreational]

I decided to take the boat to a very reputable guy here who makes repairs and builds new aluminum boats. He sort of a different entity than the local welder that I used before. I know he’ll do a proper fix, just afraid of the cost! I’ll post some photos after the fix

 

[Texasmark]

I decided to take the boat to a very reputable guy here who makes repairs and builds new aluminum boats. He sort of a different entity than the local welder that I used before. I know he’ll do a proper fix, just afraid of the cost! I’ll post some photos after the fix

Money is nothing more than "a means to an end". Once you spend it, it's gone forever......what you have left is what you did with it.....if you are happy with the result, you have that comfort every time you bring up the subject.
I realize that you have to have the money to spend it but if its something high on your priority list, you'll find a source!

 

[Seasons Recreational]

Money is nothing more than "a means to an end". Once you spend it, it's gone forever......what you have left is what you did with it.....if you are happy with the result, you have that comfort every time you bring up the subject.
I realize that you have to have the money to spend it but if its something high on your priority list, you'll find a source!

You’re right Texasmark. Once it’s gone, it is just gone. There is a priority for the engine not to fall off the boat!

I went to see the guy yesterday. He tested the squareness of the hull and determined that the heat and resulting shrink twisted the hull about 1/4” from the mid hull to the back, which he said is not great, but not too bad. He also put some soap and compressed air to the riveted seam between the transom and hull (sides and bottom) and he says that it has some failure of the seal possibly caused by the shrinkage. He said some 5200 would fix that. He doesn’t want to weld it to add more heat.

He offered to box out the top of the transom with some aluminum tube, stitch-welding it to give rigidity, then as the welding puts a little bit of heat to the transom, try to reprogram the memory of the aluminum with a mallet. $1,000.

Still considering cutting it out and riveting a new panel….IDK

 

[redneck joe]

do not pay him to fix his mistakes.

If you are going to put money out find someone new.

 

[Seasons Recreational]

do not pay him to fix his mistakes.

If you are going to put money out find someone new.

Yes, the fix may come from StagJet. They work on boats almost exclusively. Great advice though!

 

[Seasons Recreational]

StagJet Manufacturing LLC

www.stagjetmanufacturingllc.com

 

[Scott Danforth]

I would back weld to pull it straight-ish and put the transom wood (1.5" of ACX ply coated with OTF) back in vs welding a bunch of tubes in there

 

[Seasons Recreational]

What does everyone think about just cutting it out and leaving the flange (in orange tape) and just adding a thousand rivets, bedded in 5200? I would go thicker and look forward to losing all the holes in the original upper portion.

 

[Seasons Recreational]

I would back weld to pull it straight-ish and put the transom wood (1.5" of ACX ply coated with OTF) back in vs welding a bunch of tubes in there

Yes, I don’t like the idea either.

 

[Seasons Recreational]

Like these kinda rivets…View attachment IMG_0181.jpeg

 

[Scott Danforth]

What does everyone think about just cutting it out

It's your boat. I wouldn't do it

 

[Seasons Recreational]

It's your boat. I wouldn't do it

Noted…

 

[Seasons Recreational]

Hey guys, so there’s the fix I went with. I think StagJet did a great job on a challenging fix. I decided I didn’t want to cut of any of the transom. StagJet added just a single shaped tube and preserved the knees while spotting then welding the tube straight to the top of the transom. I can still use the coosa transom piece, just need to cut the last 1 1/2” off of the top. The horizontal surface he created eliminates the fragile cap I was trying to reuse and he even preserved the corner pieces. All in all I am pleased.

He also featured the fix on his instagram page:

StagJet / Boat Repair and Fabrication on Instagram: "Here was an interesting one. Customer had pods put on by someone who didn’t pay attention causing the transom to severely warp! And to make it worse….left holes in the transom with no signs of repa

68 likes, 2 comments - stagjetmfg on June 3, 2026: "Here was an interesting one. Customer had pods put on by someone who didn’t pay attention causing the transom to severely warp! And to make it worse….left holes in the transom with no signs of repair attempt. #boat #boatrepair #boating...

www.instagram.com