CUTTING AND FITTING TRANSOM TEMPLATE

[bob mitchell]

        Located center of old transom by bisecting old knee paint lines. Then drew a couple of perpendiculars out to the sides to see if distance from bottom of luan (base line) was equal on both sides. . Put a couple of screws along center axis to maintan position, then walked to one side and traced, then the other.  Checked distance from traced corners to baseline - both identical. Cut out template.

Install temporary "shutter board" on bottom of apron to support template ( and real thing latter on. The shutter board is the last 3/4' board that goes on the bottom of the apron, actually layer 7, only from the end of the deadwood to the end of the apron, and 1 7/8" past the apron - even with the sides -. The shutter board fills in the space on the apron between the sides)

      Seemed to fit well enough, except that port corner may be a little low, and I started a little low with the tracing on the luan, so I will have to add a small piece to the bottom of the template. (see photos)

[Hans Petrie]

I too have done a fair amount of transom work, splicing in a lot of new plywood to replace rotten section on both port and starboard upper sides.  Strangely the ply was only rotten on the outside.  I was able to dig it down to a layer that was clean and good.  I then fiberglassed over everything in place.  I guess I was fortunate that I didn't have to replace the whole thing because this looks like a major rebuild...  I'm always just trying to squeeze a few more years out of things rather than do a total rebuild.