59 Skagit 20 layout

[ternkeim]

Barry,

I'm really sorry to hear the entire transom needs replacement. Turns out that it may have been a good thing when I put in that aluminum re-enforcement panel. I had no idea.
Seriously...I'm still glad it went to a good caring home.

BTW...I still haven't got my Arima in th water. It's got to have the Suzuki tuned up and I can't afford the $100 /hr. shop rates. Carbs need to be adjusted and balanced...THEN, I think she'll be ok.

Terry B.

Terry
I'm with you on the shop rates. You might try placing an ad for an out of work boat mechanic (with credentials) that could do it for a better price.
As far as the Skagit goes there is no way to be sure of these things without really digging in to it. I only found it because I started cleaning out all the little holes to fill and I noticed your plug in the other hull drain seemed loose.
The funny thing is the transom feels solid and nothing moves. Probably because of the round corners and curved transom. I had to tear out the splash well because it was real soft. Going to get some 3/4 plywood to rebuild that and the way it's designed it obviously strengthens the transom so I think I'll get away without tearing the transom apart for now. Got all the holes filled today. Tomorrow I have a few hours sanding and grinding to do inside and I should be able to start the glassing I want to do around the corners and maybe get the patterns cut out for the splash well. With luck I'll have it finished next weekend. Was that steering rack system ever in this boat? B

Progress

Well the splash well is out and all the fiberglass that was not bonding to the floor is out. A lot of moisture was trapped between the fiberglass and the floor plywood. It was just starting to turn black so I caught it just in time. A little more clean up around the edges and a couple days of this wonderful heat to dry it out and it will be ready for glassing again.
A quick note once again for anyone doing fiberglass for the first time. Resin does not penetrate fiberglass cloth or roving well. Both sides of the material have to be coated. Also, in my opinion cloth and roving should not be applied directly without a layer of mat applied first and the cloth applied over it while the mat is still wet. This will give you a very good bond to the wood or whatever surface you are covering. At the very least clean and prep the surface you are going to glass. I also coat any wood with resin thinned with acetone and let it set first. That way it will penetrate the wood better and improve the bond. B