transoms

[BugTussel]

when i purchased my sc17 there were some hairline cracks on both transoms. they are still small cracks but they are getting bigger. will i have to reinforce it from the inside. or can i add woven mat on the out side and wrap the corners? i would rather not cut an access port into the hull.

i am just going to fill the cracks with epoxy to make it through the season? i need to paint the boat anyways in the fall. i believe this is where my leak is.

another repair i need to do is on my rudders. first the pulley to release the pin from the groove bit the bullet. where can i get a replacement?. then the trailing edge of the rudder looks as if it is separating. i was thinking of adding epoxy in the groove and clamping wood to both sides to squeeze it together while it hardens then sand and repaint. would this be the proper fix? any suggestions?

[Matt Haberman]

BugTussel,

The best transom repair is by cutting a access port in the deck and repairing from the inside. It will last a lot longer then from the outside and it will look much better. When your done with the repair it is pretty easy to glue the access port back in the deck and redo the non-skid so it look just like it did before the repair.

All of the parts for you SuperCat are available from Aquarius Sail, including the rudder pully you refer to. Your plan for repairing the rudder should work fine.

[BugTussel]

the pulleys on the rudder now are cheap looking white plastic. is that what is suppose to be on there? in any case i need to order some.

i guess i need to get you a list of the parts i need.

[BugTussel]

well before i go cutting into the hull. is there a way to tell if it really needs the repair. when i say cracks im not sure if they are all the way through they might just be in the gel coat.

[Bean]

I just re did the transoms on mine. THe port is BY FAR the best way to do it. THe material is very thin and we matted the outside and used 4" tape around the corners on the inside. We also replaced the metal support bars and glassed them in.
The port is easy. Cut them in the top and when you cut them cut at an angle like you would do a pumpkin top. Use a thin fine tooth blade and that way the top will lay right back in place. Seal it with epoxy and lay some biax on top. Easy stuff to do and you will save much time and give greater support to the transoms. It will scare you when you see how little glass there is.

[Kevin Keller]

You could do a leak test by slightly pressurizing the hull with a vacuum and putting a soapy lather over the transom. If you don't see any bubbles I wouldn't worry about your transom. It is very thin in the middle of the transom but the strength comes from the edges not the middle.

[BugTussel]

cool thanks for the tips

i was reading some of the post that came back from a search of transoms and it was talking about plastic pins for the rudders. mine are metal so i guess that is where the cracks are coming from. just another item to order. im glad i got this boat cheap.

[Kevin Keller]

You don't need the plastic pins but they do have a couple of advantages. They are another safety measure to prevent damage to the rudder/transom. They are also sacrificial and will wear out prior to the aluminum gudgeons.