TOPIC: Boat Work

Back to work on the boat after a few years. Here's a few shots of my 1960 Speed Queen 17'6" Cruisette utility, cleaned up and ready to be worked on.








First order of business was removing a sheet of plywood a previous owner laid down towards the rear of the hull. In order to install the plywood, the person had to cut off the rear of the center stringer (fiberglass-encased aluminum channel) which was then plugged with resin and filled up with water. The plywood was secured with resin and four rusting screws through the hull and eight screws set into the fiberglass patch laid down beneath the plywood.



My thoughts are that this plywood was added as a mount for an I/O setup or similar sort of reinforcement. In any case, it had to go as it was a vector for leaks (the through-hull screws were rusted out), trapped water inside the center stringer and beneath the plywood sheet, and otherwise blocked drainage from the two drainholes on either side of the center stringer.

Next work will be to prepare for installation of the new transom. Already got a start with an air-powered die grinder and cone-shaped sanding bit, dishing out the numerous holes in the transom so that they will take patches/filler much better.

I don't envy you the "dirty work" Andy, but good to see you're back at it. Did the PO shorten that transom too, maybe to run a short shaft motor, or was it made that way? Looks like you've got your work cut out for ya! Hang in there and keep us posted on your progress, okay.

Yep, the PO cut right through the original aluminum transom cap and into the transom to allow for installation of a short-shaft outboard motor. Later on, it was built back up with a steel-plate sandwich and some 2X4. And then, a '66 100 HP Evinrude V4 was hung off the back. YIKES!

The original fiberglass of the transom is so much like swiss cheese that soon enough it may be more patch 'n filler than original 'glass!

I saw on one of Heather's videos (sorry, don't remember which one) where she cut a sheet of fiberglass from another (donor) boat and used it as a big, one piece patch. I don't know much at all about fiberglassing, but wonder if that may be an option here. (Maybe it's not as bad as it looks in the pics?) The PO(s) really did a number on that transom, I do know that!