See full version: How to Replace a Wood Transom on an Aluminum Jon Boat
Apply adhesive marine caulk to the threads of the new 1/2-inch bolts. Apply adhesive marine caulk to the part of the right-angle brackets to which the new transom attaches. Position the plywood transom and insert the bolts through the right-angle brackets and the plywood. Thread the nuts onto the bolts and tighten securely.
An aluminum jon boat with a wood transom that needs replacement means possibilities, such as making the transom taller to accommodate a long-shaft outboard. Whatever your choices, the end result needs to fit well, be properly finished and securely attached to the aluminum hull. Whether the wood transom on your aluminum jon boat is damaged or deteriorating, replacing it takes only some wood, the right tools, the right kind of caulk and paint or other surface sealant.
Half-sheet, 3/4-inch marine plywood
Cut the plywood so that it fits the rear of the boat, using a power saw. Drill 1/2-inch holes through the plywood, using a drill and 1/2-inch bit. Apply two coats of primer paint or other sealant to all sides and edges of the plywood, using a disposable paintbrush. [links]
Hold a half-sheet of 3/4-inch-thick marine plywood up to the now-open rear of the boat. Move the plywood until there is a close fit between the plywood and the rear of the boat. Mark the bolt holes of the right-angle brackets onto the plywood with a pencil. Trace the outline of the outside of the rear of the boat onto the face of the plywood that faces into the boat. here
Right angle brackets, 1/2-inch bolt holes
Hey guys I’m planning on redoing my transom when it’s repower time. Would love to close it up and put a bracket but I’m afraid of screwing up the boats performance after all that work plus the additional cost of a bracket as well. I love the boat as is and in the very least would close in the transom 6-8” more on each side. I find myself fishing more and more offshore and would like to make the boat as safe as possible instead of finding another boat with a closed transom setup already.
Things to consider-
With motor raised, what is possible?
You may be able to add in a horizontal "seat" over the existing motorwell and use a removable vertical "backrest" when the motor is down. [links]
Anyone ever see an offshore with a built in (Gunnel height) Splashwell? Kind of setting it up like a euro style transom? Just curious if it’s been done I’ve searched with no luck. more
Sea Eagle offers two floorboard options for the 12.6 Sport Runabout. Unique performance benefits for the boat are found with each. more
The only thing missing is a canopy. No worry. You can add the Sun & Rain Canopy.
Whether you’re looking to pull a skier, fish, dive, runabout, or need a tender, you can’t go wrong with the Sea Eagle 12’6″ Sport Runabout Inflatable Boat. It serves as a great all-around boat for almost all water types.
The Swivel Seat Package (Model Number 126SRK_SW) has everything in the Deluxe Package with the addition of a locking swivel seat that mounts on 2 aluminum cross boards. This seat is a must for comfort on those long days on the water. [links]
Historically, fiberglass single engine outboard Bass and pleasure boats were all built with a composite laminate of wood and fiberglass. Fiberglass layers were built up by blowing in glass and resin from a chopper gun or glass mat and resin were introduced in a mold by hand lay-up methods. In both cases wood was used for a stringer system with a plywood floorboard placed on the stringers, a plywood transom installed, and the cap deck fitted onto this assembly. Ideally, all the wood was encapsulated in fiberglass. In the case of the floorboards and deck, a heavy coat of resin was often substituted for a layer of fiberglass. The resin did a fair job of sealing water from the wood. The higher quality of these boats had a very good survival rate. The lower quality boats soon showed their weakness. Weakness was apparent in floorboards that were not properly sealed and soon became soft to the step. Transoms showed stress cracks in the corners and the motor actually moved the transom in and out. The less particular builders who built many of these boats of “questionable quality” created product that was soon relegated to the rebuild shops for replacement of transoms, stringers, decks, or floorboards.
Even the boats built by the most particular shops were subject to the ineptitude of careless riggers or owners. Holes drilled in stringers, transoms, decks, and floorboards for mounting of batteries, and other fixtures and fittings were often not properly sealed. Insidiously, water went wherever it could. Over time the invading water softened and rotted the compromised interior of the wooden part. So, here we see how materials and craftsmanship must go together. Many of the boats built with these materials by quality builders such as Allison are still around and in excellent condition. A high level of craftsmanship at the manufacturing level still could not however, solve the problem of wood rot, once water was allowed to invade.
All new Allison boat designs since that time have benefited from Mr. Allison’s pioneering efforts. He was the first to build a totally composite laminate boat with no wood structure to rot and cause imminent failure. The rest of the boating world is beginning to catch up slooooooooowly. There is no other boat on the market even after all these years that utilizes the no-compromise transom solution Mr. Allison invented in the eighties. There is not a single other manufacturer who cares enough about the quality of their product to use an alloy reinforced transom. Even those who are trying to build composite laminate boats today are decades behind the research and development that Allison pioneered. here