I decided to go with gk's idea on the transom pads. I cut them to size and coated it with epoxy layed plastic over it and rolled out the bubbles <poor mans peel ply>

I also got my 2nd coat on. Im using interlux brightside as my paint. I know i should've gone with a 2 part paint but our local boat dealer didn't have the primer or reducers for the 2 part interlux paints and my only other option was awlgrip but the price was a little to steep. I wet sanded it and polished it out and im pleased with the results.

Also installed some lift handles to make it easier to carry the boat. And got the hatch installed.

Just gotta wait till the epoxy cures then 5200 it to the transom. Overall this boat was a great learning experience.