Boat Builder Central - Builder Forums

If the core is not damaged, you should be able to fix simply by replacing the tape. If the core is cracked, you must replace it: grind and see.

This is not how the transom is designed. It looks like you built for a short shaft and later added a piece to use a long shaft. Now you have a lever there that wants to break. It would have been better to raise the transom with a full width board and lots of glass. This may be the opportunity to do that. It is not much more work.

Are you talking about the motor bracket? It is a bolt on piece with two Al plates sandwiching a piece of wood.

I used the transom that came with the kit.. it is one solid piece that is ~20” high in the center. I used this measurement when buying the outboard for the boat (long after the transom was installed), which led me to a long shaft… did I go awry there? I think a short shaft would be too short for this boat? It’s the FS14 circa 2011 or 2012 kit.

If I want to raise the transom, does that involve cutting the existing transom entirely out?

A little more on the motor bracket… I added the bracket after I ran the engine on the boat for awhile. My memory is a bit fuzzy now but I think I was getting a lot of spray with the motor mounted directly on the transom. I am running a Suzuki 20hp.

Many thanks,
Loral

but the bottom of the aluminum bracket is creating a folding point on the transom at the bottom of the aluminum. the inside piece probably should go further down the transom to spread the forces to more of the transom

Nautilus wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 5:54 pm A little more on the motor bracket… I added the bracket after I ran the engine on the boat for awhile. My memory is a bit fuzzy now but I think I was getting a lot of spray with the motor mounted directly on the transom. I am running a Suzuki 20hp.

Many thanks,
Loral

What kind of motor? The Honda is like 22.5 i think, which buries the lower unit with a 20" transom.

VT_Jeff wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:44 pm

Nautilus wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 5:54 pm A little more on the motor bracket… I added the bracket after I ran the engine on the boat for awhile. My memory is a bit fuzzy now but I think I was getting a lot of spray with the motor mounted directly on the transom. I am running a Suzuki 20hp.

Many thanks,
Loral

What kind of motor? The Honda is like 22.5 i think, which buries the lower unit with a 20" transom.

Disclaimer: I'm an amatuer boat-builder.

I just measured mine(Honda) and it's actually closer to 23 from the top inside of the bracket to the bottom of the vent plate.

Assuming that the prop is supposed to be vertical, and assuming that the transom is at 13.5 degrees, the size of the transom will need to be 23.65 inches to get the vent plate on the surface(using a right triangle calculator I found on the web) if you want the bracket resting on the transom top.

My FS14LS plans call for the transom to be cut at 20". Using the same calculator in reverse, a motor would need to measure 19.45" from bracket to vent plate in order to sit on top of that transom and have the vent plate on the surface.

This topic has been run down before but I don't recall the (possibly insignificant) transom angle being considered and thought it was interesting.

VT_Jeff wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:44 pm

Nautilus wrote: ↑Mon Nov 29, 2021 5:54 pm A little more on the motor bracket… I added the bracket after I ran the engine on the boat for awhile. My memory is a bit fuzzy now but I think I was getting a lot of spray with the motor mounted directly on the transom. I am running a Suzuki 20hp.

Many thanks,
Loral

What kind of motor? The Honda is like 22.5 i think, which buries the lower unit with a 20" transom.

Just noticed you said Suzuki.

I have a Suzuki 20 HP on my standard GF16. I am not home right now and can not measure but I am certain that it is not 22.5".
I'll get home next week and will measure but what I see in the picture is an addition to the transom, a piece of ply with glass extending the transom. I assume that was to fit a bracket or raise the transom for a long shaft. That creates an hinge. You must have done a good fiberglass job, under normal use, it should work but when you ran aground, it split at the top.
From the pictures, it looks like the original transom and glass is intact. The ideal way to raise that transom would be to use and extension that goes just over the seat, from one side to the other. Epoxy glue that to the original transom, glass over and it will be stronger than what you show in the pics.
It is not much more work than to rebuild what I see in the pics.

jacquesmm wrote: ↑Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm I have a Suzuki 20 HP on my standard GF16. I am not home right now and can not measure but I am certain that it is not 22.5".

It's my Honda that is 22.5, I may have sown confusion on that, apologies.

20.5 is my math