The boat’s transom is a part of the stern. While the stern is the boat’s rear, the transom is its cross-section. It goes from the right to the left, and outboard motors are often placed on it.
Over time, the water starts taking its toll on your boat. You may notice some parts wearing out, and the transom may start developing spots and becoming weaker.
To avoid that, you can reinforce it using a reliable material and an epoxy sealant. Some people use other materials, but epoxy is the hardest, most durable sealant you can use for reinforcing a sea vessel. Water doesn’t affect it in the slightest way, so it seems legit to choose it.
Here’s how to reinforce a transom on an aluminum boat.
How to Reinforce a Transom on an Aluminum Boat
Although aluminum is durable and resistant to corrosion, it weakens over time with repeated exposure to water. To reinforce your transom, follow these steps.
Step 1: Prepare the Needed Items
To reinforce your boat’s transom, you’ll need the following items:
- Epoxy sealant
- Sandpaper
- Power drill(Optional)
- Screwdrivers
- Bits and screws
- Adhesive tape
- Reinforcement material
If you want a material other than epoxy, you can go for it. Epoxy is expensive for many users, and it’s not readily available. Just make sure you’re using reliable sealant that won’t show gaps a couple of days after installing it.
Step 2: Prepare the Transom for Reinforcement
Before installing the reinforcement material, you need to first prepare the transom for it. To do so, take its measurements, and determine how much of the reinforcement material you’ll need.
Then, start treating the ruined areas of the transom. Look for rot, debris, and rusty spots. Start cleaning them thoroughly. If you need, remove the entire transom’s material, but make sure you have enough reinforcement material to cover it.
After you’re done, grab your reinforcement material and use it for measurement guides. Put it on the transom, and mark the areas where you need to drill. Next, start drilling guide holes on the places you marked.
Step 3: Sand the Transom
After you clean the weak spots of the transom and take the necessary measurements, start removing the whole plate. You’ll find all kinds of debris and dust underneath, especially if you’ve owned your boat for quite some time.
Clean it well, then grab sandpaper and start sanding the whole surface. For the best results, use medium-grit sandpaper.
Sometimes, sandpaper won’t cut it, especially if the boat is large. In this case, you can use a sanding disc attached to a power drill. It’ll work faster and more efficiently.
Once you’re done sanding, you can start applying the sealing layer. When choosing a sealant, make sure it works well with both the transom’s material and the reinforcement material. It also needs to be adhesive to attach both.
Epoxy sealants are the best and most reliable. Some people use adhesive tapes, but it’s more likely to go loose over the years.
Using a paintbrush, apply the sealant on the transom and on the back of your material.
Step 4: Attach the Reinforcement
Now, your surfaces should be sanded, and the guide holes should be drilled. After that, you only have to place the reinforcement material on the transom and start securing it in place. You’ll need the bolts, nuts, washers, and screwdrivers for this step.
After placing all the nuts where they should be and securing them, tighten them all. Do a couple of tests to make sure they don’t need any more tightening. After you’re done, you’ll want to leave the material for a week or ten days for curing. Try not to use the boat in this period, and constantly check for air gaps.
Some materials are more prone to these gaps, including PVC and plastic fiberboards. Watch them for a couple of days, and if no cracks appear, you’re good to go. If you find them, you may need to apply a second layer of sealant.
Step 5: Install Some Extra Reinforcements
If you want to protect your transom to the fullest, you can install some extra reinforcement. For example, outboard wedges can result in a smoother stride, lifting the pressure off your stern and transom.
Alternatively, you can install an aluminum base plate. It’ll keep your transom protected and prevent cracking and similar damages.
What to Do to Protect Your Boat’s Transom?
If you want to protect your boat’s transom, so you don’t need to replace it any time soon, there are a couple of tips to follow. For one, it’s better to apply a protective coating made explicitly for aluminum surfaces. It’ll protect your transom for a long time, especially from daily wear and tear.
On top of that, try to keep your boat out of the water as much as you can. When you’re not using it, you can get a boat lift to keep it dry. Of course, it’ll cost you a lot, but it’ll keep the transom protected from the water turbulence.
How to Maintain Your Aluminum Boat
The thing about aluminum is, it’s pretty easy to maintain. So it shouldn’t be too hard to prevent your boat from corroding. For starters, make sure you clean it after each use if you use it in saltwater. The deposits in salt water can cause the aluminum to corrode five times faster, and over time, it gets harder to remove.
Secondly, when you clean the boat, check the cleaning solution closely for corrosive elements. You don’t want to be the reason your boat is starting to show signs of wear and tear.
Lastly, try to fix the damaged areas whenever they appear to prevent them from becoming worse.
The Takeaway
Now, you should be well aware of how to reinforce a transom on an aluminum boat. Firstly, choose the material. Then, clean the transom, remove its plate, and sand underneath. After that, you’ll only need to screw the material in and apply the sealant, and you’re done!