This is the magic stuff, with epoxy and glass this will be a foreve repair, over drill the holes for the thru hull bolts, fill with cabosill thickened epoxy and then redrill the holes to accommodate the bolts. Check out Boatworks Today he did a Hatteras oat with a similar issue😊
If the wood is done properly with fiberglass you don't need to do it. The I do love coosa board it doesn't make sense til you hit a certain size of boat. Mostly people need to learn to take care of their boats. Actually clean and wax and do maintenance on them like you would your car.
I wish my wife was as involved as yours. She has no interest in fixing stuff up. All these projects are less daunting when you have a partner to work with. Just so many times where you just need a second set of hands. Love watching what you guys do. Look forward to watching this patch process even though I've seen a few YT videos on this before. Do a search there are plenty on here.
My wife was the opposite of supportive and nagged me about fixing my vehicles and motorcycles and said "Just buy new ones" I asked her why she restores antique furniture and suggested she "just buy new ones". She backed off. Fun fact - her 2023 BMW has been in the shop 6 times for electrical issues and I took her to the dealer with my 2007 Sedona.
You Know Aaron is smart cause he never shy's away from any challenge i've seen yet.. Engine, transmission, bodywork, Aircraft, Electrical issues, and now we can include Boat Hull Repair.. and even when it comes to the Heavy lifting.. he's smart enough that He lets Emily do all of that... Heavy outDrive, let her move it, Awkward heavy floor panel/engine cover, she can carry that.. . "work Smarter not Harder" has a whole new meaning to me now.. Love what y'all do and Really Enjoy watching the Video's..
So refreshing to have your wife helping like this. Says this video is 2 months old so you’re probably finished by now. Was going to suggest a scrapper blade on a sawzall to scrape the wood off the outer fiberglass. Then finish with flap wheel on a grinder. Good luck.
The first video on this boat was the first time i discovered your channel, and have been following along ever since. It's nice to see people actually fixing a boat like this and giving it a longer life that just scraping it. Today's culture just throws away everything when there is something wrong, instead of fixing it. Soooo many boats like this develop a serious issue and then get sold for cheep as a fixer upper, then it gets left in someone's yard to rot until it's just too far gone and then it goes to scrap. Great work guys!!
I was scrolling one day a year ago and found y'all's channel, I've been watching ever since. Your love of family, friends, wrenching and each other has me hooked.
Love your videos, love you guys together, great job. I made a joke when Bayliner first production "that the Bayliner Owners Package" came with a blank U.S.Coast Guard "Accident report" !! Remember... "You are the human... it's only a boat" !! Keep it up !! I'm a lifelong boater and am 76 years young, and YES, Coosa board !! No more wood !!
So, the broken outdrive unit distracted you from the REAL reason the boat was selling for such a discount! That would have lured me into the deal, too. 🙂 Fortunately, you folks have the skills, the tools, and the friends to pull off the repair.
I Remember Your Past Videos When You Were Boating And Camping With Family, It Was A Great Time For You Guys And Fun To Watch. So I Hope You Get The Boat Up And Running Again And More Videos On The Lake. GOOD LUCK!
Probably some of the best RU-vid University films on water intrusion and fiberglass repair is from the Parley Revival channel dealing with hurricane damaged boats. The right marine grade products for core, fiberglassing, gelcoat and color matching outside will be key to great repair...
In my experience, I’ve replaced transoms a few times, you need to make sure to cut away just a little bit more then you see rotten wood. Don’t stop at the edge exactly. Keep up the good work. Awesome job
Wow !!! I did this exact repair 35 years ago on my ski boat with a out drive I hade a very knowledgeable man in the industry help me with all the tricks and because of boat problems Ive been married to his daughter for 35 years 😊 boats r cool
Yep. It's an easy job if you know what you're doing or have a mentor who knows what he is doing. I did my first one ten years ago after reading articles on Classic Mako. I'm actually doing my second one right now.
Coosa board and smelch is what we use to resandwich it back together. Smelch is just resin and talcum powder or glass beads mixed into a paste . Smear it all up after your dry run for fit . Clamp the weenies out of it and use screws from the out side if needed to pull it tight . gelcoat is easy to fix holes from screws or bolts. Great job so far but clean that bilge
I'm kinda interested in the explanation. I'm thinking of remodeling/modify top part of my Bayliner Trophy walk around. I think the walk around space is just a waste and want to have wider captain cabins. All I can think of fiber glass.
Not jealous of cutting out the fiberglass. I'm itching all the way from here. Just glad to see Aaron seems to be feeling better while working on stuff. I was worried about him after he was bad sick that time in the hospital with the snoring guy😴💤. I know there have been many projects since then, he just seemed tired and wore down for a while. He's looking much healthier. Just hope you all are doing well💪. Best of luck on this one, I know nothing about boats other then they are supposed to float on water.
Living in Europe, envious of you guys living in a state where you can actually buy a boat like this for U$5k, and where you can get the outdrive for u$1,200, and having the skills to be able to fix all these things by yourselves. Just owning a decent pick-up truck in the Eu to tow the boat costs a fortune!
They got lucky, you won't find much for 5k nowadays you'll be spending over 20 to 30k for a used boat this size. It will also need a lot of work and money to get it sea worthy.
Oooh here we go! Transom project! There's a great video series on this on Boatworks Today. Rebuild it with coosa board and it'll be stronger than factory!
Lotta work, not an easy job but it can surely be done. Fun part is realigning the engine & gimbal housing/outdrive upon reassembly, do not lose any shims under motor mounts! You can find an alignment tool online fairly easy for Merc stern drives. Doing the bellows is also a barrel of fun as you already know.......end result is your boat will give you many years of great service and enjoyment. Thanks for the cool video, look forward to future episodes on this boat and its repairs. God bless you all!
I give you guys credit. I've never replaced a transom so I can't give you any advice, but I think you guys have it under control. I'm confidant of that!
I think that it's so neat that your sense of adventure leads you all to tackle projects that you don't know very much about. That's pretty cool in my books.
@@flyingsparksgarage My appreciation for your genuineness is off the charts. You all don't do things to pump up the jam. You all do things because it's who and what you are. That transparency, and knowing that it is real, is a trait that I admire in you, all of you, one that I am honored to see and know. Before I go much farther I want to thank you both for bringing Adrian on board. His skills have brought so many small touches to the videos yet have brought a clarity and pleasure to watch and listen. One is his amazing use of background music. It is so timely, such a fitting style, and is a great enhancement, even though it is brought at a gentle volume. At times I have found myself wondering when it had started playing, so that I have actually gone back and watched the video just for the background music. Amazing, he is an amazing addition to the team and family.
It’s awesome that you both jump in and do whatever it takes to fix things and learn how to do these things . Nobody knows how to do these things without learning first. I personally think y’all are awesome and thanks for the videos.
Aaron, Emily great job. One suggestion, your working with fiberglass and there’s black mold. Wear ppf, masks, protective gear. You don’t want to be breathing that stuff Ps Love seeing your cute dog
I'm not surprised this was a top video because people love boats of all kinds and mixing a bargain boat with repairs which were also a bargain, is just fun to watch. This should also be a great one! I have raised a transom for a larger outboard, but never lost one on an in and out. I think is was you guys who asked if we considered it a cabin cruiser or a yacht... My answer is YES. On most lakes they are called cabin cruisers, if in an ocean bay, it would probably be considered a small yacht. (Thought, put the airplane or the cruiser or even the other boat on a T-shirt, and I suspect they would sell, maybe better than the cars and trucks. I may be in an odd group of people, but they wear shirts with campers, planes, and boats, mostly speed boats or sailboats, but maybe a cruiser would sell also.
Finley's look was like " Hey ma where's the sun? I'm on the boat supposed to be sunny" Love y'alls content. Even after all the years I've watched y'all never a boring moment. While was cutting the fiberglass probably should have had a mask on Even tho ya outside
Be sure to make a template of the outline of the lower unit and mounting holes if you're going to reglass the entire transom. I've done a full transom replacement on my 25' , it's a big job. I also used heavy aluminum angle (6")to sandwich the stringers and tie into a cross brace to support the transom.
That is one STRONG LADY those bravo 3 sterndrives are heavy and awkward to move around you go girl. I have the same boat so I love this video. Oh, make sure you check the stub shaft for the steering that's in the transon housing they get dry and wear the bushing.
Great project! I first came on board when you fixed the out drive. IMHO I would first have ShopVaced ,Hoovered, or cleaned debris out of the recess on the deck before starting on the engine. Initial audio seemed a little low - could be my aging ears. Don’t forget masks etc when cutting/working/sanding on fiberglass. Thx for bringing us along. 😊😊😊 John Ken
As a suggestion, you could use cap bolts to pull the layers tighter together. I've heard them called button head bolts too.wheb you get all of the glass work done, remove the nuts and washers, cut the bolts back to flush. You both have more balls than most of us. Mechanical end of the projects isn't as difficult as most think. Over thinking something always makes it more difficult that it's got to be. Every vehicle you've got, when you just do, they end up functioning. So use your strengths and try not to allow your "concerns" to be overbearing. I'm speaking from 30+ plus yrs of wrenching.
I have been watching FSG for years . I love boat and fiberglass content . I had a cruiser Inc boat like yours , same out drive and engine . As other have said boat works today channel is the best I have watch him for 10 years . Frisco boater did a very good job on his boat to . Looking forward to this one. Thanks for posting and taking it on!!
You guys rock! I remember when you bought the boat and put the new outdrive on, then all the cool adventures. I must admit when I saw Aaron toss the the exhaust elbow and riser on the seat the exact words in my head were what Aaron said, then I remembered the runabout, no spoilers but if that’s the plan then she is going to be one heck of a nice boat. Keep it up you two.
Looking forward to the build. Great job so far and the fact that all this work keeps a smile on your faces, makes it all more exciting. Thumbs up from UK
You and Aaron define opposite’s attract. I love the duality of your personalities working so well together. Years ago I met the first person I ever knew that owned a boat, well one that held more than two people and had oars, it was the owner of the tow truck company I worked for. The first time we went out on the water I told him that it must be so awesome to have such an incredible boat. He said never own a boat, it’s a hole in the water that you throw money into!😂😂
No snark here! Boat will be great when y’all are done, the first boat video was the first time I found you and I wondered who this couple was with the slightly geeky lady in glasses and do rag wrenching away. Of course I went on to find out she’s a fashion model and ya’ll can fix anything you set out to do. PS: Emily drove right by my house in NC a few years ago.
You all have such a wonderful life...thanks to all the corporate help...when are you going to sail around the world with your awesome boat and show us all how great your lives are?
Yes to coosa. 👍👍👍 Next is your choice of resin. Use a laminating type resin. Epoxy is your strongest bond but most expensive. Then if you use epoxy anything that you put on top of it should be epoxy based as well. So no gel coat on top of epoxy. Vinyl ester is your second best choice. Coming down in cost and opens up to using gel coat if you want that in the bilge. Then there’s polyester. Which is what your boat is made with. All 3 are a good choice with coosa. 1708 glass for sure through the whole project. Cabosil for thickening your resin. Plenty of acetone.
As a life long boater, I admire your ambition. I agree and would recommend Coosa board. Also, look into some West Systems epoxy instead of regular polyester resin. It’s more expensive, but a better product for repairs. Don’t forget the alignment tool when you reinstall the drive 👍
I love that boat, I'm fairly sure it's what brought me to your channel ? All the best & thanks for the entertainment over the years. Lots luv to you all.
Suggestion: Pull the motor mounts from stringers and fill existing holes with combination of sawdust and some kind of wood glue or epoxy. Go ahead and install motor mounts on engine, the use rt hand drill to drill your new bolt holes where you need them. Good choice on the swap. Can't wait to watch more!
Bayliner has transom issues? Never heard of that before 😅. That's a major repair, definitely labor intensive but not expensive . Good thing you have some local guidance.
As a glass guy, I wound have probably cut the outside. Replace bad wood, then vacuum bag the outside back on. You definely want to "bag" as we call it. This assures no air between glass and what ever your using for structure.whatever you use. You can use an AC pump to bag it down. There are composite guys on RU-vid that show you how to do it.
I would repair it with a lightweight Coosa fiberglass board. You won't have to worry about Deterioration ever again on the transom. It will cost a bit more but worth every penny. Heck being RU-vidrs they might give you a deal for showing its benefits on your channel. Rub each other's backs, lol.
If you don't already own one, pick up a finger belt sander and a bunch of various grit belts for it. I'll make it a lot easier to sand tight areas to prep for new 'glass. Great job with the boat thus far.. and best of luck!
Coosa is the way to go. Last time you'll worry about wood rot....at least on the transom! One channel I follow is BoatworksToday, about 18 months ago he had several episodes on his Bertram 25 that he was replacing the transom. I think he also may have done the same thing on a Whaler for a Sheriff dept. He's very in depth. Looking forward to your progress! One last thing.....either I am going seriously deaf or your volume on this vid was very low.
I've been waiting for this video, ever since you said the transom was rotted. So much credit for doing it yourself. You're spot on about the coosa board. It won't rot. While you have it apart, if the stringers the motor mounts on aren't 100%, replace them. Honestly, I might just replace them anyway since you're already there. You'll have complete peace of mind. What are the plans for the motor? You mentioned you were thinking about something different to get more HP and torque.
I am doing a transom this year too. So many great ways to fix them. Mine I have to creative layering the wood back in pieces like a puzzle. Layered like bricks, overlapping the seams.
Love your boat content! Both how to fix it and how you use it lake camping! I'm slowly working up to a cabin cruiser and love each time you release a video!
Love your guys videos ! I have been a marine technician for years and have replaced several transoms. I would highly recommend looking into a product called seacast . Makes this task much easier and last longer than wood . I have had great luck with this .
I have seen all your clips of this boat. They are great tutorial on boating and a story on top of it. It is so nice to get to you and your family. It is a super sweet thing going on!
Guys, I love your vid's! On a safety note you should be wearing full PPE (glasses, respirator, nitrile gloves, tyvek full body suit etc...) as the airborne fibreglass and black mold can present a serious health hazard to you. Thank you for sharing this project with your viewers and I look forward to the next steps in the near future. Cheers from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
I've replaced the deck, stringers, and transom in an 18.5 foot boat before. Some of it sucked to do, but in the end it was rewarding having done it myself. Good luck, look forward to seeing it back on the water!
Having worked the boat industry for many years, I feel your pain after you do a couple of those drives you’ll get pretty proficient at it, but just remember they’re not all the same the alphas in the bravos come off differently with the shift cables, but going back in is the important part getting your gimbal bearing lined upgood luck
Hey Emily, I saw you lift that propeller out of the boat, you go girl! Don't ask my advice. When I use a screwdriver I have to remember righty tighty, lefty loosey.
Happy to see a sharp man working with strong brave woman. Together making things happening. We do not see enough of these in modern day. Too many miss independent for no reason.
Great project. Make sure you both use PPE as fiberglass dust is nasty. Also consider protective clothing as it is also itchy. Can’t wait to see next episode.
Looks like a heckofa job. Do remember that the transom isn't just a wall of the vessel or a mounting plate for the out-drive, it functions as a thrust plate pushing the whole vessel forward. When they are installed at the factory it is from the outside so all of the mating surfaces take the thrust and transmit it to the rest of the hull. Since you would rather not break your outer skin, you are replacing it from the inside. This may call for additional bracing that wasn't needed originally to tie it in properly to the rest of the hull. Think of it as the transom installed from outside pushes the hull while the transom installed from inside tries to pull the hull via the mating surfaces of it's edges. Hope this helps.
The outside is the first thing made at the factory. The rest is then put inside. Meaning you can see the gelcoat color before a single thing has been put inside. They are taking it apart just backwards of how it was put in. When they build it, it will be just as the factory did it. Hence why you don't touch the outside gelcoat.
Golly I know I'm late commenting but really hope you made a pattern of that transom showing the hole cutout shape, thickness and bolt hole locations before it came completely out. I'm sure you must have done but I was twitching a bit watching you knock it to pieces without seeing the pattern being made !!!!! Great video, love this sort of content, well done guys 👍👏👏👏
Seeing the transum like that is scary and I would have probably not touched it but now I might actually give it a try if I had a boat. I'm learning right along with you🤠🤠🤠❤️❤️❤️
May I suggest you replace the rear engine rubber bushing mounts since you have the engine out, it will make the engine and drive alignment so much easier when you reassemble everything, love the video 👍😁❤️
You guys should be so proud of yourselves - heading in to the unknown of replacing a transom knowing that once you start there is only one direction you can head. I have a much smaller boat and the thought of doing the transom used to intimidate me as I could only think of what could go wrong instead of what could go right. You are not constrained by such thoughts and just get on with it. That boat will be back out on the water soon enough with the new transom.
You guys take a job I would never do ...again and give it some great energy I would trace the hole and bolt locations on to some cardboard in case disaster strikes and using the more durable material out there today instead of marine grade plywood as suggested is a great solution best of luck and bust out another thousand subscribers!
when people who can't fix their own stuff, yes it gets pricey, yall have gotten something that will make great memories plus you both love it ! its well worth it. :) keep making these memories and videos :)
