Hunter 23' Transom

[carboman]

Does anyone know what Hunter used as reinforcement for the transom where the rudder brackets and the motor mount exists?

It looks like they put something back there that allows a through hole to be drilled and a 3/8" diamter bolt or so to be used.

It looks like they did not reinforce the rest of it.

I was thinking of pumping something in there to beef it up.

Thanks!

 

[Wanderer138]

Hey Carboman:

If I recall correctly the transom is solid glass, just thicker in the area of the rudder and motor mount. If you're concerned about strength, how about adding a couple of 3/16" stainless steel backing plates inside the transom? That's pretty simple and should be more than enough to spread the loads over a broader area.

 

[MrUnix]

There is definitely something in there, but who knows what. On mine, it sure looks like they just grabbed a piece of scrap to use as reinforcement for the motor mounts. The rudder bolts area looks like it was actually cut for the job. I agree that backing plates would be the easiest way to go if needed. Is there any particular reason for wanting to "Beef it up" or are you just bored and looking for stuff to do

Cheers,
Brad

 

[JoeWhite]

On my 1984 Hunter 25.5 I installed new motor mount. I had to drill new holes for the new mount. I found that there was metal embedded inside the glass for strength. You do not have to embed the sheet of 1/4" aluminum. I had to install stronger motor mount since I was replacing the original lightweight 2 stroke engine with heavy 4 stroke OB engine.

 

[Benny17441]

It just depends what scraps were available at the time of manufacture. Just drill through and add a backing plate.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

When you see a rasied area in the fiberglass, then there is an aluminum backing plate which is encapsulated into the glass which to drill and tap for screws.

If they aluminum has been wallered out say for example over tightening and striping the screw threads, there are several remedies. First is to retap the holes for the next size bolt which to thread in or you can get longer bolts and secure with a nut but get the largest SS washer to distribute the load against the glass assuming you are going over the encapsulated glass. If there are no encapsulated metal pieces when attaching objects like an outboard motor bracket, then you will need to put metal backing plates on the inside to distribute the load.

Use alot of silicon and generally I will use West Marine silicon made by Silaflex which does not shrink, holds well, will not meldew and so forth. You can also use a 100% silicon archtechual grade desinged for outdoor use which is what you find on the windows. You can clean with either acetone or alcholo. If around windows, lexan, plastic, do not use acetone but rather alcohol.

crazy dave condon

 

[isaksp00]

My 23 came with backing "plates" made from 2X4's. It seems to support the motor, rudder and boarding ladder well.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

the only problem with wood is wood rot over years in a marine environment. Someone went the cheap route for backing.

crazy dave

 

[isaksp00]

They did go the cheap route, absolutely. I'm not too bothered by it, though, as it seems solid now, and the wood is easy to see, so if it even starts to decay, I can (easily, at least off season) replace it, whether with new wood or stainless. Wood does seem to have at least one advantage - unless you use a lot of steel, it spreads the load across a larger area of glass.