Complete Transom Rebuild, Step by Step How-To! Part 1

We are rebuilding the transom on a 1983 Skeeter Bass boat. This is part one in the series. I have never rebuilt a transom, so all you professionals out there, please be kind in the comments!
Began by removing the motor, an 85 HP Evinrude, removing the top cap and plating, and then cutting out the transom area. Once the rotten wood was exposed, we removed it and allowed the transom area to completely dry before moving on to the next step.
I hope you enjoy this dubbed video and I know there are some holes due to lack of filming. Please feel free to ask any questions that you might have and I will answer to the very best of my ability.
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About Pastor Pinewood (Reece)
Reece is a full time pastor at a Southern Baptist church in the Texas Panhandle area and enjoys any and all things outdoors! Making fishing videos and working on old boats is a passion that he desires to share with the world. Reece and his wife Breanna enjoy their quiet, simple lifestyle and small homestead. For business or speaking arrangements, please e-mail Reece at [e-mail]
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[@stacenhartland9777]

Awesome! Getting to work with pops is always a hoot. The ol stories and whatnot. Be safe.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

More and more I cherish our time together much more than the physical activity that we are doing. He is a great man and I am privileged to have him around!

[@chrisreynolds7129]

Good to see you back on here. I still haven't started on mine. Now that I am stuck at home it may be a good opportunity to start on it. Looks good so far. Keeps the videos coming. God bless!

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Hey Chris! I was just looking over our old messages and wondered about your old boat! I hope you and your family are well and you get to catch some fish this spring!

[@naniamo1]

Cool video I'm doing this type of project and I thank you for putting it on there.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

No problem 👍 Let me know if I can help in an way!

[@javierferrer4634]

Nice! Thank you for sharing.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Thanks for watching!

[@jsetser001]

I'm about to tackle replacing mine. 2 minutes in and I feel better about doing it.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

I'd love to hear about your progress, I hope it goes well!

[@galada52]

Glad to see you back. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Thank you so much!

[@lukedawg357SIG]

My 88 skeeter is rotten i never seen it done from the back like y'all are doing most ive seen cut the top off thanks for sharing.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

You bet, let me know if I can clarify anything for you.Not a professional, but I'll help if I can!

[@Thepaintballinfool]

Not sure how I missed this ! Will be watching part 2 right after this ! God to see y’all redoing this gem! Also the saw is known as a multi tool, multi saw, or oscillating saw.

[@jerryoxendine7642]

Wrong way to do it

[@williamriley2528]

Looking forward to Transom Restoration Parts 2 & 3...!

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

I'm excited about it. I would appreciate your input and insight as we go forward. Please let me know if there is anything that I miss or need to do differently!

[@blackberryridge8205]

Ohh man!! I just found your channel! I just bought an 85 Stratos last week. I have to do this same thing. Can’t wait to see you drop the other videos to this. Subscribing now!!

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Blackberry Ridge coming this week my friend. Easter week is busy! Let me know if I can help in anyway or answer any questions.

[@blackberryridge8205]

Pastoral Homestead Outdoors I hear ya!! Looking forward to it. When I put some videos up of working on mine I will give ya a shoutout and link your videos and channel!

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Blackberry Ridge that’s great man, I really do appreciate it. I’ll look out for your videos!

[@lastaccountbannedfortalkin1449]

See the oscillator tool you used to cut the outer part off (usually referred to as a multimaster or multitool) you can get longer scraper blades for them for wood and even for silicon believe it or not. Fein have an extensive range of blades that you could have scraped that rotten wood out flush. I've just bought a Mayland boat and already my Fein mutimaster has done about 80% of the work on its own.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Great tip! I'll get one of those

[@marcgroeblacher6662]

The tool you’re referring to is called a oscillating saw or a Fien saw.

[@bcroft68bc]

That little tool is called a “oscillating saw”. They’re very handy.

[@williamriley2528]

U.S. boat manufacturers have completely eliminated wood from their products... I believe Triton Boats was the first U.S. boat manufacturer, in the early 2000's, to completely eliminate any/all wood from their boats. The other U.S. boat manufacturers have eventually followed Triton's lead...

[@gerardguglielmo1644]

Not sure about others but Skeeter first composite hull was 1997 at least for the Bass boat. Would love to have a list of the composite hulls and when they started. Sadly while the hull is composite some of the rod lockers and storage still use wood. Hopefully that changed in time.

[@JuanSepulveda-d7s]

I just saw this myself

[@spike2794]

Excellent!!! Have a 89 cobra bass boat with a rotted transom. Looking at the price of boats today......thought maybe I can fix it.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

You definitely can! The best lesson out of the rebuild was that it is possible even for a couple of dudes that don't really know what they're doing. Just some research and some time and you'll be good to go! Good luck! By the way, I love those old Cobra boats! For sure worth saving!

[@jondavenport7896]

Just came here from blackberry channel trying to figure out replacing transom on my 1987 gemini bass boat

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Did you already tackle your transom? How did it go?

[@jondavenport7896]

@@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors once I started opening it up it needed all new stringers and everything so I sold the motor for about 3k and the person took the boat and trailer as a mode of transportation. I still have a 1975 16' aluminum starcraft that I use regularly.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

@@jondavenport7896 Sounds like you avoided a headache. Glad you got the motor sold!

[@arowanarene44]

Nicely done! I enjoyed watching you and your dad getting it done.What size coosa board did you go with? Looking to do the same job on my 85 Astroglass.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

I believe this was 3/4in board. We ordered it cut in half because the shipping was a lot cheaper!

[@psychodad4634]

I think I have the same problem with my Procraft 750, except the transom is hollow on mine.

[@newwavepressure6478]

Lookin to get my first boat kinda want a smaller 20foot bay boat to learn and I get the guts to go out in open water lol

[@josephkitchens4831]

They use those tripods to lower people into man holes. Seems to work well for outboards.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Joseph Kitchens I’ve used that thing for countless applications. We even strung a deer up with it this fall. I would highly recommend it!! I didn’t know about the manhole...that’s interesting

[@sandys9791]

That is exactly what it is for.

[@beardedtrucker9486]

Did you think about sea cast. That’s what I am going to do with my nitro at end of this season. Going replace all wood with sea cast ..

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

BeardedTrucker we did consider sea cast. I think the coosa board will work better for this boat. Sea cast looks to be a great product

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I may be having to do this to my boat :-( Interested to see whether the coosa board is a "better" option

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

I am going to be doing another rebuild soon, and I for sure will be using coosa board. It's a little expensive, but it's easy to work with and it retains no water...hands down the best stuff that I've seen out there.

[@mrpaly10]

Hi my question on the coosa board is that how do i measure the size of it and the thickness depending the size cut of the transom?

[@tonyhagey8696]

Do you absolutely need to cut the Trans fiber glass mine isn't cracked it was just bending out I got all the wood out can I just glue everything back together with new wood ?

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

I’m so sorry I missed your comment! It is not necessary to cut out all the fiberglass if you’re going to seacast it. I would think it would be too difficult to build back the layers the way we did without removing the outer glass sheet.

[@kelliwalter5738]

My dad is restoring a 79 skeeter transom and was looking for the list of products you used to replace yours. Can you send me that or a link to all of it? Please and Thank you!

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

It's been a while since I put that list together, if you will send me an email I'll try to track everything down!

[@nicku101]

Where did you buy the coosa board from?

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

We searched online for the cheapest cost with shipping. Not sure where it was from.

[@santiagoaltunaga7254]

Hi, I have one just like it, but I don't know where to get it. I don't even know the names of the products you used. If you would be so kind as to give me a list of all the products used, thanks.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

I don't have a full list, I know we mention everything in the videos. In the future rebuilds, I'll do better at putting those lists and costs together.

[@davidconroy5683]

Complete transome rebuild part 4

[@tignocam6845]

I have to ask. In the description it says you’re in the Panhandle? I’m near Amarillo!

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Tator-Tot I am over by Meredith!

[@tignocam6845]

@@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors You are kidding me?! I'm from Stinnett hahaha

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

@@tignocam6845 Let's go fish!!

[@abigailcavazos1630]

will there be a video of the boat in the water after the Transom build?

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

That is something I didn't think about! We've had it in the water several times after the replacement, but I didn't think about making a video, I'll get to work on that!

[@abigailcavazos1630]

@@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors The makeover looks great. Looks like a lot of doubters need to see this beauty in action! Thanks for the tips my skeeter is getting transom redone as we speak!

[@abigailcavazos1630]

I will be doing my transom myself.. would love to show you my project and direct me in some pointers if you could.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Abigail Cavazos Feel free to shoot me an email with your progress and pictures! I would love to help you in anyway that I can

[@bassneckfishing2505]

How much is cooas board I'm trying to restore my challenger bass boat

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Talbert Roberts it’s really good stuff and easy to work with, it’s about $200 for the amount we needed.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

www.boatoutfitters.com/coosa-composites-board?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInMzooKXF6AIVFI_ICh2aAQPYEAQYASABEgKK1_D_BwE#211=131&215=249

[@bassneckfishing2505]

Thank you

[@lonniesimmonds2294]

What ever happened to the boat from hell. Still wondering if you ever started doing any work to it?

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Haha, I mentioned it at the end of this video! I am bringing it back from New Mexico this weekend and we're going to tear into it!

[@lonniesimmonds2294]

Did you get it back to start working on it

[@lapd1989]

Are you base in Miami?

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

lapd1989 No sir, I’m close to Lake Meredith.

[@kevinvanramshorst6985]

This is a fibreglass boat ?

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

Yes.

[@mikelovesspeed1315]

So you went over top of that plywood? Wasn’t it rotten?

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

No sir, all the plywood was removed. Replaced with coosa board. All of that is addressed in the subsequent videos.

[@mikelovesspeed1315]

@@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors ok so that last layer you didn’t take out was down to the fiberglass of the boat?

[@mikelovesspeed1315]

@@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors working on a transom on a 1990 stratos trying to decide when to stop tearing out

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

@@mikelovesspeed1315 that’s correct. The back part that was left was the interior fiberglass hull. There was some residual stuff left on which makes it look weird, but we took it all out down to bare glass.

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

@@mikelovesspeed1315 I’d take every bit of wood and resin out of there and rebuild it with new.

[@BBD40]

You talked for 4 minutes without a boat in the video...

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

BBD40 that’s true. I also completed the project with 7 videos in total. You can always skip through the parts you don’t like!

[@DawgPrepper]

Who in the devil's hell told you to cut the back end of a boat out you're supposed to pull the top and then go down in there and take the transom out, You just took all the strength out of the transom...

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

That option was not possible due to the top cap overlapping the transom, which is addressed somewhere in the video series. There is no sacrifice of strength or rigidity when cutting out the back end and re-fiberglassing it back in. If you would, just take a peak at the rest of the videos and see the final result. This is the same process that many mechanics and boat manufactures go through when they replace transoms. I appreciate your comment and concern.

[@DawgPrepper]

@@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors Ok... This is what I do for a living for about 40 years now... And you have to remove the top..That is what the rub rail covers... But I will watch the rest to see what you did later to strengthen the Transom... I cringed when I saw you destroy a classic boat.... Professionals cut the top rail if the top can't be removed and use a drill bit to take out the wood... We would never cut the rear end out of boat...

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

I understand what your saying and we definitely considered doing that. However, after checking with a variety of sources, this is the process we chose to follow. There are countless youtube videos that use this method as well as a Ranger technician I spoke to that performs this same procedure on newer Ranger boats that are fixed under warranty, although they cut it our from the inside. We didn't destroy this old boat, as a matter of fact, I've spent several thousand dollars keeping it on the water. Just because someone chooses to do something differently than you would perhaps do it, doesn't mean that it is necessarily incorrect, it's just different. As for putting it back together, we simply built the coosa board out with fiberglass until it was flush, re-epoxy the cut away pieces, beveled the seams and fiberglassed until it was flush and then sanded and gelcoated over that. I assume its stronger now than when it rolled of the factory floor.

[@Travizzlee]

Dude. Talking to much

[@PastoralHomesteadOutdoors]

I know...I hope folks can fast forward past that and get to the rest of the video series. My apologies!