OK, lets talk transom replacement...

[Jeff Kelety]

With encouragement from a previous thread, I begin the research on replacing Folkboat Nais' transom. In hand are two old WB article's on the subject. One is clinker the other carvel. Both add insight.

One of the early decisions apparently, is whether to shorten the planks, or scarf new ends if necessary. Both options were discussed, no value placed on one over another. What say ye here? I sure hate the idea of shortening my already short Folkboat. I'm all the more reluctant because of some lovely brightwork trim on the aft deck directly adjacent to the transome all across the stern. Even an inch or so means LOTS of messing with this stuff. So, can I get away with (in a proper fashion) not truncating the tail end?

Thanks for any commentary.

jgk

[John R Smith]

Jeff

just how bad are your hood ends? Exactly how bad, I mean ;)

John

[Noah]

Jeff, I think that it would be a huge deal to shorten the transom. It might work on a boat with an overhanging stern, but on a Folkboat there is just too much stuff you would have to move. Starting from the bottom up, the cast keel is also the rudder protector down on the bottom. It isn't like you could cut the keel down and re-shape it...

Then you have the whole rudder post that you bolt the rudder to. What are you gonna do, put a new one of those in? Nah...

I really don't think that it is an option on the Folkboat to shorten the stern. It isn't designed for it. You would end up moving the rudder, which would screw things up, changing the backstay position, which might make it hit the sail, and changing the already short waterline length.

I guess you just have to hope that your hood ends are in good condition...

[Jeff Kelety]

<just how bad are your hood ends?>

Don't know yet, John. I'm just going for a theoretical discussion here. It was my own very experienced shipwright who first broached the possibility. Then I read it as a routine approach in a WB article. But you're right, Noah. Big trouble to trim even an inch - so much to mess with. Seems to me that scarfing in new ends where needed may be a less drastic approach. Anyone actually had to shorten a larger boat?

jgk

[Gordon Bartlett]

I've not done it myself but I saw it done on two rather large carvel planked powerboats. Nothing at all like the situation you have.

[Jeff Kelety]

Well, I have a bit of a correction to my understanding of the "trimming" process. This is not meant to be major surgery, only a 1/4 to 1/2 inch trimming of the hood ends. This isn't structural, mostly cosmetic to insure clean hood ends. All my hood ends appear - at least from the paint-side-out to be in good shape. No punkiness anywhere. Now that may change once I get it stripped, but I'm not anticipating anything ugly. So I don't think my case will call for any trimming.

jgk

[formerlyknownasprince]

Looking at other boats, prior to tackling this job, we have seen some that have made a reasonable job of fabricating a stainless steel cover that runs down the transom / hull planking join. The ends of my boat's planking are looking their 64 years and I've been thinking of epoxy coating / filling any minor damage and then fabricating these cover strips. Stainless is easier to weld than ordinary steel with a stick welder and the right rods. Any dags in the welds are easy to remove with a flap sander.

[Noah]

Yeah, that would work well (The stainless) on a power boat, especially one that is carvel planked. The Folkboat is Lapstrake, so it would be very tough to form a piece that had the correct curve and bumps.

http://www.morebutter.com/folkboatimages/patience/images/transomrot2.jpg

This is what my hood ends looked like. I filled some of the holes and voids with thickend epoxy, then drilled them out and screwed into my scarfed in piece.

With a bit of fairing, the planks will look fine, and be strong, and you could still bright finish the new transom that you build.

BTW, this year I painted my transom red like the rest of the boat, and it looks great.

Noah