New boat owner...wooden motor mount is rotten

Good evening folks! I just picked up a new to me fibreglass fishing boat. Boating is new to me so I’m unsure of the correct terminology. But I noticed this afternoon that the square wood panel, behind the checkers plate, where my motor mounts to is rotten. The bolts all look seized too. Can I cut the these bolts and easily pull the wood apart and replace everything or is it more complicated than that? I can get a better picture tomorrow in the day light. This is the only one I have so far. 12ft fibreglass with 7.5 hp evinrude.

 

I've never owned a Glass boat, I'd consult a Fiberglass specialist

I dig the classic's

 

Hint: Home Depot does not sell marine plywood. Also see: “West Marine” and “Boat US”.

 

Welcome to B.O.A.T. life.

Break
Out
Another
Thousand

 

Its a big job but yes, you certainly can!

 

its not that big of a job as it is a PITA, and fyi that area of a boat is the transom......

 

On a glass boat that is a pretty big job. I just did one last year.

 

It’s called a Transom. Take some pics of it and we can help you more.

Depending on the type of hull the transom is really hard to replace, it’s fiberglassed into the hull. For a boat that small you might be able to just swap the plywood.

 

I can tell you one thing replacing a transom on an aluminum boat is easy. Its a real pita for a fiberglass boat. Just patching dings, and bubbles in a glass hull can be tedious.

 

Really depends on the boat. My Starcraft SF140 would require about 140 fully bucked rivets to be drilled out and bucked back. That's a long weekend right there.

 

So definitely fished out some more money. Glass boat seems to have more issues/bad vibes that I’m willing to take on. Swapped for a 10ft aluminum. My next question is.
My grounds on the trailer keep rusting which results in pour ground/light function. How do I avoid having to sand the rust off ever couple months? Tips tricks or other forums are appreciated.
cheers.

 

Also ISO an impeller for a 1970 ish evinrude if anyone knows of some websites.

 

Ive always bought my boat engine parts here

http://www.marineengine.com/

 

A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money. A used boat is a bigger hole.

Someone sold it for a reason. Even if they just got bored they usually let it deteriorate long before they sell it.

 

Use anti-seize on the ground bolts.

 

Imo, replacing a transom on a glass boat is better left for the experts. Its a major job. I've restored a few old boston whalers. when it comes to fiberglass, and gelcoats i leave it to them. I'll do all the teak wood components, chrome, and controls, plus any outboard engine work.

 

Many glass boats when old aren't worth the powder to blow them to hell. Their hulls develop bad cracks, dings, and worm holes/blisters that penetrate the gelcoat requiring countless hrs of labor. If their not too bad you can do minor patch up work fixing them. Chances are you won't find the gel coat color to match the existing color of the boat now without doing the entire boat over.

 

I grind or sand the area of connection and paint with good rustoleum or equivalent. To prevent corrosion on my battery posts, I smear axle grease on the connection. Both work.

Edit: I paint once the ground is connected, not before lol.

I’ve only owned used boats myself. My current one is a small aluminum I’ve had since 2004. I assume you have an outboard motor on your’s?

 

This website is the Tacoma World of boats/boating https://www.thehulltruth.com

 

If you bought a small aluminum boat, you'll be well served to join www.tinboats.com. I'm jethro over there as well. Those guys know everything.

Trailer lights are a constant nightmare. When I had a small job boat the best thing I did was buy a set of portable LED lights to use instead of the trailer lights. Mounted them on a 2x4 that sat across the stern while it's on the trailer, doubled as my tie down strap. They only use the truck ground and contacts to function and saves a big hassle.