WD14 Broken Transom

 I'm a good way into the bottom hull assembly on my WD 14 and managed to break about an inch off the bottom of the transom. Initially I was going to just close the gap, but decided pretty quickly that it wouldn't work. I've got a couple of ideas on how to fix it, but I'm not sure what the best option would be. Would it be feasible to take the pieces back out, epoxy and glass the broken pieces together and then move forward, or am I going overboard on what could just be fixed with wood glue?

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RE: WD14 Broken Transom

   https://www.flickr.com/photos/192193600@N08/50936893382/in/dateposted-public/ https://flic.kr/p/2kB7Uet

RE: WD14 Broken Transom

   https://flic.kr/p/2kB7Uet

RE: WD14 Broken Transom

If that transome piece hasn't been filleted in yet, or even simply tacked, I'd ask CLC for a new one, start that part over.

Mord questionable to my eye is what's going on with that top right panel between the last stitch & the transome? Looks like the ply's surface veneer's disintegrating? You working from a CLC kit or from plans using lumberyard-sourced ply like underlayment?

 

RE: WD14 Broken Transom

   I hadn't thought about just calling to see if I could get a new transom. I'll have to try that on Monday and see what they say. If you're looking at what I think you're looking at it's the planing. Admittedly it's not very good, but yes it is a CLC kit.

RE: WD14 Broken Transom

sometimes when you take a picture it's good to put some kind of a reference item so the size of what we are seeing is clear.

as i look at this carefully, this appears to be a very thin/narrow tail of the transom...so probably no more than 3/4 inch wide and 2 inches long.  the piece is not being bent or otherwise loaded.

as i see it, the broken tail is not structural and will, on the inside, get filleted over and not even be visible from inside after that step.   so i would treat this like a cosmetic break and not be overly concerned with it.

i would use CA (superglue) to put it back together and just confirm that it looks ok from the outside and from there handle it with care.   thin, narrow, tapered ends like this do occur in several CLC designs.....and they break easily.   but, absent getting a new piece, i would just superglue it and move along.   the subsequent glassing and filleting will ensure it is waterproof and more than strong enough for what it is doing.

h

RE: WD14 Broken Transom

   Thanks h, I appreciate the input. I'll try to remember a reference next time, you are right though. The piece in question is probably smaller than that even, but is indeed very narrow. Were it made of a thicker material it would be pointy enough to be an effective ice pick. I had thought that it would be possible to glue it back together but I wanted to weigh in with everyone first.

RE: WD14 Broken Transom

   On another note h, would this then be an appropriate time to dye some wood flour for the fillet on the transom? You know, in case any seepage occurs at the joint there.

RE: WD14 Broken Transom

excellent idea.  i was wondering about the green color.

yes, i would dye some wood flour green so it doe not cosmettically jump out.  the fillet material typically turns a bit darker than the surface of ply (sort of the same issue when you stain across the open end of plywood).  but at least it will be in the same colour family.

when i stain, i do any external or potential bleed through fillets the same color as the external stain.

the other thing to do when doing internal fillets is to cover the outside of the seam/crack (on the outside of the boat) with packing tape to prevent major seepage on the outside where it can become a mess/hassle to clean up.

h

RE: WD14 Broken Transom

 Good deal. I think I'm still going to call and see if I can get a new transom, but I think I'm going to try to move forward all the same. If I glue the piece and color the fillet it should still come out looking good. Thank you for the bit about the packing tape, there's no way I would have thought of that.

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