Beefed up Transom

David Reiss (DaveReiss@compuserve.com)
Sat, 15 May 1999 16:16:54 -0400

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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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IN reply To:
>>
Today I kicked off my Potter project, and while everything seems fairly
sound
I've found one area that raises a question. The upper part of my transom
is
nice and solid and has a spring loaded aluminum motor mount through bolted
and
reinforced on the outside with a two inch thick plywood laminate pad. This
is
all in relatively good shape, but is contrasted by a flexing of the
interior
glass at the bottom of the transom inside the lazarette where the gudgeon
screws
are mounted. (note:Frodo is a 1970 British built C Type Potter, and the
arrangement is quite different from the US versions.) Does anyone know
about
the internal construction of the transom? Is it glass over plywood, or was
it
left hollow on purpose? All of the glass seems strong, and I certainly
don't
want to cut into the transom to replace rotted wood. My first impulse is
to
bore a few holes (perhaps an inch in diameter) and see what has happened.
If it
is hollow, I like the idea of the structural foam added for reinforcement,
but
have also been considering West epoxy resin poured in through limber holes
cut
higher up.

I'd appreciate some other thinking if you would like to contribute your
suggestions.
>>

I found the transom on my P19 lacking and came up with the following
solution.
3/8" Aluminum backing plates, 14" X 14" on outside of Transom, under motor
mount.
14" X 20" on inside of transom. Install was easy and clean looking.

This reduced the flexing to nil, was easy enough to get a local shop to cut
for me, and cost unddr 50 bucks.

Pictures of this mod are at www.songbird.com/potter_yachter in Stories
section under Avid Sailer.

Dave Reiss
formerly 97 WWP 19 "Avid Sailor"
currently "72 Pearson 26 "Randi"
Wash DC-Potomac River