Transom Project

I had a feeling that it would come to this. Since I finished the first transom repair, I have noticed that there is still a fair amount of transom movement/play while under way or even while at idle for that matter. This really bothers me, so I am going to put a new core in the transom of my 1985 Mako 21B.

Either way, there are going to be pros and cons. I think there is more of an unknown factor in the full transom/bracket route, but it sure will look cool should I go that way.

Other plans include:

Add 2 through-hull floor drains through the transom with ball scuppers on the outside.
Install a Garboard style brass drain plug system.
Remount the trim tab pump inside the console.
Change the 12"x9" trim tabs to 12"x12" tabs.
Inspect the stringers and add vertical braces to the transom that also tie into the stringers.
Add a horizontal brace along the full length of the transom.
Fabricate a 20 gallon live well somewhere in the aft of the boat.
Remove the aft transom splash gate.
New custom leaning post.
Remove the above deck fish boxes behind the leaning post.

Here is a shot of the stern of my boat. The black line represents where I am planning on cutting in order to remove the aft section of the inner liner to gain access to the inner skin of the transom.

This simple cut alone will not be all it takes to remove this section. This section is bonded to the hull itself beneath the aluminum trim moldings. This joint will have to be cut and grinded through. Then the rub rail will have to be removed, and several rivets will have to be drilled out.

Right now I really like the full transom/platform bracket idea. Here is what I am going to model the boat after:

Below are some pictures I took of a 1993 Mako 221B which is the exact same boat as the Mako 232

I am planning on having the bracket custom built by Caldwell Custom Fabrication in Ocean Springs, Miss. I took measurements of this bracket, and it has 27" of motor setback and I estimated roughly 350lbs of flotation. Hopefully I can have a bracket built with an equal or greater amount of flotation.

Here are some pictures of a custom boat called Bull Dolphin 22. I called the builder and had a 1 hour phone conversation with him about this boat. He said the bracket shown in the pictures below is 14" with an additional 4" hydraulic jackplate which gives 18" total setback. He is now putting an 18" bracket with the 4" hydraulic jackplate for 22" total setback.

As of now I am leaning towards a 17" bracket with a 5" Cook hydraulic jackplate.