transom mods and info please. new engine install.

[kevinnem]

Hello all. Working on beefing up the transom for install of a evinrude 115.

a few questions

1) anyone know how thick the transom is on mac 26x (mine happens to be 1996) +/-?

2) will likely use a big plate on the back almost all references I see are for aluminium , I want to use steal though , cause I can weld it ( not a good welder though) ... can I weld aluminium with fluxcore can I use steel?? issues with salt water?

3) I have the 25 inch engine, that kinda stucks cause I have to mount it as high as possible, and it will still likely stick down a bit too much , and also it will create more torque then a 20 would on the transom. it also might hit the seat when tilted up. one implication is that it will not "sit" on the back, it will be up in the air, I am thinking I want to make a spacer to fill that gap and this has lead to other questions. namely that the top 1/2 of the boat, is not really jointed very well to the hull 1/2, when I look up though the back from inside th eboat, I can see daylight, or at least fiberglass so thin as I can see light coming through it. I am worried about putting this weight on top of the area, as it seems it is not attached to the stronger area below it. Maybe this is an important thing though, maybe it shouldn't be attached for some reason? Any thoughts? Should I just glass the top and bottom together at the rear?

[mac n cheese]

Hello Kevin...I can't recall the thickness of the transom when I drilled the holes for my Honda BF50D...I'm guessing at least 1"thick. Someone
feel free to correct me.

Why steel for a back plate? Steel is heavy and your already proposing a 115 HP otbd which is no light weight. The function of the plate...at least
on mine is nothing more than a spacer. I used a polyethylene kitchen cutting board on my . If you need to go thicker you could source outside
Canadian Tire. See link.

https://www.amazon.ca/Polyethylene-Off- ... 3825&psc=1

[Wayne nicol]

so cant help with your other questions, but here is a pointer for transoms in general.
drill your hole through the transom oversize- then fill hole with epoxy, then when cured- redrill hole correct size- that way you get a good seal on any core material- and prevent water ingress and rotting.