Transom bang cap: replace with ss, vinyl or glass it over?

[wlewis]

Should one replace the aluminum cap with the new Grady vinyl cap, it might be best to seal with 4200 rather than 5200. If the vinyl one eventually becomes brittle and starts cracking and needing replacement, it would be difficult to remove with 5200.

 

[PNW_Drifter]

Grady is definite not the only boat maker that has issue with the cap joint. Most use similar construction techniques. I've replace 6 or so outboards on all different boats and the cap has been an issue on most. Many times the old outboard was pinching the cap and whomever installed it didn't care so it left a gap as the motor pinched it. Open for years letting water in. Plastic caps will never rust and they will flex more, just grab spare while you can get it because they can be hard to find. Seal under it really well because the cap is really decorative compared to the sealant.

I'd vote for 4200 because your sealing it not making it permanent but i've used both. Glass would be better IF it doesn't crack. Also if water has gotten in Glass will lot last forever. Maybe it will maybe it won't c crack. Depends on the boat. If a crack appears in the gelcoat just be prepared to address it quick, (grind / fill). I'd probably paint it vs gel coat the repair to make it easier to repair again.

 

[mr_mbuna]

Good job. Hopefully there was no intrusion prior to the work.

It looked a little salty under the bang cap when it first came off but once it was prepped it looked clean and dry. Moisture readings on the transom were low when I bought it in June.

 

[Recoil Rob]

My 180 is getting finished up as we speak. The shop said it wasn't too bad and that I could just re-seal. I told them I never want to worry about it again so glass it in.

Mine wasn't too bad, the glass guy only had to take out the loose stuff in the top inch or two....

He's going to finish up with the GW vinyl and 4200.

BTW, we needed gelcoat Tuesday to finish the job, the shop told they had always used Spectrum color even though it's $150/qt. and were going to have it sent overnight.

The local dealer was closed on Sunday so I found one further east that was open and asked if they had Spectrum color gelcoat #3801 which is for a 2004 GW. The dealer asked why I wanted that and then said why don't I just use GW factory off white gel coat, it's cheaper. I asked if he had it for a 2004. He tells me that GW Off White has been the same color since the early 1990's.
He had 2 qts in stock (GW part #30037) so I told him I'd be out Monday. Then I started to doubt if this was correct. I spoke with 2 other dealers that confirmed the same thing, all the same color over the years.

The price of a quart varied wildly, form $35 up to $80 depending on the dealer. The dealer I went to was $35, I picked it up Monday morning. The glass guy at the shop even asked me to get him a quart for another job he had.

I

 

[SkunkBoat]

Glass is the answer. I would have gone up the sides while you were at it

 

[Recoil Rob]

He did go up the sides, that's the green you see, just wasn't gelcoated.

 

[Greatty]

Rob, mind me asking how much for the whole operation? I may be doing this next fall.

 

[Recoil Rob]

I'll PM you.

 

[ROBERTH]

Nice work!

 

[mr_mbuna]

Guide coat on for fairing... then final gel coat and the engine goes back on. Almost there!

 

[mr_mbuna]

 

[mr_mbuna]

I went by the fiberglass shop today to do an interim check on my boat before the engine gets re-installed. I am glad I did - while the job seems functionally good (it reportedly took 5-10 layers of glass and resin to make the transom true), the old and new gel coat are obviously different colors. I was expecting an indistinguishable match so it would look like the boat came from the factory with a fully glassed transom. The fiberglass pro said that Grady White gel coat can vary in color from boat to boat and it is difficult to match. It's always a custom tint in his experience; it's not as simple as ordering Grady White Off White from Spectrum.

I would appreciate feedback on the color match below - am I being unreasonable expecting this to match better? I know it's a 10 year old boat but body shops are able to produce perfect matches on the faded paint on 10 year old cars.

 

[seasick]

A good glass person can match just about any color but it will take extra effort and time
In addition to color matching, blending can help for smallish tint differences. To blend, about a foot or so of existing gel coat that was not going to be recovered is sanded and the new gel coat is applied. That overlapping are is then sanded in a direction away from the repair so that the outermost edge is sanded 'away' allowing the old color to show through. Less and less sanding is done as the area moves in towards the repaired area.
The key is that gel coat in somewhat transparent when the coat is thin the the old color 'bleeds' through. As I mentioned, it can be time consuming. A second solution if the mismatch is not dramatic would be to re gel coat the entire transom up to the edges of the hull sides. In that method, the color difference won't be as noticeable

 

[CharlesM]

What does this factory vinyl cap look like? Anyone have a pic they can post. I am about to replace the transom cap on my 248 and haven’t seen a solution that looks factory or that I liked.

 

[mr_mbuna]

Here you go CharlesM. It's the white piece on the back corner of the motorwell transom.

 

[Summertop511]

What does this factory vinyl cap look like? Anyone have a pic they can post. I am about to replace the transom cap on my 248 and haven’t seen a solution that looks factory or that I liked.

 

[mleads310]

 

[mr_mbuna]

After 3-4 attempts this is the final result on the gel coat color match. Not 100% perfect but it's pretty darn close. It should blend once the engine is back on.

 

[Recoil Rob]

I just got my 180 back from having the transom top glassed over. Mine had bulged slightly so it was ground down, reglassed, sanded and gel coated. I spoke with 3 Grady dealers that all told me the same thing, Spectrum gel coat at approx, $160/qt.was a waste of money, just use GW gel coat. They said that GW has used the same off white for the last 20 years and that the idea that Spectrum puts forth, different colors for different years, is marketing.Perhaps they are taking aging into account?

I got GW factory gel coat for less than half of that and it looks great, I'll post more pics when I'm done compounding this weekend.

 

[mr_mbuna]

I got the boat back today. I can't tell any difference in the color now that the gel coat is cured and the engine is re-installed. In addition to finishing the transom I had the fiberglass guy repair some trailer rash and 6-8 marks (voids, impact points, etc.) under the waterline and compound the hull. My only advice for others doing this is to get very aligned on expectations / acceptance criteria with your fiberglass pro or shop when you award the work, especially if you're looking for a perfect gelcoat color match!

I'm looking forward to the boating season ahead.


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