i own a 1982 bass sport challenger boat.  it needs a lot of work.  the previous owner replaced the original 55hp outboard motor with a 1983 85hp evinrude engine on it.  well the issue i am having is that the transom has cracked on the bottom part of the mount and i need to figure out a way to fix the bottom part of the transom where it cracked the fiber glass.  i have an 1/8'' thick aluminum plate to put on the transom but i dont know if that would work.  can anyone give me any ideas on how to fix this problem?

Charlie First off you should have the transom inspected to see if there is any other damage other than the crack. The transom is one of the most important part of the boat,it takes most if not all the stress, more than any other part of the haul. I stress this because several years ago a good friend of mine was salmon fishing in Puget Sound his boat had a cracked transom and he didn't know it was cracked until he powered up to move to another spot and the torque of the motor ripped the transom off the boat. I was in another boat with a friend when we herd the news. We were about 3 miles away and rushed to help but we were too late both he and is buddy were dead.
I can't stress to you enough how important the transom is. Like Dennis said if you like the boat then have it repaired by someone that knows what they are doing. It may cost a few bucks, but ask yourwelf is a few bucks more important than my life. Good luck

Harry

I've watched numerous home-made transom replacements fail 100% upon takeoff at the No-Wake zone, but the really bad jobs usually look bad to start with. If I saw potential trouble on a boat I'd at least warn folks, but had to let them launch unless it looked hazardous. Sinking isn't ever a light matter, as the boat owner must pay to have the hull and motor removed from the lake, and they are responsible for damages done from oil and gas spillage: fires, damaged shoreline, etc.. If you are skilled enough working with fiberglass then go for it. Anywhere else on the boat a glass repair wouldn't be such an important decision, so I wouldn't let a transom repair be your first fiberglass experience. Here's a handy site you might appreciate. Ignore the picture of the big boat, as all the advice applies to any glass boat.

Click Here

I'd follow the advice to first know exactly how much damage might be there. You might only need to drill or scoop out a small area, once you get any rotted wood out, finding at worse your problem is simply a deeper & wider crack to fill and cover. I think it's not a good idea to replace the whole thing if not necessary, unless you have a professional do it. If all you have is a thin crack and caught it in time, then maybe all you need is some gel coat repair.

Jim

Charlie....is there any way you can give us some pics of the damage?