That Tricky Transom

I was setting up some scrap sheets of plank on the bottom hull this evening to visualize how it was going to look and to review the task at hand for this weekend. Well, it looks like the bottom hull will not get done this weekend unless I burn the midnight oil tomorrow night.

Upon placing a small plank at the edge of the transom, my eyes caught what I call an “ugly gap” on the bottom of the transom. This gap was caused by the 13 deg. tilt that the transom needs to posture as called by the plans. In tilting the transom, it would naturally cause an angle on the bottom.

Not the gap below the right angle.



Here is a close up. Careful...it's ugly.

It is about 3/16". To fix this gap, I will have to lay a piece of 1/4" thick wood over the beam. Then I will need to plane it down to the correct angle and thickness.

Depending how I come home tomorrow from little league practice, I may take on the task. The plan would be to epoxy the 1/4" strip in place and clamp it down. On Friday evening, I could begin to bevel the strip to the correct thickness and angle. If I can acomplish this, by Friday night, I may still be on schedule for the weekend task.
Why is it important to fix? What's the big deal?

1- It will eliminate the gap from the bottom plank to the bottom of the transom. Less gap equals a tighter and stronger fit when the bottom plank is put in place.

2- There is no such thing as a dry boat unless it's parked on land. A boat at sea will get water inside one way or another. Saltwater will run in there and get trapped. Trapped water can create nasty mold which can ruin if not destroy a boat.

3- It's just plane ugly and a sign of poor craftsmanship. I’m not the best craftsman in the world but at the same time, I certainly don’t want to be the worst.