While I have been waiting for a helping hand I decided to finally get around to checking into the motor mounts and transom. Boy am I glad I did. The transom is perfectly fine, drilled 10 holes in it all around and the wood is dry as can be. The motor mounts however were quite a different story. The starboard side of the engine was completely non existent. If you know what the structure below the bilge area looks like, just imagine that minus the plywood! Literally nothing but black mush. The port side was a little bit better, the wood is completely rotten but it is well on its way. Also just a little fact that I learned, the engine mounts were nothing more than 6 pieces of 3/4x2"x8" of plywood stapled together and then stapled to the outside piece of plywood. I am sure pics wold help right now, but my hands were way to nasty to touch my phone. I'll get some tonight if the weather cooperates.
So my next step is to engineer some type of motor mount system. I was really shocked that the wood structure doesn't really do much for the mounting other than provide a place to fiberglass around. The fiberglass in that area is about 1/4" thick, so I am assuming that is it providing the majority of the structural integrity. I am planning on replacing the cheesy plywood design with something more solid and also encapsulated in resin. I also plane to replace the other support framing and tie it all together into the rest of my project.
So my next step is to engineer some type of motor mount system. I was really shocked that the wood structure doesn't really do much for the mounting other than provide a place to fiberglass around. The fiberglass in that area is about 1/4" thick, so I am assuming that is it providing the majority of the structural integrity. I am planning on replacing the cheesy plywood design with something more solid and also encapsulated in resin. I also plane to replace the other support framing and tie it all together into the rest of my project.