Transom styles...

S

Steve Steffy

Well-known member
I do like the idea of the recessed transom on some of the Devlin plans. I plan to order some study plans in the next few days and I’m trying to decide if the recessed is better than the straight transom or vice versa. I can see benefits for both…what is your guys take on recessed vs straight? How does the recessed transom effect ability to
steer the boat or is the well sufficiently wide enough to not effect it at all?

Steve
 
Steve,

I built a Scaup which the plans call for a motor well. Advantages to a motor well is that the motor is pretty much hidden and is not protuding out the back of the boat for all the ducks to see. Another advantage is that you are able to shift your weight (and the motors weight) forward in the boat which helps when running the boat solo.

However, I built my Scaup with a traditional transom (no motor well) for two reasons. The first is that I wanted the extra room in the boat. I did not want to have to sit forward in the cockpit to run the motor because typically I am hauling a ton of gear/people/dogs. I also wanted to be able to put my fuel tank underneath a "splash well" in the back of the boat (which I am now planning on moving to the front storage compartment to distribute weight better) but either way you get more storage. The second reason is I spend most of my time hunting and boating in the Puget Sound, which most of the time is descent enough water, but can get choppy or pretty damn rough. My intent was to not have water splashing in over the transom and around in the motor well when the weather picks up or when backing down for decoys/crab pots/playing whatever it may be. Instead any water that splashes over the transom goes into the splash well and back out the transom. I also built my boat with a 20" transom instead of a 15" transom to help with this.
 
Interesting...So basically for the Scaup it would be a better option to run a straight transom due to the fact that it increases storage and you likely have one or more additional persons in the boat for ballast so to speak. It seems it would be a better option on the Bluebill to have the recessed transom due to less people in the boat you will be able to shift weight around easier. Are you giving up to much space in the Bluebill by going recessed or is there plenty of room for storage still?

Steve
 
My hunting parter did what you are thinking... he modified his transom on his Cackler... and he's glad he did re all the reasons that you read above.

One note, the Snow Goose hull and the Scaup hull are very similar. The snow goose is designed with the "normal" transom and the boat runs well, steps right up, and when you want the bow pointed up in weather, it does so with ease.

Personally, I like the "normal" transom chiefly because of the safety aspect of it (pointing the bow up easily).

Good luck, the Scaup's a nice boat.

A.
 
I put sponsons on my AA broadbill as add-ons. They kind of work
like trim tabs. The boat floats higher and gets on plane faster.
I tapered mine into the water to reduce shadows. Don't know if that
works but that was the thought.
John
 
I'm thinking about adding sponsons to a little 12' Olympian fiberglass skiff. I put my Cackler project on hold when I realized there was no way at all that I could have the boat ready for next season. I have waaaaaaay too many projects staring me in the face, both work and home related.

The upshot is that I have the skiff already, and I was thinking I'd dump it. However, I'm thinking of turning it into it's own little Zackbox. That is a project that can be finished by next October...

But my thought in adding the sponsons is that 1. I'd get more flotation in the stern--a bonus since I'm big, and I'll be using a 6-hp four-stroke. 2. The sponsons will also cut down on backwash--or should. I'll be using this boat on the salt, and keeping unwanted water out of the boat is a good thing. I'm thinking of building a splashguard similar to what the walleye guys use on their boats to keep the splashing down to a minimum. (There's also a splashwell.) 3. The sponsons will help me run a boat that is in better trim since I'll be sitting farther forward.
 
I believe you also get some increased weight capacity with the conventional, straight-across transom
Click to expand...


It's actually the opposite.

You get increase capacity with the sponsons.

By moving the motor forward, or transom back you redistribute the weight & draft of the vessel.

The shallowest, flatest, best hole shot boats down this way our your flats boats with the sponsons or tunnel type hull.

I'll give you an example of one of our projects.

16x44 GD w/25hp LT vs 18x44 GD w/25hp LT

Prior to putting on the sponsons or pods, the 18 would out run the 16 by 1.5 mph with the exact load even though the 18 was 80 pounds heavier.

The 16 also drafted 2 two more inches than the 16.

We added the sponsons/pods & now the 16 runs 1.5 mph faster than the 18.

The pods raised the transom, flattened out the ride & placed the center of gravity of the overall weight more towards the center of the hull.

It's all really nothing but math!!!
 
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yeah... Steve, the normal transom has more boat bouyancy (Sp?), because of the additional square inchage of the hull displacing water when the cut-tout is eliminated... but the engine sits far forward creating a sponson effect.
 
BTW, if you do add sponsons/pods to any hull, the "should not" be the same draft as the hull from front to back.

The can start at the bottom edge but you want them to move up slightly.

The average angle we put in is 1 1/2 for (2) two feet of pod.

Trying to push or motor back a hull w/o the angled pods is asking for disaster!!!
 
Has anyone tried 'splitting the difference'? In other words, move the transom back 1/2 the depth of the sponsoons. My thinking is that you could then have a small(er) splash well and a better (forward) weight transfer to help with planing out, hole shot, hiding the motor etc. The overall depth (from stern to bow) of the sponsoons is reasonably generous and may allow for such a modification. My challenge is my own weight (250 ish) - the motor's weight being somewhat forward seems to be a pretty darn good idea to me.

I've actually thought of trim tabs but I can just imagine what a great 'shovel' they'd make if you're trying to push your boat back out from a marshy shoreline. They'd hold you pretty much stationary I'd think.

Regards and good luck with the build...I'm starting on a Scaup this spring with my son...excited and a wee bit scared but the end product (and especially the time spent with my son) will be worth it.

Jeff
 
Jeff,

To be honest no I did not think of doing that. One concern that immediately comes to mind is that if you have a splash well that short you may run into problems with the motor (or tiller handle) hitting something (i.e. splash well) when tilted up. You would have to do some figuring when designing the splash well to be sure the motor clears. If your puchasing a new motor for the boat, the dealers typically have drawings that show all dimensions of the motor, including how much room is required in the splash well for a motor to clear. That would be something worth getting before you decided on this particular build process.

One other thing that I think of is that you are loosing storage space under the splash well, even if your going to place your fuel tank in the bow. That is one of the key reasons I wanted my transom at the stern, to add more storage space to the boat.
 
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