by truenorth on Mon Oct 13, 2014 11:42 am
Craig's post reminded me about how I did it. I rested the transom on a paint can, held the top of it, and sanded down where needed. I then dry fit it back and forth until it sit correctly on the bilge panels. The "point" of the transom was the trickiest as that had to sit on the keelson, dead center. Overall, though, It was one of the few things that went without a problem in those days. The reason I did it that way was to avoid taking it down to the basement and back multiple times, but I think even with a shop with room, I'd still have done it that way.
Note, too, that the panels should take the shape of the transom, not the other way around. You'll notice that the bilge panels will force out and down; the side panels will flare a bit. This is important. If you take too much off, you'll have a narrower and shallower transom. A little bit is OK but take too much off and it'll affect the shape of the aft part of the boat!