I had no clue! Fixing the three transoms - the back part of the three hulls of a trimaran - was a huge job. All three had delaminated fiberglass. On top of that, the port transom had deck rot and some funky wood on the sides, which we replaced. Garrett, our friend from Los Osos and aspiring world cruiser, drove down and spent 3 days with us tackling that repair. He maintained good cheer despite the nightly din from the local fish factory (more on that later!)
The main transom had considerable rot, which we removed and replaced with a brand new panel. Sequoia, our friend and director of OceansWatch, took it upon himself to fix the main transom. It took 1 week in all to prepare the hole, cut new 6 laminates of 1/4 inch marine plywood, along with doublers and knee joints; epoxy, screw, and bolt into the frame; and reinforce the area weakened by the old chainplates.
Why had all this damage occurred? Water had leaked in and transoms are notoriously bad at ventilating air. The leaking was due to poor deck fittings (cleats, rails) that were not well bedded with sealant. Also the chainplates for the mast rigging were inserted through the deck, creating opportunity for water intrusion. Now we're reconfiguring the chainplates to the outside of the hull, to keep water out (and keep them from corroding and weakening).
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