One of the earlier projects on Triumph was repairing the transom. The transom was in need of fresh paint and the home port of Traverse City, MI was painted on it which we wanted to update. Since we had removed the old Northern Lights generator, Bryan removed the through-hull fitting for the generator exhaust that was no longer in use. He found that the balsa core in the transom was wet. It appeared that the installation of the tubes for the man-overboard poles resulted in leaks, soaking the balsa core. To get the boat in the water at Torreson Marine and to her new home port (up Lake Michigan, across the Straits of Mackinac, down Lake Huron and the St. Clair River, across Lake St. Clair, down the Detroit River and across Lake Erie), he glassed over the hole from the through-hull and left the repairs of the transom for another time.
The following winter/spring, Bryan tore into the transom. The structure for the transom was within the inboard "skin" and was very substantial and sturdy. The outboard skin was very light and relatively easy to remove. He replaced all the balsa core and made the lower third of the transom, where the engine exhaust and other through hull fittings are located, solid glass. The project was finished before the boat went back in the water for the 2003 sailing season. The transom looked beautiful and proudly displayed the new home port of Sandusky, OH.
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