I think you be better off doing a full teak bulkhead and overhang. But I'm partial to that look.
Side exhaust dirty 3 sides, rear exhausts only one, side exhausts mist the cockpit if you are drifting with engines running rear not as noticeable. You will actually see the side exhaust and now out the back the boat looks like you have none,,,,a cleaner appearance for the rear exhaust
Gert, I vote no simply because I don't think you can improve on the looks of your boat. Your clean transom highlights your teak covering boards and your swim platform beautifully!
Gert, I too think Island Girl looks sweet the way she is..what makes a Rybovich so beautiful is how understated they are, but the attention to detail is what makes you stare. BH
1966 31 Bahia Mar #316-512....8 years later..Resolute is now a reality..Builder to Boater..285 hours on the clocks..enjoying every minute..how many days till spring?
Knowing Gert, and the speed at which he works, he's probably already gone and made a teak transom for her...
and is in the process of rolling and tipping clear over the epoxy base right now.
I don't know what the world may want,
But a good stiff drink it surely dont,
Think I'll go and fix myself...a tall one.
The teak transom sounds like a time consuming and expensive add on. They can be beautiful.
Gert's boat already has some nice trim and it is well balanced.
If you want a change on the transom, you could simply re-do the lettering. It would be far less expensive and if done right can have some nice wow factor. A professional artist makes big difference compared to some kid just printing out Helvetica font plastic stick on letters. (I'm not saying yours looks bad or is what I am describing) Marlin's transom lettering looks great, it was done by John Teeto I believe here in South Florida. I had John do mine as well and I went with paint instead of plastic lettering. I think the paint looks more authentic and it appears visually differently IMHO. I'm a big fan of old school vintage transom lettering. It was a fine art back then that really had some great appeal. No one does the offset location anymore, which was a nice snazzy dated look. Everything now is centered and computerized looking. In hindsight, I may have done my boat differently now, but it matches the theme at the house (houses in our area don't have street addresses, they have names), our house is "Kon Tiki" with similar lettering. The Rybovich Book has some nice examples of fine art transoms.
I adore teak. I love the contrast, the warmth, and the look. I have waffled on covering boards, and may at some point. But I like teak I can oil, not varnish. Varnishing teak is just so much work long term. I suppose if its a business expense like it may be for you, it might be a good move as I adore the look, but I cannot imagine keeping the teak transom clean, water penetration from occurring, and so on. If money is no object, go for it. I may be mislead.
For me, I have to consider that I make the choice to do most of my own maintenance and care. And that one is more than I would like to bite off. Despite the beauty!!!!
If I did it however, you can be darned sure it would be gold lettering!!!! ;)
If you want to add a little more wood, this may balance things out a little. You already have covering boards. You could add some wood trim on the flybridge like this boat, it's a simple flat piece bend and shaped in place. Nothing to elaborate like the Rybovich style work.
Gert,
I thought i would share some preliminary photos for your consideration. I opted for side exhaust when I realized I needed 6 inch exhuast to accomodate my motors. I felt the bigger tubes would have been out of place on the transom and routing would have taken up more under deck storage. i was also concerned about "surge". The exhaust is custom from the turbo back. i received some great advice on the exhaust from Bob Lico and the Cpt. as for surge tubes and routing. I also decided to use mahogoney on the transom as i could not swing a solid peice of teak that makes up the beautiful transom on Wahoo. The material below the water line is Coosa. As you can see i am just begining my rebuild. Things are coming along and i am happy to share my hard learned lessons if you decide to proceed. You will also notice the Cpt.'s helm pod in the second photo. I also included a photo of the Cpt's. fish box that I used when I built the transom. As much as i would have preferred to build these parts i also want to finish the project for next spring launch (not to mention the Cpt's. work is top notch). Seeing your boat and many others on this site is insperational. i am not sure i would tear up a beautiful boat like yours to add these components. Good luck with your decision.
Rick