Exterior transom wood

[Anthony12118]

I recently bought a 1980 starcraft 16ft deep v, i believe a seafarer. The wood inside was replaced with a 1.5" board but there is no outside wood right now. Should there be? Theres no cracks or fractures in the aluminum, would it be a good idea to add wood to the ouside? I do intend to,add a 9.9 or 15 hp. In the future. Thanks for any advice !! Anthony

[WRB]

For small OB engines it's normal to have an aluminum transum plate mounted on the inside of the transum where the clamps pads press against the transom. You also should have a safety chain, pad lock or clamp locking bar to prevent the clamps from loosening and the OB comming of accidentally. 

Tom