diff --git a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/flows/domain/DomainTransferUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/flows/domain/DomainTransferUtils.java
index 57ffd7f83..f04d2d34c 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/flows/domain/DomainTransferUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/flows/domain/DomainTransferUtils.java
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ public final class DomainTransferUtils {
    * renewal, we must issue a cancellation for the autorenew, so that the losing registrar will not
    * be charged (essentially, the gaining registrar takes on the cost of the year of registration
    * that the autorenew just added). But, if the superuser extension is used to request a transfer
-   * without an additional year then the gaining registrar is not charged for the one year renewal
+   * without an additional year then the gaining registrar is not charged for the one-year renewal
    * and the losing registrar still needs to be charged for the auto-renew.
    *
    * <p>For details on the policy justification, see b/19430703#comment17 and <a
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/ContactTransferData.java b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/ContactTransferData.java
index a345025b0..a20627925 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/ContactTransferData.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/ContactTransferData.java
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import javax.persistence.Embeddable;
 
 /** Transfer data for contact. */
 @Embeddable
-public class ContactTransferData extends TransferData<ContactTransferData.Builder> {
+public class ContactTransferData extends TransferData {
   public static final ContactTransferData EMPTY = new ContactTransferData();
 
   @Override
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@ public class ContactTransferData extends TransferData<ContactTransferData.Builde
     return EMPTY.equals(this);
   }
 
+  @Override
+  protected Builder createEmptyBuilder() {
+    return new Builder();
+  }
+
   @Override
   public Builder asBuilder() {
     return new Builder(clone(this));
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/DomainTransferData.java b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/DomainTransferData.java
index bc81be46f..8178b086d 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/DomainTransferData.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/DomainTransferData.java
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ import org.joda.time.DateTime;
 
 /** Transfer data for domain. */
 @Embeddable
-public class DomainTransferData extends TransferData<DomainTransferData.Builder> {
+public class DomainTransferData extends TransferData {
   public static final DomainTransferData EMPTY = new DomainTransferData();
 
   /**
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ public class DomainTransferData extends TransferData<DomainTransferData.Builder>
 
   @Override
   public Builder copyConstantFieldsToBuilder() {
-    return super.copyConstantFieldsToBuilder().setTransferPeriod(transferPeriod);
+    return ((Builder) super.copyConstantFieldsToBuilder()).setTransferPeriod(transferPeriod);
   }
 
   public Period getTransferPeriod() {
@@ -157,6 +157,11 @@ public class DomainTransferData extends TransferData<DomainTransferData.Builder>
     return EMPTY.equals(this);
   }
 
+  @Override
+  protected Builder createEmptyBuilder() {
+    return new Builder();
+  }
+
   @Override
   public Builder asBuilder() {
     return new Builder(clone(this));
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/TransferData.java b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/TransferData.java
index 05efa8cd3..55c56103b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/TransferData.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/google/registry/model/transfer/TransferData.java
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ import google.registry.model.eppcommon.Trid;
 import google.registry.model.poll.PollMessage;
 import google.registry.persistence.VKey;
 import google.registry.util.NullIgnoringCollectionBuilder;
-import google.registry.util.TypeUtils.TypeInstantiator;
 import java.util.Set;
 import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 import javax.persistence.AttributeOverride;
@@ -41,10 +40,7 @@ import javax.persistence.MappedSuperclass;
  * are implicitly transferred with their superordinate domain.
  */
 @MappedSuperclass
-public abstract class TransferData<
-        B extends
-            TransferData.Builder<? extends TransferData<?>, ? extends TransferData.Builder<?, ?>>>
-    extends BaseTransferObject implements Buildable {
+public abstract class TransferData extends BaseTransferObject implements Buildable {
 
   /** The transaction id of the most recent transfer request (or null if there never was one). */
   @Embedded
@@ -102,6 +98,8 @@ public abstract class TransferData<
   @Override
   public abstract Builder<?, ?> asBuilder();
 
+  protected abstract Builder<?, ?> createEmptyBuilder();
+
   /**
    * Returns a fresh Builder populated only with the constant fields of this TransferData, i.e.
    * those that are fixed and unchanging throughout the transfer process.
@@ -116,8 +114,8 @@ public abstract class TransferData<
    *   <li>transferPeriod
    * </ul>
    */
-  public B copyConstantFieldsToBuilder() {
-    B newBuilder = new TypeInstantiator<B>(getClass()) {}.instantiate();
+  public Builder<?, ?> copyConstantFieldsToBuilder() {
+    Builder<?, ?> newBuilder = createEmptyBuilder();
     newBuilder
         .setTransferRequestTrid(transferRequestTrid)
         .setTransferRequestTime(transferRequestTime)
@@ -129,7 +127,7 @@ public abstract class TransferData<
   /** Maps serverApproveEntities set to the individual fields. */
   static void mapServerApproveEntitiesToFields(
       Set<VKey<? extends TransferServerApproveEntity>> serverApproveEntities,
-      TransferData<?> transferData) {
+      TransferData transferData) {
     if (isNullOrEmpty(serverApproveEntities)) {
       transferData.pollMessageId1 = null;
       transferData.pollMessageId2 = null;
@@ -161,7 +159,7 @@ public abstract class TransferData<
   }
 
   /** Builder for {@link TransferData} because it is immutable. */
-  public abstract static class Builder<T extends TransferData<?>, B extends Builder<T, B>>
+  public abstract static class Builder<T extends TransferData, B extends Builder<T, B>>
       extends BaseTransferObject.Builder<T, B> {
 
     /** Create a {@link Builder} wrapping a new instance. */