Waterlogged Transom!?

[Hardcore]

I was replacing the scuppers and a pump in the transom of my 1991 fiberglass walkaround and noticed that when i drilled into it, water kept seeping out of the plywood core. there is no water in the bilge and the boat is on a trailer. it kept dripping for a long time. this seriously concerns me. the whole boat is fiberglass and even the bilge has a light gelcoat on it. i wonder if the previous owner sunk this boat or left it full of rain water. Is there anything i can do? or is this boat going to rot out? the thing seems to sit low in the water too and maybe the whole thing is soaked. i have it well covered and tilted at all times but....

Is there anything that can be done? Does fiberglass soak water or just the wood? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

This POs me because i pretty much just restored this boat. is it any good still?

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

A little more information on the boat would help. When you say you restored it, what all did you do? If this is an i/o and the bellows cracked and leaked then the transom could easily get waterlogged. Since you say it sits low in the water, if there is foam below the deck, it could also be waterlogged. Sorry to say no amount of drying will fix it.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

Welcome aboard !

When you say restored, do you mean you pulled the motor and drive and started from a bare hull??

Was the floor left on and never pulled up to eyeball the stringers?

What do you really mean bye restored ??

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

Sounds like you need to replace at least the transom. Should look under the deck also. Stringer would be next. Water will soak (wick) up into the wood.
I wouldn't think the boat was full of water.

The whole boat is NOT fiberglass. It has wood in it that will rot if exposed to water.

Do you have an I/O or outboard?

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

You say it's a 1991 model boat. If you know the dry weight of the boat and motor and figure in the trailer you will have a target weight. Take it to a rock and gravel lot or anyother public scale and find it's current weight. That way you will know how much water has worked it's way in. Good luck.

 

[Hardcore]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

by restored i mean fixed it up cosmetically and mechanically but i didnt work on the structure of the boat at all.

i was told by someone who used to make these that this hull design, "winner" hull, has all fiberglass stringers. this boat is a markell osprey, same as the mainebuilt eagle if you are familiar.

it is an outboard but i cant see how it would have soaked in so bad, especially the upper transom becasue it was never moored.

the boat seems like a solid boat and i just put alot of work into it and am thinking about a repower but i dont want to go further if the boat is junk. How much is a new transom?

 

[capt sam]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

hard to say, if you rebuild it, not a lot but could be a lot of hours, if you take it somewhere it won't be cheap. There's a lot of easier than harder ways to replace transoms, pics would help.

 

[tmh]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

Is the water actually coming from up in the transom or could it have been water trapped under the deck, but not draining to the bilge area? I drilled through my transom when I installed trim tabs and had a near heart attack when water cam out (thought it was a soaked/rotted transom and i had just replaced some stringers and part of the deck). Turned out to be a reasonably small amount of water that never made it's way to the bilge pump due to the stringer grid design.

Anyways, 1991 boat, transom repair and maybe new power!?!?!? Not sure that is a great investment unless the boat has sentimental value and you want to save it. if the transom is rotted then likely the stringers/deck also, if wood in there.

 

[nightstalker]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

Hate to give you the bad news but I think you got a big problem. If that wood is soaked, it's most likely totally water logged. No amount of drying will fit that. It's a real safety issue. It can cost a whole bunch of $ to give it a fix. You have to figure out the degree of damage, repair costs, and whether or not the rig is worth the fix. Like someone else indicated, that water probably has invaded a lot more places than just the transom.
Nightstalker

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

I would like to tell you what you want to hear.

You have any holes that go thru the hull, ie: swim platform thru bolts?

They could have let water leak into the transom over time.

You have a trim on top of the transom or rubber bumper that could have water leaked in there?

Pull any bolts that go thru the transom see if you can shine a light into the hole and see if it's rotten the transom, poke a screwdriver into the wood, is it rotten?

Heres the danger your hanging a heavy ob on the transom your loaded with people your going on the water stop and the motor and transom rip off and your sunk in 3 seconds flat.

Thats what i'm thinking that i don't want to happen to you.

Good luck !

 

[jonesg]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

Do a seacast composite transom yourself, around $600.
Google it and watch their video.
Its not that hard.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Waterlogged Transom!?

Get a hammer and lightly tap the transom from the inside. Listen to the sound. A solid wrap! usually indicates sound wood underneath the fiberglass - - a dull thunk! usually indicates rot. Often you can take a crayon and outline the extent of the rotted area. When you are done take a drill with a 1/4 to say 3/8" bit and drill some holes in the areas both good and bad. Take a look at the stuff that the comes out of the drill. That will give you confirmation of the extent of the problem.

By the way if you do truely have rot there is no easy quick fix that you are going to be hapy with. As to the fix all you need to do is go to the Restoration Section section of this forum and read till you get crosseyed. It has been done thousands of times and while a good bit of work is well within what most driveway mechanics can do.