Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

[Drews29]

I have a 1976 21.5' starcraft islander. The transom is the type where it's low all the way across, as if it was made to handle two outboards. Anyway, the transom appears to be in good shape, never saw any problem with it, it's just that as I was doing some maintenance and cleanup today I noticed that if I look across the width of the transom (ie. standing on one side of the boat looking from one side to the other across the line of the transom) that the transom actually has a slight outward bow to it, and it appears to be uniform, as if it was manufactured that way. It bows out maybe 3/8". Is this normal? Has anyone else noticed this on their boat?

Again, I haven't noticed anything wrong with the transom. Looks good inside and out and the wood feels solid.

Thanks

 

[bananaboater]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Not normal. Too much weight, rotten wood, weak transom brackets?

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Not normal. Too much weight, rotten wood, weak transom brackets?

As I described before, none of the above. The wood is solid, there's only a 115hp Evinrude on there (1980s). Possible warping with just age?? The transom is the big wide low type, as if it was made to accomodate twin engines.

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Reccomend you dig a little deeper and check the Transom with the motor off and the cap off. Very well what you, do not see, more than what you see. You can have a lot of damage hidden . How about the transom braces?

 

[GLG fishing]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

An old fisherman told me once the true test of a transom is to lower your outboard and stand on the anti ventilation plate. Then slowly move your weight up and down. Get it rocking and see if the transom moves independent to the back of the boat. Other tests are the hammer blow and the poke with a screwdriver. Any moisture in your transom is also a bad sign. If you tighten any bolts on your transom and water squeezes out, that?s bad.

I can tell you that Starcraft did not send out any bowed out transoms from the factory on their aluminum boats. The cost would have been prohibitive in production.

You are the captain, it?s your call on the seaworthiness of your boat. Do you feel confident in your transom or are you worried about it every time you take it out for a spin

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

I'll try that bouncing on it test. I was going to remove the engine anyway as well as take the cap off while I'm at it.

I actually just noticed it the other day. Very slight bow. I never had any reason to suspect there was a problem. I've used the boat a number of times over the past two years since I bought it. I did have a slow weeping leak along the engine well seam that I eventually caulked. Took me a while to figure out where it was leaking. I keep the boat on a trailer, so it's not constantly in the water. Also, the engine is mounted on a homemade power tile system which basically makes the engine stick out the back maybe another 4 inches. The engine tilt system is mounted on the boat utilizing the standard holes and then the engine it mounted on the bracket. I'm wondering if the combination of leaking around the engine well combined with the slight extension has caused some warpage.
Poked around with a small phillips head screwdriver. It feels pretty solid. I compared the crush depths to a piece of standard pine in my garage (table leg) that's never gotten wet and is about 6 years old, and they're comparable. I check the transom on the inside too. I'm not seeing anything wrong there either.

Just out of curiousity, has anyone ever replaced the transom wood on a 70s vintage 22 foot islander? Is it doable if for some reason I felt the need?

By the way, I was intending to take the power tilt bracket off of there and mount the engine properly. Don't need the aggravation of power tilt. It's like power windows, just one more thing to break.

Thanks

 

[paparoof]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Just out of curiousity, has anyone ever replaced the transom wood on a 70s vintage 22 foot islander? Is it doable if for some reason I felt the need?

Scroll to post #186 here:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=369247&page=8

It's doable....

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Hi Drew If you could hang a few photos of what you see and we could see just how your engine is mounted. You don't want to eliminate the trim/tilt do you.?? Thats a big motor to lift by hand. I did that only a couple of times on a GLASPLY off shore I had and went shopping for a T/T . Those 115 motors will break your back if you manual lift them very often. Need to see your set up. Thanks

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Thanks for the help. I'll try to get some pix on here tomorrow. Actually, the tilt/trim really only works on tilt, it's only one ram and it leaks a bit, so it tends to drift down to the full down position. Plus, due to the geometry of the transom and engine etc... there's no good way to mount an engine on a bracket and have the engine be able to tilt without binding on the transom, so the solution is to mount the engine about 1 inch higher, which is what the previous owner did, so the engine needs to be in the full down position else the prop starts to cavitate. The home made tilt trim was a nice idea, and it looks like the real thing, nothing cheesy about it, except, it doesn't exactly work. I bet the guy that built it was an old machinist and after 5 retirement days worth of work building and mounting it etc... notice the flaws in it but decided to keep it because it worked good enough for his old bones and the type of fishing he was doing.

I figured I'd just remount the engine properly and make a crowbar type of arm that I can hook on the top when I need to lift it from inside and I'll get leverage that way. They used to make those things back when and they seemed to work fine. I'll just do that.

Out there looking at the transom again, it may be an optical illusion now that I look at it. Being the the engine slighly binds on the transom cap when it's fully raised, the cap has some dents and divots in it and may in fact be what's actually bowed, not the wood.

As far as the wood goes, what's an acceptable poke depth with a screwdriver and also is there a special kind of paint that should be used when refinishing them, can they just be painted over and should they be painted on the inside in the bilge area?

Thanks

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

What's the hammer blow test? Different sounds?

What's an acceptible screwdriver crush depth? I poked with a small phillips and in a few spots got some crunches about 1/16 in depth. Nothing sounds different knocking on it though.

Thanks

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Scroll to post #186 here:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=369247&page=8

It's doable....

I have the outboard version. Actually, from what I surmised pondering my own boat, the outboard version may be even easier. Figure you remove all the screws from the inside that hold the engine well framing to the transom and the U shaped transom should come right out.

Interesting geometry. I wonder how strength the engine well sheet metal adds, if any. It wouldn't appear to add much strength. I'm guessing pretty much all the stress is being carried in the wide u shaped piece of transom wood.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Yah, I think your OB transom will be easier. Post up some photos so we can check it out eh!

Cheers!

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Pix. The last shot with the straight edge. The space in the middle was about 5/16". Everything feels solid though. Was able to crush about 1/16" with a blad screw drver in just a couple of spots, but it didn't feel rotted or sound funny. I'm thinking that half-arsed tilt bracket put thing under enough stress over a period of time to warp the transom.

I'm thinking of trying a first repair of just removeing the engine, getting rid of the homemade tilt thing, replacing that crush boar on the back for starters and then on the inside of the engine well side put a 5/16 or so thick aluminum angle the length of the straight edge in the picture and maybe as the engine bolts are tightened it will pull things straighter??? Maybe go back the other way a bit??

Ideas???

Also, with the cap strip lifted the wood felt solid under the cap strip.

Thanks

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

BEfore replacing the cap strip, should the wood still be left bare under near? Also, any special paint I should be using to paint the inside of the transom wood in the engine well, and should the transom wood be painted in the bilge area?

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Yah, I think your OB transom will be easier. Post up some photos so we can check it out eh!

Cheers!

I agree. Just looking at it again. Eventually I will replace it but I think there's still a decent amount fo life in it and just needs to be beefed up with a decent chunk of angle iron. Even so, the engine well is really just a bunch of sheet aluminum. Take out the screws and rivets and it's pretty much wide open for work.

I was looking at the pix of that one guy's restore of another 22' islander linked here. Nice work. Looking at the transom work on that reminded me of the idea I had a while back... has anyone ever put a Corvair engine in one of these boats? The engine is so flat it could practically fit under a slightly raised floor board even with the cooling shroud. An I/O 22 islander with a Corvair engine would make a sweet fishing boat. You could stand all the way at the back of the boat without tripping over an engine cover. at 100hp standard it would be sufficient for one of these boats too. I have a 115 johnson on mine with an enclosed hardtop and it's plenty quick.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Outboard Starcraft transom replacements are pretty straightforward. If I had any doubt at all, I'd just replace it. Rot is like cancer and you've definitely got it.

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Outboard Starcraft transom replacements are pretty straightforward. If I had any doubt at all, I'd just replace it. Rot is like cancer and you've definitely got it.

Agreed!

You are already there, tearing everything apart and fixing stuff, you might as well do it up right and not think about it for a very long time.

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Agreed!

You are already there, tearing everything apart and fixing stuff, you might as well do it up right and not think about it for a very long time.

Thanks for the input guys. Anyone have the link to the transom replacement tutorial? Does it show what kind o plywood to use and type of eurethane?

Any downside to covering the one side of the new transom with aluminum before installation? That way it'll be backed with aluminum on both sides when installed, in particular doubling protecting the transom wood on the exposed engine well inside area. Or is this not a good idea, does the wood need to breath a bit?

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

Thanks for the input guys. Anyone have the link to the transom replacement tutorial? Does it show what kind o plywood to use and type of eurethane?

I yield to my ob brethren on the process but but marine or exterior grade ply with several coats of epoxy resin will last ya a super dooper long time! Exterior is about half the cost of marine by the way.

 

[Drews29]

Re: Starcraft Islander, 1976 - Transom question

I yield to my ob brethren on the process but but marine or exterior grade ply with several coats of epoxy resin will last ya a super dooper long time! Exterior is about half the cost of marine by the way.

I was thinking exterior, cheaper so i wouldn't feel bad about making a one piece transom with a decent amount of scrap. Two 3/4" thick sheets glued together??? What's the glue? Do they get eurethaned seperately??