Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

He also said that when you grab the outdrive and wiggle it you can feel it move. Now last year when I would have it in the water for hours, there would be a small amount of water in the hull inder the engine, but I mean small.

They ought to be able to show you the transom flexing when you push/pull on the drive. If the transom flexes AT ALL it's dangerous (and you're lucky they found it for you). It adds up, a little water leaking last year, some freeze/thaw cycles along with more time for the wood to rot. Chances are this started earlier than last year. At some point in time water got to the wood in the transom, the wood soaked up up like a sponge, and here you are now.

But there are zero signs and you guys will see...once I get to the boat and take pics.

Are you going through denial right now? That's normal, when I discovered a bad transom on my first boat I was about to take my son and a friend skiing and I was not at all happy to tell them we weren't going because the boat was broke. The thing is some of the outward signs are very subtle, spend a few minutes talking to the mechanic - it sounds like he knows what he's talking about and he can give you some good information.

Hit the transom with a hammer (not so hard as to mar it) and see if it sounds hollow or dull. It should sound like you are hitting a piece of steel.

I've heard that but I don't put much faith in it. I've done 2 boats with bad transoms and tried tapping/hitting the transom as suggested. Couldn't tell a thing (but I sure the hell could tell that the wood was rotten when I got the transom apart).

 

[Augoose]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

My recommendation is to talk with the mechanic and have him show you the flex in the transom (and likely a lot of cracks in the gelcoat there as well). You can then take a small wood drill bit and begin taking test samples from different places on the transom, looking at the wood that comes out stuck to the threads to see if its mush or a nice powder. By taking samples from different places on the transom you can isolate where the rot is which will help you decide if it is something you want to tackle yourself, take to someone, or scrap the boat.
If you do scrap the boat, I'd call some marine resto places and ask them if they are interested in the lower unit and engine. Or, you can always sell the engine and lower unit on craigslist or ebay.

As others said, you then need to closely examine the stringers and deck. If they are shot as well, no sense dropping $3,000 to repair the transom. If the stringers and deck are still good and you REALLY LIKE THAT BOAT, then I'd say $3,000 is a big pill to swallow, but worth it.

If you don't want to drop the $3,000 or if the rest of the boat is shot, get what you can from the drivetrain and put it towards a new boat.
Or, you could always find a early 2000's hull for cheap sitting in a marine resto place that had its engine pulled because of a cracked block and put your engine in it. There is a marine liquidator in Georgia for example which has some nice boats w/out engines for $800.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

Pardon my stupidity-- I rarely work on IOs-- But isn't the outdrive connected to the engine bellhousing and INSULATED from the transom by the bellows? Thus, aren't all thrust and tilt loads delivered to the stringers through the engine mounts? So: Pushing on the outdrive won't flex the transom in my humble opinion. Did the marina even check the bellows for leaks? The rubber does rot and water will "pour" through a cracked one.

Before you do anything get an opinion from a different marina service department.

The mechanic may not be trying to "screw" you but, as with beauty being only skin deep, sometimes just like ugly, stupid goes right to the bone.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

But isn't the outdrive connected to the engine bellhousing and INSULATED from the transom by the bellows?

Sure, if it's an OMC stringer drive. Others, not so much. The drives are hung on the outside of the transom.

 

[Michigan Jason]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

Here are the pics....

 

[Michigan Jason]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

http://s448.photobucket.com/albums/qq209/jasonbernal/boat/

these are the pics.... I took it to a 2nd mechanic who my cousin does body work for and he said it is at 20% moisture level and he could stick a screw driver through it if he pushed. Said it is not that bad, but will get worse. Quoted me $1700-$2000 to pull engine and outdrive, inspect/remove all wood, and replace with new, re-glass, seal and install engine and outdrive. Said the only way he would do it if it was his boat is the right way. Said that my boat is very nice inside and out and this is not uncommon, that regal makes a much higher quality boat than bayliner and lower end ones and being so, this is the reason that it is not as bad as it could have been. Said my stringers and floor are rock solid and there is not a doubt in his mind that this is the right thing to do. I will keep you guys updated, he is a friend of my cousin and is doing this for me as a favor and it will take 2-3 weeks before he even has the time to pull the engine. I will update. Thank you all for your support.

Jason

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

I'd be questioning the deck/stringer assessment too. Water follows gravity and stringers are downhill of a transom for the most part.

 

[BonairII]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

If a screwdriver can be pushed thru that transom, I would def guess that the entire boat is mush/waterlogged, unfortunately.

Def "decision time" for the OP. I'd be searching for other boats at this point. If the stringers, transom, and floatation foam could be done for $3k....that's one thing. But $2k-3k just for the transom is something I personally would never do.
The OP can probably find a another complete boat(motor included) for $3-4k.

 

[riptorn]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

Just a dumb question, did you take the drain plug out during the winter storage? The boat looks to be in excellent condition (interior if original). Something seems strange. I would think that the motor and outboard was pulled out and not put back in sealed tightened up properly just before you bought it, that's why it was leaking a bit. Hard too tell from the pictures. Do you have receipts of the maintenance before purchase? If that's the case the transom shouldn't be too bad after 2 years of leaking. Nice boat. 28g's to buy a new one that's close to it.

 

[Michigan Jason]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

The boat was crate stored at belle maer marine in Harrison twp, mi. The owner of this place is the one who assessed the boat originally. He does not care about a job on a cheap boat like mine...the average yacht that is stored in his marina is 250k +. He is not interested in a small non insurance job like mine. I took it to another marine mechanic that agreed with the previous one. The boat it completely.solid.


We have since drilled into the transom and got dry dust in all places except one. Moisture reading instrument read 20% at the highest point (right where the dust wasn't dry) stringers are solid and confirmed by the moisture reader and the mechanics assessment. Engine will be pulled soon and time will tell

 

[Michigan Jason]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

I'd be questioning the deck/stringer assessment too. Water follows gravity and stringers are downhill of a transom for the most part.

The transom.was always the lowest part on this boat with plug never in. I keep the bow on a block raised high enough that any water will drain out immediately

 

[BonairII]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

Sounds like great news for you!

Just another story where a shady mechanic is trying to take advantage of an unsuspecting customer. I'm NOT saying that all mechanics are this way, but these kind of guys give their profession a black eye.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

The original mechanic didn't do anything shady, he found a problem with the boat and reported it to the owner as he should and they offered to fix it for what you woudl expect a dealer to charge for such a big job, the transom is bad, it isn't like he made it up, the OP has found 3 people that consur with the original mechanic.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

Said that my boat is very nice inside and out and this is not uncommon, that regal makes a much higher quality boat than bayliner and lower end ones and being so, this is the reason that it is not as bad as it could have been.
Jason

My favorite part - Bayliners suck, even when it is a Regal that is rotting

But in all seriousness, spending 3K (for starters) on a 95 runabout is a pretty serious chunk of cash.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

We have since drilled into the transom and got dry dust in all places except one. Moisture reading instrument read 20% at the highest point (right where the dust wasn't dry) stringers are solid and confirmed by the moisture reader and the mechanics assessment. Engine will be pulled soon and time will tell

So where is all the water coming into the boat that the first mechanic was talking about? Have you done a leak test to locate this problem?

 

[jasoutside]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

The transom.was always the lowest part on this boat with plug never in. I keep the bow on a block raised high enough that any water will drain out immediately

Stringers are right up against the hull bottom. If your transom is bad, stringers/foam/deck kinda go right with it. Slim chance they wouldn't. All the best.

 

[riptorn]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

Some of you should read all of Michigan Jason posts. He did not mention that his beige pump was not working and did mention the transom was soft where it is leaking.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

I would agree that it seems a little unusual that the stringers are ok but the transom is not, that said though it sounds as though Jason is very lucky to have caught it before it got that far, not outlandish but the moisture meter doesn't lie, in addition the mechanic should get a good look at the stringers while doing the transom, I do not think the original mechanic was doing anything other then being honest, he advised the owner of the issue and quoted a price to repair it, Jason has to make the choice to go with the quote or get another opinion which he did and stated that he got a smoking price through a friend of his family and that counts for a lot when money comes along.

Not great news Jason but I think you got a little lucky that your original mechanic caught it which IS great news, it could be so much worse!

And I think you have a great looking boat too! Its nice to see older boats get taken care of rather then the alternative, I hope you enjoy this boat for years to come!

 

[riptorn]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

Still waiting from Jason? I just can't see a boat building comp. using hand wrenches to build boats now. I still say the motor was pulled after.
Jason? Are you lost at sea?

 

[Michigan Jason]

Re: Is my boat going to die? Or is the marina trying to screw me?

So where is all the water coming into the boat that the first mechanic was talking about? Have you done a leak test to locate this problem?

When the out drive is lifted upward with force, you can see a gap between the back of the boat and the out drive maybe a sixteenth of an inch. Mechanic number two said this is from the wood softening....I thought maybe to bolts were just loose.