Need some advice...

[EJS]

I am new to boating. My brother and I bought a 1978 Fiberform 18ft with a Mercruier 470 in it. Put a bit of money into it to get it running. It just needs a tuneup now basically. We took her on the water for the first time and we noticed it leaking. Well today i looked at it really close and there is a gap along the bottom side of the outdrive on the outside... I looked in the inside and nuts on the studs look to be tight. The transom is soft though.. So i think its flexing and allowing a gap. The boat cannot be ran like this right? There is about a month left of fishing season and we were really hoping to get this thing in shape for it. But if its not safe then we will forget about fishing. Is the only way to fix this problem would be to take the engine out and replace the whole plywood transom piece? Its just soft around the bottom portion.

C/N- New to me, 1978 fiberform, gap on underside of outdrive that leaks, transom is a little soft, could I seal it up temporarily and use it? or is that too much of a risk? Or any quick fixes?

Thanks for any help! I think im gonna learn alot about restoring a boat very soon here

-Eric

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Need some advice...

If it were me I would rebuild the transom. No way would I run around with a soft transom. You might look back to see your engine floating. :redface:

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Need some advice...

Are you sure it is a gap and soft? What condition is the outdrive bellows in? They leak when they weather crack too.

If you decide to pull the outdrive and do the entire transom or a big portion of it ..... count on a good 2 days work and use seacast for the speed and strength of the repair.

You will have to re-align the outdrive when you re-install it. It's not a fun job but it is worth it.

 

[EJS]

Re: Need some advice...

The bellows look to be fine. I took some pictures. You can see the gap on the bottom of the outdrive. When i grab the outdrive and push up and down pretty hard itll flex a little, so its def not solid. I took pics from the inside as well. It looks to be marine plywood on the forward facing side but its like an inch and a half thick, so I think its thin plywood then it was filled behind with something like seacast? Its hard to tell in the pics I guess, and I dont know if thats a typical way of building a transom. But i reached way down as far as I could and its def soft. Is it going to be impossible to fix this with the engine still in the boat? Its kind of close quarters and all enclosed. If you look in the pics you can see water lines where there had to have been water sitting and softening the transom

 

[EJS]

Re: Need some advice...

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Need some advice...

That last picture is the most convincing that I believe you need to rebuild the transom. It looks to me like it had been waterlogged for too long, and rot may have set in. It's moldy none the less, and usually where there's mold there is rot shortly behind if not already there. I've seen it 100 times in renovating homes.

In that second picture is that moss growing in there?

If it were me, and you absolutely want to take it out some more then do so with caution. Although, I would definitely rebuild it this winter. The only downside to waiting until winter is that some of the chemicals used require at least 60 degrees to cure. So, it's a toss up.

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: Need some advice...

IMHO, you have alot of work ahead of you, so you came to the right place. There are 100's of threads on transom repairs here and on other forums. Do a search and some reading. If you're still unsure, take it to a marine mech and have them evaluate your transom and repairs.
Welcome to iBoats. Good Luck.

 

[EJS]

Re: Need some advice...

Thanks for the help guys. She will be torn apart and dealt with here very soon. Its a nicely set up boat, and will def be worth the work to get her on the water. I will do some more searching too

 

[Nova II 260]

Re: Need some advice...

Its a nicely set up boat, and will def be worth the work to get her on the water.

YES, it is (will be) a nice family boat!