Not my new Boat =(

[oregonboatnewb]

So today i finally had time to investigate the batter/drain plug on my new boat...

Boat had been sitting garaged for a year, i put in plug, test drove it last week on water, got home, pulled the plug and red water came out.

Today i removed the oil reservoir, so i could see what was going on...
There was alittle visible water in the area behind batter/oil holder... and the boat was already on tilt backward alittle... so i jacked it up with a car jack, and more water showed up in the area rear of the boat...

The water was red, and even a spare water bottle was lodged up in it... I Used paper towels to test the floor once i removed all the water i could with paper towels (the thing was tilted alot backward, but still i can see theres alittle water in the middle area, i just can't get to it or the motor would touch the ground). Once dry, i poked all around the floor with a screw driver, solid as a rock... the plug whole how ever, was soft... i would have imaged that there should have a plastic piece of pipe or something, to let water out w/out touching the transom wood, but it seems that there's nothing but a touch of silicone on the sides of the walls...

The bottom of the plug area was soft, i could poke around with a screw driver, and remove alittle material, and once i did, the area underneith the 1/8in of wood i removed, was rock solid...

This boat has 220 hrs total on it, garaged its entire life... The boat when back into the water, had straps still on lol and got alittle water i'm sure up and over, but i can't imagine this just happening few weeks ago, would have given it time to rot that area... also when i picked up the boat, and drove it home, no water came out of the lower part. I also checked back there before i purchased it, and didn't see any water...

Does the area that surrounds the plug have any sort of tray of materials that would get soft, but not affect other area's of the floors/transom ? OR does water that goes out that whole, have access to rot through out ? The transom is rock solid, the place i had it checked out knocked all over, and looked for signs of stress, but everything checked out... what should i think of this ?

before i tilted it back even more, and paper toweled it

after i paper toweled the water up.

plug area that is soft on the inside middle bottom...

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

After got water out, bottom clean and solid as a rock.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

what type of boat do have? Looks to have an outboard motor, can't you raise the trim or tilt the motor back far enough to get the nose high in the air to drain and why are having to use a car jack to raise the tongue that doesn't look to be all that big of a boat. I'll bet that water accumulated in the lowest part of the hull from condensation if you didn't have the bow high.

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

the thing i lift up, but i could not hold it up by myself while putting a metal tube in the ball joint... so i jacked it up with a car jack =)

1989 17ft Sea Swirl Tempo, with 1989 Evinrude 120HP VRO V4.

 

[legoman67]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

uh oh, that transom hole doesnt look very good. Hopefully it hasnt spread too much. Stringers and deck look fine though.

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

I poked everywhere, and the transom whole is the only place i can seem to get into any wood/fiberglass what so ever... and even on the whole, i can only get in alittle bit, then it gets rock solid... i think the drain plug has been leaking the entire time the previous owner had it... thus the rot... any way to drill it all out, and put in a larger whole, or put a piece of pipe in there that will let the water out, w/out infecting the wood anymore.

 

[92excel]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

poking around as you put it can be misleading.. you can think its solid but all you are feeling is the glass.. you have to drill past the glass and into the wood and examine the wood shavings that come out.. its call core sampling..
i would do this a few places on the transom and see where you are.. if you are solid you just fill the core sample holes with 5200 fix the drain whole and take her out this spring.

also the photos of underneath.. its strange that you can see bare wood. the glass seems to be just tabbing your bulk head in place.. perhaps the deckhas been redone before??

 

[redfury]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

The tabbing could easily be the way they built the boat in the first place. My Glastron had the stringers tabbed in mostly...plenty of intrusion for water.

You could probably just take a hole saw and cut that section out from the inside and then plug it, and drill a new hole for the plug. I think that may be all you'd need to do if the rest of the transom passes the "thump" test and the "flex" test.

I'd drill those test holes to see how far the water has infiltrated the transom around the hole and then cut out the rotted area with a hole saw of the appropriate size and then do the repair, Drill out the new plug with the same hole saw, and then after it's been fixed, drill out the drain plug hole and coat it generously with epoxy and then drill it out again to smooth it up and get it the right size for the drain plug ( and replace the drain plug with a new one! ).

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

How many, and what size drill bit we talking when yall are saying drill holes?

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

.......Calm down my fellow web foot.....If you would like some help Pm me...I just happen to know a old redneck...boop something that just might be willing to to visit you and yur boat.

Not that bop err boom or what ever know's anything..

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

uh oh, that transom hole doesnt look very good. Hopefully it hasnt spread too much. Stringers and deck look fine though.

elaborate plz........

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

you just got a very generous offer from an experienced boater. take him up on looking at your boat.

 

[oregonboatnewb]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

I'm all over it =)

As always, thanks much gents on the help !

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Not my new Boat =(

I'm with excel... do some core samples. It's the only way to be sure.

We're talking about a 1/8 inch drill bit. Measure the total transom depth at the desired drill location and drill about half that depth... mark the depth with tape on the bit first. Check the shavings that come out. Before starting, have some marine-tex epoxy putty to hand that you'll use to fill the holes you make.

I'd recommend a pattern of test holes across the transom, concentrating on the penetrations - around that drain hole, around the engine mount bolts, near the lower edge where transducers would be mounted.

Once you're sure where the rot is, if any, you can take action. If it's only around the hole, then yes you can get it out and patch it up.

and if you can get someone experienced to look at it, do it

Erik