Transom Dryer

[sam am I]

I had some bit of transom leaking happening over last season occurring while sitting in a slip, noticed boat was starting to list slightly to port sitting in the slip. So, this past fall did the "thud" test after pulling the boat out.....sounded pretty dense in area's. Made some test holes, drove a fine gauge poker half to perhaps an inch into some of the notable wet areas where i was starting to remove hardware. The shavings from various test drill areas were definitely damp. So I pulled all the hardware out of the transom and being a cheap bastard, I made this thing and let it run all winter 24/7. I now have "ringing" wood everywhere............Sanding in the holes is even producing dusty saw dust. Fixed? Rot stopped? It sorta seems that way but water wasn't leaking out holes either......However, the poker test is perfect now, goes in like maybe a 1/16 in all area's, it's very very dry now. Just thought I'd share, perhaps might work for someone else...........




It has six light sockets mounted in a sorta helical 360 degree rotated arrangement lining up the length of a inner 6" pipe insulted with a outer 7" pipe. I loaded it with 6-200 Watt incandescent bulbs. It's wired internally with high temp flame proof wiring and sockets. There is three thermal cutoffs wired in series/redundant and hard mounted inside to the inner body at fore, mid and aft sections so that if any one of the three opens, it shuts it all off. The thermals are factory set to open above 120F(fan stops, rat, blockage, etc). An adjustable thermostat (50-150F I think) on a pendent like 15' cord runs out the front and down through the dryer pipe ducting that shuts off the lights when it reaches the desired/set temp. You pre-adjust the thermostat to the temp you want(I have it at 100) and just drop the thermostat down inside in the bilge. Connect up the duct and switch it on. I used a inline duct booster fan with a beefed up motor to push the air....lots of warm air!! I also put a speed control on the fan to tweek around and fine tune air flow verses internal/bilge temps.

...........I call it a "Spumgardner 1200"

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Transom Dryer

Leave it like that for 6 mo. then turn it off for a week and take another moisture reading and it'll probably still be wet.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Transom Dryer

With great humor I will respond with, transom driers are like board stretchers, they don't exist.

 

[Fastatv]

Re: Transom Dryer

I tried something similar many years ago on a transom, and it did dry out but, it was only temporary. After a while, with heat removed, moisture/wetness began to appear again. A boat repairing friend of mine called it the "wicking effect" and told me its virtually impossible to dry a transom out, but who knows, maybe you discovered something that works. Anyway, I sealed the transom up ( boat was only about five years old at the time ), and ran the boat for many years as it was solid, though damp. I'm sure it must have eventually began to rot. Good luck with it Sam.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Transom Dryer

If your invention works, then patten it, and buy a lottery ticket.

however if you had a list, your foam was probably also water logged as well.

Did you find the cause of the leak?

If your lucky you can remove the layer of fiberglass covering the wood and let it sit for a long while. the once it is dry, re-glass the transom.

However to dry it out in the short time, you will have to replace the wood.

 

[sam am I]

Re: Transom Dryer

With great humor I will respond with, transom driers are like board stretchers, they don't exist.

Red or Blue handled? It also doubles as a electric Snipe trap ya know. I got a pretty good picture(lil out of focus is all) of that lil-guy's back just as he was escaping and some plaster foot prints on eBay for sale

 

[sam am I]

Re: Transom Dryer

If your invention works, then patten it, and buy a lottery ticket.

LMAO agreed, but nah, not an invention per-se, wasn't going for that, just a cheap, safe'ish way to perhaps dry it out as best as I could over 5'ish months of not being too attentive to a heater blowing in on an 80 Gal fuel tank.

Did you find the cause of the leak?

Yes, just ****ty installed my manu and aged thruhull hardware slowly leaking over time and seasons was all. Took it all out and just re-sealing everything with epoxy and 5200/4200.

 

[sam am I]

Re: Transom Dryer

I tried something similar many years ago on a transom, and it did dry out but, it was only temporary. After a while, with heat removed, moisture/wetness began to appear again. A boat repairing friend of mine called it the "wicking effect" and told me its virtually impossible to dry a transom out, but who knows, maybe you discovered something that works. Anyway, I sealed the transom up ( boat was only about five years old at the time ), and ran the boat for many years as it was solid, though damp. I'm sure it must have eventually began to rot. Good luck with it Sam.

Thank you, sounds like I need it. I'll keep an eye out and that's basically what I'm hoping for, a few more years I suppose........."Be prepared for the worse and just be pleasantly surprise with anything better" a close frined told me once. I'm there

 

[sam am I]

Re: Transom Dryer

Leave it like that for 6 mo. then turn it off for a week and take another moisture reading and it'll probably still be wet.

Yeah, sounds like that's the consensus, I'll be fix'n er then right., Oh well, I gave it a cheap shot and maybe bought a season then I suppose.