Transom safty questions..input Please..

[doggreen13]

i am new to boats i bought one off cl this past winter cheep its a 15 foot 85 rinker with what i believe is a 69 115 evinrude i have had it out 3x now its allot of fun......but now i have a couple of concerns, on my back to the dock friday
i was driving the boat kind of cross wind at 3/4 power and i noticed the transom was flexing it seemed like it was fighting currant . after i hauled out i pulled the plug i notced i had about 5 gallons of water inside after about 2 hours ..that sound right ?how sturdy should the transom be ?

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

5 gals of water is not right
I'd suggest you have someone local check it out

 

[donnyskz1]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

if you notoiced your transom flexing then it sounds like a new transom is in your future. The transom should not move at all.

 

[cbavier]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

BOSS:

First 5 Gal of water is not normal . Unless the water was really rough and the water was coming in the boat over the splash well.
Second what does the Manufactures plate say the Max HP is? 115 HP sounds kinda high for a 15 ft boat.
Third The transom should not flex at all.

It sounds like you have transom rot. Maybe even a crack in the transom that is letting in water and letting the transom flex. I hope not for your sake. You may have to put about ten gallons of water in the bilge and see if it's leaking out. That would tell you if there is a leak and where. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

There shouldn't be any flex in that transom, when the boat is on the trailer, can you see movement in the transom when you put some weight on the lower unit? Is there any signs of cracking or are any of the motor mounting bolts sunk into the transom on the inside?
Look the transom and keel over well for chips and holes or any obvious leaks.
A common place for a boat to take on water is the rub rail area, You would be surprised at how much water a bad seal there will let in.

Also check the obvious, make sure your drain plug is sealing well.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

You have situations that need attention..... this is really a restoration subject now.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

You should be able to put your entire body weight(provided you don't weight 400lbs) on the motor and have the transom not flex more than 1/8'', if it is any more than that you have problem, at ful throttle the motor is putting way more stress on it than that.

I would start by just putting my foot on the lower and pushing down, if the transom moves you have your answer.

I wouldn't take the boat out again until you know for sure the transom is good, they tend to fail all at once.

And as stated by others, 5 gallons is alot of water, there should be none.

A 24 year old boat needing a transom replaced isn't uncommon.

 

[doggreen13]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

thank you guys...yes i will take heed to your warning....how much could i expect to pay to get the transom redone ?

 

[donnyskz1]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

There are a few ways to fix the transom. If you were to take to have it done it will be far more expensive than what the boat is worth. Doing the work is not that hard. You can go the normal plywood method method which is usually the cheapest way for a few hundred dollars or you can consider seacast or nidabond. I just finished mine with nidabond. Both methods (nidabod or seacast) process is about the same it will cost a little bit more both your transom will never rot again.

 

[doggreen13]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

oh man..so no matter how i slice it its going to be a pain in the $$$ and cost more than i spent on the boat... guess all i can do is part it out ,no way can i sell it like that if that 115 comes lose at full power somebody is going to die... on the other hand, the SOB didnt mind selling it to me like that, and i had my 7 year old with me when i bought it...oh man i dont know what to do maybe as soon as it stops raining i will take a short video of it and see what you guys think
thanks

 

[cbavier]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

Put water in the bilge and see where it's leaking before you get too all unraveled or excited. It might be something minor. Your still going to have to repair the transom however.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

Boats are often considered rich folks toys. Now you know why. It's unfortunate that this has happened to you but I think we'll all agree that buying a sound boat is often not an easy task.

If you part this one out, before you buy another, consider the costs of continuos maintenance and get the boat checked out by someone that knows boats well.

 

[doggreen13]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

Well i checked it out i put 50 gallons or so water in and i couldn't see a leak
not on the bottom anyway,i did notice some bad silicone on the top of the transom where the two peaces of the boat come together..it looks to me like the transom has already been redone its actually pretty solid you really got to rock the motor to get it move at all,think is what i will do is pull the motor and see if i cant reseal the bolts and maybe reinforce it with some plywood take it easy till the end of the season then sell it...i really want a bigger boat anyway
its to late to stop now even if i wanted to i dont think i could, if i stopped and added it all up ..well i simply wouldn't have a boat at all,...

 

[cbavier]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

doggreen here is a way to beef up the transom. Get two Pieces of Oak the full width of the transom probably 1 inch thick and put one inside and one outside. Bolt them together good with stove bolts and then bolt your motor thru it all. You can paint the Oak after it's on the boat to match Boat color and it will look like it belongs there. If One inch is too thick go a little thinnner but not much. Stove bolts through it all will really beef the transom up. True it will ad weight but. I did this on a 12 ft tinny rated for a 10 Hp and put a 15 on it. I Ran it for 20 some years. No flex and no problem. Sold the boat that way.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

Don't try that with a 115 though.

Although the wood is thick enough to support the weight, you'll have to attach it somewhere, and if your transom is really rotten it won't have much to hold on to.

I think you need to find out if it's really rotting. The most certain way to do that is to drill a series (at least 8-10) of 1/8 inch holes from the INSIDE of the transom part of the way (not all the way).

Look at the wood shavings. If they're light colored you're ok, if they're dark you're not, and if they're obviously wet or if water drips out of the holes, you're going to need a new transom.

Space the holes all over the transom, but try to stick near any penetrations... bolts for the engine, through holes for wires, places where stuff has been screwed to the transom, etc.

By the way, a lot of people here have done a transom replacement... it's not hard to do, it just takes time and effort. Using common tools most 15 foot boat transoms could be replaced in under 50 hours of work and under $500 or so. Search through the threads here to see about it.

Erik

 

[David Greer]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

I bet the transom flexing let the water in and that's why it won't leak sitting still. Junk the boat; there are lots of almost free hulls liek that around these days if you're partial to the engine. If you keep the engine keep the steering and controls.
I wouldn't "take it easy and sell it." Read the post today about the storm comnig up. You need your power and strength in those conditions. Don't risk your lfe and your child's.

 

[doggreen13]

Re: Transom safty questions..input Please..

well i think i figured out what was happening...first i did everything you guys said, the transom obviously has seen better days but its still pretty dam solid inside it looks like it had painted over with some kind of tar like paint i drilled a couple holes in it and and white saw dust comes out just like new wood..so i assume the rules out dry rot ...so i bought a fish finder /depth sounder and took it out again last week what i found was the spot where i noticed the flexing is only 4 feet deep so i guess i was skimming the bottom...my god how could that be no navigational warning no nothing, i think that is pretty dam irresponsible of the Illinois DNR not to have some sort of warning a new boater would have no way of knowing how shallow that lake is, i set the sounder for 6 feet and it was going off the entire time ,in fact i couldn't find a spot on that whole lake that was more than 8 feet deep , and actually the entire chain of lakes is under a no wake restriction due to recent flooding..so right now the water level is much higher than normal..so i spent 71$ on a season sticker and now i dont want to go back lol...well i guess the upside is i dont half to be worried about sinking my boat on that lake it isn't deep enough...my only other option {without a 2 hour drive} is lake Michigan...i am simply not ready for that yet so i don't know
anyway thanks for the schooling
guys
jim out