Water getting in.........

[sogood]

Mod comment: This thread is a continuation of a thread started in the Mercruiser repair forum. To see the beginning of the thread, click here -> https://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...ter-getting-in

Chris.
iboats mod team


As to the above, the camera is in constant use. It's one of the best tools I have! And now that the original query about water ingress is turning into a total transom reconstruction, a mod might deem it appropriate to move it to the "restoration and Rebuilds" forum. Please feel free.

Today I got the exhaust Y pipe removed and surprise, surprise, it was loose, with one of the top bolts missing and the bottom ones just holding on, thanks to corrosion on the lugs. See attached picture. I can sort this out so it's not a major worry. There was no sign of any gasket or seal either!


I also got the inner transom assembly off along with the outer gimble assembly, but not without some corroded nuts shearing off, with the remnants stuck inside the gimble housing. Also not a worry as I'm replacing the Gimble assembly as previously intended. As an aside, there was no gasket or seal on the gimble assembly where it mates to the transom. Is this normal or should there be one there? I've noticed that some outdrives seem to have gaskets/seals and some don't. Am I right in this assumption and if there isn't usually a seal there, can it do any harm to arrange one?


Then I started drilling some exploratory holes, down low and close to the keyhole. I could see the rot around the keyhole opening and expected mush, which I got. So widening my explorations, I got more mush, and more mush, which continued as I went upwards and outwards. I went as far as I could without having to do any chopping, as mentioned in a previous post in relation to the two "battery ledges".

I cut away the inner fibreglass skin and found very little of the original transom. In some places it was just wet paper. In fact, when I was cutting through the glass along the bottom edge, water was actually running out of the cut.

So I'm going to have to continue cutting and chopping, just to get access to clear out the old transom material and to give me room to get the new transom in situ. It will be just under 8' wide and about 3'6" high at it's deepest point. To this end, if needed, is it possible or advisable to fit the transom in sections, as in, one skin cut horizontally at about it's centre line and then cut the second skin vertically. this means the joints are staggered. I ask this because I wont have total, clear access to the transom area. In hindsight, it might have been a lot easier to do the transom from the outside, but I wanted to avoid messing with the exterior of the boat. And removing the battery ledges means I can reinstate them properly.

That's it for the moment. I have to make up a cover for a friends boat, so I'll be alternating between that and my transom work. Some pics showing the extent of the rot.

 

[sogood]

Many thanks for that. Everything is telling me that cutting the section of cap away is the best approach. Looks like that's the way I'll go. But not today, it's pouring rain!

 

[Woodonglass]

Cut the cap!!! It's easy to put it back and only you will know it was done.

 

[kcassells]

Oh my...you are into it now. Yup do as wog recommends. Lots of good ole boys to help you thru it.
That's how I approached my transom.

 

[sogood]

So, weather permitting, tomorrow I'll be cutting the cap off above the top of the transom. Poured rain today so I didn't get near it, and I spent my time indoors sewing up my friends boat cover. Still more to do on that in between my demolition work. Thanks for the inputs and lots of questions will follow as I progress.

 

[kcassells]

Save all your cuts then they can be laid back in. In mine a straight cut would not let me pull the cap.
I had to do a double cut, that's the pcs. I saved to put back later so my build up wasn't to crazy.

 

[sogood]

So yesterday, with literally a half hour free, I got the swim platform removed. I wanted to take it away as the various fixing bolts run through into what was left of the transom and would have been in my way. Then this morning, before the weather turned bad again, I bit the bullet and cut the cap. I removed the relevant section of rub rail and got at the fixing screws beneath. Then a flat blade scraper helped to break the Sikaflex type seal between the cap and the hull. Out with a very thin blade in the grinder and voila, the cap is off. Replacing it wont be an issue as much of the cut will be covered up when things go back together again.

Removing the cap makes cleaning out the old transom material much easier and will make installation of the new transom a "comparative" walk in the park. The only bit of somewhat dry wood was in a 9" square section right at the top of the transom at the mid point. This wasn't even totally dry. The rest is in varying degrees of mush, which makes removal much easier.

The predicted rains came and I had to call it a day, but that just meant retiring to the shed and sewing up more of my friends boat cover. I can't see much happening tomorrow as we have a bad weather warning in effect, but I'm much happier now with how things are going and happy that the boat will be much better for it's surgery. I still have to look closer at the stringers/motor mounts, but that's for another day.

 

[kcassells]

Alright... looking good!

 

[sogood]

Alright... looking good!

Thanks for the encouragement. Just wish the weather was better! I'm tempted to build some sort of cover to allow me to plough on at it.

 

[kcassells]

Yup that's what I did. Some 2x4's, 1" pvc and fittings, medium duty tarp. If I'm ambitious I can take the temps from 20 degrees to 80 in @ 15 minutes. Oh yea and be dry.

 

[Rick Stephens]

One thing I would advise is get literally everything removed. Thinking you can work around wiring or fittings or anything else just puts off when you finally remove anything removable in the stern. I took my time and kept on with odds and bits attached and regretted wasting time working around anything.

 

[sogood]

I hear you and that's how I'd usually work. I have removed most of the various bits and what's left is beneath all the rot that I've removed. Today, while working between the showers, I decided that before I go any further, I'm going to clean up everything and remove any final bits and pieces, especially now as I'm getting down to the final stage. I'll need to do so in order to get down to the bottom edge of what's left of the transom.

 

[sogood]

Happy days. I have 99% of the old transom removed, with just the bottom edge to clean out. I had left a strip/ section of the old fibreglass in place when I cut away the outer skin of the transom, which leaves a sort of channel for the new transom to sit into. I'm now wondering if this is needed at all as it makes it harder to clean out the last of the old transom material. I'm thinking that I could cut this lip away and simply grind and clean the old fibreglass to key it up for tabbing the new glass onto.


Any thoughts appreciated.

In the meantime, some pics of an almost totally clean transom. Exciting, isn't it...……...​

 

[Rick Stephens]

Cut it all out. Tie it all back together with new Fiberglass. You also have to grind all the gelcoat off anything that is getting new layers of fiberglass. Gel is not structural, so it has to go. Grind and sand down to the 'pink' reaching out as far as you need, up the stringers and bottom so you can lay in fresh fiberglass to tie it all back together.

 

[sogood]

So I reached a minor milestone today when I got the last of all the old transom removed. Just some tidying to do with the flapper disc, as well as prepping the existing gel/fibreglass to accept the new material. My marine grade fibreglass arrived yesterday, along with an 8' x 4' sheet of hardboard, to use as a template. It's lightweight and easy to cut and handle. My replacement gimble housing also arrived today!! Very happy with it as it's in great shape, having been fresh water used.

Now a question. I intend to tidy up the worst of any lumps and irregularities around the existing transom, where the new transom boards will sit. But I imagine it's not going to be totally snug all around. So, what's the best material to fill any gaps that will help hold the new transom in situ ( along with fibreglass ). I've read about "peanut butter" and wonder is this what I'm thinking about.

I'm happy and familiar with woodwork, but want to be sure about my fibreglass work. To that end, I was going to cover my new transom boards in resin, with a layer of chopped mat sandwiched between them. Then a new layer of chopped mat laid on the old transom, with the new transom board laid over that. Then about 4 or 5 layers of chopped mat on top, finished off with a layer of woven mat, all tabbed in as I go along. I also intend to route over the inner top edge of the new transom, to help the chopped mat to follow the shape, possibly running over the top and down onto the outside top edge of the existing transom, all properly keyed of course.

I'm ok with screwing, clamping everything in place, leaving no holes or cuts unprotected, so my main queries are "peanut butter/filler" and construction method of the new transom. Any thoughts most welcome.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Here's Frisco boaters recipe video.

Recommendation is use a LOT of peanut butter as the glue to not only attach the new transom plate but to fill all the voids as well. There are LOADS of forum posts showing how to make full width clamps with 2 x 4s and allthread bolts through the keyhole. Goal is to goop up enough PB, mixed slow, that when you clamp things up the PB oozes out all the way around the new plate.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Also have to get the surface within parallel specification so the new Gimbal Housing seals. Easiest way to do that is make a u-shaped gauge to slip over and test as you clamp down.

 

[sogood]

I feel like I've turned a corner today, when I got to spend a few hours working on the boat. I cut my template for the transom using hardboard, about 2-3 mm and very easy to work with. I hung the sheet on the outside of the transom and marked out the outline. This gave me the approximate shape, but not the dimensions, as the transom is narrower on the inside. But from there it was just a case of taking some relevant measurements and reference points on the inside and transferring them to my template. basically it meant reducing the outline marked on the template by about 1/2" on either side, as well as taking a strip off along the bottom mid point, to facilitate the section that houses the drain plug.

First dry fit went well, then a little tweaking and all was good. I transferred the shape onto my first 3/4" ply, cut it out and its a very nice fit. I cleaned up the channel that the new transom will sit into and routed /rounded off the inside edge of the transom, to allow for a tighter, closer fit, where the corners can be a bit lumpy. It sits nice and snug all around and now I can cut my second transom board, using the first one as a template.

I have some cleaning and tidying to do then, as well as taking the flapper disc to the existing glass/ gel to prepare it for tabbing. I intend to get my glass and resin on Monday and hopefully reassembly will start then. I'll look into the stringers beforehand though, and sort them out as and where needed, so I'll have everything nice and solid to work on. Happy days and thanks for the input thus far.

As an aside, I mentioned that my replacement gimble housing arrived yesterday. It came from the States and arrived here in Ireland having first passed me by on route to Dusseldorf, then to Brussels, then back to the UK, before crossing the Irish sea to Dublin, then across country to Shannon before finally travelling south to me in Kerry. No wonder postage costs so much!!

 

[Rick Stephens]

That looks great.

Amazing sometimes that round-about routes in shipping is cheaper than direct.


As an aside, I always figured my Irish forefathers got transported out to the colonies for multiple legal transgressions. Proud of that, however. What great countries, Ireland, and the US are!

Rick

 

[mickyryan]

id come to Ireland to help its on my bucket list but sadly the missus says my boat wouldn't make it on a tank o fuel teased me about building a sail boat ... the fire she unknowingly plays with ....