Water in transom hull core

[screeech]

I have a 1988 sea ox w/ merc 200 outboard. <br />Installed a new fish finder today. When I drilled the pilot holes water trickled out! Please note, these holes dont go all the way throught the transom. It appears that water has impregnated the wood core of my hull. <br />Can anyone point me towards info on this situation. I fear that this is the begining of the end of this hull/boat. can anything be done about this with out replacing the whole transom.<br />I keep the boat on a trailer and only run it about 4-5 hours a week. Based on the fact that I dont keep it in the water this was very surprising.<br />Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Water in transom hull core

Rain is the biggest problem for rot. Use the search feature at the top of this page and type in transom. There should be a couple weeks of reading. Then you will have more questions, or nightmares.

 

[mercrewser]

Re: Water in transom hull core

This actually is almost maintanence on boats these days. Floors and transoms need to be replaced every 15-20 yrs. Seal it back up and leave it. As long as there is no rot you'll be alright for awhile. Most boats with wood are wet. Figure a $1000 for a new transom. Not to bad. When it gets rebuilt it will probably be way better than the original construction. For now just enjoy the boat. That transom has been wet for years already.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Water in transom hull core

Yep, I'd guess it rotted from the inside-out from years of being stored outside and covered (not properly shrinkwrapped)on a trailer.<br /><br />If your transom is waterlogged, I'd guess your stringers and engine mounts (if an I/O or inboard) probably are, too. And your boat likely weighs a few hundred pounds more than it used to. As already said, hopefully the wood is just wet, but still solid, but I wouldn't necessarily count on it. Just to scare the jeepers out ya, my 1992 Rinker runabout that I purchased for $500 had the same problem (which explains the fine price) and I managed to pull about 3 garbage cans full of soggy wood mulch out of it this past winter before I got back to solid wood. I restored it myself and all is well. Probably under $500 in materials, but 100's of hours of labor (as a rookie fiberglasser).<br /><br />For advice and photos of what you're up against, start perusing the "Boat Restoration and Building" subsection of this forum. LOTS of people over there are fixing and discovering this problem all the time, and they helped me through my project. It's a big job....gotta decide for yourself if it's worth the effort or expense vs. considering the possibility of starting to shop for another boat.