Wet Transom

[buckeye_paul]

I bought a 15ft fiberglass V hull with a 85 hp outboard in mid august and only got it in the water once so far. (Other things going on) The boat seemed in great shape. I read a thread about someone doing a restoration and he had complained about the former owner of his boat not sealing holes in the transom properly. I decided to check the transom of my boat. I took the screws out that held the speed probe, transducer, and trim tabs. There were also additional holes which looked like they had been filled with a cheap grade clear epoxy. Well all of the newer holes had no sealant or epoxy added to the holes for waterproofing and if I stick a nail in some of the holes I can wick brown water out.(not a lot) Like I said, I've only had it in the water once and that was a month ago! I know this is a serious problem. The entire transom seems very hard and stable but for how long? If I put everything back together sealing the screws and filling holes with marine epoxy, I think that will just seal the moisture in and maybe make things worse. Any opinions? I wanted to go fishing this weekend but don't want to compound the problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Solittle]

Re: Wet Transom

You MAY have a serious problem but it MAY not be terminal. First you need to determine if you have rot (and the presence of brown water make it probable). To check take a hammer and lightly tap around any hole in the transom and listen for the sound. A dull "thunk" indicates the presence of rot and a sharp"rap" indicates sound wood. If rot is incicated continue tapping to determine how extensive that it is. You can almost draw an outline with chalk if you have a problem.

The best fix for the presence of rot is to replace the transom and there is plenty of advice here if that is the route you intend to go. There is another solution if the rot is not to bad. Get a hypodermic needle the size used for horses (like really big) and fill it with automotive anti freeze. Insert the needle anywhere there is a hole and liberally soak the area with anti freeze. This works because rot is a fungus which will continue to grow untill the fungus is killed or the bad wood is removed. Anti freeze kills fungus and hence wood rot. I even read where a guy used anti freeze to kill the fungus that had taken up home in his toe nails.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Wet Transom

You've got problems, period. The transom needs to be replaced, thank whoever didn't properly seal those holes. I've been through 2 boat rebuilds, including transom replacements on both, so I've been there and done that. No amount of wishful thinking is going to make it better, if it's not rotted already it certainly will be. That wood really wicks up water, and then it rots.

IF you can very forcefully push on your outboard in all directions and it doesn't move one iota you may be ok to use the boat a little while more, but be careful. Don't push your luck.

 

[buckeye_paul]

Re: Wet Transom

My outboard weighs nearly 300 lbs. This boat has been trailered all along without a transom saver. (Working on making one) The upper transom is solid, very solid. However, there is RTV sealant around the trim that connects the top to the hull. I'm thinking there was water getting in there and that was the previous owner's remedy.

 

[oops!]

Re: Wet Transom

rot aside....(wet wood means rot is or will be starting)

if you motor does not move you will be ok for a few more bouts of fish killing. possibly as much as a season.

but long time wet wood means transom replacement.

 

[buckeye_paul]

Re: Wet Transom

I took my portable pancake compressor and shot some air into the open holes. Guess what? Yes that's right, water gurgling throughout the bottom of the transom. The weird thing is that tapping on all areas of the transom sounds the same. It sounds solid. If I drill a hole at the bottom under the bilge plug, and drain the water out, is there any possibility that it will be alright? How can I patch all of these holes? I would like to replace the transom over the winter but I want to catch some perch while they're biting.

 

[blifsey]

Re: Wet Transom

Is transom solid enough motor has no movement to it? If your plans are to replace transom in off-season, you could probably plug the holes with some 3M 5200.

On an old jon boat I had, I used 5200 to "glue" a strip of plastic cutting board (similar to starboard) to transom with a bit of it sticking up above waterline. I put screws in above waterline for extra security in holding the board in place. I was then able to mount things to this board instead of drilling/screwing into transom.

 

[lowvlot]

Re: Wet Transom

Hello and welcome to iboats.

As you well know there is a wealth of knowledge on this site and whatever you choose to do with your boat will be met with much help. That being said I too have a transom that is moist I won't say it is wet but I took some core samples and the chips came out wood colored but a tad moist. I posted some pics of the chips I had collected and Yaht Dr. whom I consider to be very knowledgeable had this to say about my situation. I will quote.

"Just because it is moist does not mean its not strong..

ARE living trees dry ? no... If they were we would all have to have 4x4s to manuver around snapped trees in the road .

There is a Big difference between moist stringers/trans and Rotted.

Its almost haulout season here..and Ill bet good money that I can take my moisture meter and read Moisture in a good 90% of most transoms .. or even stringers. If they were as worried about a little water in there boats as some here I would be Rich lol

YD."


Now I don't know if your transom is worse off than mine but if it sounds solid then I would drill some core samples using a 3/8 bit and drill about 3/4 of an inch deep. Don't drill all the way through to the outside. Then you can examine the chips or sludge you get from the samples. Take a few from all over the transom.

 

[buckeye_paul]

Re: Wet Transom

I did a few samples. Two were dry. The third one I knew would be wet when I got under there with a flashlight and saw what is going on. Someone caulked, epoxied, chewing gummed etc.. a broken motor well drain tube instead of replacing the thing. ($1.94 at Wholesale Marine) The water has wicked downward nearly to the bottom. I can see the wetness through the fiberglass on the inside.The section is about 6 inches at its widest and about 2 feet long. The sample was wet but didn't stink of rot. I know now that a total transom replacement is in order. I'll have to rent space because my garage is small. The joy of boat ownership is waning.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Wet Transom

I'll have to rent space because my garage is small.

Take a look at what you've got to work with first. On both boats I rebuilt I hung the cap from the garage rafters while working on the transom, stringers, etc. If your trailer can fit in the garage you've likely got enough room. You may even be able to build a cradle to hold the boat without the trailer, I've seen it done before.

The joy of boat ownership is waning.

That's the feeling I had after I accepted the fact that the transom was junk on my first boat. And I won't sugar coat it, doing the work can be a pain in the butt sometimes - but it's not rocket science. I just like to be doing something with my hands, I've almost always had a project of some sort going and boat repair became my project-de-jur for a while. And as fate would have it the repairs on my first boat turned out to be a good learning experience for when I found the boat of my dreams (a '79 Checkmate) that had been poorly cared for and needed a total rebuild.