Conference vicki::boats

    
    Take an 1/4 drill and do some test boreing into the transom in various
    spots. Check the wood particals for dicoloration, moisture and grain
    structure.
    
    If everything appears normal? chamfer the holes and fill them in with
    fiberglass epoxy puddy. Blend into surrounding area and go fishing.
    
    If you have rotting wood you can.
    
               A) Sell the boat
               B) Throw the boat away
               C) Make a planter out of it for your yard
               D) Cut out the entire transom and rebuild it.
               E) Use the boat on a pond, where you can swim to shore.
    
                                            Walt
    

    Thanks for the info. Do you know what type of wood they use in the
    Transom. I.E. plywood or oak

    STOP STOP STOP, Under no circumstances bore any holes in the
    
    fiberglass..........................................
    
    Why do you want to do this. Do you have any conclusive evidence
    that this should be done. Just because the boat is old does
    not mean its no good.
    
    These stains from the motor well, do you have bronze inserts
    in the drain holes????????????????/
    
    Please be more specific as to why you think you have a problem...
    
    Jim.
    
    

    Relax Jim.
    
    Boreing some small test holes in the transom will in no way weaken or
    hurt anything. It will provide you with fairly reliable information
    regarding the hull condition.
    
    The worst that happens is that you are faced with some cosmetics work.
    ie: Matching gelcoat color and blending the tiny patches.
    
    The best that can happen is you are assured the transoms proberly not
    going to fall off the boat while you out at sea.
    
    If I were a Gamblin Man? I'd put my money on a few small holes.
    
    Yes . The Cruiser Inc. used a Marine Grade Plywood in the transom.
    
    Yes. If you have Bronze scupper holes in the motor well they will
    bleed.
    
    Yes. Iv'e done this kind of stuff for a living. But; I made a lot more
    money then than I do now.
    
    De ja vue
    
                                   Walt
    
    

    SOUND the boat as a surveyor does. Get a small hammer and tap across
    the fiberglass. Do a good part first like the deck or something.
    You will hear a sharp solid sound. When the sound changes to a THUD
    you can have a reason to think something is going on in the core.
    It is very easy to recognize a good sound from a suspicious one.
    

If you think you have a reason to doubt the integrity of the transom
in your boat, then you are very wise check it.  It's better to find
out about any problems now, than 3 miles off shore.  Don't worry about
providing "conclusive evidence" or justification to anyone in this
conference as to why you want to check it.  If you think it needs to
be checked, then it's worth doing it for your own peace of mind.

A combination of most of the methods already mentioned should do a good
job of checking the transom's condition.  Probe, poke, and tap everywhere
you can.  If the transom has a removable cap (my old boat did) remove 
it and look inside.  Remove the motor mount thru-bolts and look in the 
holes.  And yes, drill a few strategically placed holes and analyze the 
shavings that come out.  If the transom is solid the holes won't hurt 
anything, and if you find rot, well, you've got more serious problems 
than patching up a few drill holes.  

If you find that the transom is basically solid but seems just a little 
flimsy, you can reinforce it as a friend of mine did.  Cut a piece of 
cardboard to closely resemble the inside of the transom.  Transfer that 
to a sheet of 1/8" aluminum, cut it out and thru-bolt it to the inside
of the transom.  It worked wonder's on my friend's boat,and can extend
the life of an old boat by several years.


RE: Note 628.4 

>>                              -< HOLD IT........ >-
>>    STOP STOP STOP, Under no circumstances bore any holes in the fiberglass.

JIM,
We're a bunch of people with a common interest talking about transom rot,
dry gas, BOAT/US, etc...  These aren't emotional issues like nuclear arms
or abortion.  I'd take your point of view much more seriously if you'd
state your case logically, and without SHOUTING.
    
Rick W.

    Drain holes inserts are plastic. I have no other evidence that it is
    rotting but I like the idea of a few test holes to verify. I think I
    will drill from the inside and then there are no cosmetic issues. Boat
    has always been trailered which I think should improve  my chances.
    Thanks for the inputs. Any thoughts on the power tilt?
    

    
    Oh. Ya. Power tilt. Being that its a 65 pony merc. You may want to
    consider just buying a late model engine once you see the price of the
    power trim & tilt. It will run you upwards of $750 or more for a
    retrofit and it will still be an add on. Since that engine was not
    designed for an integral PT & T unit I wish you many happy hours of
    ECO's ...
    
    I have seen a PT&T jacking plate unit that would be a lot less hassle.
    You may want to look into something like that.
    
    Hint. Tackle one problem at a time. If your transom is in fact rotted
    you may do better financially to invest in a whole new rig. Unless the
    boat has a special intrisic value I do not percieve.
    
                                     Walt
    

    
      Cabela's (I think) sells an add-on trim-n-tilt which is supposed
    to fit almost any outboard. It goes *between* the outboard and the
    transom. The outboard mounts to the T+T unit, and then the T+T unit
    mounts to the transom. It appears from the picture (which is a good
    one) that it would only space the outboard out about 3". If that
    is the case, it should work well for you.
    
    
    		Kenny_who_picks_up_his_new_Larson_in_21_days!

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Note 963.0                Transom Repair Advice Sought                 2 replies
DECWET::CROUCH "I drink, but I just swish it around" 15 lines   9-APR-1992 12:07
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    Any advice or pointers would be appreciated.
    
    I have a 16' Jetster ski boat with a 90 hp Merc outboard.  It's about
    12 years old.  I have a feeling that water has been leaking into the
    transom for quite some time.  I don't know what the normal construction
    materials of this type of boat is.  Is there a piece of plywood or
    some type of wood underneath the fiberglass where the motor is bolted
    on to the transom?  
    
    If so, and if the wood is beginning to deteriorate, what can be done?
    I don't relish the thought that when I "hit it" sometime this summer,
    the motor will break off and sink to the bottom of the lake.
    
    Thanks,
    Pete

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Note 963.1                Transom Repair Advice Sought                    1 of 2
SALEM::GILMAN                                        10 lines   9-APR-1992 12:11
                                    -< Yup >-
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    I had an aluminum boat a few years back with a plywood beefed transom.
    After a number of years the plywood rotted out.  I peeled the al at
    the edges back, removed the plywood and replaced it with oak. I then
    hammered the al back over the edges of the oak.  With fiberglass you
    might find that you have to CUT the plywood out from the fiberglass
    and then refiberglass back around the plywood. It is ENTIRELY possible
    that a wooden beefed up transom has rotted out on you, expecially
    if the boat was used in fresh water or stored uncovered outdoors.
    
    Jeff

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Note 963.2                Transom Repair Advice Sought                    2 of 2
BEAD::CHACE "My favorite season is getting nearer!"  14 lines   9-APR-1992 12:34
                               -< Tell us more >-
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    Pete, there is virtually always plywood in the transom of a fiberglass
    boat. It usually lasts the life of the boat *unless* water gets to it,
    then it may or may not rot out, depending on the quality of the plywood
    and how long/much water gets to it.
      My question is, do you have specific reasons to think the transom has
    a problem? You only sounded like you had a 'feeling' in your note. What
    has heppened or what have you noticed that makes you think you have a
    problem?
    
    BTW - replacing the plywood in a transome of a fiberglass boat is a BIG
    job and expensive too.
    
    					Kenny

    I did a dir/title=repair and didn't find anything about transom repair.
    Guess I should have looked under "transom".  Anyway...
    
    The reason I think water's getting in is because there's a strip of
    aluminum running along the top outside of the transom.  Last year, the
    screws stripped out and the strip came up a bit.  I pulled it back and
    the strip was covering a large crack (not a defect, just part of the
    way the boat was constructed.  I think the crack allows water to get
    in.  Also, the transom drain hole is not lined with fiberglass.  The 
    water draining out meets the plywood, and I'm sure some of it permeates
    the wood.  Oh, yeah, another thing is that the outside bolts of the 
    motor seem to be sinking into the outside of the boat to a large
    degree.  
    
    Thanks for the notes.  I only paid $2,500 for the entire boat, motor
    and trailer.  Maybe I should just by a new boat.
    
    BTW, I've already been skiing on Lk Washington in Seattle.  Looks like
    an early ski season here.  Eat your hearts out!
    
    Pete

    
    
     I had a freind who had a 17' THompson, about 10yrs old. The transom
    developed crack, fresh water got in and the transom rotted. He had the
    transom replaced (they removed the outer F/G "skin) and all rebuilt
    with a perfect color match. Price was $400 and loss of the Boat for 6
    weeks (the outfit thatdid the repair was a little slow.)
    
     If it is aflat transom-all they do is cut the fibgreglass skin around
    the edge(where the transom meets the hull), peel off the  skin,sccoop
    outthe wood, let everything dry, cut a new transom and epoxy it in
    place against the old inner "skin" and the hull and either epoxy the
    old outer skin back on or put several new layers of glas on the
    exterios and match the colors. I've also seen this done the other way
    around, wher the inner F/G skin is removed, leaving the exterior
    intact.
    
     $400-$600 seems to be the price for a simple fglat transom on 15-18'
    Boats- at least in my limited experience.
    
     Dick