gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

[exnavyman123]

there is a crack in the gelcoat inside the splashwell where it meets the transom almost the whole width of the transom on my 1988 Winner Chameleon 18ft fish and ski with a mariner 115 on it, Transom feels very solid , i pushed on the transom on the outside of the boat no give, i punched the outside as well with my knuckles hard and very solid, also the heads of the mounting bolts and washer are flat against the splashwell, no sinking, but I am wondering if water is getting on the wood inside transom that could cause me problems in the future. The cracks are very shallow, and not wide at all, about half or quarter of hair thickness or smaller.There are no cracks in exterior hull gelcoat (just inside spashwell). Should I be concerned? Also i placed a very thin coat of rtv 100 % silicone on them due to rain, do you think i need to fix those or can the silicone stay ? Also i was wondering how exactly to check the flex on the transom, i was going to ask a mechanic to check the transom out while i had him adjust my lean rich ratio , timing, and throttle settings.

Thanks in advance all.

 

[exnavyman123]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

i forgot, i also have cracks around one of the (bear with me here) posts that supports the chrome handrail on the top outside edge of the boat, it appears it is sunken down a bit about a 1/16 or a 1/32 of a inch, how is the best way to fix or even just seal that? It is still very solid, (the handrail).

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

Post some photos.

Your description sounds eerily similar to the condition of the transom on the first boat I had to rebuild due to a rotted transom.

 

[exnavyman123]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

i think my description may sound worse than it looks/is. You really have to look hard to see the crack and it looks extremely shallow, i saw one little chip on the back of the boat that was about 60 times deeper than the crack and it still wasn't reaching through the figerglass. As i said the transom makes a solid crack sound on the tap test in the square area where the wood is in it and doesn't give at all. Just not sure how serious gel coat cracks are or how deep they have to be to cause concern or how hard they are to fix, also i'm sure they are something that can come right back with some stress through normal boating correct?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

Knuckle test? Tap test? ------- unless you are a marine surveyor I would NEVER consider the old wive's tale tests.

Silicone is just about worthless to use and fails quite often in the marine environment....... best used in fish tanks. :facepalm:

You need to drill holes to explore the transom. Read the restoration section on iboats.

 

[oops!]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

agreed with bob above......

you need to take core samples. search core sample in the restoration section.

the only reason the gellcoat will crack in a long fashion is when the transom is flexed. this could be due to hitting a big bump like a speed bump and the motor coming down hard. but....the transom must be inspected properly or it could fail

 

[exnavyman123]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

ok oops, now that you mention the bump, i did roll up over a curb when trailering taking a sharp corner and the boat and trailer came down hard. It could have been there before i bought it as well if they didnt use a transom saver, That could have caused the crack(s) .I was told to do the tap test numerous times in other posts .... I was also told if you put moisture meters on a perfectly fine transom you will still get high moisture readings and still get damp spots on drill hole samples here and there yet have the transom be fine for another twenty years as well. Doesnt seems to be any cut and dry answers on transoms.

 

[oops!]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

actually...there is....either they are unsafe, or not.

that is the cut and dry.

if the crack was caused by a speed bump.....that will just be cosmetic gellgoat damage with a possible stress fracture of some glass.

but if the crack is caused by a failing transom.....you are in for a repair.

take the drive...put it in the up posisition and try to flex the transom by sitting on the drive or lifting it ......watch for flex

another thing you can do is take a core sample of the wood....if its rotten...it needs to be replaced.

if you want to know how to fix the gellcoat....read the link in my sig....on the first page...there is an index..look for simple gellcoat repair.

or there are lots in the restoration forum (dry dock)

 

[Texasmark]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

I have had stress cracks in high stress areas of every glass boat I owned. The only transom I ever replaced was in an 18' Starcraft Holiday (Aluminum) restoration.

Being '88 vintage your transom is probably wood. Nowadays, they are composite "plastics" and can't rot, nor can they flex like wood and absorb impact...they take a hit and give it back...but that's ok.

As far as transom damage, the cracks I had were off the transom, where the gell coat would drop down off the transom and either go into the splash well, or off elsewhere in the boat. If you took a drill and drilled a hole vertical in the crack it would come out the bottom and you could see it. So I never bothered with any of them.

My bro-in-law had a Wellcraft OB that got transom rot and this green gungie stuff started growing out of it around the engine mounting area. Have no history on the boat other than he bought it used 3 or so years old and seldom used it. He had it under a shed at an 89,000 acre lake where there was always moisture.

So now you have both sides and can make up your own mind.

For the record the one I messed up the worse was on a 17' ranger with a 115 Merc and the trailer it was mounted on got away from me and rolled about 20' down a mild incline (transom first) and the lower unit skeg struck an offset in the concrete which stopped the trailer but put a tremendous strain on the transom. A reverse whack on an outboard's skeg is the worst kind of punishment you can give a transom. The boat was '89, that happened around 91-92, and the boat is still in use with the same transom with the visable cracks in the gell coat.

HTH,

Mark

 

[exnavyman123]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

ok thanks oops and tex, i'm going to or have someone else push the cavitation plate down and watch for flex and then if it doesn't push IN on the back of the boat and pull OUT on the top of the transom too much, stand and push down on the cavitation plate and see how much the transom flexes, (simulating the pressure exerted by the outboard pushing the boat forward). I assume that would give the best indication of the strength of the transom as it is now. I think when it comes to the point of replacing the transom, i'm going to go with the coosa board route, never rotting and capability of flexing like wood route rather than the high heat pourable options. I'm thinking that would be the strongest , longest lasting route for the $$

 

[exnavyman123]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

well i checked the transom by standing on the cavitation plate and pushing down hard with my legs while the boat/trailer was hooked to truck and it is in fact very solid.
What materials do i need to fix the cosmetic gel cracks in the splash well area so i can repair them ?

Thanks.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

The only time I did gel coat repairs was on a baby blue Caravelle tri-hull. I hit a rock at the launching ramp and it dug a hole down and into the glass. I called Caravelle, gave them the hull number and in a week I had a gell coat repair kit (gell coat rosin and hardner) the exact color.

Probably numerous www sites that tell you how to do it. Was about '73 when I did mine...been a long time. Being on the bottom of the boat made mine difficult. Filling stress cracks from the top should be a walk in the park.

HTH.

Mark

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

Hold off on the drills and other implements of destruction. it's very typical for fiberglass boats to have hairline and spider cracks in a variety of places. And hairline cracks don't admit that much moisture, especially if they are not constantly under water. So if you want to seal or paint them, fine, except for one thing: you can't then see if they get worse. I say this because cracks in the splashwell just might indicate a weakened transom, and would if they expanded.

So you might want to keep an eye on them, and occasionally check your transom as you are doing, but otherwise I wouldn't go off to tearing stuff up. And if you want to make cosmetic repairs, consider paint, although 5200 comes white and is runny enough to fill in and smooth out. Any 2-part processes will be too thick and make it look worse. Otherwise, leave them as is so you can be like the rest of the boats on the river.

 

[exnavyman123]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

ok thanks, so if i was going to do the repair what would i need? various grits on wet/dry sandpaper, gel coat kit ? ........... not sure exactly what 5200 is, just a newbie here......

 

[Texasmark]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

I had a new boat that I had just bought and was in the driveway hooking up the trailer. A guy backed into it and knocked a hole in the deck. I had it professionally prepared and in a couple of years, you could clearly see the repair.

With all the things that you might do to accomplish a good job, i.e. one that is less conspicuous than the cracks, and from your comments, my advice to you is to let it alone. In time you probably will have a few more and they probably aren't hurting anything. On the Caravelle I fixed, there was plenty of glass where I chipped the gel, so water intrusion was not going to happen, but it was near the bow and was clearly visible every time I launched or got around the front of the boat. It was a new boat and I just didn't want to look at it.

The guy who fixed the deck punch through sprayed gel coat on the repair after he fixed it and for awhile it looked ok....i.e. spraying it on makes a thin coat and a nice way to finish out the job....like paint over Bondo on a sheet metal repair, but you still have the sanding and matching and all that stuff and if it cracked before you know as well as I that it will crack again.

Mark

 

[Solittle]

Re: gel coat crack where splashwell meets transom

ok thanks, so if i was going to do the repair what would i need? various grits on wet/dry sandpaper, gel coat kit ? ........... not sure exactly what 5200 is, just a newbie here......

5200 is a 3M product and is great for what you describe. It cures like steel. It comes in a tube and is available at all marine stores and many other places - - like Home Depot.