Meet Butternut and a little transom advice please

[rcarduino]

Hi,
Here is Butternut, a new to me Viper 1800 originally built in New Zealand around 2000 and with me since March this year.

I had the engine lifted today in order to reseal the mounting bolts but found a crack running the length of the transom underneath the transom cover strip. I assume that this is the original join between the hull and top, it does not look as if it was classed over by the factory.

My question is, can I grind out a V and seal the join with marine adhesive sealant or should I glass over it, or the answer I really don't want to hear - its something serious.

I have inspected the wood in the engine mounts, transponder mounts etc while rebedding and it is very solid, I am hoping the high salt content of UAE waters has prevented rot. There are no other signs of stress or cracking inside or outside.

Video coming as soon as I can upload it.

Thanks

Duane

 

[rcarduino]

Re: Meet Butternut and a little transom advice please

Video -

 

[rcarduino]

Re: Meet Butternut and a little transom advice please

Here is where I am now, still need help but -

Wood inside motor bolt holes and most other through hulls is dark but firm with light coloured wood nearby.

I have remove a through hull drain which had damp wood, again the wood is firm with light coloured wood within 1 or 2 mm of the surface.

I have opened the split in the transom with a dremel cutting disk.

My plan is to dremel out the dark wood from all of the through hulls and resurface them with epoxy before resealing.

Is this a sound plan ?

As for the hull to deck join along the transom top, my current thinking is to open this up enough to get some 5200 or similar in there and seal it back up.

Again is this a sound plan ?

Thanks

Duane

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Meet Butternut and a little transom advice please

I agree with you analysis of the transom. It appears to have not been compromised and is still solid.
Not sure if it's available "Down Under" but here in the States we have a couple of products that I'd recommend.

Pc-11 or Marine Tex. Both are epoxy based Patch material, Cure Underwater and easy to mix and apply.

 

[rcarduino]

Re: Meet Butternut and a little transom advice please

Hi,

Very frustrating development, I removed the motor well drain to find the factory only sealed one side, the surrounding wood is junk.

Currently waiting for the temperature to drop a bit before going back out to drill some samples to see how much of a problem i have.

Duane

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Meet Butternut and a little transom advice please

Sorry, I just realized you're in Dubai NOT Australia. Hope the transom is not to bad but ... Once water gets in... Well it's kinda like cancer it just never seems to stop.

 

[rcarduino]

Re: Meet Butternut and a little transom advice please

Sorry, I just realized you're in Dubai NOT Australia. Hope the transom is not to bad but ... Once water gets in... Well it's kinda like cancer it just never seems to stop.

Hi,

It looks as if I have had water coming in through three spots - the split in the top of the transom, around one or possibly two of the motor bolts and the motor well drain plug.

The drain plug is the only spot with suspect wood, I am wondering whether the water around this spot could have caused the wood to swell and led to the gap in the transom cover - like you say, once water gets in...

Will wait until tomorrow morning to take the core samples and decide what to do then.

We do have pc11 here, I have used the syringe type to fill some old transponder holes, it has been very slow to cure, three or four days, is that typical ?

Duane.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Meet Butternut and a little transom advice please

I've never use the syringe style only the paste in the can. It cures fairly quickly, usually within an hour or two. Total cure in a day. If the temps are in the 90's it's even faster. If you add a bit more hardener it's even faster. Just don't add to much more or it will get brittle. Denatured Alchohol will help smooth it out and should be used to clean the surfaces prior to application.

 

[rcarduino]

Re: Meet Butternut and a little transom advice please

Hi,
The boat is almost ready to go back on the water. Feeling pleased with my first round of boat maintenance and a lot happier knowing that all through hulls are now lined with epoxy and packed with brand new sealant. Working with adhesive sealant was a bit of an education but using a lot of disposable gloves and razor blades kept the mess down.

All the wood I have tested has been dry apart from around the motor well drain plug and even here my power tools struggled to cut away material for an epoxy sleeve suggesting that the wood is still in robust condition.

The last job I have to do is find a replacement drain tube and fit it.

Thanks

Duane (rcarduino)

Thanks

Duane.