NEED TRUSTWORTHY MICHIGAN REPAIR REFERAL

[CENLO]

See below for a better explanation.........but I am looking for a good mechanical / fiberglass repair business in Michigan. (I would prefer Northern Michigan....but I will travel).......



I have a 1994 Four Winns Sundowner 235........it has the Volvo out drive.
When I first launched it this year (before I removed it from the trailer) I opened the engine compartment to check for water. I could here gurgling noises and eventually saw water coming in under the engine. I then brought it to a repair shop to fix. After 3 weeks they said the boot(s) were ok and that the leak was coming from the linkage tube (they said the linkage runs thru a tube and the tube is cracked).....so they said they had to pull the engine and it would be about 300-400 to repair. I said for them to proceed. After a few more days they said that they are pretty sure its not the tube but its leaking from a rotten transom around the tube?
They said they didn't remove the outdrive or engine but found someone skinny enough to get a better look. The repair shop owner told me that they could probably temporarily fix the problem and that I can use it for the summer and then drop off to them in the fall to repair it. (2000-3000).
Before I bought the boat last fall I had a mechanic and a surveyor look at the boat. They both said it was solid and had no flex (transom)...the surveyor said he had slightly elevated readings in certain areas of the transom but said its unreliable in that area due to all of the metal in the area.
Any advise?.......(it looks like they caulked around the outdrive housing and when I launched it yesterday it had no leaking (or very little) how would caulking the outdrive stop a leak at the linkage tubing?
I am in Northern Michigan and just need someone trustworthy to look and the problem and complete the repair properly (whatever it is)

 

[greenbush future]

The only way I know to determine if the transom is rotted is by drilling into it from the inside, and not all the way through, to inspect the wood shavings that come out on your drill. Done down low on the transom where rot always starts is the goal. Then you can always seal these small test holes with 3m 5200 to ensure they don't leak.
A 20 year old boat in Michigan can,and many do have rot issues, so it's very possible for you to be in this situation. Any boat repair shop will cost you an arm and leg to fix this (very labor intensive). But it also depends how bad the rot is, and I wouldn't personally trust anyone except myself to determine the rot level, and repairs to fix. I know if you pull the outdrive off, you should be able to see the wood inside your transom and that isn't a horrible job to do, it will tell you lots about the condition of the transom. But if the transom is rotted, it's s good bet there is rot in the stringers, and maybe even the floor.
Seems you did everything right with an inspection and still may have some rot. I cant offer a shop that I would trust. It's the cost to repair that may make this a bigger problem than you care to deal with. Seeing caulk is never a good thing, it usually means water intrusion. If you can get in and around the engine area and start poking at the stingers motor mounts, transom and it going through easy, you have some work to do. Reading for a hour or two here will show you why this is an expensive but very common problem. I hope I'm wrong on everything I gave my "opinion" on.