Transom Rot?

[glockit]

I have an 89 Procraft 1780FS with a 150 Evinrude.<br />I bought the boat about a year ago from the original owner. Boat was always garage kept and looks excellent.<br /><br />I just had a tune up done on the engine and the technician tells me that my transom is rotten. he did not mention how he determined this rot.<br /><br />Is there a reliable way I can verify this myself without having to wait another 6 weeks for a second opinion? <br /><br />I want a reliable boat that I don't have to worry about and I'm fairly new to boats but have a fairly good electrical and mechanical aptitude. Any advise would be much appreciated.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Greg

 

[Solittle]

Re: Transom Rot?

Welcome to iboats.<br /><br />Checking for transom rot is pretty easy. All you need is a small mallet or hammer. All you do is tap - tap - tap and listen for the sound. A soft rap sound usually indicates rot while solid wood will be a solid rap sound. If you suspect a rotten area, tap around it. You can usually almost outline the area. To confirm take a drill with a wood bit and drill some sample holes in the suspect area and a few outside of it. Examine the wood particles that come from the drill bit. The rotten area will be dark and may even be wet. Careful not to drill all the way through though.<br /><br />Areas to pay particular attention to are around the bolts the are used to mount the motor and by the top of the transom.<br /><br />If you have access do all of this stuff from the inside of the transom. You also can try to tighten the motor mount bolts and if they tighten easily that may indicate thet the wood in that area is rotten. Another thing is to grab the motor by the lower unit and lift looking for flex in the transom.<br /><br />If it is real bad don't use the boat until you fix it. You can do any needed repairs yourself. Check the Project Boats Section and use the red Search at the top of the page for lots of "been there and done that" stuff.

 

[glockit]

Re: Transom Rot?

Thanks,<br /><br />I may have some stupid questions but I'm gonna ask anyway.<br /><br />If my boat was garage kept ever since day one would transom rot still be a good possibility?<br /><br />Is the transom what the motor mounts to? (the back flat hull of the boat?)<br /><br />Where do I tap? I can tap on the outside of the boat near the motor and back of the boat. I can also access the inside the rear compartment where the gas tank, oil tank, and batteries are stored and tap inside there. should I tap from the inside?<br /><br />Would I see a lot of flex if I were to push the motor up and down? It feels pretty solid.<br /><br />I hate to be a skeptic but I want some proof before I sink $2,500 into this boat. <br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Greg

 

[KCLOST]

Re: Transom Rot?

If my boat was garage kept ever since day one would transom rot still be a good possibility?<br /><br />Is the transom what the motor mounts to? (the back flat hull of the boat?)<br />

Transom rot only comes from one thing, water... I assume your transom is a wood inlay, with fiberglass on the inner and outer surfaces... So if water got to the wood it has a hard time drying out.. Thus, rot begins, whether in the garage or at the dock...<br /><br />Yes, the motor mounts on the transom....<br /><br />I hope it's not serious, as this is an expensive repair (I hate to be the bearer of bad news). But take the advice of SoLittle.... <br /><br />If it's hard to determine if the wood is rotted by drilling, you can always use a sharp object of some kind to probe on the wood through the holes you drilled to see how soft it is... Try that on a known good section of wood and compare... But if it's wet, that's bad news...