Transom support

[rhedges]

I have a 19 year old fiberglass boat that has cracks around the transom. They don't look like they go all the way through. Is it possible just the gel coat is craked? How can I fix/reinforce it?

 

[rml]

Re: Transom support

cerealkiller -<br /><br />It is possible for the gelcoat to crack. This thread covers the topic. Good luck.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br /> --rml

 

[rhedges]

Re: Transom support

Thanks, Just what I was hoping.

 

[rhedges]

Re: Transom support

<br /><br />After taking off my motor I found the problem is much worse thank originally thought.<br /><br />Although the crack goes all the way across, the transom feels very solid. I don't see any visible rot (except for the drain hole). At least they sealed it from water.<br /><br />It looks like someone sat on the splash well which is only supported by the fiberglass it is attached to.<br /><br />It also looks like someone dremeled out the corners and filled the underside with a marine-tex looking filler. <br /><br />The weird thing is there aren't any gel-coat cracks except small ones in the corners.<br /><br /><br />Any advice?

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Transom support

I would thoroughly inspect the transom for rot as well as the stringers where they tie into the transom. It looks like a structural problem to me. If by chance the ransom is sound, You will have to grind the top of the transom down including the corner patches and re-glass. I can't see there being that big of a crack without some underlying problems though. How big of a motor?? Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

[rhedges]

Re: Transom support

It had a 50 hp on it that I am planning to replace. <br /><br />I don't see any other cracks inside or out. except for what you see in the picture. That's why I can't figure out what caused this damage.<br /><br />If I stick a screwdriver in the bolt holes the wood is still solid. When I got the boat the drain hole wasn't sealed very well and there is rot around it.<br /><br />Otherwise for the most part the transom seems solid.<br /><br />When you say that you think there is structural damage, where would you say it should be? It's a small boat, so if you look in the gas can compartment you can see where the transom meets the bottom of the boat. It looks fine down there.<br /><br />Thanks for your input and advice.<br />

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Transom support

The problem would be where the transom meets the bottom and sides, or centrally within the transom, allowing it to flex and delaminating from the outer hull glass. Can you probe the wood at the crack? It looks like there is some silicon sealing the crack. See if there is any rot there. If you find that the wood is dry, Properly re-glassing the top edge of the transom may give it enough strength if you're not going up in motor size much. I would be most concerned with the inner and outer transom glass being delaminated from the inner wood. You would find out if this is the case if you grind the top off. You could drill some diagnostic holes along the inner lower transom to see if the rot around the drain hole is worse than you thought. It may just be that the top transom glass cracked and slowly delaminated upon getting wet. The rot around the drain hole definately needs checked and will only get worse without treatment.

 

[rhedges]

Re: Transom support

I did the tap test (rotdoctor.com) and it seems like there isn't much if any delamination. Even though the repair was hokey, at least they did a good job of sealing it from water.<br /><br />Will re-glassing be enough to hold the splash well? Should I give it verticle stabilization? Where would I get information about fiberglass repairs and materials?

 

[rhedges]

Re: Transom support

Ok, after further inspection there is rot in the transom. I drilled down in the top and it seems that the wood is wet but still yellow (plywood color) about the length of an average drill bit.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Transom support

That may be a relatively easy fix. You need to cut the top of the cap over the top of the transom and get that white stuff (from photo) out to expose the top of the plywood. Then you need to dig out any soft or rotten wood from the cavity between the inner and outer skin of the transom. When you have done that you need to fill the void. There is a product which specifically addresses this. I think it is called sea cast or something simular. Play around with the red search at the top of the page & you will find it.

 

[rhedges]

Re: Transom support

This is as far as I got before I killed all my dremel wheels (need to get better ones).<br /><br />

<br /><br />I was thinking of going with te rot-doctor line of products. Now let's just say that I got all the soft/rotted wood out I've used the rot-doctor chemicals and it is strong and rot free. What will I do to make it look decent? Will I make another cap from fiberglass or something? <br /><br />Also I am curious of how the transom is designed. If anyone can tell how (from the pics) it is designed or has experience with small bayliners please let me know. I can't really tell how the transom ties into the rest of the boat. I guess what I'm asking, is it one peice all the way across or is it a seperate peice that is formed in there?<br /><br />

<br /><br />Here is a close up of the transom wood. Sorry about the dark picture. The hole is a test hole. Does it look bad or just starting to rot? Every since I removed the cap it has already started to dry up.<br /><br />You guys are awesome and I really appreciate your help and what this web site has to offer. Without this information I might have done something stupid that would cost me my boat and sanity. This little boat is all I have, so I have to get her into good shape.

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Transom support

It doesn't look that terribly bad from the pics. You may have caught it early. You will need to remove the entire top fiberglass edge. An angle grinder is the tool of choice for this. Then you need to address the wet wood. If it is just wet at the top, with no visible rot, you can either: a) dry it good with a heat lamp and then drill some holes down along its length and saturate with a good product like CPES, b) Soak with antifreeze to kill any possible rot spores, or c) rip out entire transom and rebuild. <br /><br /> Since you state that the motor mount holes were dry, I think you probably just got water in thru the crack in the top and around the drain plug. I would give the CPES a try. You will have to reglass the top edge which will restore some of the strength to the transom. Do a search for Transom Rebuild and you will get an idea of what the job will require. good luck.

 

[rhedges]

Re: Transom support

I think you are right, I just got a reply from Dr. Rot at rot doctor.com. I sent them the same pics and they said that it looks like I caught it before it was too bad. <br /><br />I'm gonna get those chemicals and get to work. I'll be so happy to get my little boat back in the water.<br /><br />I'll post the rebuild pics when I get something accomplished.<br /><br />Again many thanks for all your input and advice. This place ROCKS!!!

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Transom support

Also thought I'd mention that where the back glass looks partially detached from the core, I'd inject some epoxy in there and clamp it nice and tight before glassing the top.

 

[rhedges]

Re: Transom support

Wilco