Transom Concerns?

[Ryank]

I am very curious and would love some feedback regarding a possible transom issue. I have noticed a little bit of flex in my transom, and wonder after reading some older posts if I may have a problem or not. There are no stress cracks
anywhere, but it defintly has noticeable flex, maybe less then 1/16" maybe a tad more. Her being a seafari and all, I am defintly not looking forward to doing a transom job , but will do what I must to keep her working. any comments I would greatly appreciat

[JohnB]

I would suggest you get it checked with a moisture meter. If the transom is wet, you might want to investigate further. There is a fair amount of flex in most of the ones I have looked at, especially with the big 200+ motors. You get 470 pounds bouncing back and forth, and it will show some flex.
My transom on my Sceptre has small spider stress cracks in the corners, and on the edges of the cutout. I believe they have been there for years, and have not grown any since I have had the boat (18 months). I attribute them to having a heavy/stout 250hp engine hung on the back, and trailering alot.
If you have any real concerns, get a marine surveryor to access the health/condition of the transom.

[Ed]

Ryank-

I respectufully disagree with John B concerning the moisture meter. A fully stable & safe transom can show high moisture readings around places where water will eventually weep through such as thru-hull fittings, transducer mounts, etc. Bottom line is that most older boats made with wood transoms are probably going to show high moisture levels. Plus, anything source of water ( a puddle, high humidity, etc) near where you are measuring can throw off the reading. I would save your money and not spend it on a moisture meter.

The fact that your transom is flexing is the bigger issue in my opinion. Transoms should not move at all.

If I were you, I would take the boat to a qualified person that you can trust (do you know anyone in the restoration business?) who will give you an honest opinion about the amount of flex in your transom. Marine Surveyors are great for giving a broad overall view of a boats condition, but in my opinion the guy who will know the most about your transom is a person who fixes them on a regular basis. Obviously, the key is to find someone reputable who won't just say that it needs to be replaced just because they want your $$$$.

Where are you located? Perhaps I can help you find a good reputable shop.

-Ed-

[JohnB]

Ed, I agree that the best thing to do if you have any question about a transom's integrity is to get a professional opinion. The problem with getting an opinion from someone in the transom repair business, is that they have a conflict of interest in that they are evaluating the condition of something that they may have the opportunity to work on (recieve financial gain), where as a GOOD marine surveyor is only interested in accessing the condition of the transom. If you use a repair professional, I would get a couple of opinions from well referenced reputable repairmen. In any case, I would probably get a couple of opinions.
As far as moisture in the transom I left out a few important considerations:

1. Not all moisture meters are the same. I have a pretty high end one here in my shop and have had it/used it for 2 years. I have had a few people use it on their boats that have rebuilt their transoms, and when it says a transom is soaked, it's shot. The strength of the fiberglass in these old seacrafts will hold for a time, but after a while it will give way. You also need to check for moisture on the inside and outside. If it is just on the outside, from a screw or something, and it is localized, it's probably no big deal. Take the screws out, put a hair dryer on it for a couple of days, and seal it back up. If you are showing moisture on both the inside and outside, you have problems on your hand. It winds up being a judgement call.

2. Another consideration is that if the boat has been in fresh water, the wood seems to rot alot faster than in salt water. I'm not sure of the cause of this, but alot of bass boats that are only used in fresh water seem to go really fast. If I had a boat that was used in fresh water, and it showed a wet transom, I would be more conserned than if one was used in salt water.

3. Another issue if you have a wet transom, and your boat is up north, and it freezes in the wintertime, you could have some real problems, since when the water/ice expands, it may crack out, and create some immediate structural problems with the fiberglass.

4. If you have bottom anti-foul paint on the transom, you won't get an accurate reading, but you can still check from the inside.

5. Flex is an important consideration, but so is sag. If the transom is sagging/distorted, or the motor mounting bolts on the bottom are pushed into the fiberglass, you may have some problems.

6. You can remove a few screws from trimtabs/transduser mounts, or even a motor mount bolt, and take an ice pick to see if the wood is deteriated. If it is just localized, you can clean it out and repair it with west epoxy (I did this on mine).

[ July 23, 2003, 08:40 AM: Message edited by: JohnB ]

[Dave Hirshberg]

Ryan, I may have asked you this before but where on the west coast are you? And I'll probably get ripped apart on this but I think 1/16 flex on a wood glass transom is very minimal for that age boat. Use a hard plastic mallet and tap all around the transom. Listen for changes in the sound it makes, especially around the motor mount area. You'll hear the difference if you hit a "dead" spot in the Hull.Its kind of like looking for a stud in your homes drywall except the opposite effect. I wouldn't get too hung up on moisture because chances are its got some because they all do. If your motor bolts aren't sinking in badly and theres not extensive delamination around the motor bolt area I would't worry. You can spot fix most areas that go bad in these transoms (drain Holes ect) without replacing the whole thing.

[FELLOW-SHIP]

Ha Ryank
I tend to approach this transom issue a little differently on wood transoms. Which is, it’s broke, when do I need to do something about it? It’s usually just a matter of TIME. Some ware at about 12-15 years down the line of a boat a transom job is in order. At about 20 years down the line all doubt is gone. I used all types of methods before I made my decision to do my transom but only after I got into the job and saw the wood or lets say mushy stuff all doubts were gone. It’s kind of like a tune up on your car, do you do it when it first starts to show slow pick up and it’s idling ruffle or do you do it when it stops running and your stuck on the side of the road.
Fellow-Ship [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Ryank]

I just hauled my boat out and after a thourough inspection Ive found that the area around 6" by 6" on the starboard side of the engine has a very hollow thump sound , the rest of the transom sounds very solid . This area doesnt have any bolts near it, it starts about 4 inches away from any bolts or holes at all , kid of confused of how this occured. I spoke with a fiberglass repair facility in tarpon springs and they seemed very honest and said there are many options other then a whole transom job. ps they said they are in the process of atotal sc23 resto job , cant wait tio see that.

[JohnB]

Ryank,
It could be a air void from when it was originally manufactured. Who knows. I ran into that on a transom I did several years ago.
I check mine every year with a moisture meter and a rubber mallet. I have a couple of questionable hairline cracks in the corners that I monitor. At least you will have a baseline, and a professional opinion. Alot of guys when they redo a transom on one of these opt for a closed in full transom and a bracket.

[TUGBOAT]

I had a similar problem on My 20 MA . Although I had NO Flex,some stress cracks. it had a plate to fix an earlier prob.(how Long ??) I ran it 4 years with no prob. I went to re-install a transducer & noticed wet/watery wood when drilling.Drilled a few 1/4 inch holes from the inside(hidden) transom.some not much was dry.Patched the holes.Pondered what to do for a while(long).I ended up replacing the transom with composite/Hi density foam.
If You have a reasonably strong transom & want to patch it for awhile, till the timing or $$ is right put a plate on it.seal it good & ride.Otherwise just fix it & let another Boating Problem come along.
Scream'n reels' [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[Dave Hirshberg]

Ryan, that hollow area is probably delamination. That when the fiberglass skin separates from the wood behind it. It dosen't mean the wood is rotten. This condition is repairable as long as the wood behind it is ok. It requires inspection though to be sure. If thats the problem I doubt its causing the flex you are seeing but it should be fixed so it dosen't spread. I just finished fixing the same thing on my 20. It had a few spots as you described so I peeled off the outer skin on those areas,scored the dry wood with a die sander , hot coated it with resin and re-laminated with bi-axil fiberglass and 3/4oz mat. It came out nice. I took pics of the whole process if you want them.
Dave