Opinions on this Transom

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Roadworker

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Looking at a 2002 208 Adventure These are the photos of the Transom .. Boat is not close to me these are photos dealer sent me .. Opinions please..
 

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Personally, I don’t see an issue. Is there something specifically you were concerned about?
 
IMO: nothing can be determined from those two photos

Where is the boat located?
 
The outer screws on both sides look quite oxidized/rusty and imagine at the very minimum the screws should be replaced, the area checked for moisture/movement and then the area re-sealed. The vinyl cap on the left side/picture 2, looks like it's cracked or chipped on the bottom left, or it's swelled up and delaminated, or something is going on there. I imagine this is why the the screw is rusted, as the cap is swollen to larger than the size of the screw hole and water is accumulating back there, as you can see the rust water trail going down after coming out from the screw/screw hole on the cap itself. The left side imo looks better to me, and like it could just need new hardware or to have that vinyl/rubber part of the bang cap replaced/re-sealed. The right side/picture 1 however, looks like there's the beginning of a trail of rust water going down the transom. I imagine this is again because of the hardware used, of which the screw head is obviously corroded/rusty.

The fact that the left side/picture 2 screw and screw hole are rusty and dripping out the front would make me think that water likely hasn't gotten much further in the transom than the screw itself. That being said, the right side/picture 1 screw and screw hole I imagine likely has some deeper water penetration considering it's obviously leaking out more from the bottom gap in the bang cap/plate than it is from the screw hole area. Just my thoughts on the matter of course, it's extremely difficult to tell what all is going on from 2 pictures. If you're serious about the boat, or any other boat for that matter, and especially if you can't look at it in person, I always recommend paying a surveyor/inspector to go out, look at it in person and see what they have to say on the matter. You can always ask the seller about it as well, see if that area can be opened up or inspected visually in person before purchasing, and if they refuse, then that might be the answer you're looking for. Definitely by no means the worst looking transom/bang cap that I've seen pictures of so far, though.
 
Mustang65fbk said:
The outer screws on both sides look quite oxidized/rusty and imagine at the very minimum the screws should be replaced, the area checked for moisture/movement and then the area re-sealed. The vinyl cap on the left side/picture 2, looks like it's cracked or chipped on the bottom left, or it's swelled up and delaminated, or something is going on there. I imagine this is why the the screw is rusted, as the cap is swollen to larger than the size of the screw hole and water is accumulating back there, as you can see the rust water trail going down after coming out from the screw/screw hole on the cap itself. The left side imo looks better to me, and like it could just need new hardware or to have that vinyl/rubber part of the bang cap replaced/re-sealed. The right side/picture 1 however, looks like there's the beginning of a trail of rust water going down the transom. I imagine this is again because of the hardware used, of which the screw head is obviously corroded/rusty.

The fact that the left side/picture 2 screw and screw hole are rusty and dripping out the front would make me think that water likely hasn't gotten much further in the transom than the screw itself. That being said, the right side/picture 1 screw and screw hole I imagine likely has some deeper water penetration considering it's obviously leaking out more from the bottom gap in the bang cap/plate than it is from the screw hole area. Just my thoughts on the matter of course, it's extremely difficult to tell what all is going on from 2 pictures. If you're serious about the boat, or any other boat for that matter, and especially if you can't look at it in person, I always recommend paying a surveyor/inspector to go out, look at it in person and see what they have to say on the matter. You can always ask the seller about it as well, see if that area can be opened up or inspected visually in person before purchasing, and if they refuse, then that might be the answer you're looking for. Definitely by no means the worst looking transom/bang cap that I've seen pictures of so far, though.
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Thank you for taken time to look and respond. I am looking into surveyors but i do not have much luck. 1st guy said he dont do small boats like that , he did say he would just look at transom for $200. Called 2 other so far no call back.
 
Roadworker said:
Thank you for taken time to look and respond. I am looking into surveyors but i do not have much luck. 1st guy said he dont do small boats like that , he did say he would just look at transom for $200. Called 2 other so far no call back.
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Well... it is coming up on mid June now, aka summer and to where boating season is in full swing and the busiest time of the year for surveyors/inspectors. I imagine just about all of them are likely going to be at least 2 weeks out. What's the guy's timeline who can look at the transom by itself for the $200? $200 doesn't get you hardly anything anymore, especially in regards to boats/boating. If he can do it within the next couple of days or a week, might as well book him and at worst be out the $200? I've purchased 3 boats over the years, the first two I had inspections done on and the third I simply didn't have time for, as all 3 purchases were done out of state. But at the time of each purchase, I called around to multiple different surveyors and of them seemed to be at least 2 weeks out. Or as you mentioned, a lot of them don't do smaller sized 20' boats because they oftentimes charge by the foot as opposed to a flat rate. And charging by the foot on a 30'-40'+ boat as opposed to a 20' boat, can make a bit of a difference in whether it's worth it for them to do the job or not. I'm guessing that this is the hardtop that's on Boat Trader for $24.5k?
 
It's a 25 year old boat...
I would want to see what's under that plastic corner piece.
Easy to remove the screws, pry it out without breaking it and inspect the top and corner seam.
Then - if okay (or not), re-install and seal with 3M 4200 fast cure.

In addition, I would have someone do a Hammer Tap Test. That will tell alot about the condition of the transom.
 
Last edited:
HMBJack said:
It's a 25 year old boat...
I would want to see what's under that plastic corner piece.
Easy to remove the screws, pry it out without breaking it and inspect the top and corner seam.
Then - if okay (or not), re-install and seal with 3M 4200 fast cure.
Click to expand...
Transom problems are not cosmetic. All Grady White owners of older generation boats are in denial that they have a transom problem. Maybe? I have been watching my transom replacements for 10 years. I'm going to finaly do my 268 Islander this summer. Bang cap and plywood construction. Unlikely any GW in the club doesn't have a problem.

Bluewater owner is an honest guy. I trust him completely. He is advising me on my transom replacement...which I am doing this summer. If you don't know how to evaluate a transom problem you need to talk to him. There may be nothing wrong with this transom. I would trust Robbies's opinion.
 
Hookup1 said:
Transom problems are not cosmetic. All Grady White owners of older generation boats are in denial that they have a transom problem. Maybe? I have been watching my transom replacements for 10 years. I'm going to finaly do my 268 Islander this summer. Bang cap and plywood construction. Unlikely any GW in the club doesn't have a problem.

Bluewater owner is an honest guy. I trust him completely. He is advising me on my transom replacement...which I am doing this summer. If you don't know how to evaluate a transom problem you need to talk to him. There may be nothing wrong with this transom. I would trust Robbies's opinion.
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ok thank you , yes boat looks clean and priced nice
 
Mustang65fbk said:
Well... it is coming up on mid June now, aka summer and to where boating season is in full swing and the busiest time of the year for surveyors/inspectors. I imagine just about all of them are likely going to be at least 2 weeks out. What's the guy's timeline who can look at the transom by itself for the $200? $200 doesn't get you hardly anything anymore, especially in regards to boats/boating. If he can do it within the next couple of days or a week, might as well book him and at worst be out the $200? I've purchased 3 boats over the years, the first two I had inspections done on and the third I simply didn't have time for, as all 3 purchases were done out of state. But at the time of each purchase, I called around to multiple different surveyors and of them seemed to be at least 2 weeks out. Or as you mentioned, a lot of them don't do smaller sized 20' boats because they oftentimes charge by the foot as opposed to a flat rate. And charging by the foot on a 30'-40'+ boat as opposed to a 20' boat, can make a bit of a difference in whether it's worth it for them to do the job or not. I'm guessing that this is the hardtop that's on Boat Trader for $24.5k?
Click to expand...
correct that is the boat , only electronics is garmin i am told... Surveyor could do it with few days notice just check the transom
 
Had to replace transom 1998 208 two years ago for years the outer gel coat would crack from the water freezing
expanding the outer gel coat then small line cracks , I would repair them not understanding what was going on each year would return and get larger ,had a a fiberglass guy repair them but he expected it was temp . Inside the bilge you could see more delamination , from your pictures I don't see anything close to what I was seeing . Hope things go well .
 
steveditt said:
Had to replace transom 1998 208 two years ago for years the outer gel coat would crack from the water freezing
expanding the outer gel coat then small line cracks , I would repair them not understanding what was going on each year would return and get larger ,had a a fiberglass guy repair them but he expected it was temp . Inside the bilge you could see more delamination , from your pictures I don't see anything close to what I was seeing . Hope things go well .
Click to expand...
how much was it ? Because i am also looking at a 1997 208 adventure
 
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