I recently noticed that the areas in the battery wells are soft but the area where the transom drops seems to be fine. Is this something I should be concerned about or put some git rot in and not worry about it. I drilled 1/8 test holes in each battery area and the bilge area to check the extent of the rot.
1982 223 soft areas in transom
- Thread starter gradywhiteman
- Start date
Is this in the bottom of the boat?? I always thought that this was solid glass without wood. If it were me I would have someone very knowledgeable check this area as well as the transom for moisture and rot. The last thing you want to do is ignore the problem.
This is on the transom where my trim tab pump is mounted and on the other side where the battery switch is mounted.
I also have a 1982 22 footer (Seafarer) and found that some of the transom absorbs water. When I drilled a tiny hole in the transom once to put in a little wood screw (to hold one of those plastic cable hold-down tabs for a transducer cable) salt-water peed out of it ! I noticed my brass scupper tubes were shot too so perhaps that let the water in ? I also noticed down in the transom there are some large drilled holes that looked strategically places in between the bottom and the deck floor. They seem glassed over from the factory but look as if they are designed to allow water to perhaps drip out of them and let a wet transom dry out ?
Also check your brass bilge plug tube. Mine is now shot along with my scupper tubes AGAIN ! Those only lasted about 8 years. Also make sure all engine mount holes are caulked !
Also check your brass bilge plug tube. Mine is now shot along with my scupper tubes AGAIN ! Those only lasted about 8 years. Also make sure all engine mount holes are caulked !
Ed, we just bought the boat in Feb. and I have been going through it thats how I noticed the rot. I also have to replace my transom drain tubes but it is not soft at that location the rot seems to be about 9" or so off the hull and up a little above the battery switch and trim tab pump. Is this something to worry about or can just get some epoxy in there to strengthen it up? I can push down on the lower unit and the transom does'nt move.
82seafarer said:
If water came out when you drilled a hole then you have a wet transom. This isn't the way it should be. You need to have it looked at before something tragic happens.
Strikezone is correct, it needs to be looked at......sounds like water permeated from the bottom up....it may not be rotten, ie dark and falling apart, but it will get to that point at sometime....Git Rot won't help anything when its wet and the only way to dry it would be to peel open the fiberglass, let it dry if the wood is solid, and then reglass.....if its rotten it should be replaced....
where do you take a boat to get an opinion about the condition of the transom? A dealer or boat yard?
either will do if they have a good reputation and a glass repair guy on hand....since you're in CT you may want to check with Boats Inc as they are a GW dealer with plenty of years experience and a good rep.
If you are speaking of the flat flooring directly under batteries, that is a fiberglassed cover plywood section, there to level off a mount area for battery. It can be cut out and replaced without disturbing little else. If you are speaking of interior transom face itself, then you are most likely looking at a much more involved repair/rebuild. Check first three pages of link below to see rebuild I did on my 22' Seafarer. It was A LOT of work. Hope yours is not as bad as mine was.
http://forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=19949
http://forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=19949
Thanks for your replys. I did look at your transom repair pics. You did a great job. It looks like something I could do except for the finish fiberglass work to rejoin the cut pieces. I read about some type of fiberglass panel to use in place of plywood have you had any experience with this?
gradywhiteman said:
I was very leerie about the finish fiberglass work also, but if you proceed cautiously, its really no big thing. Main thing is to have it epoxied into place securely. The finish of it is just a matter of sanding until smooth.
I have no experience with fiberglass panels instead of wood in transom rebuild, but I imagine it would be very expensive. Keep in mind that there are four 1/2" layers to build inside core. If you do it with wood and encapsulate it properly, there is no reason for it ever to fail. Main reason for wood transom core failure is, water ingestion. Keep the water out, and wood stays fine.
Vero wing, how long did you use your boat with a bad transom? My transom is good where the motor is mounted and all along the dropped area, can I get the season out of it?
gradywhiteman said:
I have no way of telling how bad your transom may be, so I would never venture an answer to that question. Your transom is only as strong as the weakest section. Keep in mind that there is a tremendous amount of pressure on the transom with a few hundred horsepower shoving a 4000+ pound boat through the water pushing up, over, and through waves. I would have a knowlegeable person take a look at it to see how bad it may be. Try to post some pics of damaged area so members here can advise you as to what course to follow. There are members here that can tell you exactly what you need to do, but not without a look at problem, and more info.
Take a look at pic below. It shows rear splash/floor area cut out and removed, exposing lower corner of interior hull. That flat square section is where battery sits, and is the same on the other side. It is plywood covered with fiberglass and resin. If that is your bad area, it can be removed, and replaced with new materials. This is not part of your transom, but it is glassed in to it. You'll notice that all the wood is removed from the rear interior fiberglass. This is the transom, and if this is where you are finding bad wood core, then you really should find out how extensive it is. Just my opinion, Mike.
I know with my boat, I didn't use boat hardly at all when I found transom core problems. I was in the process of replacing single outboard with twins, so I already had outboard off hull.
Mike ,my soft spots are in the transom above the battery area on both sides one a little softer than the other. As soon as I register my trailer I plan on having it checked out. I was on that boatbuilder .com site and saw your project turned in to a how to tutorial. I wanted to ask you why they kept saying to cut the stringers back looks like you did alright without cutting them.
gradywhiteman said:
Reason they say to cut back stringers, and cut top cap off of boat in the back, is because it makes job much easier. Then you can construct complete 4-layer plywood core outside of boat, drop, epoxy, and clamp it into place, then reinstall stringer sections, floor splash area, and cap.
I didn't do it that way, because my stringers were in perfect condition, so why create another seam. I didn't want to cut the top cap area either, because I wasn't that confident in my fiberglass repair finishing abilities, and I did not want to get into painting or re-gelcoating. The method I used allowed me to only have to repair/reinstall exposed fiberglass work in splashwell area, where it isn't that noticeable, even though it came out out undetectable. But doing it this way is more work. I had to install layers of marine plywood, one at a time, and also split pieces to get them under cap, and into place. This is not a strength problem if epoxied/glassed in properly, and seams staggered, but it adds plenty more work to job. I prefer to do it this way, and would do it the same way if I did another.
Thanks for your replies Mike. Just one more question, is there a minimum overlap on the plywood stagger?
My transom had 4 layers of 1/2 plywood. I split one towards port side, one towards starboard side, one in the center, and last one towards port again.