Good morning, I'm at a crossroad and I'm leaning toward keeping my old 1998 225g Tournament instead of buying a newer one that has features I don't like. This Fall I'm going to test my Yamaha s200txrw engine fully to see if I should rebuild it or run it some more...but before I do, I want to know that the transom and bracket are strong. Questions: How do I accurately test the moisture content of the transom? What should I look for on the bracket and how it's mounted? Are there any common problems with either the transom or bracket on the 225g?
225G Bracket and Transom
- Thread starter Lakechamplainer
- Start date
The preferred method is a combination of tapping and a moisture meter. Tapping is best done with a leather tipped hammer ( not so common) or a plastic faced hammer (easy to find). You don't want to use a standard big metal faced hammer.
Rot when it gets bad will result in delamination of the fiberglass from the core. When that happens, the tapping sound will sound hollow and/or dull. When there is no delamination, the taps are kind of sharp(solid) sounding.
Examine the outer side and as much of the inner as you can see to look for stress cracks. Some cracking can be normal and not an issue but bigger cracks or areas when the two sides of the cracks are at different levels may be a sign that things are flexing or swollen.
The moisture meter is the definitive test butit is only as good as the skill of the person using it. High moisture readings can be bad signs or just an indication of a small condition than can easily be addressed such as seepage around screws , garboard drain and the like. To properly do a moisture check of the transom and hull while you are at it, the boat has to be hauled and the hull has to be relatively dry. You can't do those test in the rain
Note that some models will have excessive moisture in some area and a good surveyor will know those cases.
I know a lot of folks suggest you put a load on the transom and then kind of bounce the motor up and down from the prop end to look for flexing of the transom. The only time I saw someone do that and see motion was an old hull that had serious cracks AND had a steel plate bolted to the transom to stiffen it.In other words it was pretty obvious before the test that the transom was in bad shape.
I feel that if the transom flexes under load, there will be cracks, stress or spider that tell you something is not right.
Rot when it gets bad will result in delamination of the fiberglass from the core. When that happens, the tapping sound will sound hollow and/or dull. When there is no delamination, the taps are kind of sharp(solid) sounding.
Examine the outer side and as much of the inner as you can see to look for stress cracks. Some cracking can be normal and not an issue but bigger cracks or areas when the two sides of the cracks are at different levels may be a sign that things are flexing or swollen.
The moisture meter is the definitive test butit is only as good as the skill of the person using it. High moisture readings can be bad signs or just an indication of a small condition than can easily be addressed such as seepage around screws , garboard drain and the like. To properly do a moisture check of the transom and hull while you are at it, the boat has to be hauled and the hull has to be relatively dry. You can't do those test in the rain
Note that some models will have excessive moisture in some area and a good surveyor will know those cases.I know a lot of folks suggest you put a load on the transom and then kind of bounce the motor up and down from the prop end to look for flexing of the transom. The only time I saw someone do that and see motion was an old hull that had serious cracks AND had a steel plate bolted to the transom to stiffen it.In other words it was pretty obvious before the test that the transom was in bad shape.
I feel that if the transom flexes under load, there will be cracks, stress or spider that tell you something is not right.
I will do as you say. Do you think that the bracket bolts would also tend to loosen if the transom was "smooshy?" Assuming everything looks and "taps" well, is there any reason to replace the thru-hull transom bracket bolts? I'm planning on spending some extra time this Winter tending to my baby so I'm listing items to be checked. Thanks, I'll let you know what I find this Fall, there's no way I'm going to do anything while the weather is good here in Vermont.The preferred method is a combination of tapping and a moisture meter. Tapping is best done with a leather tipped hammer ( not so common) or a plastic faced hammer (easy to find). You don't want to use a standard big metal faced hammer.
Rot when it gets bad will result in delamination of the fiberglass from the core. When that happens, the tapping sound will sound hollow and/or dull. When there is no delamination, the taps are kind of sharp(solid) sounding.
Examine the outer side and as much of the inner as you can see to look for stress cracks. Some cracking can be normal and not an issue but bigger cracks or areas when the two sides of the cracks are at different levels may be a sign that things are flexing or swollen.
The moisture meter is the definitive test butit is only as good as the skill of the person using it. High moisture readings can be bad signs or just an indication of a small condition than can easily be addressed such as seepage around screws , garboard drain and the like. To properly do a moisture check of the transom and hull while you are at it, the boat has to be hauled and the hull has to be relatively dry. You can't do those test in the rain
I know a lot of folks suggest you put a load on the transom and then kind of bounce the motor up and down from the prop end to look for flexing of the transom. The only time I saw someone do that and see motion was an old hull that had serious cracks AND had a steel plate bolted to the transom to stiffen it.In other words it was pretty obvious before the test that the transom was in bad shape.
I feel that if the transom flexes under load, there will be cracks, stress or spider that tell you something is not right.