Offshore bracket hull penetration leaks

[Chinookie]

Hoping someone can explain how brackets were mounted by Grady. I have a 1998 228 with a bracket. I often find that it has water in it after an outing, and have dismissed it as a possibly leaky seal in the top inspection plate. But is that where the water is coming from? Could it be coming from water seeping between the bracket and the transom and entering through the bolt holes? If so that means transom rot could be happening as well.
I assume the brackets are mounted with steel bolts which pass through the bracket and through the transom. How are these bolts kept water tight? Should the bracket have a massive bead of sealant at the transom interface? Mine doesn't. Hoping someone can explain this attachment scheme and it's leakage risks to me. Thanks very much.

 

[VTski4x4]

The inspection plates on Armstrong brackets are notorious for leaking. It's not a daily occurrence, but I find myself having to empty the bracket on my Regulator a few times/season. I replaced the inspection plates a few years ago and that definitely helped cut down on leaks.

 

[Halfhitch]

Hoping someone can explain how brackets were mounted by Grady. I have a 1998 228 with a bracket. I often find that it has water in it after an outing, and have dismissed it as a possibly leaky seal in the top inspection plate. But is that where the water is coming from? Could it be coming from water seeping between the bracket and the transom and entering through the bolt holes? If so that means transom rot could be happening as well.
I assume the brackets are mounted with steel bolts which pass through the bracket and through the transom. How are these bolts kept water tight? Should the bracket have a massive bead of sealant at the transom interface? Mine doesn't. Hoping someone can explain this attachment scheme and it's leakage risks to me. Thanks very much.

That possibility of water getting between the bracket and the transom is more like a guarantee. I would be very surprised if a boat the age of yours does not have a wet transom. It's not the end of the world but you can almost see it from there. It's just something to deal with and move on. The one I had, had an O-ring seal on the inspection plate and a plastic screw-in plug in the bottom of the bracket. They were pretty much water tight but I had a wet transom. My boat was a 2004.