Transom repair Tampa Bay area

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exudedude

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Well this sucks... When I got the last of the bottom paint off the transom I found an old transducer screw buried under it. When I pulled it the water started coming out and is still coming out 2 hours later.

So needless to say I need a new transom, any recommendations for a repair guy in the Tampa, Clearwater, St Pete area. I was wanting to get a few quotes. The Boat Doctor is on the list...

Thanks...


Never trust the ball peen hammer....it lies and I will never recommend it again.
 
Just because you have water in there doesn't necessarily mean it is shot yet. I've heard that it takes a long time for saltwater to rot out the wood. If you jab and probe the hole with as ice pick, how does it feel? You could drill a few sample holes to determine the extent of the damage - if it is just wet but not rotted, you could have several years of service left.
 
If the screw you removed where the water started coming out was less than approximately 1" from bottom of outside transom, it could very well be that this screw was not into the core of the transom. When transoms are built there is normally a 1/4"-1/2" void left around perimeter of core material. This is to avoid what is called a "hard-edge", where the core material would be directly against fiberglass on either sides. This causes a point of stress when boat is under way and flexing. What builders would do is to fill this void around core with resin based paste to create uniform pressure around core material. It's possible that drilled hole for transducer is in this area and water from bilge is getting into back side of it and dripping out of opening. If this is the case, I would suggest coming up several inches from outer transom bottom and hopefully there is a higher screw, or drill a 1/8" hole approx. 1/2" deep into outer hull and see if water comes out at this location. If not, maybe transom is not as bad as you may think, or core damage may just be in area of transducer screws. Worth check I would think.
 
What came out of the bottom hole was mushy. I drilled a few more holes and she is wet up to the bottom of the engine bracket on the starboard side all the way to the trim tab area, not soaked but wet. I'm really not comfortable to say it's not wet enough or trust anyone else's judgement either to say it is ok. Just pretty disgusted at the moment as to the amount of work I have put into her over the yrs.

The wife and I are discussing our options and what we want to spend, either we are gonna go full bore and rehab her out including new electrical wiring and switches.

The motor is worth 14k according to NADA and my mechanic so we might pull the engine and scrap the hull or we sell it all for what we can get and just buy something else.
 
I know how you feel, but it's not the end of the world. I found similar core damage on a 22' Seafarer I had before boat I have now. I thoroughly researched my choices and decided to do the rebuild myself. At that time prices I got regarding having it repaired were in the 5-6000 range, and that is why I decided to do it myself. I considered using a "pour type" transom core material, and to be honest if I had to do it over again I would use that. I didn't use it though, and completely rebuilt transom using a marine grade plywood and epoxy resin. It was a LOT of work, and not for everyone. I found a boatbuilding forum website that happened to have their supply store near me in Vero Beach, and they advised me how to go about repair/rebuild, and sell me supplies. I also documented the repairs on their website. http://forums.bateau2.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=19949

If you look at the first 3 or 4 pages you can see that I took an inside the hull approach to the repair. Others remove the outer skin and do work from outside, but to me that isn't a good idea, but just my opinion. A third, and much, much easier approach is to remove top cap on transom, dig out bad wood core, and pour in epoxy/fiberglass core material. You can use crowbar like tools and even chainsaw. I used a chainsaw and it worked great. It's tough getting down to lower corners, but not impossible. Once core is removed and dried you pour in the core material. Once it sets up, it will be impervious to any further water and very strong. I researched this quite extensively, and although I read "rumors" of this porable material cracking, etc., I honestly could not find one verifiable case, or first experience of that happening. Like I said before, if I had to do it again, and unless I could find one problem with this method, it is what I would do. By the way, doing the transom myself, I spend right around $600 for material. Hope this helps you out some. Mike

P.S. One of the names of pourable transom material is Seacast, and I've heard there are several others.
 
Well I am working on getting quotes on a whole shopping list of repairs and upgrades. I do have some attachment to this hull, but not as much as the wife. However some of the guys are making me nervous with the way they are talking about possible stringer issues also. Was there any coring in the floor ( hull side) area in the bilge? Like the area a thru hull transducer would go?

Anyway..if the budget can swing it this is what we are gonna do, or we are just gonna pull the engine sell it and send the hull off to the salvage yard for whatever they will pay.

Rebuild the notched transom and possibly add a bracket.

Redo the gelcoat from the rubrail down.We are going to probably leave the bottom paint just on the bottom, not worth the expense to me unless we get a great deal on the whole package.

Clean up my gelcoat patches up top and buff out. Do the same or maybe paint the hardtop. Possibly clean up the pipework on the hardtop.

I would like to pull the windshield wiper motors and horn and glass in the holes

Rewire the whole boat completely along with new switches. I just want to keep the basic circuits with just like 2 or 3 spares, not the tons of extra crap that is there now. I have new batteries that were just installed.

Install rubrail, deck drains, stripes, decals, gas vents and thru-hulls.

Install new Simrad NSS7 package maybe possibly rework the glove compartment so to make it a electronics box??

Rework electronics box for just stereo and install new stereo and speakers.

New bilge pumps with high water alarm, new trim tabs, new washdown/baitwell pump and hoses.

New storage solutions for under both seat pedestals.

New bimini from the hardtop back and new bolsters
 
exudedude said:
Well I am working on getting quotes on a whole shopping list of repairs and upgrades. I do have some attachment to this hull, but not as much as the wife. However some of the guys are making me nervous with the way they are talking about possible stringer issues also. Was there any coring in the floor ( hull side) area in the bilge? Like the area a thru hull transducer would go?

Anyway..if the budget can swing it this is what we are gonna do, or we are just gonna pull the engine sell it and send the hull off to the salvage yard for whatever they will pay.

Rebuild the notched transom and possibly add a bracket.

Redo the gelcoat from the rubrail down.We are going to probably leave the bottom paint just on the bottom, not worth the expense to me unless we get a great deal on the whole package.

Clean up my gelcoat patches up top and buff out. Do the same or maybe paint the hardtop. Possibly clean up the pipework on the hardtop.

I would like to pull the windshield wiper motors and horn and glass in the holes

Looks like a work planned

Rewire the whole boat completely along with new switches. I just want to keep the basic circuits with just like 2 or 3 spares, not the tons of extra crap that is there now. I have new batteries that were just installed.

Install rubrail, deck drains, stripes, decals, gas vents and thru-hulls.

Install new Simrad NSS7 package maybe possibly rework the glove compartment so to make it a electronics box??

Rework electronics box for just stereo and install new stereo and speakers.

New bilge pumps with high water alarm, new trim tabs, new washdown/baitwell pump and hoses.

New storage solutions for under both seat pedestals.

New bimini from the hardtop back and new bolsters
Click to expand...


Sounds like a lot of work and/or money. I'm not sure of the age and model of Grady you have, but if I were you I would check out value of boat after all this work is complete. If you are handy at doing your own work and enjoy that, then it won't be so bad as far as money, but I would bet you won't be on the water for a long while. If you intend on paying others to perform items you listed, plus a few unknowns, coupled with your investment up until now, you may find that you are way overinvested in this boat. I'm not trying to be a wise-a$$, just telling you some things I learned the hard way.

Keep in mind that if your boat is say an 80s-early 90s models, you'll need to change fuel fill hose(s)and tank to engine fuel lines, have fuel cell thoroughly checked, check stringers, floors, wiring, gauges, etc. It can get overwhelming sometimes, so figure some unknowns when computing costs vs final value. Good luck and we're here to help if you decide to have at it.
 
It's a 1990.. the tanks and fuel lines have been done prior to the repower. We bought the vessel for 8k ran her 700hrs and the engine went boom. The new Etec cost 18k so i would say we are upside down. If the remodel fits the budget then we will keep her..if not we will buy another vessel... Either a brand new hull to install our motor on or dump everything and go for a 2007ish vessel of some type...
 
Exudedude - if you've had no signs of transom trouble before removing that screw and discovering water, you may not have to do anything right away except go back to enjoying your boat. It takes a long time for saltwater to rot out a transom. Have any new stress cracks been developing around the transom? Any signs of movement at all? If you put the lower unit up and jump on it? Or jog the tilt up and down in short bursts? Is the transom still flat across the back? When they hung the new motor on - did they comment on the state of the transom?

A guy a my club bought a 87 Gulfstream cheap 6 years ago with a bad transom and he still hasn't done anything about it yet and uses it for lobstering two or three times a week. You could get three more years out of yours and sell it to someone else who could get three more years before having to replace it.
 
We had gotten a few stress cracks in the corners after the repower and that was about it, my mechanic is very trustworthy so when he told me there was no issues at the time of repower I believe him. The water is getting in a few places from what we can tell and the screws were in a good place so it could be drained. I know there is some life left in the transom, but I do not want to test my karma by over using the boat or selling it to someone with no clue. It's time to do something now so no one gets hurt.
 
I would imagine that the stringers from midships forward were checked and deemed good when fuel cell was replaced, so you'll only need to concern yourself checking from transom forward. Surprisingly to me, once I removed inside section of aft splash area, and bad transom core material, stringers were found to be completely solid. Used a sawsaw and cut flat to inner transom core to separate them, and triple tabbed them with epoxy resin and glass to new core material before adding multiple layers of glass over core. If ends of stringers are bad, bad part can be cut off, replaced, and "sistered in" to new transom core without much trouble.





 
exudedude said:
... I know there is some life left in the transom, but I do not want to test my karma by over using the boat or selling it to someone with no clue. It's time to do something now so no one gets hurt.
Click to expand...

I wasn't suggesting that you overuse the boat or sell it to someone with "no clue" but rather the contrary. I've watched a number of surveyors check out boats and they use the moisture meter as the first check and the hammer for further investigation and final word. Any 25-year-old wood core boat stored in or near the water is likely to test high on the moisture meter. All the solid wood parts in the boat like teak hatches or trim will also test high because they are in a moist environment.

If an area tests high on the moisture meter but sounds good with the hammer they will pronounce it as being solid. On the contrary, if their tapping transitions from a "ping, ping, ping" to a "thud, thud, thud" they will flag it as problem.

You started the thread with a statement to the effect of "Never trust the ball peen hammer because it lies." Reading between the lines - it sounds like you are saying that your transom passed the hammer test. Further, a mechanic you trust recently hung a new motor on it saying the transom was solid.

I've had four boats with transom issues - three Wellcraft and my current Grady. Again I will say it takes a long time for saltwater to rot out a transom.

Incidentally, a pretty good moisture meter that works can be purchased fairly cheaply at Home Depot. I posted about it here:
http://www.thehulltruth.com/archive/t-478839.html

Good luck,
-Scott
 
Talk to Ben (Schaeffer) at The Boat Doctor (aka Schaeffer Boats). He will tell you exactly what you need or don't need.
 
Ben was the 1st person I called,no reply so I went there last week, he is slammed, he has 9 boats on order, plus 3 or 4 in for repair and a couple of glass jobs already. He is usually who I go to for repairs.

And yes the hammer did fail me as it tapped consistent everywhere including the area that the drill bit "shavings" were mostly mush. The ice pick in the drilled holes was pretty easy to manipulate, so there is no need to break out my Extech moisture meter. The motor was hung in Feb 2012.
 
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