Wet Transom

[peanut1485]

Hello I have a 1984 Seafarer that I stripped down after sitting for 10 years...the motor and sterndrive were totally shot...after removing the bell housing i noticed the wood around the opening was "wet"..not toally punky falling out..but wet...is there anyway to test it myself or how should i go about it? I am kinda new to this and looking for advice..Thank you for your time

 

[seasick]

Hello I have a 1984 Seafarer that I stripped down after sitting for 10 years...the motor and sterndrive were totally shot...after removing the bell housing i noticed the wood around the opening was "wet"..not toally punky falling out..but wet...is there anyway to test it myself or how should i go about it? I am kinda new to this and looking for advice..Thank you for your time

It is easier to tell 'really' bad from so so or not bad.
If there is delamination of the glass, that falls under 'really bad'. Delamination can be identified by tapping the fiberglass with a plastic faced or preferable leather faced hammer and listening for the sharp sounds ( usually good) or hollow dull sounds, usually bad. Sometimes you will be able to press the fiberglass and see it move ( that's bad too).
Using a moisture meter can identify not so bad or so so cases but you need experience using the meter to make a determination. The meter can identify the range (area) and degree of mositure.

If you can push a screwdriver into the wood core fairly easily, that is bad. If the moisture is limited to a small area aroound the cutouts, it can often be repaired without tearingthe transom apart.
That hull is pretty old, there is a good probablility that the transom has issues based on your observations.