Transom Help Please

Pbourdoulous

Recruit
Joined
Mar 9, 2014
Messages
2
I recently got a 1987 170 ebbtide montego and planned to fix it up for family and fishing fun. Nothing too fancy, trying to ease my way into boating. This is my first boat and know next to nothing - other than what I read on this site.

The carpet was disgusting, so I ripped it up. The floor was soft, so I ripped that out as well... Turns out soft meant totally rotted. Tested the foam and stringers and both are dry and solid... Except at the very back near the bilge and transom. I removed the rotted stringers the horizantal ones near the very rear, and plan to replace. Unfortunately, I also tested the transom and it has some serious rot. Worst around the bilge drain and where the outboard was attached. Currently no motor on the boat.

I know enough to know it needs to be fixed. Do I have to remove the entire back of the boat? If so that is probably a deal breaker. The fiberglass from the back of the boat is in good shape and has some curve for style - basically its not an easy square. I can access about 2 square feet of the transom from the inside. Is it possible to remove the rotted wood, replace with new wood and fiberglass or bond the wood to the rest of the structure. Ideally it needs to hold a 90 hp.

So far the time spent has been enjoyable and surprisingly a new floor, nice polish, and some fiberglass can make this old boat pretty nice... Looking. I fear the transom rot will force me to junk it


Please help
 

sphelps

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 16, 2011
Messages
11,429
Re: Transom Help Please

Pics will help us help you . You may be able to cut the cap just forward of the splashwell to get at the transom . Don't give up the ship just yet . If you don't already have an o/b you may want to think about a different boat . Just depends on what you want to spend .
Lots of good info and help here !
Welcome aboard and good luck !:)
 

colbyt

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Messages
824
Re: Transom Help Please

I am not the person to help you. There are many excellent threads here that will help you. Be patient until the glassers find the thread.

My very limited understanding is that the top or a portion of the top of the boat is removed for this type of restore.
 

jbcurt00

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
24,829
Re: Transom Help Please

Pics will help us help you . You may be able to cut the cap just forward of the splashwell to get at the transom . Don't give up the ship just yet . If you don't already have an o/b you may want to think about a different boat . Just depends on what you want to spend . Lots of good info and help here ! Welcome aboard and good luck !:)

Yep, yep & yep ^^^

CuttingoffBackSplash_zps478eb5b6.jpg


I suspect the foam isn't as dry as you think if
The floor was soft, so I ripped that out as well... Turns out soft meant totally rotted
.

The top surface you can touch & see may be dry, but usually, a wet & rotten deck is over a lot of waterlogged foam & stringers that have water intrusion problems too.

Get a 1.5" or 2" diameter pc of PVC @24" long. Cut teeth in 1 end so you can use it as a hole saw & drill out a core sample of the foam (in several locations. If the cores appear to be dry, wait a little bit & see if water migrates into the open void in the foam. I suspect it will, or the cores will show signs of waterlogging. Post pix of the cores, the voids (before & after they collect water).

If the foam shows evidence of water intrusion, I'd be suspect of any stringer in contact w/ the foam. You can drill 1/4-3/8" holes in the stringers (several locations vertically & horizontally along them). Post pix of your dry & light or dark & wet wood shavings. DO NOT DRILL THRU THE BOTTOM OF THE HULL.....

You can core sample the transom (FROM THE INSIDE) using tape on a drill as a depth gauge. Drill 1-1.25" deep 1/4-3/8" holes randomly up & across your transom, esp down low (you already found rot & the bilge drain) and near every thru hull penetration on the transom: motor mount bolts, tow eyes, beneath splashwell drains, etc. Post pix of your shavings. DO NOT DRILL FROM THE OUTSIDE OR COMPLETELY THRU THE TRANSOM.

Depth gauge:
drill-bit-tape.jpg

depth-gauge-11_zpsa5817f0f.jpg


If the shavings all come out light & dry, your good, if they are dark & wet, they need to be replaced. Any holes can be filled w/ polyester resin filler putty (NOT BONDO, or other filler w/ talc) or 3M 5200 (or alternate). If you use epoxy to fill the holes, polyester resin & gelcoat won't stick to it.

EDIT: Welcome to iboats dry dock, best of luck w/ your project & let us see what you're working on. It won't be any worse then most of the rest of the boats around the dry docks, no matter how many trees were growing in it when you bought it. Read thru some resto threads and you'll quickly see that many projects start out as fairly minor soft floor concerns that eventually end up in complete rehab projects because of water intrusion.
 
Last edited:

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,924
Re: Transom Help Please

It all depends on how much Time, Effort and Dollars you want to invest. Prolly need around 100 - 200 man hours of hot, dirty, itchy work, and anywhere from $1000 - $3000. If you feel it's worth that kind of investment then I'd say go for it. If you enjoy working with your hands and taking on a challenge, and knowing when you're done, you'll have a boat that will be seaworthy for decades to come then this project IS for you!!!! We'll be here to help when and where we can. Make sure to post as many pics as you can. It makes it much easier for us to help
 

Pbourdoulous

Recruit
Joined
Mar 9, 2014
Messages
2
Re: Transom Help Please

Willing to give it a shot - looks like I'm taking the back of the cap off. I cannot access the full transom from inside... And yes the stringers closest to the transom are totally rotted, no need to send pictures of that!
 
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