Hurricane Deck Boat 226 REF Transom repair

[tbwoods]

now my pickle. I had insurance. I just found out today that the value of the damage is a total loss. Good news is I can buy it back from them for real cheap but i can't get it reregistered unless i get it officially signed off by a boat repair shop. So likely no shop will sign this off if I do it. But i will have money to pay for the fix. A couple of questions: 1) How does the Seacast or NidaCore compare in strength to the wood transom?
2) does anyone know a good shop who can do this in the PA area.... i'd even tow it to maryland, or where ever I have to within reason to get it fixed.
thanks again for the help.

 

[Woodonglass]

Nidabond and Seacast are actually stronger than wood. Don't know of any shops but I'll guarantee it'll be a Hefty price. Hope your insurance is a Pretty Penney!!!

 

[tbwoods]

Is it possible to replace the transom from the back and maintain the structural integrity of the boat? I saw a video where a guy cut through the rear transom skin from the back about 1" in from all the edges. Then removed the rear skin, and transom. Then installed a new transom, glassing it in well and coated well with resin. Then put the rear skin back on using resin (holding in place with screws till resin dried), then glassed around the cut, sanded and painted. Is this a viable and structurally sound way to go? I am running a 150 HP yamaha on this so there is a lot of load on the transom. Thanks.

 

[tbwoods]

so i am evaluating a rear replacement versus a poured replacement. I have the question above of how do get the integrity if I do a rear replacement. The question i have about a poured replacement is that i don't think I can get all of the transom out from the middle of the boat since the opening does not run the full length. So I am thinking a rear replacement is the best. Any idea how much material might cost for a poured solution?

 

[tbwoods]

I just found a link on a rear replacement and it says you need to wrap fiberglass a couple of feet along the side and bottom so that does not sound too appealing. any thought on this? THANKS!. http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...nsom-core-replacement-questions-advice-sought
“..to cut the outer skin is not a good idea at al.....in fact....imho it is out of the question.
the problem with outer transom preplacements is that to structuraly secure the transom. you need to glass it from the out side....this will mean layer after layer of fiberglass wrapping ourond the outside corner of the hull and underneath the hull....

this wrap around causes a bump that only feet of fairing can do away with.
on the bottom of the hull, it will inevitably cause what is known as a hook, this hook in the hull will cause performance issues with the hull. possibly serious.”

 

[tbwoods]

Full link to that thread: http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...nsom-core-replacement-questions-advice-sought

 

[sphelps]

Yep , with the motor out now is the time to check everything out for rot .

 

[Woodonglass]

Yep, I posted to that thread a lot. In fact I found that guy on another forum and suggested he move his project to iBoats where he'd get much better tutelege. If you read the entire thread you'll see he did in fact go ahead and do his transom from the outside, AND did so with great results. As I stated in post #15 it appears your boat is a good candidate for an "outside-in" transom replacement as was the boat in the link you posted. If you follow the the techniques described in that link you should be able to come out with just as good of an end result as he did. Epoxy will be your resin of choice and you will want to leave about 6 " of material around the edges for tabbing purposes just as he did.

Posting some detailed pics of your boat's transom area will greatly help us to help you with the process. I truly believe if you[re willing to attempt this repair and have some basic HandyMan skills the guys here on the forum can and will help you get through all the required processes. Again You need to understand that once you open her up you may run into other issues that need to be addressed such as wet foam, rotten stringers, bulkheads etc... All of these things need to be taken into consideration.

 

[tbwoods]

Woodonglass, Thank you so much for the confidence and input. I agree this ledge makes a whole lot of sense. Since I can't slip the transom in from the top due to the deck above on the right and left sides, any thought on how to get it in? I am not totally against popping the deck unless that is a huge job. Let me know your thoughts please. If I have to pop the top up, does that change your thoughts and steer me towards an inner replacement? thanks

 

[sphelps]

Here is a link if your interested . They have a calculator for figuring the amount needed .. You can call them and they will answer any questions you have ..
http://www.transomrepair.net/

 

[Woodonglass]

I went back and looked at the pics you posted. I'd like to ask you to post some more pics of your entire boat so we can get an overall idea of how she's put together and what all would be needed to gain access to the transom area. There's more than One way to Skin a Cat doncha know. And to install a transom too!!!!:loco: Some pics from up above looking down on the transom area would be GREAT!!!! If you could get up on the Railing or on a ladder or something like that possibly. and then from a side angle looking across the entire width of the transom too!!!

 

[tbwoods]

Thanks Sphelps. I am thinking about a transom replacement at this point because I think it is a possibility that I can not get the old transom out based on other feed back I have seen. That is still an option though. I've asked the experts, Wood and others, here how I could go about slipping in a new transom if I do a rear repair as Wood suggests and the photo above shows can be done successfully. The top deck keeps me from gaining access from each side of the top. So I believe it needs lifted. So today I am going to call Hurricane to ask them how easily the deck can be lifted to gain that access. Is there adhesive in addition to fasteners? I should soon know.

To all, please keep an eye on this thread. I am sure to need your help and advise and greatly appreciate all the ideas and guidance I can get because I have decided to move ahead and do this repair. Once I lift the top, if I can, the decision on pouring a new one, replacing from inside, or replacing from outside can be made with the advice of all of you experts out there.

 

[tbwoods]

No Title

Wood, the boat splits at the white rubber bumper that runs around the boat. I will have to get more photos this weekend if you think they are needed for clarity. I reposed two photos of the back of the boat so you can see the white rubber bumper. Everything above that bumper is the main deck which I am sure is removable (just don't know how much work to do it). The well (trough, not sure what to call it) in front of the motor is part of the deck. So the front of the motor clamp contacts the vertical surface of the well in front of the motor. That surface is part of the top deck. And rear clamping surface of the motor contacts the back of the transom. I hope this helps clarify the construction but let me know if you need more pics. thanks.

 

[tbwoods]

I will get more photos for sure but will not have them till Saturday or Sunday.. sorry for the delay.

 

[Woodonglass]

The recessed "Well" is called the SplashWell. That is not an issue. Removing the top Deck is Not an issue. Having said that as I stated previously there are other methods to replace the transom where removing the top deck is not required. But then again, If the transom is bad, that can be an indication/symptom of other issues below deck. I want to let you know that once you open up your boat that there's a very high likely hood that you will find more issues to deal with. Wet Waterlogged Flotation Foam, Wet Rotting Stringers and Bulkheads. If this is the case decisions will then have to be made on how to proceed. It's usually a rare instance when ONLY the transom needs to be replaced and nothing else. Very Rare indeed! The white bumber is called the Rub Rail. The Rubber insert can be removed and there will be Hundreds of either screws or rivets that will need to be removed in order for the top cap to be removed. Some times that's all the MFG used to hold the two together. Other times the did indeed use resin as an additional method for holding them together and if so you'll need to use a sawzall to cut it free. Not to worry, that's the beauty of fiberglass, it can all be re-glassed and made to look like it never was messed with!!!:joyous: How hard is it to remove the aluminum "Wall railing"??

 

[tbwoods]

I will have the boat on Sunday to look at again and I can peel back the Rub Rail to see if it's screws or rivets, possibly take some out to see if it is also bonded. I will also check how the rail is mounted. If the rail is mounted inward on the top deck, I was thinking of removing the chairs then lifting the deck with the rails still on it. Get about 6 guys to do it. I will get you more details as soon as I see the boat again. I am bringing it home Sunday. Thanks for the heads up on other possible damage. BTY, I said it was a '99, but checked the title and it is a '03. Just bought it last spring and that slipped my memory. So with the relatively young age, hopefully not much damage downstairs. Thanks for truing me up with the correct terminology. I will post something again Sunday or Monday once I learn more..

 

[Woodonglass]

Being an 03' is very good news. A Lot of the Mfg went to All composite stringer systems after the turn of the century. Not sure if that was true of the Hurricane Deck Boat but it might be worth investigating. If they did that would be a MAJOR HOME RUN for you!!!! Also if you could find out if there is flotation foam under the deck that would be very informative as well. Before you go to far in removing the Rub Rail DON"T. You may not have to! I have an idea I want to run past you that may save a lot of work. Need more info about how that Railing is attached and how difficult it is to remove. Get those pics posted especially of the rear of the boat and how the railing is attached back there. A video tour of the rear section would be EXCELLENT!!!!

 

[tbwoods]

Wood, Sorry for the delay. Got back late last night. The metal wall framing is screwed right to the top of the deck. The screws and frame are spaced in a couple of inches from the rub rail. I am probably stating the obvious, but the splashwell is molded into the top deck. The rear portion of the splashwell makes up the inner surface of the middle of the transom where the motor bolts to. Iooked inside and I see no floatation foam at all. it must be there but I can't see it. I spoke to Hurricane directly and they said the stringers are made of wood (bummer). I have uploaded a video hoping it shows how the metal wall framing is attached. I am open to ideas. fyi - I received final numbers from the insurance company, and I can pretty much replace this baby, motor and boat, for the money they are giving me. But I am still very interested in knowing your thoughts on the repair because I can purchase the boat, motor, and trailer for salvage cost and repair it and have some left over instead of buying a new boat. So depending on how much work this seems like it will be, I have an out. I am kind of a glutten for work and would find doing this repair very interesting but gotta weigh the options.
Also, I saw zero cracks on the transom outside or any connecting corners inside including along the sides and bottom, and also where the stringers tie into the transom on the inside. So I feel the fiberglass inside is all very structurally sound. The only crack as a result of the accident is the one shown on page one of this post and circled in red. The top of the transom shown there. looks worse than it is. rough plywood, but it is very solid. But, to my disappointment, I drilled holes from the inside into the transom, up about 4 inches, and the wood came out wet. It was yellow in color (no rot), but wet. I will attach a video right below showing how the top sides attach.

 

[tbwoods]

For some reason, the video will not upload. probably something I am doing wrong. But here again is a photo from the back of the boat. The aluminum framing for the side walls is screwed directly to the deck with sheet metal screws. hopefully knowing that and seeing this photo will give you a good understanding of how the side walls are attached.

 

[tbwoods]

fyi - you can't see the mounting screws (they are inside the walls. They come down from the top through the bottom frame of the walls and into the deck.