Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

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Brodie Sinn

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Jul 18, 2009
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Hey guys, I recently bought my first boat and after using it for the weekend I noticed there were 4 small holes under the drain plug from what I am assuming was the previous owners transducer. There is a bit of water seeping from them. Is there anything I can do to minimize the damage? Or should I just seal it up now?
 
tboltmike

tboltmike

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

you don't want to just seal it, rot will continue.

Allow to dry. May use a hair dryer to accelerate, but don't let too hot.

Probe the wood with something that fits in the hole, ice pick, nail, etc. to feel for soft wood or if pithy wood comes out.

Let us know what you find and we can go from there.

Mike
 
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Brodie Sinn

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

I don't think I can get a hair dryer to do much. I've attached a picture so you can see it.
 

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HAV2FISH

HAV2FISH

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

If you have a air compressor you can use an attachment to blow air in the holes to dry them out.
 
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Brodie Sinn

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

Ahh that's a good idea, I'll try that tomorrow. On another note, it's been 3 days since it's been in water and the holes are still seeping water out.
 
SeanT

SeanT

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

Raise your trailer/nose as high as you can to help get the water out.
 
WAVENBYE2

WAVENBYE2

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

If water is still seeping out because its behind the water plug try vacuuming the inside with a shop vac inside the sterns hull. then use the air.
 
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Brodie Sinn

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

How would I go about getting into the hull on the stern though?
 
WAVENBYE2

WAVENBYE2

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

I mean inside of the boat through the engine compartment, is there water inside the engine compartment back toward the stern??
 
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Brodie Sinn

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Jul 18, 2009
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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

Oh, no. It's an outboard and the bilge is dry if that is what you mean. Sorry if I'm oblivious to what you are asking, this is my very first boat. :redface:
 
metriccrescentwrench

metriccrescentwrench

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if there's still water seeping out of holes in the transom that can only mean one thing.

If it were my boat I'd be drilling some small holes in the transom (from the inside) to really find out what kind of condition it's in. Chances are it's soaking wet and you're looking at replacing the transom, maybe along with repairing stringers.

Take a trip through the restoration forum to get an idea of the work involved in that. It's really not as bad as it first seems, in fact I'm doing mine right now. I should be finished sometime this weekend, which means I'll have spent a total of three weeks of evenings and weekends working on it. Not nearly as long as I had originally thought, plus I know that my boat will now be good for years to come.
 
tboltmike

tboltmike

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

There is an instructional video on MAS epoxy website that deals with replacing the wood in the transom.
Like the previous message, do the work from the inside and try not to damage the exterior gelcoat. Hopefully, it is a small area.
Good Luck, Mike
 
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Capt'n Chris

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

WAVENBYE2 said:
If water is still seeping out because its behind the water plug try vacuuming the inside with a shop vac inside the sterns hull. then use the air.
Click to expand...

Years ago, water was dripping from the screw-holes someone had made in a used boat I had bought. With the bow raised, it dripped for weeks..and weeks. I also had the vacuum cleaner idea, so I tried it. Oh, it sucked some water out alright. It also created enough vacuum in the cavity to suck in the floor enough to crack and set me up for all kinds of leak problems. So, I don't recommend that.
 
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willamettejeff

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Nov 15, 2004
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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

That brown gunk dripping out of those holes is a pretty good sign of rot. Won't know till you do some exploratory drilling of the the inside of the transom just how far it extends. Good luck.

PS. Need to lose those other screws and countersink all those holes. Either fill with MarineTex, Epoxy that's been tinted white, or Phillips flat head stainless steal sheet metal screws with a generous amount of 3M 5200 in the hole and on the screw threads. BTW, the excess 5200 can be removed with mineral spirits.
 
superpop

superpop

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

Capt'n Chris said:
Years ago, water was dripping from the screw-holes someone had made in a used boat I had bought. With the bow raised, it dripped for weeks..and weeks. I also had the vacuum cleaner idea, so I tried it. Oh, it sucked some water out alright. It also created enough vacuum in the cavity to suck in the floor enough to crack and set me up for all kinds of leak problems. So, I don't recommend that.
Click to expand...

If a shop vac created enough suction to cause the floor to crack I want to know what kind if shop vac you were using, cause I want to buy one. I seriously doubt that a shop vac sucking water through a screw hole caused the floor to move at all, but rather the whole transom, stringers and floor was rotten and it cracked because of a failing structure. As far as the original poster, how long has it been in the water with open screw holes. If it is more than 10 or so hours then I would say it is time to start looking at a transom repair at a minimum.
 
superpop

superpop

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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

And not to sound preachy, but didn't you inspect the boat before buying it, or have someone that knew what they were doing give it a once over. Holes in the transom would have been a red flag for anyone that has been around boats. And if the previous moronic owner just took his transducer off and left holes in the transom for you to discover I would wonder what else they screwed up.
 
bigbad 4cyl x2

bigbad 4cyl x2

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Apr 23, 2006
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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

you will need to let it dry properly ,antifreeze injected in there my kill future mold spores after drying. in order to dry you will need to have it in a place with low humidity ,as low humidity will wick out the water . high humidity do-sent dry out water logged , i have used a heat gun to dry out small holes like that with good success ,hope fully an adjustable heat one . then 5200 which will cure with water
 
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Pez Vela

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Dec 4, 2004
Messages
504
Soggy transom

Soggy transom

A complete rebuild of the transom is probably a bit too much work for most boaters. If you just want a quick and dirty "don't want it to get any worse" temporary solution, you might want buy a can of spray foam to inject into the lowest hole. Remove all the screws first, allow to dry as best you can, and the foam will probably come oozing out all of the holes as it expands and forces out any remaining water that occupies hidden voids in the transom. Once the foam has fully set up, you can gouge out a little of the foam in each hole and re-fill with Marine-Tex, gelcoat or 5200 until you figure out your next move. Certainly not a structurally sound repair, but should buy you some time and allow you to use your boat in the meantime.
 
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kevman

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Sep 30, 2009
Messages
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Re: Fiberglass boat with holes from previous owners transducer

This is an older post. Hopefully he got it fixed by now.
 
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