Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

Hello, Have received (and hopefully given) great advice on other forums in iBoats, but this is my first visit to pontoons. I am considering buying a pontoon fixer upper (2001 Sweetwater Challenger 180 ES with 60hp Mercury Bigfoot) that needs a new trim motor some wiring and other issues. The biggest concern I have is a structural transom crack that is evident. I've attached a picture I'm hoping that others experienced with pontoons might be able to advise me as to whether this is a common pontoon boat occurence that can be fixed by welding and reinforcing the crack. Or if it would be your recommendation that this should be a no go for purchase. The price seems to be what is indicated when looking up the NADA value for the boar without the motor. Of course with the work it needs, it's tough to value. Any opinion on the transom crack would be helpful, and if you do believe that it is easily fixable, any recommendations on how I might reinforce the structure to prevent this in the future would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

That's interesting. Cracks along the weld joints are fairly common on pontoon motor pods. I just had a couple fixed myself. I'm not sure what to think about that one though. Doesn't appear to me to be on the weld joint. You might PM 5150ABF and ask him to take a look. I think he builds them for a living and could probably give you some insight.

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

I don't know about the crack ,but it looks like the boat was kept in Salt water a lot. look at the bolts. Check out the engine really good. It may have a water flow issue. .

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

You might find this interesting:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=405460

Not only how it was fixed, but prevented in the future.

Eric

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

Thanks so much for the replies guys. Your help is greatly appreciated. Although the transom saver information was helpful, the interesting thing is that although the picture I posted shows the boat on a trailer, it has been kept in the water and only taken out on a seasonal basis. So I'd be surprised if trailering the boat caused the issue. It's bairly visible in the picture, but ther is a piece of angle on the underside of the transom and it appears the crack follows it rather than the line of the weld. So I'm thinking that torque from the motor was the likely cause, and would sure appreciate any advice on recommendations for reinforcing the transom. Also, still looking to get a feel whether this is a common issue I shouldn't worry about, or if it is potentially an issue that should cause me to walk away from purchasing the boat. I have seen that 5150ABF is an expert poster on the forum, but not sure what PM is and if it is post message, I'm not sure how to post a direct message. Once again, all help and perspectives appreciated. I'll need to make a purchase decision by the end of next week.

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

That is an odd place for a crack to occure. Could be that when the transom was made the aluminum sheet used to make it had a bad spot it the metal near the bend. Just my 2 cents..


I would just grind out the crack and weld a new bead down the center. You could even grind it down smooth and weld a piece of 1/8" or 1/4" aluminum stock over and under the crack to beef it up even more

Ever price a new transom???? If the boat is cheap enough you may be able to just put a new transom on it.

Show us some pictures if you get it, and repair the transom.

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

I see a peice under the crack, I would imagine the crack started at the end of that weld underneath, very very rare for a crack to start in virgin aliminum.

Use that as a bargaining tool but it is super easy to fix, kitshen got it, if you get the boat have your guy grind it out alittle. reweld, grind that down then add a small reinforcement over all that, one thing I woud do is drill a small hole at the end of the crack, it will stop it from growing after it is fixxed.

If the rest of the boat is ggod I certianly woudln't let that crack keep me from the boat.

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

OK, it sounds like this is not totally out of the ordinary and is fixable/reinforceable, so I'm going to go for it. Does anyone have a feel for the severity of cracks like these. Looking closely at the other side of the transon, there is smaller more of a hairline crack that is right on the weld. Given where we are in the season and some of the other things like the power trim that need attention...is this something that I need to take immediate action on or something like the engine following off the boat and in the bay is likely to happen, or is this something that should hold up til the end of the summer and I can enjoy the boat on the water til cold weather sets in, then make my way to the heliaric aluminum welding shop? Once again, thank you for all of the great advice.

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

I woudl imagine it has taken quite awhile for those to form btu not sure how fast they spread.

I guess just keep a close eye on them, maybe mark the end of the crack so you can see if adn how far it is moving.

I woudl weld it right now but them again I could just take it to work and do it, if your season is like mine and ends in November you shoud be fine just watch it ike I said.

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

Meant to attach another picture of the transom from above to aid in assessment. Yes, I don't have my own welding equipment and have heard aluminum can be trick, so I need to find someone with these skills in the area.
Does look to me like there is still enough metal holding the motor up, just want to make sure that I wouldn't likely have a fast moving catastrophic event. Good idea to mark the crack to track if its growing. Should be able to get a sense of this with the picture given I've had it out a few times since then. All opinions appreciated.

On a different note, since I am making the purchase, my first job is to find a trailer since the one it is on is borrowed. I'd appreciate any opinions, and since this is a trailering question I guess I'll place a post in the trailering section althought my questions are pontoon specific. Would like to get a feel for what everyone feels is the best trailer since I don't have a place to dock for the whole season. Most of the trailers I have seen have carpeted bunks, where I am favoring the style that it is on now with rubber rollers given that some of the ramps I use are fairly steep and would not allow a full float on. My problem is I have not been able to find the manufacturer of the current trailer, and internet searching hasn't uncovered anything like this as a pontoon trailer. Thanks once again.

Re: Transom Crack no go for pontoon purchase?

sealarks said:

Meant to attach another picture of the transom from above to aid in assessment. Yes, I don't have my own welding equipment and have heard aluminum can be trick, so I need to find someone with these skills in the area.
Does look to me like there is still enough metal holding the motor up, just want to make sure that I wouldn't likely have a fast moving catastrophic event. Good idea to mark the crack to track if its growing. Should be able to get a sense of this with the picture given I've had it out a few times since then. All opinions appreciated.

On a different note, since I am making the purchase, my first job is to find a trailer since the one it is on is borrowed. I'd appreciate any opinions, and since this is a trailering question I guess I'll place a post in the trailering section althought my questions are pontoon specific. Would like to get a feel for what everyone feels is the best trailer since I don't have a place to dock for the whole season. Most of the trailers I have seen have carpeted bunks, where I am favoring the style that it is on now with rubber rollers given that some of the ramps I use are fairly steep and would not allow a full float on. My problem is I have not been able to find the manufacturer of the current trailer, and internet searching hasn't uncovered anything like this as a pontoon trailer. Thanks once again.

Click to expand...

For the most part, there are only two types. Those being bunk style and scissor style. Bunk type is better for towing. If your boating in salt water, don't leave the boat on the trailer. The salt residue in the carpet will corrode the tubes. Can't say that I've ever seen one with rollers for pontoons. Scissor type is great for loading and unloading and allows your boat to sit on the ground if needed. They have less stability when travelling due to the very narrow wheelbase. They are ok at lower speeds for shorter distances.