best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

SSLouiS

Seaman Apprentice
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Jul 3, 2009
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41
hello again gang,
i have stress cracks in my 87 bayliner capri wher the transom curves in to where my 125 force mounts. im sure this is due to age and me riding the heck out of my new toy (1st boat). whats the best logical way to repair these ive searched alla the threads and i havent found any pictures showing these cracks. they are about thick pencil..and right in the radius of the transom. im sure they are stress related... and im not itching to tear the transom out anytime soon. anyone know what the best stuff to use is that will be tough and flexible..and bond well. sorry no pics..ill try to post some this weekend.
sslouis
 

smokeonthewater

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9,838
Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

stress cracks aren't the issue and aren't really a problem..... the CAUSE of the cracks in a transom however is generally a big problem and you aren't gonna like the answer...... rotten plywood
 

Three08

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Oct 24, 2009
Messages
111
Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

What you described doesn't sound good, if it were me I'd be taking some core samples of the transom. And post some pics so the pro's can see exactly what your dealing with. Once your 100% sure the plywood is intact theres a good how to in the sticky at the top of this forum for fixing spider cracks. It's called "How To's and Other Great Information"
 

SSLouiS

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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

i will post some pictures this weekend. If anyone has any links to pictures identifying different types of cracks and what the repairs were i would appreciate them posting them. Then i could compare the cracks in my transom with known examples. It would really be great to see some old capris. Im sure a lot of people have had the same problem. I cant find any pics on here...its frustrating
sslouis
 

Three08

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Oct 24, 2009
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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=320724

This is the stress cracks thread I was talking about, there's some pictures in there BUT I cannot stress enough the importance of checking the transom core for rot before doing any repair. If you fix the cracks without checking the checking the wood core and it turns out to be damaged the best case scenario is your cracks are going to reappear, the worst case scenario is the whole transom tears off the boat and the whole rig ends up on the ocean floor.

This picture is from my boat, the crack goes right through the fiber glass, the transom was rotten.

P1010170.jpg


And this one shows what the core was like.

SAM_0030.jpg
 

SSLouiS

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41
Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

t1.jpgt2.jpgt3.jpgt4.jpgt5.jpgsorry this took so long..i hope you guys are still with me. here are some pictures of the cracks in my transom/stern
 

SSLouiS

Seaman Apprentice
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Jul 3, 2009
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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

t6.jpgand 1 more if i can get it to load
 

SSLouiS

Seaman Apprentice
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Jul 3, 2009
Messages
41
Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

ok..
i have read all the posts about thumnails..and used the tutorial from one of them to help me post my picture..which came out as thumnails....sorry crew
louie
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 29, 2009
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25,924
Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

As has already been stated, you should be investigating what's causing the cracks instead of how to fix them. IMHO I highly suspect that your transom is failing and needs to be replaced. Drilling some core samples from the inside, down low in various places, will give you a good idea if the wood in your transom is wet and rotting. If so, it will need to be removed and replaced. Let us know what you discover.
 

oops!

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
12,932
Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

yep....that is tranosm rot.

the cracks are longitudnal down the transom core line.

this is caused by flexing.

you could just patch the cracks.....but they would re appear very soon....one or two outings.

i would suggest the core sample route.
 

SSLouiS

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Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Messages
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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

well i am hearing you both loud and clear while doing my best to ignore every word you are saying. And so please let me ask you to help me make my next decision. I know this will worsen as long as i continue to take the boat out. (which y'all KNOW i will do..until it looks dangerous) real life scenario..how long do i have? I mean...not everyone lives on the lake every weekend..though i wish i could get there more often... I only got out three times last summer. Dont think i am trying to be jerk to anyone either guys..i mean I understand this is new to me... but knowing that i have no clue please try to be honest in order to make me do what I need to. Is this a 1 trip fail...10 trips...dont hit the sand bar or plan to go diving?? Just try to gimme some perspective. OK..Im a doityurselferr but im not sure if i can handle a transom rebuild. ive never done anything like it..no fiberglass work in this kids resume. Can i get this done reasonable or would it be better to try to save my outboard and find a newer craft. I guess i might as well try that being said..because the boat would be junk anyway. Okay..timelines..opinions.....anyone want to buy an 87 capri..no reasonable offer refused.
louie
 

Woodonglass

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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

That's what this forum is all about. Newbies and boat rebuilds. Most of the guys on here were in your same shoes at one time or another with little of no experience but... with all the help you get on here you can fix just about anything IF you are willing to spend the time, effort and money. It's impossible to say "How Long" your transom will las until a catastrophic failure occurs. If you don't do a lot of sking and tubing and put a lot of extra force on the transom other than the normal forces the motor puts on it it could last several years. If you yank up and down on the lower leg of the motor, can you see noticeable flex in the transom? Does it move? If so, then I would not wait very long to fix it or find another boat for your motor. If you see no flex or very very little then you're prolly good for another season. If you decide to go another season, I would take a dremel tool and open up those cracks a bit, wash em down with acetone really well and then fill them with Marine Tex to keep additional water from penetrating the wood inside. This might extend the time before replacement is needed.
 

Sea Stomper

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Nov 9, 2010
Messages
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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

Make sure you are using a transom saver to support the engine while towing. They cradle the leg of the outboard, removing the load of the tilted engine from the transom and transferring the load of the raised engine to the rear crossmember of the trailer. This is crucial to any transom for towing because when you bounce the boat trailer combination over road bumps without the transom saver, the tilt wobbling of the engine goes to the transom and it's a terrible unnecessary thing to do to the transom. If you are already using one, ignore this.

Also, any prediction of how long a questionable transom will last must be accompanied by a disclaimer that it can only be a guess, and it could fail on the next outing. It could also never fail in the next 10 years, so simply stated, "Use it at your OWN RISK." Having said that, I used mine at my own risk knowing it was rotten with bad core samples for 4 years in the North Pacific Ocean and gutted all of the rot out this winter. It is a 15 foot tri hull with an 85 chrysler on it, with no stress cracks. I estimate that even with the rot it had, it could have supported that engine's operation for another several seasons because of the strength I found in it. However, the fix and waterproofing, high quality materials and methods used in these forums, all of which I am using, are going to make this season and following seasons much more enjoyable with the confidence that goes along with the quality of what I'm doing. The workmanship and methods used on these boats back when they were made were simply horrible, as were many things made during the seventies and eighties.

I attribute the problems we are dealing with to the 70's drug culture prevalent back then without drug testing. I know this because I worked for a gas turbine aircraft engine manufacturer in engineering back then and some of the engineering staff were party animals in every sense of the word, no holes barred. The results in that industry were there to be seen in many products in aviation, boating and automotive industries. The results of the decisions made back then gave us junk like the Ford Pinto and many other horrors of the era we all can remember, like some of the terrible movies that came out back then. So we got boats with internal foam filled bilges without waterproofing and all of them have rotten interiors. We got trihulls, of which I have grown to like very much after owning one, but still they were a thing of the era owing their prevalence back then to who knows what affecting the brains of those who decided they were the way to go, in combination with the brains of those who decided they were the thing to buy. The seventies were a strange time. The thinking back then was just to get them made and out the door, sold. Extreme popout boat manufacturing, popping them out, klanking them out, kerchunk kerchunk kerchunk ad infinitum.

These boats are still a great thing to get ahold of cheap and restore though, aren't they?
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

sit down, this is gonna hurt, sorry


That transom is moving far enough to crack the glass.... that is quite a ways.... it's ALREADY POTENTIALLY dangerous.

You are playing russian roulette. You have a revolver to your head with one bullet in and five missing. You are asking us how many times you can pull the trigger before it becomes imminently dangerous. The answer is "somewhere between zero and five".

get your butt on C/L every day as many times a day as possible (20 is not too many) look in every city that you MIGHT POSSIBLY be willing to drive to IF you saw the smokin deal.....

When you find what just might be your deal (such as in my "free boat" thread in my sig) then 'Drop yer ham sammich and bust out the door'. Don't wait till the weekend, don't think on it for a while, KNOW ahead of time what you would want and SNAP it up.


OR get to cutting, grinding, and reading in the drydock and let oops and the gang hold yer hand while you boldly go where no sissy could hack it.
 

SSLouiS

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Messages
41
Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

hahahahaha...i guess i got what i asked for kicking the hornets nest. Thanks you guys for being honest..i appreciate it. so this is how i think i am going to procede..feel free to opinionate. 1st i am going to try and fix these deep cracks (tell me whats the best goop anyone) I accept that it wont work..least not for very long..but.. hey.. practice makes perfect eh? Then i will research both repair and replace threads and options and who knows..maybe ill fall on some sweet deal like smoke says. Whats the skinny on the rebuild?? Materials? Do I cut from the inside.. I saw a post where someone here went thru the top..whats the least invasive way? Keep in mind this is a capri..the transom is lower than the rest of the boat. Do i just cut the middle out of ths bottom? I havent seen a capri transom thread so if you have ever run across one could you please post the link. Id appreciate it.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

"fixing" the cracks would be done with gel coat BUT it would be in line with putting a bandaid over torn skin where your busted femer poked out during a car wreck.... the cracks aren't the problem but just a SMALL symptom.....
 

BonairII

Commander
Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

Just realize if your transom blows out, your motor will sink to the bottom of the lake....and you might sink right then there.
 

SSLouiS

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Messages
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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

So how do i even begin this project? Can someone outline what i am expecting to do. And what does a new transom layup consist of.And how far does the plywood go into the sides?? How long is this gonna take?
 

oops!

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
12,932
Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

transom repairs are approx 40 hours if you do it your self.

a transom repair has different steps, depending on the route the builder takes.

the first step is to remove the motor and determine the amount of rot/damage.......ill be honest, this might also be a deck foam job.
your stringers are most likely glass, so they might be ok.

if the repair area is contained to the transom....the steps are...

1. remove the rotted transom...
this will require either removing the cap of the boat, or cutting the rear gunwhales 10 inches forward of the splash well to gain acess to the transom.

2. grind the transom skin, and fill for uniformity.

3, build transom blank.

4. install transom.

5. tab in and glass in new transom.

6 replace the cut out splash well or cap.

7. replace motor.

this is a very general rundown....and each of these steps is significantly more involved....but that is the run down.
 

SSLouiS

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Messages
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Re: best repair option for my 87 bayliner transom stress cracks

I guess a good place to start will be figuring out if i have a cap..i know i have a rubber cap..looks thin to me..is that it??
 
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