rotted transom, can be braced?

hello and this is my first post!

Recently bought a 19' 1985 runabout (Invader) with a mercruiser I/O 140-Alpha 1. I bought it knowing that there would be issues as the boat is 27 years old. It runs great, but has some issues of course. I have a thousand dollars I can sock into it now, but was hoping to use that money in the winter to fix it up, via a nice winter project.

I was installing a set of transom tabs and as luck would have it, the drill bit revealed wet, rotted wood. My question is very simple...I am not sure how far up the wood is rotted. I would suppose drilling from the inside would be the way to find out? I REALLY am not going to work on this beast now that summer is nigh around the corner.

Can a brace using angle iron or other stiff material be bolted into/onto the transom from the outside or inside in hopes of getting a poor sap through the summer season? Specifically to stiffen the transom up if it needs it? This boat is my upgrade from my old reliable 14' aluminum boat and I have adapted it for fishing/skiing already.

I fully realize that the transom is gonna have to be rebuilt as well as any other rot that is exposed during the removal of the deck, etc...

If you guys were in my frame of mind what would you do now? and PLEEEEASE,:facepalm: keep the kicking to a minimum...I bruise easily.

thanks...

Re: rotted transom, can be braced?

Welcome to iboats Sabbath20. As you'll note in my sig, I had a rather older Mako. It sat for a number of years (with another family member) in the water and the foam became waterlooged. I took it in about 2003 and put some brackets on the transom as you suggest, just to get another few rides out of it...that's what I got. Be careful...it sounds like you have...issues

Re: rotted transom, can be braced?

I think most of us have done band-aid repairs to save the summer. I sure have!

With the boat on trailer, drive tilted up, can you push on the drive to make the transom flex? If not, run it this summer (see below) and dont bother with a homemade brace.

If it does flex, try a brace - you will have to use huge washers to distribute the load (against the mushy wood) but it can be done.

Most important: the fact that this is a 4cyl is good because it wont have massive thrust pushing on the weak transom. Drive it carefully, avoid full throttle launches and jumping waves. Keep in mind you are taking a risk that the gimbal bearing in the drive may be damaged if things shift out of alignment. Personally I think this is a tolerable risk, since you will have to pull everything apart to do the transom in the winter, and would recommend replacing all the wear items in the drive at that time.

Good luck!

Re: rotted transom, can be braced?

++2...Be easy

Re: rotted transom, can be braced?

Welcome to iboats.

Trust me......not recommended to brace a rotten transom

Invaders fell apart fairly quickly and their construction standards were on par with the older bayliners. The transom rot is probably a warning sign and I will bet you have water soaked flotation and bad stringer's too.

Investigate .......... you might be saving a life and a boat.

Re: rotted transom, can be braced?

thanks for the info...i brought the drive up to its highest point and put my weight on it like was mentioned...then lifted it in the opposite direction. no movement at all. Was gonna show a pic of my transom but talk about difficult! after spending 20 minutes on that I said screw it! ...anyways, my transom is not flat all the way across. where the drive is located the transom protrudes outward probably 3 to 4 inches and i'd say it takes about a third of the space of my transoms total width. from this outward section the transom cuts back toward the bow then flattens out to the sides. (if that makes any sense!) When i drilled into the transom to mount the tab, i noticed a gap between hull and wood, is that normal? I guess i always just thought the wood for the transom would be right on the other side of the hull? but with the way the transom is built there must be more than a straight, one pieced board involved?

thanks

Re: rotted transom, can be braced?

here's a bad pic of the exterior of my transom...