Transom plywood is rotten, on inboard mercruiser 1990 thompson cutlass 190

[DeepBlue2010]

For the stringers, yes. As close to the transom as you can get and moving forward every 12 inch until the first bulkhead. Stringers - usually - rot from the transom to the bow. If you pass this area and you are still good, the rest of the stringers - most likely - is OK but you can take couple of samples from the middle and the front of the stringers for good measures.

For the deck, start by tapping every square inch of it. listen carefully to the sound of the hammer. You are looking for a good crisp sharp sound. Any muffled sound needs further inspection to determine the reason. Document all your findings with pictures or videos if possible

 

[ChizelSpiel7]

For the stringers, yes. As close to the transom as you can get and moving forward every 12 inch until the first bulkhead. Stringers - usually - rot from the transom to the bow. If you pass this area and you are still good, the rest of the stringers - most likely - is OK but you can take couple of samples from the middle and the front of the stringers for good measures.

For the deck, start by tapping every square inch of it. listen carefully to the sound of the hammer. You are looking for a good crisp sharp sound. Any muffled sound needs further inspection to determine the reason. Document all your findings with pictures or videos if possible

Forgot to ask. do i also drill holes as low as possible on the stringers? I'm going to use a 3/16 drill and go 1" deep from what others here suggested.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

1/4 or 3/8 will give you a better shavings to inspect. it will not matter, if it passes the test you will fill it with 5200 anyway so no need to worry about using small size.

Water seeps from below and above. Drill at a middle point and see what you have. I personally don't use the drill method. I use a wide (inch or larger) hole saw. I drill just enough to remove cut through the fiberglass skin without going through the wood (except for the center bit of course). I then pry out the skin and keep the circular piece to be attached latter. The center bit for the hole saw will give me the core shavings I am looking to inspect but the removed skin will give me a better visibility into a wider surface area of the stringer. If the test is successful, I glue everything back with 5200

 

[ChizelSpiel7]

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The shavings on the stringers looked good. There may be a little rot at the ends. Will inspect them better when i start to demo the transom. When i replace the transom do you think i Should make it 2" from end to end and all the way to the floor. Right now the middle section that is 2" thick is the only part that goes to the floor. I pulled tihe carpet further up to the first bulkhead and clearly there was rot here an there. The So i had my brother in law cut it out for me. That whole area was submerged in water from bildge plug not being pulled, so i made sense. I suppose i will start to demo the transom now? Here's some pics.

 

[ChizelSpiel7]

No Title

Crapola!!! I really screwed the pooch today. I was making a relief cut on the transom panel and I thought I had a 1/4 inch of depth to play with. Wrong! I went through the fiberglass on the transom about 24". UGH!!! Going to need help fixing my screwup.. I almost got all the wood off. I noticed that there is a lip on either side of the middle section of the transom. So i dont know if i will be able to make one big piece of wood on transom or do it the way it was from the factory in 3 sections. Also it looks like i need to replace about 3-6" on either side of the rear stringers where they meet the transom.

 

[jimbo_jwc]

I hate to say it, but I agree with DeepBlue2010. I have been in your shoes and I know you don't want to hear it, but the odds of a rotten transom (and more) seem pretty high. In your video, it looks like a bead of silicone runs around the outside edge of the gimbal housing. If you didn't put that there, that's a classic sign of an attempt to fix a transom that is starting to leak. That means the problem may be more than what might be caused by the plug not being removed from the drain.

The only way to learn the extent of the damage is to start removing stuff and taking core samples. For your sake, I will hope that the damage is limited in scope. But I am not holding my breath.

If you decide to fix it, there are many, many of the people here who have been through this already. It's a lot of work, but it can be done. Let us know what you find!

The silicone bead is factory ,I don't know if they used gasket to on gimble housing . Bought 1987 Thompson 196 Sea Rage 40 some hrs on one owner .

 

[ChizelSpiel7]

I need assistance from post #45. SOS!

 

[Woodonglass]

OH NO!!! The boat is a TOTAL LOSS!!! You'll have to scrap it an buy a new boat!!!!
Just Kidding!!! This happens more than you know!!!! When you're ready to install the new transom etc you'll be mixing up Peanut Butter (Thickened Resin) to glue the transom to the outer skin and you can tape over this cut from the outside and then fill the cut from the inside with this PB and all will be right with the world!!!!:thumb: You have now initiated yourself as an official boat restorer!!! Welcome to the club!!!:hail:

 

[random_rodder]

OH NO!!! The boat is a TOTAL LOSS!!! You'll have to scrap it an buy a new boat!!!!
Just Kidding!!!

Dude... you border on evil. You had me scared and it isn't even my boat, lol...

 

[ChizelSpiel7]

OH NO!!! The boat is a TOTAL LOSS!!! You'll have to scrap it an buy a new boat!!!!
Just Kidding!!! This happens more than you know!!!! When you're ready to install the new transom etc you'll be mixing up Peanut Butter (Thickened Resin) to glue the transom to the outer skin and you can tape over this cut from the outside and then fill the cut from the inside with this PB and all will be right with the world!!!!:thumb: You have now initiated yourself as an official boat restorer!!! Welcome to the club!!!:hail:

Thanks woodonglass, i feel a little better now. Should i start sourcing the materials now. I was asking one of the guys at work about the repair and he said i would have to bevel it and use polyester resin on it and build it up with fiberglass. I like you're suggestion peanut butter filler that will be used to glue the wood onto the transom. Should i start ordering the resins and fiberglass? And if so can you suggest all the materials i should order. Couple of other questions. Should i remove the bildge drain and put a new one on? Or leave it there and cut a mouse hole and fill around it with peanut butter. 2nd question. How do i tie a piece of wood to the existing stringer on the end where it meets the transom. About 1-3" Is a little splintered and has a little bit of rot. I will take better pictures of it once i clean that area up a little more. 3rd question. The panels of wood i cut off the deck. When i cut new ones should the wood be flush with the sides of the hull and transom or should i leave a gap between wood and hull/transom. 4th question. Should i replace transom in 3 pieces like it was done from the factory? The middle section was 2" and the sides i believe are 1" and then bonded with fiberglass. I think there is a lip on either side of the the 2" middle section of the transom. Hard to expain. I will try and take pictures and put arrows of what im talking about.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

I would grind down this cut and glass it before installing the transom

 

[ChizelSpiel7]

I would grind down this cut and glass it before installing the transom

Bevel it from the inside and outside and glass with fiberglass and polyester resin?

 

[DeepBlue2010]

That is what I would do. If there are any concerns that it will not look good glassing on the outside, at least I would repair it and glass it correctly from the inside.but I would never skip glass all together

 

[ChizelSpiel7]

Ok, i will get some at the local autoparts store. Thats what one of the guys here at work said he's used on boats. As far as the outside is concerned, what can i fill it with and sand down with if i dont use fiberglass and resin. I will probabably paint a wider gray stripe where the cut line extends into the red of the boat after i sand it smooth.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

I would use any good marine filler for that. If you dish t from the inside, you will not have that much depth to fair anyway. Make your glass pieces progressively larger. Don't use the fabric in auto stores. Get some 1708 from a fiberglass/plastic store like Tap plastic or any local marine store

 

[Woodonglass]

IF, the area where the cut is, will be totally backed up with the wood core of the transom, IMHO there is no need to "Patch" the glass from the back side. The PB and the wood will be more than adequate to support the cut. You can patch it if you want but there's no structural reason to do so. If however there will not be any wood backing then I totally agree with DeepBlue that you should do the repair as he directed. The outside repair should be, as stated, a simple sand and fairing material repair. The beauty of this forum is you get various opinions and then you get to decide what you think is the best method to follow.

 

[ChizelSpiel7]

I really appreciate all of you guys opinions! I am a lost puppy to this type of work. Keep em coming. Thank you!

 

[kramerpage]

Hey Chizelspiel7,
That's a nice engine hoist you have. Can you tell my where you purchased it? I'm in the same boat as you so to speak. That's a clean looking motor btw. thanks

 

[ChizelSpiel7]

Hey Chizelspiel7,
That's a nice engine hoist you have. Can you tell my where you purchased it? I'm in the same boat as you so to speak. That's a clean looking motor btw. thanks

Its my neighbors. He built it himself. I can give you the demensions lf you want them. Good luck with you're boat. I surely wasnt expecting all this work, but thats the way it goes sometimes.

 

[kramerpage]

Well Its a nice rig and a great neighbor at that. I have learned that you just need to enjoy the ride to keep you motivated. You have great guys helping you Deep Blue and Woodonglass. They are helping me also on my rotten lady. Keep an open mind and things will go well. I will be watching your progress. Good Luck and have fun.