1980 16ft charger bass boat tow eye repair

[jacobremter]

Hey everyone. I just got this boat and after taking her out the 1st time and trailering her noticed the tow eye wasn't firm against the boat. After some inspection I do believe it has started to pull through the fiberglass. I have a APT to get it fixed on the 11th but was really hoping to have it on the water this weekend. Could I epoxy it for a short term solution for the weekend? is it safe to trailer? also anyone have this repaired that could give me a cost estimate? I couldn't imagine it would be extremely expensive but then again who knows. as of now there is no way to access the inside bolts but have come to the conclusion I want to cut a hole anyway to recess my trolling motor pedal.

 

[Woodonglass]

Sorry a quick epoxy job just won't work. If you strap the boat to the trailer both at the front and the back you could trailer it. If you have a drive on trailer then you should be ok. Cutting a hole in the top deck to access is the best way. You can patch the whole fairly easily. You could do the repair yourself if you want. It's NOT that hard.

Have you done a thorough inspection of the boat? 39 year old Bass Boats typically have a LOT of issues that can render them unsafe. You should for sure inspect the transom and ensure it has NO FLEX when you bounce on the leg of the motor when it's in the up position. If it Flexes...even just a bit, then you really need to be careful.

 

[jacobremter]

Thanks for your reply! Yes I have inspected the boat fairly well. There is no flex in the transom...in this boat the core is steel back there. Dash doesn't work but everything else is excellent. She runs perfect. The dash just needs some new wiring and that'll be good to go as well. The only concerning problem is this damn tow eye.

 

[Woodonglass]

If the core is steel that is NOT original to the boat and probably a SCAB job that is a potential hazard to your boating safety. Pics will help us to tell you the TRUTH about what you actually have.