1989 Rinker V170 ... leak around the splash well

[jasonsbeer]

Greetings. New guy to the forum. I've been lurking around. Lots of good info here.

On to the topic at hand-

I picked up a 1989 Rinker V170 w/outboard last fall. The boat has a few nicks and scrapes, but is in decent shape for a 30 year old boat. I've had it on the water twice and there is water coming in underneath the splash well. Pic below. The infiltration appears more intense on the right hand side of the photo, near the splash well drain. I popped that drain tube out and the wood was wet underneath. I figure water is coming between the wood and the fiberglass. Water is a tricky thing though.

My plan is to smear epoxy around in the hole to seal the through hole in the transom. My objective is to plug any gaps where water might infiltrate with the epoxy. This will also seal the wood. I'll then install new drain tubes with some 3M 4200. Any thoughts on this procedure?

On a related note, there are some spider cracks in the splash well. I'm not sure if water could also be getting in here, but I'm planning to repair them.

Appreciate any thoughts on this repair.

 

[alldodge]

Your going to put a band-aid on a problem. Epoxy is good stuff and will bond if properly prepared, but the wood will continue to rot from the inside. If the motor and drive is good, find a boat with a bad motor and swap stuff.

 

[jasonsbeer]

I always appreciate honest answers. Let's me know where I stand. However, I'm not ready to commit this boat to the scrapyard just yet. If I can stop the water infiltration and get a couple more years out of this hull, that's great.

I'm looking for feedback on my plan of attack. Basically, sealing the visible wood (I proposed epoxy) and installing new, water tight, drain tubes.

The wood around the drain hole is solid. Maybe rotting further in, maybe not. Don't know.

Thanks

 

[Woodonglass]

Honest answer, almost ALL 30 year old boats have rot issues. Some worse than others. The cracks and the water are symptoms of a flexing transom and Transoms are NOT supposed to flex..not even a little. Have you thoroughly inspected all areas of the deck to ensure there are no soft spots? Boats usually rot from the bottom up and if your transom is showing these issues it's a really good bet that your stringers (the backbone and ribs of your boat) are suffering from the same fate. All these issues can render your boat unsafe. You should really do a good inspection and report back.

 

[alldodge]

I'm looking for feedback on my plan of attack. Basically, sealing the visible wood (I proposed epoxy) and installing new, water tight, drain tubes.

Your plan might keep the water from coming to the inside where it is being seen, not sure if it will keep it out of the hull

 

[jasonsbeer]

Honest answer, almost ALL 30 year old boats have rot issues. Some worse than others. The cracks and the water are symptoms of a flexing transom and Transoms are NOT supposed to flex..not even a little. Have you thoroughly inspected all areas of the deck to ensure there are no soft spots? Boats usually rot from the bottom up and if your transom is showing these issues it's a really good bet that your stringers (the backbone and ribs of your boat) are suffering from the same fate. All these issues can render your boat unsafe. You should really do a good inspection and report back.

I can inspect things below the floor due to an open area behind the gas tank and in front of the transom. I'm sure there's a technical name for that access, but I don't know. I was able to take a few photos. Here is what I observed-

Floor/deck - the deck is marine carpet over plywood. The carpet appears to be glued down, so I don't know if there is a gel coat layer on top of the the plywood. The underside of the plywood is not covered. I walked every square inch and there are no soft spots. From underneath, no discoloration that I can observe. Photo 1.

Stringers - the stringers are wrapped in fiber glass. I can see no indication of obvious deterioration, discoloring, or delamination. I banged on them a few times with my mag light within my limited arm reach. Seem solid. The cross member aft of the fuel tank shows no signs of deterioration. Photos 1, 2, and 3.

Transom - the transom appears to have a gel coat layer. I jabbed it in a few places with a screw driver. I detected no soft spots.


Anything else I should be looking for?


Photo 1: Starboard side under floor. Gas tank to right, stringer to left.
Photo 2: Port side under floor. Gas tank to left, stringer to right.
Photo 3: Cross member aft of gas tank.

 

[alldodge]

Take a 1/4 inch drill bit and drill into stringers and transom (not clear thru) close to the bottom. The wood that comes out should be blond and dry. Fill holes with 4200 or 5200