1996 Regal 17.6 Avanti restoration using composite materials

[kpiazzisi]

Ever time I take my 18 I.O. bow rider out, I immediately have to turn the bilge pump on. I probably take on at least one gallon every 15 minutes. This has been the case since I have purchased the boat used at the beginning of this summer. Today I decided that I do not want to rot my floor, stringers, bulkheads or transom, so I investigated.

With the boat out of the water I have small droplets of water coming out from around the plug hole. The water must be coming from inside the transom wall because there is no water above the hole. It is like my boat has a natural spring where as soon as I dry the water around the hole, new water pops out.

My boat is a 1996 Regal 17.6 Avanti I.O V6 with the Mercruiser Alpha I stern drive. If any of the more experienced boaters/mechanics could look at these photos and give me your opinion as to where the leak might be, that would be greatly appreciated and save me lots of time.

Thanks
Kevin

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

The wood in your transom is rotting.

 

[kpiazzisi]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

I am hoping that rotting is different from Rotted. Meaning I can still save my transom? Nothing feels soft back there. I can tap on the transom with a small hammer and it feels solid. My transom has woven fiberglass laminated to it. Of course that doesn't mean the wood in between the fiberglass isn't rotted. The rest of the boat, floors and stringers seem solid. At 170LB I can bounce any where on the floor and it's solid. I just noticed the brown stains on the outside of the boat, the last month or so. What do you think is causing the water to get into the transom to cause the rot? The bellows all look to be in good shape.

 

[kpiazzisi]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

I called Regal and they informed me that I definitely have a wood transom. I guess I have to remove the stern drive and transom to check it out? Any possibility I can dig out the rotted material and fill with epoxy/fiberglass?

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Not an answer you want to hear, but... no.

If the transom is wet, the only way to properly repair it is to remove the old wood core and install a new one. Patches and other simpler repairs aren't strong enough and may not get all the rot.

It's not a hard process, it's straightforward, just takes time and elbow grease to do. Many here have done it.

Erik

 

[kpiazzisi]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

The other post I have seen where people have replaced transoms appear to be huge projects. For starters the motor would have to come out...right? The seats, floors and stringers may also have to come out...correct? The top deck may have to come out. I's almost rather use it until it sinks and then pull the emergency button on my VHF radio for the Coast Guard to come and get me.

 

[oops!]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

The other post I have seen where people have replaced transoms appear to be huge projects. For starters the motor would have to come out...right? The seats, floors and stringers may also have to come out...correct? The top deck may have to come out. I's almost rather use it until it sinks and then pull the emergency button on my VHF radio for the Coast Guard to come and get me.

not huge....but labor intensive...as erik said...lots of elbow grease.

motor come out...yes...but it is waaay easyer than a car...30 mins to sitting on the ground.

no sets have to come out.

the transom started rotting because of a bad seal on the transom plate...that is why the brown marks on the outer hull coming from under the plate.

read here lots...you can do it....it just takes work.
the cost is approx 400 dyi.....2000 pro

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Hello Kevin...

Why dont we just start small...

Remove the drain fitting, clean All the caulk from the hole, Inspect the wood.

Go from there

You should replace that simple drain fitting with a screw on type with a brass plug.

Something like this..

http://www.iboats.com/Garboard-Drain/dm/*******.316785737--**********.301043985--view_id.39405

Keep us updated..

YD.

 

[dude11]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

If I'm seeing it right--part of the brass drain is missing?? That would be a perfect place for water to enter.

 

[fraannk]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Kevin,

I had a spring in my bilge that I could not figure out. I could feel where the water was coming in at the bottom of the transom on the inside but there was no visible way that I could see a hole on the outside. I had the boat on the trailer and blew compressed air into the hole on the inside. Lo and behold, the air came out 2 feet up the transom just below the waterline. There was a hole where the previous owner took out a screw under the swim platform and water was coming in there and working its way all the way to the inside bottom of the transom and out. So, before you go ripping into your transom, check all over the back of the boat all the way up to the water line for missing screws.

Frank

 

[bcditoledo]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Yo Dood -

If you really want to find where the water is coming in, park it in your driveway and fill it up with water. I guarantee you'll find at least 4 places water will leak out from.

 

[zach103]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

it loooks like something is rusting from the engine thats why its brown on the paint.. someone could have not sealed the bolts when the installed the outdrive .. and the transom is pretty easy i just did mine and that was the easiest part of the boat to be honest.

 

[kpiazzisi]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

I took the engine out yesturday. It took way longer then 30 minutes, but I followed the manual and eight steps later the motor was loose. I made a hoist in my garage using 2 2x4 for the posts and then a 2x6 for the header. I bought a 2 Ton come-along winch at Harbor Freight and a couple pieces of chain. For under $40.00 I had my engine hoist. I will post a pic tomorrow. I spent most of my time concentrating on getting the engine out and have not spent a lot of time examining the transom. I did drill some exploratory holes with a 1/2 inch Web foot auger (bores flat bottom holes). The holes I drilled under the Garber plug were mostly black soft empty or wet wood. Water instantly rushed out of the holes. The little material that was there was wet and black and smelled like A**. The holes drilled above the Garber hole turned up dampish wood shavings, but the wood was still there and was intact.

My plan is to cut and pull back the fiberglass skin on the bottom 6 inches of the transom to find exactly where the rot is. If the leak was comming from the Gaber plug and not the transom, I would expect that only the bottom two inches of the transom are bad? Since that's approx 4 inches below where the transom mounts, could I get away with just replacing the last two inches? Would this be easier the replacing the whole transom?

I will post PICS tomorrow

This one is for my boat rotting out

 

[JCNailen]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

This is just a thought, may be wrong, take it with a grain of salt......

Since you do have an inboard, could it be that you have a leak in your cooling system and the water is coming from the engine? That's a lot of water - 1 gallon in 15 minutes? Loose fitting on a hose?? Then, perhaps you are not getting a good seal around your plug? Replace the plug with a better one. Like the others said, plug the hole as you normally would, then fill the bilge with enough water to go above the drain hole, see if it leaks.

Like I said, just a thought.

 

[kpiazzisi]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

I know the leak is in the hull and not the engine. With the engine not running the bildge would fill up with water. I think the water splashing around in the bildge (salt water) caused some surface rust on the motor which I think explains the rust color stains.

Has anyone here checked out the Seacast Transom Repair? It is a little expensive, but since my transom is only approx 2' x 2' it should only cost about $100.00. Plywood and materials would cost half that. I think it is worth the extra $50.00 to have something that will not rot out. What do you think? The only problem is that the material is designed to be poured from the top and I will have limited access to the top of my Transom, unless I decide to pop the top off. What do you think?

 

[Thaybot2000]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

I am in the middle of a transom replacement (never done it before, zero experience working on boats but a lot of mechanical/building DIY experience)

I had the same thing happening to me, and when I got into the transom it was completely rotted, like mulch.

Number one: You do have to pop the cap off to do the transom right, there is no way around it, period.

Number two: The rot probably goes beyond the transom and at least a little bit into the stringers. Wood is like a sponge and all the wood in the boat is connected, so the water has probably gotten other places. If you get that much water, there's no way the transom can hold it all.

My floor was solid as a rock, just had some delamination of the fiberglass from the floor under the seat in the stern. This doesn't mean anything. Began cutting and pulling it up and found standing water and rot were everywhere. Turns out the guy before me had put a piece of plywood down over the fiberglass floor (which is over another piece of plywood that is attached to the stringers) and then put carpet over the plywood. When I removed the carpet and piece of plywood guess what happened? My foot went right through the fiberglass and plywood underneath because it was completely rotted.

Take your time, do it right and the boat will be good to go for twenty years. There is a lot of debate over those pourable transoms, I chose to go the traditional rout and use marine ply and epoxy. The epoxy penetrates into the wood and not only waterproofs it, but hardens it as well. I am using CPES from RotDoctor, they sell an injection kit for twenty bucks that allows you to inject the epoxy into damaged wood that has been allowed to dry, They claim it will displace moisture and harden the wood to like new strength. If your stringers got wet, but are still solid, this might be an option.

Make sure you get ALL of the rotten wood out, it would be a shame to do all the work and then have problems a few years down the line.

Good luck, post pics as you get it done!

'76 Cobia Bowrider 16'

 

[oops!]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

. I think the water splashing around in the bildge (salt water) caused some surface rust on the motor which I think explains the rust color stains.

where the rust stains are....there is not supposed to be a way thru the hull....you are leaking at the transom plate also.

the exhaust comes out from a different place but does not get between the bell and the hull.

you can do 3 inches from the keel...but its a real bugger to get in there unless you have a special tool like a feign.

make sure you keep the special washers and springs from the motor removal.....they are very expencive.

 

[kpiazzisi]

Decision time

Decision time

The boat is definetly leaking from the transom. I am not sure where, why or when the leak started. Prop strikes are comon when navigating in the intercostal waters of florida. After being a mile from shore and having gotten there WOT, you will find yourself in 2 Ft of water with little warning. Before my GPS and depth finder, I had a few prop strikes myself. I am told that prop strikes can case the Transom O-ring seal to leak? If I do the repair I will definetly use Seacast. It doesn't make since to me to replace something rotten with a material pron to rotting. Why not replace with something that won't rot.

In any case I have a huge undertaking ahead of me, if I go forward with this. I was considering parting out the boat. I have a nice Vortec V6 engine ,an Alpha Gen II stern drive with SS prop, and the rest of the boat. The floor and stringers appear to be solid, (but who knows for sure). What do you think the complete engine and stern drive are worth? I could then sell the registered hull and trailer. I bought the boat for $3500.00 at the begining of summer. If I put all this time and Money into the transom and putting everything back together, the boat will probably still be worth $3500.00. I am tempted to find a 22-28 Ft project boat for approx 3-4K and do the restore on it. At least that way when I am done, I will have a boat worthy of the Gulf and worth the $ I put into it. What do you think?

Being under 18 Ft., this has never been the ideal boat for the Gulf of Mexico. I have been pretty much limited to staying in the intercostal waters. I would like something bigger that I can take into the Gulf (22ft -26Ft).

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Decision time

Re: Decision time

I think that's a nice looking boat. If the deck and stringers aren't rotted I'd fix the transom. I think, in your case, the whole is worth more than the sum of the parts. Even if it's not the ideal boat for you, it would be worth fixing to sell. Have you checked out this thread? http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=358277 pretty much just what you're looking at doing.

 

[emoney]

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

Re: Where is the hull leaking from PICs attached

I'd fix the boat, or sell it the way it is. Parting it out is not going to
net you as much as the boat. From the looks of the underside of that
seat, the boat has been pretty well maintained over it's life, or at least
spent a lot of time indoors. Usually, as you know, down here wood rots
when left outside. Having said that, your boat looks nice on the surface
and boats in the 3k price range are "where it's at" now, I'd think?