2000 Rinker 270 soft transom help

[Rotorpilot1969]

I bought this boat a few months ago, knowing the bravo 3 needed replacing.... Boat did run but when I got her home it all got bad and then worse...... I then discovered a leaky fuel tank and did my research and was convinced the tank had to be removed, so I cut the aft cabin flooring out and then the wrecker came to remove the engine. Once engine was removed I noticed the pin hole in the tank that was repairable without removing the tank.... Great relief I thought! So the engine is out and I'm cheap in the boat, so I decided to put a ATK reman 350efi back in her just as a reselling point. Not knowing the transom assembly was bad at this time, I order the long block... Now I order a new transom assembly as the old one was brittle and broken ( salt water abused ) from lazy previous owner that let this boat rot in the wet slip for lord only knows how long, the outdrive had already been removed when I purchased boat but was given to me. The lower unit was literally eaten off!!

Now for the reason I've posted here in hopes to hearing opinions on the lower soft spot in the transom.... I snapped two inner plates before I figured out the bottom right corner of the transom was weak causing the plate to snap.. I tried a over the counter cheap putty repair job and cracked my third plate. I could torque all the bolts down to spec until the last twist and then the one crack in plate would happen.... In all honesty I knew better to try and putty as this is a nice boat and will be a very nice boat once it's all completed, as in new everything! So I started cutting away at the rot and have come to hard wood just above the second set of bolt holes from the bottom and about 6 inches across from the bottom over on both sides. It would seem to me the bilge had water in it and rotted out the bottom part of the transom. I have ordered some cpes and layup laminate and a void free piece of mdo to repair spot with. I have also notched out or allowed for over lay. My question and concern is will this be strong enough to absorb all the engine and prop torque? I'm afraid hammering down on the throttle may cause my new wood and epoxy to brake or hitting a wake could do the same... The boat is now a lake boat but at some point may return to the seas? I truly don't want to have to cut out the whole back of the transom...... What are your thoughts? I have pictures of what I've cut away, but don't think I can post because I'm new
Best regards, Al

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 2000 Rinker 270 soft transom help

Welcome to iBoats . . .

Sounds like you dove into the deep end with this boat. Post some pictures, as that is always helpful for us to visualize what you are seeing.

I would suspect that the boat is going to need more extensive repair in order to be sea worthy and to have some longevity. The pinhole patch in the fuel tank is troubling, as that is often caused by water residing in and around it.

Can you elaborate more on what you found with the fuel tank repair?

As far as the transom, you can assume that much of the transom is wet and will continue to rot, even if you are able to fix the soft spot.

 

[Rotorpilot1969]

Re: 2000 Rinker 270 soft transom help

Here is a picture if visible? The tank on these boats had issues and i was certain the bottom was bad, but once I could get down in the bilge with engine removed I could see two small pin holes on the frontside of the tank that would face the engine pulley system. I think something came off the engine causing the holes... I patched and pressurized the tank and it still hold pressure after several months. Coast Guard regulations was something along the lines of 4 psi for xx amount of hours. Sorry I don't remember the exact time....

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: 2000 Rinker 270 soft transom help

that's sad that a boat that big and relatively new has turned to junk. Goes to show...

 

[greenbush future]

Re: 2000 Rinker 270 soft transom help

Based on the picture it looks like the transom is toast, which means to fix it, you should replace the entire transom, not just where you see rot. Because you already have the engine out, it would be much easier to replace the entire transom which is the correct way to fix the problem. Not what anyone wants to hear, sorry about your rot issues, did this get overlooked when you inspected/purchased the boat?