'91 stratos 290 s/f transom

[tscott]

Bought this boat used last year. Excellent outboard and boat looks and runs great.<br /><br />A small question about the transome though.<br /><br />On either side of the o/b, on the far edges of the transom where it meets the splashwell I have a crack in the gel-coat on either side.About the exact same length and size on both sides. I looked into bilge with flashlight and saw nothing. Put a strong flashlight right against the crack and saw no light inside.<br /><br />Are such cracks normal in a 12 year old boat?The motor shows no sign of a lower unit or prop strike yet this may have happened with a previous owner.(outboard runs perfectly.Bottom "fin" is just a tad bent close to the prop.Can't see it unless you get down and really look at it.)<br /><br />Anyone know of this happening?Everything else looks great and nothing loose.Should I be worried?<br /><br />Have a couple of pics on computer but don't know how to put them on here.See pictures at http://photos.yahoo.com/electrified292001 <br />Thanks<br /><br />Tom

 

[wrestler20]

Re: '91 stratos 290 s/f transom

Don't really want to be the bearer of bad news, but the cracks are probably a sign of something worse. You might want to check the transom itself to make sure it isn't waterlogged or rotten. There are some useful tips on this board for drilling test holes. There is something that can be injected into the wood to solidify it, but i forget the name of the stuff. I have a 20 foot fish and ski with a 200 on it that had the same issues. It started showing the problem by those same cracks, but the transom itself was rotten and thats why there was some flex. I had my transom rebuilt eventually. It ended up costing about $6k though. <br />If the transom is good, maybe a shop can just make the fiberglass/gelcoat repairs to the cracks. Make sure you fix the reason for the cracks before fixing the cracks themselves. Remember that if the wood isn't rotten yet, it will be if water keeps penetrating those cracks. Are you running any setback on your motor that may add to the transom stress? Good luck with whatever you find out.<br /><br />Steve

 

[tscott]

Re: '91 stratos 290 s/f transom

I don't know alot about motor setups but this just appears to have the standard set-up.(jackplate to transom and then power trim and tilt)<br /><br />I tried man handling motor last night and couldn't feel any flex.Boat started moving when I jerked motor around.I will double check today.I have found something called Anchor-Tite.<br />It's looks like a double syringe that is a 2-piece epoxy.One syringe has epoxy, the other has the activator.3 to 4 hour set-up time and almost 2500 lbs strength and formulated for marine applications.These cracks are small.Maybe 1/16 of a inch if that but they are on both sides.<br /><br />Only had the boat for a year and they were there when I bought it from dealer.<br /><br />Test holes are drilled from the inside right?About 1-2 inches below the lower transom bolt?<br />Whatever caused this looks like it cracked the glass under the gel-coat.<br /><br />Thanks for the help.I will take all the advice I can get on this.<br /><br />Tom

 

[Astro18]

Re: '91 stratos 290 s/f transom

wrestler20, I understand that you have a procraft boat. Please email me at tpatterson1@gt.rr.com. I have some questions I hope you can help with.<br /><br />tom