Installed trim tabs this year.. noticed some moisture in wood.. Help!

[Chadbud]

Hey guys! First of all, this year was amazing! Particularly after I installed some trim tabs on my 21’ Celebrity 208 SE 5.7L Cuddy cabin. I guess it’s worth noting I have Thru Hull exhaust here. Those tabs were well worth it!

She is winterized and put in climate controlled underground storage with damp-rid buckets for the off season now.


I digress, here’s my issue. When I was installing the trim tabs I noticed some of (not all) of the wood shavings on the bottom right side of the transom come out a little moist. No off color. The wood seemed very healthy but when I rubbed the shavings with my fingers I did notice the slightest of dampness. Again, this only occurred on the right side tab.

Its important.. I think.. to know that this rear back side of the boat is where a lot of moisture/water tends to end up while I’m out on the water. When out of the water, the boat has had a lot of rain/moisture make it through my cover and collect in that area too. I think this means it’s time for a new boat cover!

She’s an old vessel.. but I’d like to keep her in good shape as long as possible without breaking the bank. So complete transom replacements are probably out of the question. I’m wondering how I could minimize this issue. Maybe if I tear up the carpet and re-seal/waterproof that section of the boat? Or maybe even a partial wood replacement? What do you guys think?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Cheers!

 

[Scott Danforth]

any penetration into the transom wood from the inside or outside can leak water into the wood.

typical places:
garboard plug
thru-hull fittings
screws
pitot tube mounting screws
wet foam (wicking from other places)

 

[Chadbud]

any penetration into the transom wood from the inside or outside can leak water into the wood.

typical places:
garboard plug
thru-hull fittings
screws
pitot tube mounting screws
wet foam (wicking from other places)

Sounds like it would be worth removing the old sealant and applying new around the plug, thru-hull fittings, pitot tube, and swim deck. Is it possible water is getting into the transom from the insight though? The boat had a single owner before me who was a mechanic and took emmaculate care of it. Despite that, is it possible the fiberglass has failed from the inside anywhere? Like I mentioned, the boats cover leaked quite a bit over the summer and that side of the boat seemed to get the worst of it.

I was also wondering, should I drill other parts of the bull to check for moisture? I’ve knocked everywhere with a wrench and found no “hollow sounding” spots that would indicate weak wood. It’s all been solid.

Thanks! I’d love to hear other people’s takes on this situation.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Knocking with a wrench or hammer means nothing... time to drill some test holes from the inside to see how pervasive is the water infiltration.

 

[tpenfield]

Water leaking through the cover would not be directly related to transom moisture, unless you are storing the boat with the plug in and allowing water to collect at the transom.

You could use an economical moisture meter ($35) to check for moisture in the transom and structure. From the inside of the transom you could drill slightly into the fiberglass coating to expose the wood core for the moisture meter probes to sample the wood. You could also do the same elsewhere in the structure, like bulkheads and stringers.

Then seal up the holes with some epoxy or gelcoat.

As mentioned, everything drilled into the transom is a potential source for moisture. If you want to get fancy, there are also infrared cameras that can look for moisture in the structure.

If the transom was/is really wet, you will have gotten drips of water out of the holes when you installed the trim tabs. However, now that you have drilled into the transom, it is worth checking periodically.

 

[Lou C]

Might try to water proof the cover or otherwise modify it to keep water out of that area of the boat. Some boats with inboard engines have an issue with water running in the air intake/exhaust vents and I've seen covers modified to cover these when the boat's not in use.

 

[Chadbud]

Might try to water proof the cover or otherwise modify it to keep water out of that area of the boat. Some boats with inboard engines have an issue with water running in the air intake/exhaust vents and I've seen covers modified to cover these when the boat's not in use.

Definitely! My plans right now are to get a new cover fitted for the boat when I pull her out of underground storage next season.

I also figured I should go around the hull/swim platform and re-seal any screws or entry points into the hull with marine silicone.

Any thoughts on things I could or SHOULD do on the interior of the boat? I assume when it comes out of dry storage that maybe some of that moisture in the wood will have been pulled out so my goal is to strategize how I can keep it sealed/dry.

 

[Lectro88]

If you are leaking around screws/hardware in transom.
Would it help to remove this hardware to give it a place to try and dry out while it’s in dry storage. Rather than it being corked.
Then in spring before you use it epoxy or re-seal these penetrations.
This is just my line of thinking
What do others think of this idea?

If you are getting water from an inside breech being the leaking cover.
Then if you can get access re-seal this area but I think I would give it time to dye out over the winter before you sealed anything.
Unfortunately this is what boats do, they get moisture and that feeds rot that leads to so many re-hab repair topics on here.
I know you don’t want your own repair thread , but f you don’t get this resolved or stop the intrusion of moisture you could be heading in that direction.
But the fact that you may have detected it early and are taking steps to cure it.
May serve in your favor.
I think a lot of others just find out after it’s been a problem for too long and the damage is already done.

I’d be interested to know if my thoughts are in line with others thinking