Mounting Bolt Compression of Transom

[Scott Danforth]

Motor can be held with 3 bolts to pull the 4th

 

[stresspoint]

best is to remove the bolt with motor in down position, the weight in down position is distributed a bit more evenly .

yes it is fine to leave the motor with 1 bolt missing although not recommended to leave top bolts out in the trailer position though. . don't drive or trailer without it in there though..

if you have removed the nut and washer then the bolt should spin out with little effort, no 3/4 breaker bar should be required!. the only thing that should be holding them in is possibly some 4200 that is usually used to seal the bolts.

possibly 19mm or a whitworth ( don't ask me sizing on that ) or a cheapo socket set could be the reason that socket is loose..

i don't know if it is speck or by the book or not , but i prefer to put the bolts from the inside of the hull with thick washers on both sides (nut and bolt).

my pervious post was an endeavor to get correct info out there so as others do not have the issues you and many other people have , IE damaged transoms from incorrect trailering , as it is not only rot that ruins boats, its people that don't use correct procedures when using their boats ,trailering or otherwise.. .
so please disregard if it was too much info to take in at this point..

 

[JacksOutrage]

Thanks for the insight. Unfortunately, I didn't see your note and bolt is out with motor in trailering mode. That seems to be the least of my issues.

Again, I appreciate everyone's input and patience with my saga...

Today, I removed the bolt and poked around with a pic, got mixed signals from the bolt hole, it was firm, but I did get a some wood chips. So, I drilled 3 test holes (upper, mid, lower). I got clear but damp wood chips/dust from each hole and each hole leaked water. The upper dried up pretty quick but lowest still has a water line (3 hrs later). None felt like rot, but I know that is coming if not already there.

Now I feel like I have a decision:

• Walk/run away from my investment, or rather pay someone to take it. ugh.
• Pray issue is limited to transom and invest, even though I now know BWs are floating sponges.
• Bolt it up with Transom plate and enjoy its remaining days.

With all my research, I don't know if anyone has said whether it's possible to determine how far the rot has gone without tearing the whole boat (deck) apart. Would I learn this from opening the transom?

I haven't done the bounce test yet to see how much it is flexing (afraid).

thanks! My user id turns out to be prophetic.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The transom is the only wood. But all the foam is water soaked.

While you can extract the water with a vacuum pump, the foam is broken down

 

[stresspoint]

not being familiar with the whaler as such , as Scott Danforth has posted above :
in general ,once water gets in a hull it will waterlog foam , wood , etc break it down and turn it to a heavy sloshy mess .

now : """all is not lost as yet"" , there are options .

bounce test ( as should have been done by now ) i know this could be a bit scary , but at this point , " it is what it is " so a bounce test is only going to tell you how bad it is and how much it will take when out on the water. .

if it is not too bad , there is the option of a transom plate , they are very affective if designed correctly, the boat will run heavy but still work just fine..

tidy it up , and make it safe ,use the boat on inland waterways and close shore fishing etc as is and run it till it falls to bits ( my go to option ) some boats last many years with wasted foam and transom's when used like this..

spend a few grand and have the boat restored professionally.

spend a lot of grands and dabble yourself in a repair and possibly never get it right ( depending on your previous fiber glassing , foaming , boat structure understanding, +++++ to do the job that needs doing.

cut your losses ,sell up and call it a learning experience for you next purchase.

 

[JimS123]

spend a few grand and have the boat restored professionally.

spend a lot of grands and dabble yourself in a repair and possibly never get it right ( depending on your previous fiber glassing , foaming , boat structure understanding, +++++ to do the job that needs doing.

Whalers have a unique structure. An inner and outer hull are laminated together, then holes are drilled all along the gunnel. An octopus of tubes are inserted and the inner core is filled with a structural expanding foam. Repairs are not as simple as pulling up a wooden deck and replacing stringers and foam.

There are videos online, but this type of restoration (except for transom replacement) might be one that is better left to professionals.

 

[JacksOutrage]

not being familiar with the whaler as such , as Scott Danforth has posted above :
in general ,once water gets in a hull it will waterlog foam , wood , etc break it down and turn it to a heavy sloshy mess .

now : """all is not lost as yet"" , there are options .

bounce test ( as should have been done by now ) i know this could be a bit scary , but at this point , " it is what it is " so a bounce test is only going to tell you how bad it is and how much it will take when out on the water. .

if it is not too bad , there is the option of a transom plate , they are very affective if designed correctly, the boat will run heavy but still work just fine..

tidy it up , and make it safe ,use the boat on inland waterways and close shore fishing etc as is and run it till it falls to bits ( my go to option ) some boats last many years with wasted foam and transom's when used like this..

spend a few grand and have the boat restored professionally.

spend a lot of grands and dabble yourself in a repair and possibly never get it right ( depending on your previous fiber glassing , foaming , boat structure understanding, +++++ to do the job that needs doing.

cut your losses ,sell up and call it a learning experience for you next purchase.

Thanks for the entertaining post. You described my DIY skills perfectly. I will do the bounce test as soon as I find a spotter... that way I will at least have a video to share

 

[JacksOutrage]

The transom is the only wood. But all the foam is water soaked.

While you can extract the water with a vacuum pump, the foam is broken down

Thanks. I just want to state what I believe you are implying... "If the transom is soaked, then the foam is also soaked". I didn't know if there was a hard break between the transom and the foamed part of hull.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I didn't know if there was a hard break between the transom and the foamed part of hull.

Take a big Tupperware bowl. Put a piece of tape on the inside to represent the hunk of wood for the transom. This represents the outer hull shell

Now place a small Tupperware bowl inside, hovering. This represents the inner hull shell.

The area between the two bowls was filled with closed cell foam that has broken down with exposure to water and freezing temperatures and is now filled with water

The hull is not compartmentalized

 

[stresspoint]

Thanks for the entertaining post. You described my DIY skills perfectly. I will do the bounce test as soon as I find a spotter... that way I will at least have a video to share

ha ha , good to see you still got a sense of humor about what you are facing.
iv never seen a transom snap off during a jump test, so you should be OK?????.
saying that , i was tightening a bolt last night and the breaker bar snapped the pin (never seen one snap before), i flew 4 feet through the air and landed on my ASSSS,
would have made a good vid if i had have been prepared .

keep us informed of how you are going , some pics would be a help to some here to determine where /what to advise you to do /go from here.