need help with wet transom..

[ironjam21]

hi, sorry to be asking another transom question, but i couldnt find much info on this. the lower half of my i/o maxum transom appearantly got wet last summer. the wood is wet, but still solid/strong. my plan of attack is to drill numerous small holes from inside the transom(to allow air in), stick a small heater in the bilge for a few weeks and hopefully dry it out. is there anything else i'm missing that can help my situation? i'd appreciate any tips. thanks!

 

[DJ]

Re: need help with wet transom..

Moving to: Boat Repair/Modifiction.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: need help with wet transom..

how wet is wet ? saturated ? or damp ? through and through or surface ?

Dehumidifier to evac your humidity might help..and I say might..depends on how much water is there and is it open..

YD.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: need help with wet transom..

you're wasting your time. the damage is done, either from not changing bellows, or other service items. plan on pulling the outdrive and engine and replacing the transom. it's not going to dry out. other alternative is be a smuck, and sell it to some unsuspecting fool, who will be back on here, saying they bought a boat with a rotting transom. that's the real life story. sorry.

 

[ironjam21]

Re: need help with wet transom..

yacht dr: its seems damp, not saturated. i've seen saturated, spongy wood before and its far from that. you think a dehumidifier would work better than a heater?

tashasdaddy: i think your taking it a bit to the extreme.. yes, maybe 20 years from now it'll be rotted out and and falling apart, but right now its still very solid

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: need help with wet transom..

i give you 1 season, if you don't find the cause. 2 at the most, then you can't sell it. ever seen an outdrive hanging.

 

[flashback]

Re: need help with wet transom..

ironjam, what you suggest may work if you can find where the water is getting in and stop it.. the humidifyer is the way to go rather than a heater... what tasha said is true if you don't get to the source .......

 

[klos]

Re: need help with wet transom..

Chances are that transom core has been wet for months if not years.
Once wood gets wet it does'nt take long for rot to start.

If you plan on keeping the boat do some research on replacing the transom. It's not that bad of a job.

 

[ironjam21]

Re: need help with wet transom..

thanks for the quick replies.. i forgot to mention, it got wet last fall due to a couple straight days of heavy rain. my pumps wernt working, so the bilge filled up about a foot with water. so therefore the top half of the transom is completely dry, its just the lower half thats damp. my intentions are to dry it the best i can and hope it'll be alright.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: need help with wet transom..

i wish you good luck with it. just keep and eye on it. those little organism are there, and they don't need at lot of moisture to keep working. there is an old wives tall about injectioning antifreeze, into a wet of rotten spot to stop the rot.

 

[ironjam21]

Re: need help with wet transom..

tashasdaddy, what do you think about injecting "git rot" or whatever that epoxy is called ?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: need help with wet transom..

my understanding of it is, that you have to dig out the rot, and then use it. so then you have to patch the gel coat. i think is a temporary fix. imho.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: need help with wet transom..

Ironjam..yup dehumidifier m8. you dont want the heat creating expantion and steam.

you might consider tenting your eng. compartment in conjuction with it..and keep your transom covered and cool.

IF you can borrow a moisture meter and find just HOW much moister is there would be a great help. ( also meter around your outdrive unit .. it might be best necessary to yank your unit and do some digrinding and git rot..then pack with glass around those holes..mebbe not needed though )

really.. #1 GET a meter on your transom both inside and out and dehumidify your compartment ( might take a while though)

 

[ironjam21]

Re: need help with wet transom..

ok, thanks guys for the help! i appreciate it. i'll let ya know how it comes out

 

[Solittle]

Re: need help with wet transom..

Water alone does not cause rot. Rot is caused by a fungus which breeds in moist, wet or damp areas. If you kill the fungus you stop the rot.

If you can saturate the area with automotive anti freeze even if you have to drill a few small holes in the outer skin on the inside of the transom and use an industrial hypodermic needle.

I posted a link to an article on this some time back if you can find it. I have used this method and it works - - for me at least.

 

[sdunt]

Re: need help with wet transom..

Actually using antifreeze, polyethelene glycol to kill fungus and the 'organisms' that cause rot in wood is well documented and does actually work: http://www.angelfire.com/nc3/davecarnell/rot.html
Soaking the wet areas with straight antifreeze or Polyethylene glycol from laboratory supply would help prevent rot. PEG also absorbs water, at least PURE PEG does, so I don't know if it could help 'dry' out the wood.

 

[ironjam21]

Re: need help with wet transom..

so, if i'm actually able to inject anti freeze into it, wouldnt i have problems sealing all the holes back up with epoxy?? i mean if the wood is saturated with anti freeze, how would i get the epoxy to bond? otherwise it seems like a good idea..
also, where can i get a industrial hypodermic needle?

btw, i set up a dehumidifier in my bilge for about 2 constant days and so far it seems to be working well. a good amount of water collected..

 

[Robj]

Re: need help with wet transom..

Hello there,

I have the same problem with my project boat on which I am replacing the rotten floor and stringers. The previous owner left it out in the rain and everything got saturated. The transom is dry now and appears to be solid. I plan on injecting it with git rot and then filling the holes with epoxy and a layer of cloth. I have read alot about injecting with git rot or penetrating epoxy and it seems to be a reasonable fix.

Good luck

Rob.

 

[Solittle]

Re: need help with wet transom..

I have used Git Rot and find it useless. It does not kill the fungus and does not penatrate well.

As to the hypo - Call any supplier to vetranerians and get one for horses. You can also ask a paramedic as some will carry them in their trucks.

As to the holes wipe down the outside with acetone and fill the holes with Marine Tex.