Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

[dok33]

I purchased an older 18' Chapparal bow rider earlier this year and am slowly fixing the few minor things I've found between weekend trips to the lake. I figured the area where the outboard is mounted is probably reinforced but it looks to me like the bolt heads might be pulling through a little bit and I was wondering if I should add some support:

Thoughts?

 

[QC]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

I am moving this over to the restoration section. We'll get you some more focused help over there. Very common issue. Good luck!

 

[lucid484]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

Um thats called a rotted transom and unless you want to risk the transom getting ripped off the back of the boat or the motor dropping off I think you will need a new transom. That in your pictures is NEVER a good sign.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

Yup, Transom definitely needs to be replace. That IS an unsafe transom.
Safety IS #1 consideration when on the water.

I'm just sayin...

 

[lucid484]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

Yeah sorry to say that thats what happens usually when you purchase an older boat....mine went from a soft transom to now I have the transom,deck and stringers rotted and mostly removed...I basically went from a nice boat with a few minor repairs to a bare hull and basically building a boat from scratch!

 

[dok33]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

Thanks for the replies everyone. Not good news but it's good to know what I'm up against, obviously don't want to risk anything safety-related! We bought the boat mainly to see if it's something we'd like to do long-term and were planning on selling it after a season or two to get something newer. I'm not sure I'm up for tearing the transom out, especially since I'm in the middle of a home remodel, so we may just use it for the remainder of the season and sell it, figure the motor and galvanized trailer are worth some $$ at the very least.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

We've all been down that road, if you use it ..go easy,
I wouldn't pull a water skier.
Mine gave out from trailering the boat,
they will not absorb much stress once they get to that point.

 

[dok33]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

No skiing here, we mainly use it for cruising to a cove to swim and pull our newly acquired tube, usually with 90lb 10yr old on it. I'm doing some reading on Seacast right now, might give that a shot if we decide to keep 'er for another season...

Appreciate all the input, I've worked on cars all my life so I can handle the motor stuff but boat structure is out of my realm of knowledge...

 

[lucid484]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

do you have any exterior pics...my transom was like that and the inner skin looks so far gone that you may have to cut that out and create a new false skin with waxed plywood to seacast that.

 

[Gypsystar17]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

My transom looked the same around the motor bolts.sure enough transom was rotten and rotten transom usually = rotten stringers also.just finishing up mine now....

 

[wishboneZ51]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

If your transom is rotted outand if it were me I would not pull my kids no matter how much they weigh. If that transom gives, you now have a couple hundred pounds of moving mechanical parts in the line of direction with your child and cannot stop due to lack of propulsion. Just my 2 cents.

I understand you bought it to see how your family would enjoy using a boat and if it would be a great family investment, I am doing the same as you. But I have been a Captain Paramedic for the Federal Fire Service for 15 years and have seen everything under the sun. Boating accidents never end up ok like car accidents do.

You and your family's safety is 2 million times more important then the cost of the boat or lack there of. Sorry but knowing what you know now and if something were to happen, you could have serious mental problems if something terrable happened. If you didn't know no harm no foul.

Cheers

 

[dok33]

Re: Reinforcement for outboard mounts?

Lucid-I'll try to snap some pictures next time I go out to the storage yard, but from the outside it looks fine, no cracks, sounds solid and not hollow when I tap on either side. There is also no flex that I can tell, the motor is very solidly connected to the transom and the whole boat/trailer moved as I shook it up and down (with transom saver removed of course). The wood exposed in the picture is dry, I suppose I need to drill some 1/4" holes from the inside to see what the wood condition is everywhere else before deciding how to move forward. Any suggestions on how to plug the test holes up?