Repair advice - old Grew 140 SS transom

[anjp]

I was recently given an old Grew 140 SS. It's a 1980-ish, 14.5 ft fiberglass runabout that I plan to use for fishing. I'm well aware that it isn't anything to write home about, which is why I want to spend minimal money and energy on this repair... Oh, and I've got another thread going to try and revive the 1981 Merc 50

Apologies for these pics. They were taken in my dark garage
1- http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz145/anjp/Grew Boat/grew_transom_1.jpg
2- http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz145/anjp/Grew Boat/grew_transom_2.jpg
3- http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz145/anjp/Grew Boat/grew_transom_3.jpg
4- http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/zz145/anjp/Grew Boat/grew_transom_4.jpg

There's a large crack on the bottom left side of the transom (where it meets the keel). See photos above. There's also a crack on the top of the transom where the outboard motor bracket would be. My theory is water got in from the top and soaked through the plywood. It froze and expanded in the winter (I'm in Ontario) and split the fiberglass near the keel. This could have happened a season or two ago because the guy who gave it to me didn't take very good care of it. I know water damage in the transom usually means rot, but in this case the plywood frame is still solid and hard. No sagging, play, or loose bits when I poke around. I'm sure the correct repair would be to cut out the transom and replace the entire thing, but that's just not going to happen in this case. I'm looking for a fix that will get me through 1 or 2 more seasons before this boat goes to runabout heaven.

My initial thoughts are: dry the plywood thoroughly. Then epoxy coat the top part of the transom to waterproof it for future. Next, cut a 1/16" thick sheet of aluminum to fit the back face of the transom. Screw it into the wood to in order to close the fiberglass gap. Then waterproof the crack with a combination of CSM and epoxy. Obviously I'm talking about a patch job here and not a professional repair. Thoughts?

cheers

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: Repair advice - old Grew 140 SS transom

UMMM NO,

That boat will NEVER be sea worthy again without a proper restoration.

That plywood is rotten not just wet, I can see it from 1000 miles away, with dark pictures in your dark garage.

PLEASE for safety sake either scrap the hull keep the merc and find a different hull, or do the job properly.

 

[anjp]

Re: Repair advice - old Grew 140 SS transom

Hi, thanks for your reply. How would you recommend I proceed?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Repair advice - old Grew 140 SS transom

The ONLY way to repair that transom/boat is to remove the wood from the inside and then do all the glass repairs to the hull for the crack. (That's a major repair) Then replace the wood and do more glass work. The stringers and deck will need to be replaced as well. Your total costs to do all these repairs will be at the minimum $1,500.00. Do you really want to invest that kind of money into this boat???

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Repair advice - old Grew 140 SS transom

Hello and welcome to the Iboats.com dry dock, anjp...
"SigSauerP229" is absolutely correct, without a proper restoration this boat will not be safe with a band aid repair...
My suggestion would be to decide if you want to restore this boat to better than new condition or send it to boat heaven...
If you decide to restore it, there is a world of information and helpful guys on this forum that will guide you through all of the proper ways to bring this boat back to life...
It will require a great deal of dedication, hard work and a good bit of money...
Owning a boat is an expensive hobby at best, if you are unable or unwilling to do the work yourself, a restoration is practically impossible...since paying someone else to do it would probably cost almost as much as a new boat, well sort of...
If you could afford a new boat, the payments can be pretty stressful and last a long time...
A restoration, done by yourself, will cost a bit of green, but the money gets put into it a little at a time and only when you can, so that part of it is controllable...
The time, well it can take a while, depending on where, when and how much you can afford...
Even if you trash this hull and still have a good running motor, there is no guarantee that the next hull you get won't have the same types of problems, except worse, because you won't know they are there thanks to the previous owners lack of knowledge, honesty or unscrupulous/unprofessional repairs...
Whatever you decide, Best of luck!
GT1M

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Repair advice - old Grew 140 SS transom

Hi, thanks for your reply. How would you recommend I proceed?

Do it right or don't do it at all... there's no in between on making an old rotten boat safe and seaworthy.

My initial thoughts are: dry the plywood thoroughly.

This will never happen without removing it and taking the plywood to an Arizona desert for a summer.

Any time and money you spend trying to half-arse this boat together will be a waste and your boat will still be a danger to yourself and your passengers.

If you don't think this boat is worth fixing right and will suit your long term needs you should either sell or give it away and look for one that either in a lot better shape or one that will serve you for years to come after it's fixed.