Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

[12thManFalseStart]

After having such a great day, washed, waxed, sea foamed, and getting ready for the river this weekend, I read a thread about how much transom flex is acceptable. I knew I had flex, but thought it was normal for a 300 plus pound engine to flex some wood and fiberglass a little. Guess not. Just got the boat 2 weeks ago tomorrow. Already bought a rebuilt starter for it and installed, and a $90 battery, before the starter. Uggg.

There's just no way I'm going to pull the top half of the boat off, etc. Quick fix for me, treat it nice, and sell it with problem disclosed next year is what I'm thinking. Only been in the damned thing twice now.

I pulled out about a half inch of rot in these pictures. Noticed water in the "splash hole" or whatever it's called was leaking through it's hole to drain I believe.

 

[12thManFalseStart]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.



Notice how the C clamp for the engine mount is like 1 inch high, and isn't even touching the whatever you call that place it's supposed to rest on?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

Chicken, chicken, chicken!!!

We got old guys, young guys, and nearly blind, crippled, and crazy guys pulling the transoms and decks out of fiberglass boats and fixing them better than new! There's not that much to it.

Try not to be such a wuss.

 

[12thManFalseStart]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

Ya, I've noticed these people also have land or a garage, lots of tools, Engine cherry pickers, and seemingly all the time in the world.

 

[83mulligan]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

The motor not resting on top of the transom is no issue at all. What is an issue is the missing mounting bolts on the bottom of the bracket and the top mounting bolt pictured that is being pulled down on an angle and not straight through the transom. It appears to not be supporting the engine properly.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

^^^ probably in part to the soft transom.

Unfortunately, you'll find it difficult to get support for coverup faux-repairs. I understand your intention of selling the boat w/ full disclosure, but using it is an iffy proposition at best.

I never want to be in a boat backing away from the ramp thinking: 'Is today the day?' And I absolutely don't ever want to be aboard someone else's boat when they are.

If you can't afford to properly repair & maintain a boat, perhaps you should look for friends w/ boats.

IMHO, it isn't worth it. I have several started & incomplete projects because of time, tool, space & money concerns. But I'd never consider doing less then substantial repairs and using a boat that I knew had structural problems.

Good luck w/ your project

Boat & boat resto safely.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

Ya, I've noticed these people also have land or a garage, lots of tools, Engine cherry pickers, and seemingly all the time in the world.

I had some tools and knowledge before I started, but not enough land to keep the cops from getting called on me, never enough money, and time that is never enough and not slowing down...but I am already knocking on the door to my second year of restoration and I don't want to think about how much I have invested...however, after it is done, I know it will be akin to me winning something like the Indy 500 {without the riches that come with that, of course}
The sense of pride and accomplishment I know I will feel when I finish it, will not be able to be put into words...
Plus the fact that my pockets ain't deep enough to be forced to make a huge down payment and monthly payments for an eternity on a brand new, purely luxury, hobby item...and as most of us know on this forum...any boat older than a few years old, that hasn't been properly cared for and kept out of the elements while stored, is a very good candidate for restoration...no matter how nice they look, sound or the PO says they are...

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

There really is no safe way to doctor it and play on the water again, you need to replace it, or keep the motor and controls and find a different hull to put them on. In truth, the motor, steering and controls are actually what is worth the money, boat hulls for the most part are not very expensive to pick up when they are bare. The only way to replace it properly and also check the stringers is to pull the top as well as the transom. If the stringers are rotten in the transom area, then the structure of the boat is shot as they need to tie into the transom to create the strength.

 

[ponchoman]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

Maybe get a shop to do over the winter. They can take their time, and you can save up the whole time, pay in spring. Just my .02

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

A shop will likely be prohibitively expensive, if you can find 1 that will even consider the project. And for sure it's unlikely they'll start on it w/out a sizable down payment.

But it certainly won't cost much to check & see. Unless you have to drag the boat all over town to let them inspect it. Then you're just out time & gas$.

 

[12thManFalseStart]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

What I should do is try and get the po to take back his pos boat that's still in his name. So far I've used it twice, so that works out to $800 per trip minus gas. I'm still miffed. Would be different had the craigslist title said PROJECT BOAT for sale, but we all know how that goes. Too bad there wasn't a lemon law for private sellers as well with a time period.

Are there any large aluminum row boats that could handle a 115? lol.

 

[Sparkinator]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

That really is a nice looking boat and would be worth the effort involved in replacing the transom. My son and I just finished replacing the transom on our boat, and actually was a lot of fun. We both learned a lot, and the materials were probably less than 500 dollars. Granted the only thing rotten was our transom, but we had to cut out the floor and back half of the stringers to get the new transom in. My boat now means more to me than before the job, just because how close it brought me and my son.

And like I said, that is a nice looking boat.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

What I should do is try and get the po to take back his pos boat that's still in his name. So far I've used it twice, so that works out to $800 per trip minus gas. I'm still miffed. Would be different had the craigslist title said PROJECT BOAT for sale, but we all know how that goes. Too bad there wasn't a lemon law for private sellers as well with a time period.

Are there any large aluminum row boats that could handle a 115? lol.

Nope, but there are aluminum boats that can handle your motor, of course, the majority of aluminum boats also have wood in the transom.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

There are quite a few aluminum boats that would take a 115hp OB.
18ft Holiday or 18' SS by Starcraft

You are understandably irritated that the seller wasn't aware or willfully sold you a less then water ready boat. Read thru the resto threads.

Friscoboater KNEW what to avoid because he'd already done a gut & restore on 1 boat. Still bought a boat that turned out to have massive hidden (deliberately) damage. He drove 1500mi +/- and paid $6K (+/-) for the right to gut his 'new' boat & spend $4K +/- in rehab costs.

You are not likely to get your money back for the boat. How's the trailer it's on?

It is a nice looking rig.

Spend some time over the next few days, and read thru some threads. You will see that many (most) start similarly to your situation.

I can't advise you on how it's best for you to proceed, but if the seller doesn't have legal paperwork selling the boat to you & a transferred title/registration (depending on what state you & he are in), I guess you have recourse. Just not any money back. So in terms of that, you possess it but don't own it.

This brings up another point: If you don't have legal ownership (title & reg in your name) I wouldn't spend another dime fixing the boat until you do. Motor/trailer either. Even in non-title/reg states, it can often be a good idea to go thru the trouble to get them. States that don't require them, may issue them at the request of the owner. If not in your state, there are other states that will gladly take your money to reg/title it in your name, let you pay the reg fee, and use the boat in another state's waterways.

If you were a particularly shady seller, you could get legal title to a boat then sell it in a non-title state (buyer wouldn't expect you to have title & may not attempt to title it themselves). The buyer could spend a few hundred (thousands maybe) getting the motor running, and do several thousands (even tens of thousands) doing a full gut & rehab. You show up w/ the sheriff & ID the boat as your's & have the title to prove it. Boat & motor may be returned to the seller. Overly simple, but you get the drift...

Unless you really LOVE this boat, perhaps it is best to part ways & treat it as a learning experience. For a good running 115, $1500 isn't too awful bad, even needing a few maintenance parts. The battery shouldn't be considered a OB 'part'.

The look of your boat has value even as a project hull: Intact windshield~not a whole lot of that particular style laying around if your boat's has a crack. There are places online & locally to list it for sale. If the trailer's rolling & not in rough shape, it has value. Keep the motor & junk the boat (here it's be less then $50 at the dump), then sell the trailer, empty for $200+/-.

Keep the motor, and sell the trailer for $100, BUT the buyer HAS to take the hull too. May have to 'sell' the trailer for free to get someone to take the motorless hull too.

You might get lucky & find someone how WANTS this exact boat, and would be interested in the bare hull & trailer for $500. That's way more then it'd be 'worth' to me, but that 1 guy might be out there. Probably a few more then 1 too.

Hit CL & see what empty boat trailers in about what you think is the condition of yours are selling for. That may help you decide if you want to drag the boat to the dump & sell the trailer bare. It'd have to be more then a $100 difference for me to want to take the time to drag it to the dump & pay the dump fee.

To the right guy, the windshield may be worth more then the bare trailer. How's the deck hardware & nav lights. Those could be sold on CL too.

Every dime counts towards paying down the price for keeping the 115.

Having a running motor opens up a much wider range of boats, and allows you to haggle more aggressively on the price for boats w/ a trashed motor. If this boat is the right size for the boat you'd like to have & you think will fit how you & your family will use a boat, keep the trailer too. Again allows you to look at motorless boats on junk trailers. Trailers & motors are often ignored (I'm guilty) and are no small expense to rehab along w/ the boat.

How & why you got here, are, unfortunately, kind of moot. The purchase has been made, you have possession of the boat, NOW you need to decide how YOU want to proceed.

You can PM most of us anytime. Many prefer to handle all forum stuff in the forum, so that it can benefit any & everyone. Some prefer not to post details of their situation. I prefer to be open about mine.

If you decide to tear into the boat, the demo may be therapeutic. And I'd suggest you attempt the demo even if you're not interested in keeping & rehabbing this boat. Digging in & taking it apart will help you understand how boats are built, what causes them to end up like yours, & hopefully help you understand how & where to inspect any future boat purchase.

Almost all fiberglass boats older then a couple~5 seasons, that have been left outside exposed to the elements & not properly maintained, will have many of the same problems as a 40+yr old boat, just not quite as advanced & rotten, yet.

You might be able to get this boat water ready for $2K+/-, if you have the tools necessary. If not, that figure will be higher. BUT it'll be better then most (all maybe) $5K & up boats for sale in your market,and cost you your time & $3500+/-. May not be 'worth' $4K on the open market, perhaps not even $3K, it's still a 40yr old boat. You are extremely unlikely to get your resto costs back, and your time/labor will have been free. But it will be worth way more then that to you. If you keep a good record (here, elsewhere, w/ pix) of the work as you do it, you will at least be able to command as high an asking price as the market will possibly allow, because you can show a potential buyer exactly what was done & how. The crew @the dry dock will help you get there, if you're willing & can stick it out.

Add you locale to your profile, even if just SoCal~N Fl. If you decide to go tin or look for a more water ready boat or at least less of a project, the dry dock crew will help ya find something to suit ya.

Sermon over.

Best of luck,

Tomorrow is another day. Carp it's already tomorrow, gotta go...........

 

[73Chrysler105]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

jb is right its your boat you need to decide what to do. None of us recommend running a boat that is not safe on the water it is like flying a plane that we know the engine could fall off on take off. With a car it's a little different we all are used to taking chances with a car but then it doesn't fall from the sky or sink in open water. Boats and planes we need to make sure they are in tip top shape and running well.

Now I am not condoning this but if you are dead set on doing a repair then fix some of the issues mentioned above like missing mounting bolts and incorrect angles. You will probably need some type of hoist or at lease a come-a-long to lift the motor up or at least take the weight off the bolts. Use some 3/8" aluminum plate as big as you can get it to fit over as much of the inside of the transom as possible. I would make some external plates as well to go on each side up to the motor or if you can a full plate if it will fit between the motor and the transom. Seal the external plate with some 4200 marine sealant, drill some holes to bolt the two plates together and sandwich the transom between them. Fill all the unused holes in the transom with PB (resin and cabosil mix), on all the holes reused seal with 5200 marine sealant on the holes and bolts to seal them. Make sure you bolt the motor on properly. This will be a temporary fix and the best one you can do to make sure you have the best surface available. I would check for cracks in the gelcoat often and stop using the boat if any appear until a full proper transom replacement is complete.

I have 4 project boats right now all sitting in a field across from my house until my landlord complains about them. I work off my covered porch, uncovered patio, carport and makeshift portable carport. One of my projects is a complete gut and rebuild thats taking me 2 and a half years so far because of time and money, I either have one or the other but never both at the same time.

 

[12thManFalseStart]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

jb is right its your boat you need to decide what to do. None of us recommend running a boat that is not safe on the water it is like flying a plane that we know the engine could fall off on take off. With a car it's a little different we all are used to taking chances with a car but then it doesn't fall from the sky or sink in open water. Boats and planes we need to make sure they are in tip top shape and running well.

Now I am not condoning this but if you are dead set on doing a repair then fix some of the issues mentioned above like missing mounting bolts and incorrect angles. You will probably need some type of hoist or at lease a come-a-long to lift the motor up or at least take the weight off the bolts. Use some 3/8" aluminum plate as big as you can get it to fit over as much of the inside of the transom as possible. I would make some external plates as well to go on each side up to the motor or if you can a full plate if it will fit between the motor and the transom. Seal the external plate with some 4200 marine sealant, drill some holes to bolt the two plates together and sandwich the transom between them. Fill all the unused holes in the transom with PB (resin and cabosil mix), on all the holes reused seal with 5200 marine sealant on the holes and bolts to seal them. Make sure you bolt the motor on properly. This will be a temporary fix and the best one you can do to make sure you have the best surface available. I would check for cracks in the gelcoat often and stop using the boat if any appear until a full proper transom replacement is complete.

I have 4 project boats right now all sitting in a field across from my house until my landlord complains about them. I work off my covered porch, uncovered patio, carport and makeshift portable carport. One of my projects is a complete gut and rebuild thats taking me 2 and a half years so far because of time and money, I either have one or the other but never both at the same time.

Yea, I was throwing around some things in my head today, went to lowes, and was looking at L angle steel. was pretty heavy though, compared to the alminum 3 inch L, but I want all the strength I can get, hence the L angle instead of just 3 inch flat metal. Thinking about coating the transom part where I dug out the rot, just to water proof it, and smooth it out, and throw in a piece of wood that matches the height of the rest of the fiber glassed transom. Then was going to take my 2x12 and cut it to fit the best I can over that as far out to the edges as I can. Hopefully the edges are a bit stronger than the center of the transom. Then throw the L angle over that and put the bolts through. That way the stress is dissipated on the 2x12, instead of 3 inches of the metal on the fiberglass. Can you kind of picture it? Last, I was going to drill two hole on the farthest port, and farthest starboard side through the same metal for more reinforcement. I hate drilling through the boat though. I'm still wondering how hard it is going to be to drill a straight hole through this metal without the bit wanting to walk. Poor little cordless drill.

Thanks for the heads up on the kind of sealant to use. I would have just used silicone. Do they sell this 4200 marine sealant, and the other hole filler at home depot or lowes?

Oh yea, and the missing mounting bolts, I took out to take to home depot to see what size, and to get longer ones with new nuts and washers that will fit my "project".

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

Sounds like a great way to wreck an already compromised transom.

Best of luck w/ your project

Boat & boat resto safely

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

Sounds like a great way to wreck an already compromised transom.

My same exact thought as well.

Ya, I've noticed these people also have land or a garage, lots of tools, Engine cherry pickers, and seemingly all the time in the world.

Not all folks that restore boats here have land or garages, so rent a storage unit (especially in the winter) to work on their boats.

As far as tools, you don't really need that many. A 7 1/4" circular saw, a jig saw, an angle grinder, and a drill will do just about everything you need. You can get these tools for about $30 each from Harbor Freight.

Engine cherry pickers can be rented for a single day, or you can build a wooden gantry to remove your motor (lots of folks do this on here).

Time, yes... this is what the job will take the most of. But something worth having will be worth the time. When you get done you'll have the pride and satisfaction of knowing you did a good job and you did it yourself.


You don't have to pull the whole cap of your boat to fix the transom, lots of folks do this with the cap on. If you can't access the work with the cap on you can just cut the part that covers the transom off and patch it back to the rest of the cap when you're done.

You've already learned one life lesson with this boat (never buy an older fiberglass boat without expecting to put in considerable time and money to make it seaworthy).

If you try to "duct tape/redneck engineer" this boat to fix it, you'll learn life lesson #2! "The only way to fix a boat is the right way" (lives depend on it).

 

[SigSaurP229]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

Well I am fairly certain you have the old style tilt and trim $350 on Ebay catch someone on the right day and sell that motor for $700.00
Sell the trailer for $200.00 gut the hull the windshield sell on C/l for or Ebay $100.00 Return the battery. Sell the rubrail on ebay for $60 the glove box should net you $20 the gauges should get you $10.00 each. If the seats are decent put them on C/l for $80.00 for the set. The steering wheel and lights should net you around $50

Haul the hull to the dump that will cost you $65 or sell it on C/l as a project for $100.00 or give it away free.

Congrats you just broke even.

Either do the job right or gut the thing part it out and break even or man up and do the job properly.

See the thread in my signature. I paid $900 for the privelege of hauling my heap home. Oh yeah and I have a 115 hp as well so do the job and do it right or get rid of it. There are not many people's boats I trust going on but I wouldn't be the least bit worried about going on JIG N Grub's or JBCurt's.

I would hope they would feel that way about the silver lining.

While you are pondering what to do I suggest you go take a look at BillaVista's tore the transom thread.


I have used Harbor Freight ratcheting tie down straps and a tree to lift engines and drop them right on to an engine stand. If you have a driveway, can afford $20 worth of PVC and a $30 Tarp you have an instant shelter to work on the boat.

As JB said don't do one iota of work on the boat until you are the full legal owner of the boat.

 

[pckeen]

Re: Still not sure what I'm going to do about transom rot I found yesterday.

Sounds like painful work for a problematic result. Take a look at the resto forums. If you are going to repair the transom do it right....the first time.