Transom leaking

[cusack]

I wanted to start a new topic on this because I didn't know if anyone would read that far back when I posted this thread about a week ago. Anyways on my 1987 Starcraft fiberglass bass boat there is a leak somewhere in my transom. I initially had thought it was coming from around the drain plug because it had some old worn out Marine Tek around it but I stripped all that off and sealed it with some 3M 5200. We put it in the water today for about an hour and pulled the plug and about a gallon of water come out.

I have a brand new "T" style drain plug and don't see any other holes anywhere that aren't sealed with 5200. Should I be concerned about this? It is my understanding that NO water should come out whatsoever! My uncle's thoughts was not to worry about it and just turn on the bilge pump every once in awhile but won't this still end up rotting out the transom?

I'm new to all this and boating in general so just trying to learn as I go. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[legoman67]

Re: Transom leaking

should be fairly dry, and after an hour or 2, assuming you werent in crazy seas you should have no water come out.

to test it you could put it in and watch the transom well you go in reverse(that will put the most water force on the transom). if its getting a gallon in an hour it should be noticable.

 

[oops!]

Re: Transom leaking

most water comes in from under the rub rail.

but is there water in the boat when you are storing it......the water might not be noticible when the boat is out of the water as it is normally stored with out the plug in.

if the boat is waterlogged....you might be draining to the pluged bilge.
BUT.....this is a remote possibility for the amount of water you have

 

[cusack]

Re: Transom leaking

Well first we backed it down the ramp and let it sit on the incline making sure no water was coming out before we even put it in the water, just a few drops was coming out.

Then after we put it in the water, we let it sit there for awhile checking for water leaking into the transom and still couldn't see any water leaking. It was only until an hour later when we brought it back onshore and pulled the plug to see about a gallon of water come out. This has me so puzzled!!

What about the idea of turning the bilge pump on every now and then to get the water out of the transom? Would this work or would the transom eventually rot??

 

[legoman67]

Re: Transom leaking

the transom wont rot from a little water in the bilge, the bilge is designed to catch water in the boat, and should have a layer of fibreglass between it and the transom. But the transom may be rotting (or already rotted) from the source of the water. is the boat going in salt water? if so a taste taste will let you know if its just rain water that seaps out of cracks, or if its salt, a properly maintained boat will never see seawater inside.

 

[DJ]

Re: Transom leaking

A gallon in one hour is fairly significant. That means 24 gallons in 24 hours and so on.

There are other things on the transom that can leak.

-Transducer mounting.

-Splashwell drains.

-Engine mounting bolts (lower).

To name three.

 

[cusack]

Re: Transom leaking

Ok this may sound really dumb but again I'm new to the whole boating thing but is that where the water is actually going is into the bilge? I was thinking that the drain plug hole seals the transom and the water is just staying INSIDE of the transom but now I'm guessing that leads into the bilge area? Yes, whomever is reading this is shaking their head thinking I'm an idiot. I'm try to learn!

 

[legoman67]

Re: Transom leaking

the transom is the physical wall at the back, hopefully all you have in there is wood and fibreglass. the bilge is on the inside of it, the transom plug leads out of the bilge area through the transom, and out the back. If its an I/O the bilge is right below the engine..

the bilge pump is in the bilge, hence the name

how about a picture, that could help

 

[BigB9000]

Re: Transom leaking

this an inboard or an outboard?

and will it take on water while just sitting there, or while moving?

...I ask because my old boat didn't leak at all, it could sit for days and be perfectly dry, but when moving it would start taking on water

 

[oops!]

Re: Transom leaking

Ok this may sound really dumb but again I'm new to the whole boating thing............ whomever is reading this is shaking their head thinking I'm an idiot. I'm try to learn!

this is i boats....

basically.....there is no such thing as a dumb question here......

actually your question is puzzeling.......


what you will need to do....(if you can) is tape some paper high under the spalsh well....near the cap hull joint.....

im guessing that the cap hull joint is not sealed properly.......when the boat de accellerates the wash wave intrudes. this is quite common.......the paper up high will prove or disprove this theroy.


and a bilge pump will allways work but you have not found or solved the problem

 

[cusack]

Re: Transom leaking

Guys thanks so much to everyone that has posted their advice and knowledge on what to check for. I was kinda leaning towards selling it but now after reading all these posts have decided that I'm not going to give up and try to fix these repairs. Right now that transom leak is my main concern and what I plan on tackling further soon.

Thanks again.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Transom leaking

this is i boats....

basically.....there is no such thing as a dumb question here......

On that note... ... I will ask:

Reading this, all I have got from the thread is that you keep finding water in the bilge, but I am not sure how you have concluded that it is the transom causing the problem.
Water could be coming from anywhere, couldn't it?

 

[92excel]

Re: Transom leaking

On that note... ... I will ask:

Reading this, all I have got from the thread is that you keep finding water in the bilge, but I am not sure how you have concluded that it is the transom causing the problem.
Water could be coming from anywhere, couldn't it?

Agreed... get under her and check out the entire hull for any holes or cracks.

some really smart people have even been known to attempt to fix the deck by adding wood on top of the crumbling deck and put screws right through the hull .. i know because a previous owner of my boat did it! screws through the hull will leak everytime!

 

[cusack]

Re: Transom leaking

I'm going to use every bit of this advice and suggestions on what to track down to to try to find this problem. I'm just assuming it's coming from the transom and need to look into this further because I haven't really crawled under the boat to check. Once it warms up a bit outside and I get motivated soon then I'm going to try to tackle this problem further but will keep everyone updated.

Thanks again for everyones help. You guys are very knowledgeable!

 

[jonesg]

Re: Transom leaking

A bit of food dye in suspect areas, such as the bow eye, will show up in the bilge if they are the source of intrusion.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Transom leaking

A good visual inspection is a great first step.

 

[C Prosper]

Re: Transom leaking

I have an old Ranger bass boat with a similar transom leak problem. My leak is around the lower mounting bolts for the outboard motor but I have not been able to stop it yet. I think it is because I cannot get an adequate seal with 3M 5200 around the bolts passing through the holes in the transom because of the small clearances or because of inadequate seal plates on the inside. Unfortunately, to access the bolts I have to remove 3 batteries and the gas tank which is not easy for a 70 year old - but I will try again when the weather gets a little warmer.
You may want to use the approach that I used to find my leak. I parked my boat on an inclined driveway. With the plug in place, I used a garden hose to fill the bilge to a level above the lower mounting bolts. It didn't take long to see the water seeping out around the mounting bolts. If your problem is not the mounting bolts, you still may be able to see it. Usually, leaks go both ways.
Good luck.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Transom leaking

Bass botes have a muriad of valves, hoses, and pumps to maintain the swimmin' pools for the fishies. Most of the parts are below the water line, and some are plastic that tends to crack with age.

Been there before.

John

 

[kabcpapc]

Re: Transom leaking

Back in the mid 60's when my Dad bought his Aristocraft, he had stern seats installed by the dealer. After we used the boat several times, we noticed every time we unplugged the drain plug between the inner and outer hulls water would pour out. We crawled under the boat and inspected the bottom. Nothing found. Then one day after we had been on the lake my Dad decided to let the marina use their hoist to lift the boat out of the water and place it on the trailer. After it was in the air we saw water dripping from the hull. We found several holes in the hull that matched up with the screws used to mount the stern seats. When the boat was on the trailer the holes were covered up by the bunks so that's why we did not see anything when we crawled under the boat. He took the boat back to the dealer and had him patch the holes. Lightning struck twice because when I bought my 1977 CollinsCraft new in April 1977 my dealer also drilled holes through my hull when he installed my front pedestal seat. My Dad and I took it on its first fishing trip and after we finished fishing we loaded the boat on the trailer and headed for the campsite. We had just sat down to have a drink when he noticed water dripping from the foward part of the bottom hull. We found the holes and took the boat back to my dealer to have them patched. While the boat was being repaired my dealer also noticed that a long shaft motor was put on the boat when it required a short shaft. Comedy of errors!