Transom rot around I/O bolt hole

[roscoe1]

I have a '77 Formula with a Mercruiser I/O I bought late last year. The boat is in excellent overall condition and has low hours. Unfortunately, I discovered the source of a pesky transom leak: outer transom plate is rusted through next to the port side mounting bolt. Worse, the transom wood is rotted about 2" all around said bolt hole. The remainder of the transom wood appears to be rock solid. The rot/leak seems to have started where the aluminum plate touches the transom wood. <br />Can I fix or replace just the rotted wood around the 1 bolt hole?<br />Thanks,<br />John

 

[Solittle]

Re: Transom rot around I/O bolt hole

John the trick will be to get the rotten wood out. If you can and it is limited to 2" around the hole I would pack the cavity with Marine Tex.<br /><br />You need to confirm the extent of the rot. If you can get to the inside of the transom tap around the area with a hammer. You will hear a distinct difference in the sound between the good wood and the rot.<br /><br />There is a product called CPES, I think, that you can research for this as an alternative to the Marine Tex.

 

[funnyboy]

Re: Transom rot around I/O bolt hole

SOL, <br />Thanks for the reply. Today, after further inspection I found that most of the transom from the water line and up is rotten and mushy. Also, I poked around the motor mounts and found them to be loose, soft and rotten, too. <br /><br />I am not happy.<br /><br />I think for the moment I will mothball the boat for the winter or sell the POS for parts. My salt water boating season lasts until mid-Oct and I've already wasted too much time with this POS. I bought the boat in November 2004 and have used it for about 6 or 7 seven hours last week. Are Formula boats of this vintage known for this kind of rot? I always thought they were built a little better than this....but I guess not.<br />Thanks,<br />John

 

[Solittle]

Re: Transom rot around I/O bolt hole

Formulas have a good reputation. Often rot is not the result of poor construction by the manufacturer. It is the fault of some yeahoo who drilled a hole to attach something and never used the proper sealant.