Transom rot

[cragars25]

Can anyone please tell me how to separate the gimbal housing outer from the inner plate. I've taken all bolts off, water inlet, wires, and hydraulic lines, but it still feels like something is holding. Do I have to remove the gimbal bearing and/or bellows? I need to repair the transom wood and thought about using 1/4" aluminum spreader plates in and out to stiffen, plus seacast expoxy to replace bad wood. The boat is a 25' 1984 Felt Encounter w/ 8'6" beam that had a Merc 350 with a 260hp outdrive; I replaced with a 1998 Merc 502 w/ a Bravo 3. It seems powered right and is supposed to do 60mph at sea level with 22pitch props. It weighs about 6500lbs and the draft is about 3' (could it be waterlogged?). Sure could use some advice, thanks.

 

[Zackman]

Re: Transom rot

Give us a little more information like the make and year of you drive and motor. They are not all the same.​

 

[danond]

Re: Transom rot

You don't need to go that overboard fixing your transom. Replace the wood and leave it at that. Anything more is overkill and totally unnecessary.

If you have an OMC or Merc drive, once all the nuts are removed (be sure you look down low, there are two at the bottom that are hard to see on OMC anyway), it will need some wiggling to remove. I used a dead-blow rubber hammer on the studs from the inside. Once it started moving it was easy to remove.