INTENDED ON MOUNTING MY 150 TODAY.....

[MateFever]

But when I pulled out the fuel tank to check out the transom and pull the bolts out to get some new ones and noticed rot under the tank. :irked:Started tearing into it and quickly realized that I had opened up a can of worms. The flotation foam is soaked all the way up to the front, the main stringer is rotten and all the floor is bad. So much for getting a super deal on a boat and getting by with just having to buy a motor. :brickwall:

So now I am going to be tearing it down completely and rebuilding it all. One thing I need to know is how the transom is assembled. Do they glass in the transom, then cover it and put in the rest of the wood and glass it to the transom after that? I wonder because that transom seems solid as a rock. I've poked and prodded and banged and knocked and cant find any rotten wood. But to me it looks like the rest of the boat got put in the water one too many times without the plug or left out in the rain(which I dont understand since there is minimal paint fading and oxidation).

Anyhow, suppose I outta show you all some pics. I know I'm gonna need some help at some point or another.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/DSC00546.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/DSC00547.jpg
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http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/DSC00556.jpg

After all of this I needed one of these
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/DSC00557.jpg

And this was supposed to be on there
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/Merc150-2.jpg

[Chris E]

only one beer - couldn't have been that bad!!

as little comfort as it is, its better to have found this now than in July and totally wrecked your summer.

[cooperider]

Nasty!!! The transom goes in before all that other wood.

[cooperider]

I'm guessing thats rain damage.

[haftoo55]

I do wish I would have kept patterns of of all the boats I threw away. Dip, Sportfire, Enticer, Predictor, ect. I sure could have used them. Alan

[cooperider]

I do wish I would have kept patterns of of all the boats I threw away. Dip, Sportfire, Enticer, Predictor, ect. I sure could have used them. AlanI wish I had all the old molds that they smashed up over the years.

[83PREDICTOR]

Looks familiar, my predictor had all of the same wood damage when I got it. It's not that bad of a job to do just more time consuming then anything. If I could do it anyone can. It's been a year since I replaced my wood, I didn't touch the transom and it is still solid as can be.

[MateFever]

Yeah, I don't think it's really going to be too bad of a job once I get out all that rotten wood and foam out. Then I can put it back together better than original. Of course I had to take the seats out and will have to replace the carpet so why not go ahead and reupholster the seats........ it may get way more expensive really fast than what I had originally intended for this first year. Oh well, I'm in it for life now.

[85Predictor]

You are in the right place for help and encouragement!
This board is the BEST!!
The link below will bring you to the start of my floor project.
The transom did seem a little wet near the bottom, but felt very solid.
I did the suggested test: Pulled up on the motor by the prop looking for flexing.
Maybe that should be the next project!!
Good Luck!!

************************************
TIP:
Double check the fitting(hose clamp) where the water exits the boat from the bilge pump.
Mine was loose and was dumping water into the floatation box!!
It also traveled along the 2X4 that runs across the boat up under the splashwell.
It then dumped into the other floatation box.
It then made it to the sub-floor/foam.
I could not find a drain hole so there it stayed!
*************************************

http://checkmate-boats.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1984

[175checkmate]

Of course I had to take the seats out and will have to replace the carpet so why not go ahead and reupholster the seats........ it may get way more expensive really fast than what I had originally intended for this first year. Oh well, I'm in it for life now.[/quote]

Be very careful with this phrase
"course I had to take the seats out and will have to replace the carpet so why not go ahead and reupholster the seats"

That's how my 4 year restoration/overhaul started out.:rof:

[MateFever]

So I continued removing flooring sections trying to get to a spot that might be dry. As of this point I haven't found any solid stringer and I'm up under the bow. My dad was supposed to email me pictures but I am concerned about a couple things. I started removing the wet foam from the back and got to about the front seat boxes and then started cleaning up the mess some. My question, and the pics will help when I get them, but is there several layers of glass over the pad. I say that because there were spots that seemed to move a little when I pressed down like bubbles. Also I found a spot toward the back just on the passenger side of the pad where it slants up that almost looks like water got under the glass and rotted a spot in the core (it sounded different when I tapped on it). But I crawled all around under the boat and didn't find any weak spots. Am I just being paranoid or could this really be possible????? The spots over the pad don't look bother some just a change in contour from slant to flat again and then back up but that brown spot has got me worried.

[MateFever]

Well, it's been a few weeks since I have had to opportunity to work on the boat but last weekend I finished tearing the stringers/foam/floor out. And since my internet at my place hasn't been working it hasn't been easy to get some pictures posted. This weekend I intend on starting to cut new wood. I think I am going to run a double stringer up to the end of the pad and then merge it into one on up under to the front.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/pics068.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/pics067.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/pics003.jpg
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http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/pics001.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/pics004.jpg

I have an issue that I'm not completely sure how to deal with. In the pictures below you will see a finger pointing to a brown spot. There is about a 1x2 section where the mat has some slight delamination and I get a dull thud with the prybar. It only flexes about 1/16th of an inch and I really dont know what to do about it. A buddy of mine and also my dad has suggested laying some new mat and resin over it instead of cutting it out. I wanted to get some suggestions on what you guys thought....... Being a mechanical engineer I have an understanding of the forces exerted on the hull my the fluid but I just want to be sure. Is this something I should be worried about???? My hull does look normal compared to other Predictors I have seen on this site undergoing this type of work. Take a look at the pics and let me know what you think.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/pics008.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/pics010.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/pics009.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/pics006.jpg

[MateFever]

Keep in mind that most of the brown is from rotting wood, not from rotten core under the fiberglass.......I have checked and all the rest of the boat is as solid as a rock with no give whatsoever.

[Eaglenva]

I would replace any sections that sound different or dont look the same as other areas.

i am suprised there has been so little response to this one sooo... I have never done this but from what i have been reading on other threads you should be able to do this (as deep as you already are and not freaking out).

water energy is hard enough on a hull as you know but hit something in the water like a piece of wood, glass bottle or a big oncoming wave and i would think that sharp impact could damage the outer layer if not properly supported inside with a good wood and glass combination.

it said to cut through the top layer of glass inside the boat around the edges of the rotted wood (do not go through the gelcoat layers-you are only removing the inside layer of glass first and then rotted wood underneath). it suggested to cut along the outside edge of rot and the rest would likely just peel off since the wood is bad. get out ALL the rotted wood and clean that area well, then get the wood type it was originally built with (end grain balsa mat), pre-cut it to match the part you had to remove and dry fit it (you want as close a fit as possible), next soak it in resin ony, no hardner (i do not know how long it takes to soak in but it did not sound like a 5 minute process). once you are ready to complete the job i believe you put resin with hardner in the gap as if you are about to lay fiberglass and then apply the soaked balsa working out any air under it as you go, then another layer of resin with hardner for the glass mat, the glass itself making sure to work out all air. I think the glass overlap was about 2". i dont remember if there was any wait time between layers but i would not think so. cover it with somethink like wax paper and lay something on it to keep it flat like books. the wax paper should peel off when drying is complete, ie. the next day. you want it to really seal that layer so water can not ever get back in.

this should re-create a solid surface to protect the outer layer from damage, if you beach it for a picnic and it happens to hit a small rock underneath it might come right through the hull without the proper backing support.

good luck, someone that is a professional will come along and confirm or correct this message but it should give you an idea of what to do to get started.

Todd

[Chris E]

before you get too carried away, double check that transom - i thought mine was solid - i had my fat ass on the set back plate and it didn't move. however, knowing my luck as i do, when i got it home, and yanked the plate off i discoverd the transom was indeed rotton - suprise, suprise. anyway, i picked some of the putty they used on the transom out and discoved wet, checked the holes found more wet - so out comes the transom today.

by the way, could you give me fuel tank measuements and capacity - i am suspious of the tank that came with the boat - i'm sure it probably won't fit. thanks.

[Mark]

It sounds like you have a little rot in the balsa. Can you see a screw hole somewhere where the water got in. That is usually the case. You can generally see the extent of the rot from the color underneath. It is hard to tell from your pic because it looks like a the roving is stained from above as well.
There is a simple solution for small areas. Drill a small hole at the top and one at the bottom of the area. Use extreme care not to drill thru the hull. Inject acetone into the top hole and it should start flowing out the bottom. The acetone will displace the water. Then use a small vacuum of some sort over the bottom hole and dry it out. Tape it into place, it may take an hour or so.
Finally inject low viscosity epoxy into the upper hole. Plug the bottom one when it starts to flow out. After it has started to cure it will have penentrated the balsa and you will need to top it up with epoxy again. Plug the top hole.
Problem solved!
I have seen great results doing this and it is much easier than cutting the section out.

[MateFever]

Mark, that idea was kind of what I was heading towards. My dad sent me an article on fiberglass boat repair and they talked about doing exactly that for cored sections. CPES was the stuff they used and I found the info doing a google search. How deep should I drill though so I dont get in too deep?

Also, I have checked the transom probably 20 times and am pretty sure that it's dry. I found no wetness in the motor holes and in fact they still have the adhesive stuck to them. I'm pretty sure the original motor was never removed until last summer before I bought the boat when it finally blew a piston. Never the less I want to be sure. Any quick suggestions to check and make sure its dry???

Chris E.... I will get some measurements from my fuel tank and also take some pictures of it for you. Keep up the good work on your boat...... it will feel amazing once you're all done (atleast that's what I'm hoping for).

Thanks for all the help guys.

[twright55]

[quote=85Predictor;412149]
It then made it to the sub-floor/foam.
I could not find a drain hole so there it stayed!
*************************************

The same thing with mine. The hull is built like a bath-tub with no drain to the rear bilge area. Any water that makes it's way below the floor will stay there indefinitely. And the foam makes double sure of it!

[sawcat]

Matefever You should go to the web site & read carefully (Rot Doctor.com)their the people who make cpes.
Also read more carefully what Mark said. Acetone first. CPES only works in a certain % of water.
It is a great product however.

Good Luck :thumb:

[MateFever]

Sawcat, that's the exact site I got the info from. Will probably be studying that word for word over the next several weeks just so that I have down exactly what I need to be doing. Thanks for the wishes of luck. Your work looks fantastic on the Pulse!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[Chris E]

good thing you guys were chatting about this, i am in the middle of taking the foam out of the back boxes - my kids were helping - if you call that help anyway.

the bottom 3" of foam were soaked and i have a soft spot on the port side that'll have to get fixed up - post pics on my thread later.

[MateFever]

Chris, my fuel tank is 24 inches wide by 13.75 deep. there is a slight slant to it and at the front is 10 inches tall then slants back and goes flat and maintains a 12 inch overall height for the rest. It's the 16 gallon tank that I think they used on most of these. Don't know how fast my 150 is going to eat through that, hopefully not too bad.

That sucks you found a spongy spot too. Wonder if nobody else has had this problem or if they just didnt check. I though my fiberglass actually looked better than alot of Predictors I've seen going through this type of work too.

[wizard8575]

lol I just found a two soft spots on my trimate on the floor and my left side back cup holder always has water in it well i pulled the holder out and the foam goes around it.

[Mark]

Cpes is merely thinned epoxy. I'm not a big fan as it may remain jelly-like. You are better off with low viscosity epoxy.
Drilling the holes is easy. I drilled them 3/16" because that fit my injection squeeze bottle. Just let the bit do the work and you will know when you are thru the top layer of fiberglass. As long as you are not bearing down you won't go thru the hull. The balsa is about 1/4" thick. The key is to dry the balsa right out. I had this old vacuum with really poor suction. I just taped it over the hole and came back a couple hours later and it was dry. You may have drill a couple of holes to get the whole area with the acetone.

[sawcat]

MateFever Since your right on top of the problem you would probably be better off just cutting the mess out of there.It'll take longer but you'll have that peace of mind & won't be saying to yourself latter he$$ I wish I had just cut that mess out of there.


cpes needs to be able to evaporate to be effective ,but at least it will carry away a certain amount of moisture.And if you soak it with acetone & use the vacume that was suggested earlier the cpes might work if followed up with another epoxy.Might work?

Resin cannot work in wet. Not even low viscosity epoxy.It must be dry.

[MateFever]

Well, over the last month I have been laying out my stringers and trying to get things ready to go back together. Coated them with resin yesterday and am waiting for everything to dry so I was going to begin repairing the soft spot in my hull. While laying underneath there I noticed a crack in the black fiberglass on the horizontal piece of wood accross the transom so I ripped off a piece and it looks like there is some wetness in that piece. It looks like it was added when the floor was put in by the layer of black fiberglass coating over it. Has anybody else had to replace this board in their restorations? What do you guys think?

[Chris E]

if that's the peice that runs about 4 - 6" down and it has wetness in it, i would bet the transom is also rotten - i am about to get more heavily into the transom this week - i've already removed the rotton wood.

[MateFever]

Well Chris, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to get into the transom but if I don't check then it would be no better than if I had just mounted the motor and used the boat without checking for the mess I had. What do you think the best way would be to dig into that and check. I was thinking of drilling some holes on the inside in various spots. That way, if the transom is dry I can fill and reseal the check spots. Thanks for the help. How's your boat coming?

[Chris E]

yeah, drill some pilot holes, what i did was press in on the wood in the engine holes and found wetness. there was also a crack along the hull deck joint that was soaking wet. that made the diagnosis that much easier. what was interesting is the fact that the whole transom was wet and rotten, so the boat must have been sitting out for a while

i have cut three new peices of 3/4 ply for the new transom and i have temporaily screwed it together - to see where i have to trim and fit. i am hoping to cut the stringers this weekend and start roughly placing them. i am also putting in transom knees. so i want to get everything roughly placed before i start fiberglassing and resining - i am only doing this once.

[MateFever]

I know what you mean. I called Checkmate last Friday and talked with Alan in the carpentry dept. and Mike for quite a while. I was intending on starting to get everything put together and making some knees when I found that wet board. Can't wait to see some pics on the progress.

The only way I'm going to be able to tell if my transom is wet is if I drill pilot holes. I prodded around in the motor mount holes with screwdrivers and picks, knocked around the whole thing with a pry bar and kind find any dull spots. Since my transom doesn't have any cracks, can't tell that way.

Could it be possible that the water just got soaked up by all the wood that was installed after it was fiberglassed and my transom could very well be fine?

[Chris E]

it's possible, and i don't know the life your boat had before you, or the history of mine for that matter, but i see your's is an 82, mine is an 79, if i was a betting man, i'd bet that if my transom was totally rotton, yours will be too. what i learned from this little project, is that water can and will seep anywhere it can, how else can you explain a completely encaspulated peice of wood be totally soaked?

[MateFever]

Yeah, I can certainly see examples of that from the mess I already cleaned out. I guess what I can hope for is that its still solid enough to make a good pattern out of for new wood. My stringers certainly did not hold up to that.

Is it incredibly difficult to separate the deck and the hull? I'm a little nervous about breaking something, that and its sitting on the trailer still. Thanks for the help.

[Eaglenva]

Mine was easy except for the transom area. the rest was just make sure you get all the rivits out, you will probably miss some so if you meet much resistence check for rivits. i was told the transom part will probably come loose pretty easy but when it did not i was told to use a bottle jack. I do not have one so I used a floor jack as discussed below.

the transom that was a real pain, the bondo they used was solid as a rock and i thought i must have missed some bolts!!! I ended up using a floor jack with 2x6's under and above it to distribute the pressure. then slowly jacked it up tapping around with a rubber mallet. it eventually let loose but i was really stressed out.

me and my 18yr old son did this and lifted it off and carried it to another part of the yard. the window and controls were left on the top half. probably weighted around 150-200# but bulky. the center of balance was around the controls. this is for a mx16 1972.

ps... mine was on the trailer also at the time. gettting it off the trailer wasnt too bad either, and less weight with the deck off. we let the back sit on the ground then rolled the trailer out from under it. from there you can lift it to put supports under it.

[Chris E]

my deck came off very easily, i had no problem at all, the bondo didn't stick or anything, i cut the transom with a circular saw, then air chiseled it out, that made for a start of a pattern, however, i ended up being a bit short for the first piece. so i got out a square and drew lines up and down spaced 2" apart, then i measured and played a little game of connect the dots, worked much better. i'll try and get some pics this week. i have 3 3/4" pieces for the new transom cut and screwed together, now i am going to start on a knee design and look at a few other boats for stringer ideas, i am using 2 instead of one, i think it'll be a bit stronger.

[MateFever]

Thanks to both of you for the ideas on removing the deck. It will probably be a few weeks before I get it to where I can start with that.

Chris, have you looked at what Illmatic did for his stringers. Thats kind of what I have designed and cut for mine running double stringers on either edge of the pad up to where the pad ends which is about where the seat boxes would be. I then made a wedge that goes across the front of those and am going to run a single stringer the rest of the way. I have a wedge at the back of the double stringers and then two small pieces cut to form a wall for an opening to the bilge. Haven't really thought about knees at this point. Thats what I was looking at when I found the rot.

[haftoo55]

MateFever

What I usually do is get a piece of 3' wide masting paper and lay it over your transom (before you start cutting out) And trace a pattern of your transom. And then I cut out on the line that you traced and there is the pattern of the transom. I usually do this on new models to get a pattern for a transom(but without transom installed) Then you can cut out your transom Alan

[MateFever]

Well a few updates. I worked on the boat over labor day weekend. Actually I spent a good portion of the day removing fiberglass and cutting out that 1" thick horizontal support piece. Finally I got a piece of wood to come out whole and not crumble apart. Then I decided I needed to get a motor stand built so ran to Menards and got wood for that. Spent the rest of the day Sat. building the motor stand. Sunday I cut new wood for the forward most stringer and also that piece I removed the day before. Finished shaping all that up and getting ready to coat on Sunday.

Monday, got the motor on the stand with a tow strap and a come along which was a very stressful situation. But I had to get it off the ground because mice got into the cowl and chewed up some wires and and the insulation. It was a rather hap-hazard process that looked kind of funny seeing the motor hanging in the middle a doorway of the quonset hut. Wish I had a camera but wasn't concerned about it at that point. Then pulled the boat down to my place so I could work on it more often.

Well, spent some time today on it. Drilled about 10 or 12 little holes in the transom only to find out its wet. Good thing I listened to you guys and decided to check that before putting it back together. So that's where she is now....talking with a buddy of mine to figure out the next steps of the project and see how we should go about tackling this.

I'm really starting to think that whoever originally owned this boat must not have liked it all that much because they sure didn't try to keep water out. Oh well, what do you expect for a $650.00 boat.

[Acer2428]

A lot guys are fond of sea-cast. You pour it into the transom once you remove all the old rotted wood.

[teamhart2]

tell me more about this seacast stuff, I checked the website out a little, anyone else here use it? Im plannin on digging into my floor this fall, which im not too worried about, but wouldnt be terribly surprised if I have to replace the transom as well (crossing fingers) especially after i noticed the splashwell drain appears to be messed up a little and Im pretty sure waters gettin in around it to the transom. Sounds like the seacast stuff might be the ticket im lookin for cause I dont want to pull the deck off the boat, and if I do it I dont want to worry ever again.

[Chris E]

i followed matt's, stringer design as best as i could - it's double up to the end of the pad, then a single up to the front. i installed my transom saturday afternoon - was going to pop out today to see if it stuck or not - fingers crossed!

[MateFever]

Awesome man, I wanna see some pics of this. I am planning on starting on the removal of mine this week I hope. Been a crazy month with a prototype build at work so I've been going crazy with that and haven't had that much time to work on the boat. I did however tow it out to a friends place to keep it in his shop while I work on it.

We are thinking of just cutting out a section of the splash well and doing the transom that way instead of removing the deck.

[teamhart2]

Mate fever, As I mentioned probably gonna have to redo my transom as well, wont know for sure for a few more weeks when I really start cuttin into things, was wondering what you are planning for it? Id rather not pull the deck, and am curious about your ideas for cutting the top of the splashwell, def let me know what you end up doing and Id love pictures, as im pretty sure the transom on our boats is identical.

[Blizz]

It's very hard to tell about the core on a Mate as they put lots of glass on top of it and you really can't see dicoloration too well. I would not use the injection method for a couple of reasons 1) as stated before resin needs 100% dryness to work 2) Rotten wood will not suck enough resin to make it sound and 3) Just because the core is wet or rotten it doesn't mean the entire area is delaminated so ijection will not fix it all. Injection method is used for rebonding a delam in small areas and it usually goes hand in hand with another repair.

[Chris E]

i don't think you'll be able to do what you want as far as cutting out the splashwell - here is what you will find once the deck is off:

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa165/supremecommander_muskoka/HPIM0139.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa165/supremecommander_muskoka/HPIM0138.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa165/supremecommander_muskoka/HPIM0145.jpg

here is my stringer design - the trial and error stage - not installed just yet:

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa165/supremecommander_muskoka/HPIM0483.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa165/supremecommander_muskoka/HPIM0481.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa165/supremecommander_muskoka/HPIM0482.jpg

hope this helps somewhat.

[MateFever]

Chirs, those stringers look pretty good. I have a similar setup minus the spacers between the dual stringers although I think I may add them. Although now that I found the transom is wet I may recut them and extend them all the way to the back like you have done and tie them into the transom. Have you decided what to do about your core wet spots?

Teamhart, start by drilling some very small pilot holes about 3/4 of an inch or so deep in various locations to check for wetness. Your boat looks like it was much better cared for than mine did. My transom isn't completely rotten/wet but with mounting a 150 and a jackplate on the back I wanted no question about strength to remain. As for cutting the splash well, I was thinking about the centerline along the transom on the top where the motor sits and then along a profile where there are no contours to worry about. I will have to draw out some cut lines and then take a pic to show you what I mean. I think that maybe by doing it this way things might want to go back together a little easier.

[teamhart2]

Im curious to see what exactly you mean sounds like not a bad way to go, are you just planning on reglassing over it after you put in the new transom?

Will drilling a 1/8th hole be enough? and will it be real obvious if its wet? like the wood coming out from the drill bit will be noticeably wet? Im hoping that at worst maybe itll just be rotted a little at the top around where i think water may be gettin into the splashwell drain and maybe i can drill into that a lot and fill with some gitrot or something if its just a little then seal that drain up good.

Chris E, not having pulled the gas tank and everything yet Im not really sure how much room is back there, any chance of being able to get the old transom out/get a new one in without losing the deck? and thanks a ton for those pictures, really lets me see what is under the floor and how those back boxes are set up, are you gonna replace the foam boxes or what do you have planned for them? hmm this got longer than i wanted again haha

[MateFever]

In my case yes, it was very obvious that the wood was wet. Pull the wood out of the drill bit and roll it around in your fingers. If the transom is dry you should just get dust. I actually found some spots where the wood was actually dark brown instead of the nice light brown it should be. What I might try to do with the cutout section is glass it back into place but if that fails I will just put in new and then paint it black right there in that spot. With the stainless plates that came on the boat most of what I will be cutting out will be covered anyway.

[TheNerd]

Chris, that looks great. I am toying with the idea of redoing my floor/stringers this winter. My transom is solid, dry, and rock solid. However, the floor has a few soft spots and I am pretty sure the foam under the floor is soaked. Keep up the good work, I will be watching for ideas and inspiration.

[teamhart2]

sounds good matefever, so will you just be replacing the wood under the motor mount? or the whole transom, but will do most of it from inside? I bet if you dont damage the piece coming out you set it back in there with some resin and maybe glass the edges over a little.

Again thanks for the help and keep us up to date, when I start mine in a few weeks I think ill do a full pictorial of the tear down so others can really see what they are getting into, most pictures people put up are of the fully cleaned hull haha. toying with the idea of a full blog of the floor (and maybe transom) process, anyone think that would be worthwhile for the site as its been done to some extent by others?

[Chris E]

Im curious to see what exactly you mean sounds like not a bad way to go, are you just planning on reglassing over it after you put in the new transom?

Will drilling a 1/8th hole be enough? and will it be real obvious if its wet? like the wood coming out from the drill bit will be noticeably wet? Im hoping that at worst maybe itll just be rotted a little at the top around where i think water may be gettin into the splashwell drain and maybe i can drill into that a lot and fill with some gitrot or something if its just a little then seal that drain up good.

Chris E, not having pulled the gas tank and everything yet Im not really sure how much room is back there, any chance of being able to get the old transom out/get a new one in without losing the deck? and thanks a ton for those pictures, really lets me see what is under the floor and how those back boxes are set up, are you gonna replace the foam boxes or what do you have planned for them? hmm this got longer than i wanted again haha

i don't think there is any way to do the transom without splitting the hull - i think it's pretty tight - and really, splitting the hull was no big deal (other than drilling 100 or so rivits out). will try to get more pics tonight - hoping to get on it again tonite and tomorrow - the transom is now in and fiberglassed in place - i want to lay some glass in and get those stringers ready for the permenent placement.

[MateFever]

Time for an update.........and I forgot my frickin camera again. Sunday I got a section of the splash well cut out and then yesterday evening started removing the glass around the transom. Ok, I got all the glass out around the transom. Now comes my dilema. My buddy and I got to poking and prodding around at the wood once the glass was out..........he looked at me and said why are you replacing this again. Other than a couple of spots that had some black to them and one little area where it had been wet there was no rot at all. We were pressing into the wood with a screw driver and it was making the same size dimples as it did with the brand new plywood that was sitting in the boat for the floor.

He's done enough carpentry work and been around enough wood to have the opinion that the transom wood is solid as a rock. The deepest we got the screw driver to insert into the wood was maybe 1/8 of an inch.

Now there are some traces that water has been in there in a few spots but its pretty dry right now. Here is my question. Should I continue with the removal? What do you think of cutting a piece of new 3/4 ply and adding to the existing wood and sealing that all up and then adding say a 1/4 inch or so aluminum or stainless plate(I have unlimited access to metal fabrication) or just glass it back shut and still add the plate?

I'm really at the mercy of opinion and expertise here. There's still alot of work in tearing out the wood at this point and if what I have is still solid is it necessary to dig deeper. I know there are many others out there who have had just as rotten of stringers and wood that haven't had to replace transoms...could this be my first break?

[teamhart2]

Hey man, Glad to hear the transome is solid:cheers, any idea why your test drill holes made you think it was wet? any chance you think its solid where you uncovered it but maybe rotted further down on the inside where water may have gotten after it from the floor?, but makes me a bit more confident that my transom will be solid.

As far as adding plywood, if the wood thats there is rock solid, Id just reglass it with the plate, not sure if adding another 3/4 ply is gonna add anything that you dont already have strength wise, especially if its just attached to the existing wood like im imagining in my head and not tied into the bottom and sides of the hull (Im thinking you wanna add a piece just under the plate where uve pulled off the splashwell?) anyways thats my two cents which is by no means expert, but is based on working as a carpenter and doing a decent amount of woodwork including wooden boat stuff. Curious to see what the checkmate gurus think

[Chris E]

i'm hardly a guru, but i would like to see some pics of that before i threw out a real opinion. it sounds like you might be ok - the key word is might - you are only checking one side of the transom, what about the other (transom side)? that's where the water would get in from, a preliminary inspection, showed my transom looke ok, with a little water in the top, however, when i cut into it - i had a shower!!

you are overpowering the boat so my suggestion is to do it right once! especially considering the age of the boat. good luck.

[Blizz]

If you have a few spots that you can see on the inside of the boat. How many spots do you think are on the aft side where more water is known to enter the boat? Just a few things to think about you have the boat apart know how pissed would you be if next year or in two years you had to tear into it again, Putting another piece on a piece that's started to rot is only a band-aid repair. If you have wet spots in the middle of your transom and there was no hole there where did the water come from it either came from the top or wicked up from the bottom. I'm not saying that i guarante you'll find it more wet if you tear it out i've just seen too many people get burned cuz they didn't. Just my .02$.

What have you decided to do with your wet core?

[MateFever]

Thanks for the input. The spots on the inside are from that piece that runs horizontally across the transom. Water had gotten into that piece and over time went down the nail into the transom wood. I'm still not throwing out the idea and will hopefully have some pictures soon just so that some of you guys get to see what I'm talking about.

Still haven't figured out what I was going to do core wise. I think I'm convinced to check the section that's separated and go from there. If water got into the transom I don't want to be playing guessing games. I plan on having this thing around for a while.

[175checkmate]

If you have taken the time to remove the glass. I will assume it from the inside and the outter skin is still attached. I would go ahead and replace the transom with new wood. Not much more $$$ and a bit more time. But if you plan on keeping the boat for a long time. Get it 100% now to avoid a problem later.

[MateFever]

How the hell do I get the transom wood out. I have all the putty cut away along the sides and bottom but its still solidly attached to the outer skin. I want to be careful and not rip the entire out skin off my boat when trying to get the wood loose. Any nifty tricks. I thought of building a slide hammer type deal and giving it that shock towards the bottom to get it to pop loose which would then allow me to carefully remove the rest. All ideas appreciated here.

[Chris E]

here's how i did it. i used my circular saw with the blade shallower than the transom - about 1/8 inch light. i cut out squares to try and keep a pattern. next i took my air chisel and started working out the wood - my transom was totally rotten and soaked - it came apart very easily once i start it. to separate the final bit of wood, i used the air chisel and a regular chisel. it worked very well, takes a while but its worth it.

[MateFever]

Well, figured after all winter I'd atleast show some signs of progress. Keep in mind I've been planning a wedding, I installed a new transfer case into my truck, have been spending several weekends trying to get the truck running after it died all of the sudden (it's now in the shop) and for the longest time it was just damn cold. But here are some recent picks. As of right now which is not shown with photos I am ready to cut new wood for the transom. You can see my cutout in the splashwell and also a small crack I made trying to pry the whole 1.5" thick piece of wood out. Needless to say I went in layers after that. Also, the styrofoam is my template for the new wood. Let me know what you think.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair29.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair30.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair31.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair32.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair33.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair34.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair35.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair39.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair40.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee191/teamhart2/matefever/BoatRepair41.jpg

[Chris E]

lookin good!

[MateFever]

Well, its been a while since I've posted progress to the boat but let me assure you there has been progress. Once I got the transom wood cut and sealed I patched the crack I made removing the wood and then laid a couple of layers of mat down just to build it up a little bit. I was then ready to set in the first piece of the transom. That was done by tearing apart mat and cutting into little pieces and mixing it with resin to form a super bondo that I could use to glass everything in. I then went through the back of the hull with drywall screws and used fender washers to give it a more even distribution.

Once that was set I went around and filled the gaps and got ready for the second piece. For this one I counter sunk some holes in the wood to used some screws to hold them together, spread some more home-made putty and used 1.25" screws to hold them together. After that I continued filling gaps in preparation to lay glass over the transom. Friday night I went out and laid the first layer of glass over the transom. Here's the pics so far...enjoy.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0732.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0733.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0734.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0735.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0736.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0737.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0738.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0740.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0741.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0742.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0743.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0744.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0746.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0747.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0748.jpg

[MateFever]

And still more.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0749.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0750.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0751.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0752.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0753.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0754.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0755.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0756.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b253/95Rora/100_0757.jpg

[teamhart2]

nice man, looking good!!!!!


I think that pulling that piece off the splashwell to do the transom might be easier in the long run than the full deck pull, although for me with the amount of core and pad repair I ended up doing it probably made things a bit easier to get around in the boat.

Glad to see progress!! youll be on the water in no time! :banana:

[MateFever]

Thanks man, although I doubt she'll be on the water this year. But I am definitely not going another summer without my boat. I agree that with the work you ended up having to do I would have most likely separated the two halves but cutting out the splash well is really working well for me except when it comes to sanding. Kind of hard to get the sander in there.