transom rot

[machzrcr]

Well i was putting in my trim pump today and noticed a soft spot in the transom. it is not the whole back of one side but basically below the drain on the back of the deck. so I was planning on putting the boat in the water this weekend... or do i have to tackle the whole transom before i attempt to try and use it this year?

i knocked on a few spots and the wood definitely seems to be better closer to the outdrive. and to the starboard side of the boat but a spot in the middle maybe a foot wide or a lil more by 2 feet tall all seem pretty soft.

I know that if i dont do it now i will definitely be doing a whole replacement over the winter. but i was wondering if what others opinions were on the problem. have been working on the boat every chance i have had for the last 6 weeks now. and this is just crappy to find.

the boat is an 86 bayliner trophy 2860.

[MCF]

had a friend who bought a Sea Ray Amberjack which upon being surveyed found a spot between the two outdrives that was bad. A professional boat place cut out the piece and rebuilt it, boat is good to go. From your description, maybe the metal surround of the drain was bad and hopefully it is just a limited area and not the whole thing.

[Jack]

Hi !

I would push on the outdrive by standing on it and see if there is any flex on the transom . If there is any flex I would get it fixed , if not you may be OK for awhile .

Good Luck !

JT

[lakebound88]

drill a couple pin holes at low point of soft area, drain the moistureo ut for a few days, patch or seal the holes with resin or similar substance, and make sure where the drains are located are sealed good as well, like above said, you may be okay for a while!

[rolmops]

The transom trouble is not quite so crucial.You have an I/O instead of an outboard.That means that you have nothing hanging of the transom and your outdrive is not very heavy.Besides,the push is not directly on the transom but for a very large part on the engine.

You should be able to go for a ride in quiet water to go fishing.

BUT, considering that this is a 1986 Bayliner (or bilge liner as people often call them) it is time to check the stringers.Bayliners have a bad history of rotten stringers even though they are covered in glass.

You might as well take the measurements and start building your transom with Okuma or some other high quality marine plywood. That sort of stuff takes time to do it right.

Good luck.

[machzrcr]

alright that would be a good test to see if there is any flex with the outdrive. i currently have the outdrive off right now replacing trim cylinders and bellows. and wanted to see about people thoughts about this before i put the outdrive back on.

and with it being an i/o thats is what was making me believe i should be ok to get through the summer and tackle everything over the winter. but i will definitely drill some drain holes and see if anything is in there. ( although the boat hasn't been in the water in 2 years now) but we will see and check the wood closest to the hull at the same time.

and as far as the stringers there is slight delamination on one stringer that i can see. the boat was surveyed 5 years ago and it showed everything to be good. but that was 5 years ago..

And it is nice to see a couple people saying i should be alright to get through the summer!

i have read a bit about the seacast transom repair has anyone used this to comment on it? seems like it would be a good idea instead of using plywood again. ( although like mentioned im sure the marine grade plywood would be better than the original).

[rolmops]

Marine grade plywood does rot at the same rate that other wood does. It is just a much denser plywood than the regular stuff. No matter what sort of wood you use,it has to be very properly sealed in order to prevent rot.

I tried SeaCast once and it does a very nice job. It is about twice the price of good marine plywood which will last you 30 years if you properly prepare it before installing it.