99 280 whaler with 2010 250 verado four strokes

[RD9]

99 280 whaler with 2010 250 verado four strokes

Hey guys just looking for opinions. Went to go look at a boat and everything looks really good besides there is two cracks at the top of the transom. 

 

Please se take a look and comment. Boat is being sold by a dealer whom is going to fix before sale is finalized. 

[180ccf]

I would have an independent shop have a good look at the Mercs. If they are 2010 or older they have the 4.8" gear case not the larger 5.44 case which was made (came out in 2011) because the larger boats like this Whaler would tear them up. There is also a lot going on in a supercharged, injected, fly-by-wire Verado. A few dollars upfront from a skilled Merc mechanic may save you thousands down the road. The transom will need to come apart for the repair to be done right. It should be brought to a competent shop for that work (one you approve of). Once completed it may be better than new. I am surprised it failed. Whalers are some of the toughest boats ever.

[RD9]

Thank you for reply. So you don't believe cracks fixed properly will be an issue. 

[180ccf]

Nope, if fixed correctly the cracks should be fine (my guess is this boat was built before 800lb 4 strokes). I am not an expert in boat structure. I would take my boat to Great Lakes Marine in Sodus, NY. Even boats wrecked in FL are sent up to these guys (yes, FL with all the boat builders, sends boats to these guys). When they fix a boat, it is perfect and better than new.

EDIT: I would also send them photos directly to Boston Whaler. They will tell you exactly what you should do.

Edited October 30, 2017 by 180ccf

[RD9]

Appreciated 

[Sk8man]

My hunch is that it isn't just the cracks themselves that are of concern it is whether water has waterlogged the inside of the  transom. The foam that is used is not totally resistant to water damage and the wood (or phenolic ?)material inside the transom could be water damaged and weakened as well. The newer four strokes that were put on there not only have more weight than the probable two strokes that were originally on it but they have more torque as well and this combination may have weakened the transom and created the cracks which appear to be more than just the often seen fine stress cracks that can occur for a variety or reasons. I also note that it appears that a reinforcing board of some type seems to be attached and bolted through the OUTSIDE of the transom and I wonder how effective that is in terms of "support" as I have never seen one located in that manner  in salt or fresh water. I am a Boston Whaler guy and presently own one which I love dearly and they are very ruggedly constructed and when treated right and properly maintained can last a long long time. 180ccf gave you some great advice and I'd suggest contacting the factory tech folks rather than sales people. If you can satisfactorily fix  those concerns and have viable engines you'll have one hell of a rig as they are incredible boats. Hard to tell from the photo what model (e.g. Conquest or Outrage Maybe?)

Edited October 31, 2017 by Sk8man

[RD9]

It's a conquest 280. Appreciate the feed back. 

[John E Powell]

I’d start by contacting Chuck Bennett at Whaler and passing the photos and what you know about the boat’s history on to him. See if you can get the hull ID number before contacting him.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

 

[rolmops]

Sorry for being a party pooper, but those cracks in the transom are a serious matter. They are there because the engines on that boat are too powerful for the transom and the boat .The previous owner tried to put a band aid  on the damage by putting a large wooden board on the back of the transom after the cracks appeared,hoping that it would stop the transom from being torn out by these engines. That boat with its over weight engines probably took some severe beatings running at high speed and a serious inspection will probably reveal way more hairline cracks then you want to deal with. The specs for that boat are 300 hp minimum and 450 hp maximum. You have 500 hp on the back. That is where your cracks come from. This boat cannot be insured as is because no insurance company will cover damage to the boat when they find out that the boat is out of specification. The coast guard also has a very dim view of over powered boats.

Again, sorry for being a party pooper, but I would suggest that you should not buy that boat

[180ccf]

RD9 is this boat in MI? I was just interested in what a used rig like this would sell for (justifying the repair cost) and found one with the same exact cracks. I hope it is the same one. If not, that is a build problem with that model. For the price they are asking for this one in MI that transom must be fixed correctly by the seller.

 

[RD9]

I contacted whaler today an received a response back. Sent pictures. Also received pictures when cracks started 2011 which were never addressed. Cracks started year after motors were installed. 

 

Actually recieved an written email response back from Chuck. Very responsive. 

 

Chuck response said basically that is a common area for cracks to occur and is the transom separating away but not a major issue and is fixable. 

 

[RD9]

Yes Irish boat shop Michigan. 

[RD9]

11 minutes ago, rolmops said:

Sorry for being a party pooper, but those cracks in the transom are a serious matter. They are there because the engines on that boat are too powerful for the transom and the boat .The previous owner tried to put a band aid  on the damage by putting a large wooden board on the back of the transom after the cracks appeared,hoping that it would stop the transom from being torn out by these engines. That boat with its over weight engines probably took some severe beatings running at high speed and a serious inspection will probably reveal way more hairline cracks then you want to deal with. The specs for that boat are 300 hp minimum and 450 hp maximum. You have 500 hp on the back. That is where your cracks come from. This boat cannot be insured as is because no insurance company will cover damage to the boat when they find out that the boat is out of specification. The coast guard also has a very dim view of over powered boats.

Again, sorry for being a party pooper, but I would suggest that you should not buy that boat

Appreciate feed back

[RD9]

I checked in with whaler and the 280 conquest can have a maximum hp of 600 hp. 

[Sk8man]

Is that for the 1999 or the current model? They may be different specs.

[RD9]

I told him 1999 28 conquest 

[RD9]

Response from whaler, sent them same pictures you guys got. 

[Sk8man]

Cool....