How to dry a wet transom

[billfish]

I have a fiberglass boat and the wood is wet not rotten how do i dry out the wood thanks Bill

[Jack]

Outboard or I/O ? If it's an outboard I would pull some of the bolts holding the engine out and check the wood with an ice pick for soft spots . It tends to swell a bit when it's wet too , check for cracks. How much of it do you think is wet ?

JT

[GAMBLER]

If your transom is wet, I would replace it. It cost me around $1,000.00 - $1500.00 for my transom repair on a 22' boat.

[big easy]

As Gambler stated,There is only one way to dry out the wood that has turned to peat moss in your transom.

And that is to replace it.A rotted transom in any boat,whether it's an I/O, or an Outboard,is not a good thing.The transom on both takes a lot of stress,and is a very important structural piece of the boat.

If you are handy,and comfortable working with fiberglass,you could do it yourself.I have done a few complete transoms,and although I have experience with them,and glass work,it's still a nasty dirty job.

If you can find someone to do it,and do it correctly for a thousand to fifteen hundred bucks,I'd go with it,because that's a very low price.

After doing a few of them,I wouldn't even do the labor for that price.

If you decide to tackle it,shoot me a PM if I can be of any help.

[billfish]

John R. where did you get your boat fix Bill

[GAMBLER]

Billfish,

I sent you a PM. Mine cost me around $1500.00 and it was cheaper because I was having other things done that saved him time on labor. That did not include the price to pull the engine, Drive, wiring and all the other crap on the back of my boat.

[Jack]

If you have an outboard and have to replace the transom , check out this web site. Never used it myself but looks interesting.

http://www.transomrepair.com/store/

[big easy]

Bill,

Did you mean where did i get the repair done? I did it myself.I've done several transoms,and a few complete ground up restorations on fiberglass boats.

I have a friend in the marine fiberglass supply business,who carries everything to build or repair any size boat,so that's a big help.

He has built several glass boats,mostly bigger stuff,like lobster boats and the like.Over the years I've learned many valuable lessons from him,on working with,and laying up fiberglass materials.

I'm pretty comfortable with glass work,but after my latest project,which was a complete resto of a 23' Seacraft,I'm ready to take a break.This boat needed every single thing replaced,new transom,new engine beds,new deck floor,and every thing else like electrical wiring,paint,seats, steering,and on and on and on.

It has been a massive amount of work,and a lot of money and time.It's been two years,and it's just about finished now.I think this is going to be my last project.

I only did this ,because these older Potter built Seacrafts were highly regarded, and valued as a superior rough water boat and are still in high demand in salt water circles.

To get a boat with these capabilities,i would have to get something like a Regulator,or Yellowfin,neither of which I can afford.

I had to do it myself,because it would have been unaffordable to have it done.I've seen guys pay five to seven grand,just for a transom replacement.

If you decide to do it yourself,you'll need time and help.Give it serious thought before you dive into it.

I'd be glad to give you any info or tips, regarding the job if it would help.

In the meantime you can check out this site to get an idea of the products and the costs involved.

http://www.mertons.com

[GAMBLER]

Billfish,

After looking at my receipt, I paid $2,000.00 for the transom repair. It was $1000.00 for the stringers. I sent you the email address of the guy doing my boat.

[Rob]

I used the Seacast product and it worked. My transom was wet but not punky and decided to just replace it.

Their website shows a chain saw removing the wood and thats just what I did. Sounds crazy but it worked great.

My boat has an outboard so it wasn't that bad.