design flaw or transom rebuild?

[basspirate]

i'm new to this site so i hope i'm posting in the right area. i bought a 1975 v20 steplift a few months ago. i love the boat. its the the best riding boat i've ever owned. after i bought it i noticed that the steering rod from the engine starts to hit the transom when the rod is almost fully extended. the previous owner dug out a slight channel to accomidate the rod. the transom seems to be pretty solid but it has a bow to it. the top cap looks like it was molded this way also. so my question is should the transom have a bow to it or should it be flat?

[Mulv80]

All the V-20 transoms have a slight bow to them. As long as there is no flex when you apply pressure to the transom your good to go.

[nipper]

I have an I/O cuddy, and I never noticed the slight bow until I went to put on a full transom width swim platform. The non-bowed platform really showed quite a bow to the transom.

[basspirate]

thanks guys. the transom seems pretty solid but it just seems strange that the steering rod hits the transom. could something be set wrong?

[RWilson2526]

I think I remember somebody else talking about this a while ago.......maybe they'll speak up....

[RABBITFISH]

How about posting a pic of the steering rod where it hits and the mounting setup??

[basspirate]

i'll get some pics. gimme a few days as its supposed to pour over the next few days.

[reelapeelin]

i'll get some pics. gimme a few days as its supposed to pour over the next few days.


My '74 does the same thing...did it on the old Evinrude and does w/the new motor...it wasn't an issue back when these hulls were made cause they were most likely still steering boats with cables and pulleys...

But what ever the reason, unless it just bugs you, I wouldn't sweat it...mine's been doin' that since before I got it in 1999 and presents no probleemo...

[Blue_Runner]

I've seen a handful of others like that in the forsale section. Make sure water cant get into the notch the previous owner made.

[basspirate]

thanks for everyones help. i thought i was going crazy trying to figure out what was wrong but i'm happy to hear this is a design flaw of the boat and not a problem with the boat

[nymack66]

I bet your engine is 20" , the V's were built for 25" someone may have cut the transom to accommodate the engine (like I did) mine is scuffing the new gel coat yes that's how close it is ...