transom question

#1 06-13-2007, 10:45 PM

when i climbed into my boat today i noticed something that concerns me. i keep my motor tilted all the way up and use the lower unit as a step. when i stepped onto it i noticed a little give in the transom. so i jumped up and down on it and it was definantly moving. total sway at the top of the transom was probably about an inch or so. maybe a little less. is this something to be concerned about? is thier a way to test my transom?

it would be just my luck for it to be shot. i am/was rolling paint in the morning and am planning on putting this thing together this week. i have purchased a lot of goodies for this thing in the past few months and thier is no cash left for an expensive transom repair.

boat is a 92 cuddy w/ johnson 175. tx in advance

tsubaki · #2 06-13-2007, 10:58 PM

Poke a rod or something down in the transom, even it you got to drill a hole. Good chance this is not an immediate needed repair. Just see how far you can shove something about 1/4'' round down into the assend. Drill several holes (if needed) to test all around.
Do it from the top not the sides, this way you can easily fill if the results aren't too negative.

frayed_knot · #3 06-13-2007, 11:36 PM

It seems they all need it eventually. There have been quite a few done recently in many different ways. You might get lucky and only have to clear out the top few inches to a foot and fill with seacast or something similar. You might get by for the season and just git er done in the winter. Keep us posted.

macojoe · #4 06-14-2007, 12:54 AM

I think you be fine for the season, But I would make it a winter project!!

Drill a few holes from the inside, say 1/4 inch, Start at top and go down a few inches till you find good wood, that will give you a idea were the rot starts and stops, Dirt is rot, black is wet, clean wood is good wood.

Fill holes with caluking after your done. Don't have to use 5200 or anything as its the inside and you will be fixing in the fall any way.

#5 06-14-2007, 01:46 AM

tx for the replys guys. so i guess that little bit of play aint normal? i will perform the test's you guys described in the morning. my son just turned 1 and i plan on taking him and his mom out just a couple hundred feet into the bay to watch 4th of july fireworks. so, i aint takin no chances as far as safety goes. tx again.

randlemanboater · #6 06-14-2007, 09:22 AM

I would think that with only an inch of flex that you would be fine for the season, maybe two if you keep the transom from soaking up more water.

msbhammer · #7 06-14-2007, 09:35 AM

For the quick fix, get a piece of angle iron "L shaped" , prime and paint it and bolt it on the transom. It should help on the flexing problem until your ready to do teh repair.

spareparts · #8 06-14-2007, 09:42 AM

haven't tried this my self, but one of the neatest quick fixes I've heard about was a guy I know took a big drill bit and drilled holes down from the top of the transom till he got into good wood, then took a dowel the same size as the hole, soaked the dowel in resin or epoxy and drove the dowel into the hole till it bottomed out, waited for the resin to cure, then cut the dowel off flush, he continued with this till most af the wood was replaced. the holes were drill at a slight angle from side to side, after going across the transom once, he came back form the other side with a reverse angle on the next row of holes. His point was" I'm replacing wood with wood". Not a bad idea, haven't tried it myself. I wonder if you would pick up a little strength by makeing the hole a little big, then putting some "Kitty Hair" in there before driveing the dowel in?

macojoe · #9 06-14-2007, 10:20 AM

I don't like that idea, first you never get all the old wood out, your going to drill the crap out of the inner liner, and have to glass it.

A better idea is what hammer said if its that bad. When I did my conversion I wanted lots of reinforcement on the inside.
My transom wasn't rotted at all, but I felt that the bracket should pull the hole transom not just small spots with a washer on each bolt. So I came up with this, Its as strong today as they day I putit in!

And if you do need to inforce it do something like this for the season. I uswed a piece of 3" X 1/2 flat stock, had a guy weld it the same as the bracket. This it during the install.

#10 06-14-2007, 12:55 PM

thanks for the input guys, again. whrn i bounce on it i dont here any crackling noises or anything like that. i think it'll be fine. i have been told by others that a little flex is normal, i just dont like to take any chances when it comes to safety! i fixxin to gort out there in a little while and drill some holes. i'll let y'all know what i find.tx again