Rotten transom? & check valves or stoppers for deck drain

[phatdaddy]

sounds like you need to raise the motor & stand on the foot and bounce to see if you have any flex. if not, then maybe you can get by with patching the drain, if you do, search transom rebuilds. i also have an 83 and the only bilge pump i have forward is in the deck box and it goes overboard in the stern, easy to get to. maybe yours was added by a po. where is the thru hull located.

[Kracker Jack]

I have found that transoms that seem sturdy but have a breach with moisture are normally rotten. The only true way Ive found thru research is to probe the transom with a drill. What you look for is clean wood shavings if you find dark"dirt" consistency then its obviously rotten core material. good luck on your repairs and welcome to the site, there is a wealth of knowledge on here and these guys have basiclly talked me thru a whole rebuild. it seems the modo on here is ask and you shall recieve. lol!!!

[cfelton]

Welcome to the site! Kracker Jack is probably right. I'd drill small holes at various locations and see what the wood looks like that comes out. Check around the bottom drain, and any spot where the glass has a hole or has been drilled to mount anything. If its only one small spot, I'd remove the glass and expose the wet wood to let it dry. Remove as much of the decayed wood as possible. You can inject GITROT into the remainder and fill it back in with tigerhair or just cut up some matt and glass it back in. Be sure to grind or sand and wipe clean with acetone before appling fiberglass. Good Luck!