Transom Repair

[Wild Bill]

First let me say I am very pleased with my 2004 23 SE with Yamaha 224 FS with 1900 hours. It is wide open and has caught a ton of fish all along the east coast. It is very stabile in rips or big waves. I fish on a number of other boats one of which is a deep vee with a V8 350 HP Yammy and another with twin 250’s. They run faster and smoother in rough water but rock like crazy once we stop to fish. Most of my fishing is on the drift and the 23 SE may take a little longer to get there but is a real pleasure as a fishing platform.

I do extensive long distance towing over some pretty rough roads. My transom developed a long crack that extended the length of the motor well and a little farther. I do not think they were caused in the water but by the heavy motor bouncing up and down on the highway. I now use a MyWedge which helps take the shock off the trim and tilt hydraulic system but does little to help the transom. Note, I did not have a cracked transom but only the joint where the transom meets the floor. I took no pics because it was hard to see.

I had the dealer repair the cracks under warranty but it was only a cosmetic repair and did not last but a few months. Trying to do a more lasting repair, I ground down about 1/4" until I could see no evidence of the crack. Filled the crack with glass reinforced resin and then applied the gel coat. My repair lasted a year.

Talked to a professional glass man and he said he could reach down the hatch in the back and apply three layers of tri-axle Kevlar matt and resin and then apply new gel coat. He also applied one layer of tri-axle Kevlar matt to the outside at the motor well. I do not know how he could stand working by reaching down in that hole. Looks as he did a super job. My first trip was to Montauk across the GW Bridge and CBE. Terrible road and traffic. So far that bouncing did not produce any cracks. My glass man says what he did greatly strengthened the transom and guarantees no more cracks. Time will tell.

Just wanted to let guys know that cosmetic fixes did not last at all and that there is another solution to the problem. It took two days and he also fixed spider cracks about six inches along the gunwale in two spots and some chips underneath the hull. Considering how nasty it was working down through that hatch, I think the $800 price was very fair.

 

[DaleH]

Note, I did not have a cracked transom but only the joint where the transom meets the floor.

That Bill, is a classic "stress crack". What you are seeing is caused by the gelcoat. Gelcoat, by its chemical nature, has a very high tensile strength, much higher than the glass layup. It in word ... gelcoat is BRITTLE! As you have learned.

What usually causes stress cracks to appear in 'well made hulls' is that the substrate and/or layup flexes MORE than the brittle gelcoat can handle. Note, this does not imply a defect in the build at all, as the layup could withstand a flex exponentially greater in degree and load than what typically causes stress cracks.

I've only seen stress cracks in a few POORLY made hulls that were not just the fault of the layup, but rather the entire application process. Some boats use substrates so thin that the layup cracks too :shock: ! A guy I know once had an Angler that went back to the factory with the entire CC deck, liner, and console riddled with stress cracks so big and so deep that you could insert a penny into them and not only would they stand up in place, but ol' Abe's head would disappear :shock: !

I've wrtten about this a zillion times before, but the gelcoat made nowadays is far more brittle than was made say when my boat was made (early 90s), due to formulation changes dictated by EPA emissions. It is NOT the fault of Parker Marine or any other well known and well made boat.

This info is for all ... not just you, BTW. Thanks for your info and I'm glad you're thrilled with your 23! I have the same comments about my big ol' 25 ... it takes me longer to get out there than my friends, but I sure enjoy the other qualities my 'big heavy girl' gives me !

 

[Wild Bill]

Thanks Dale for the reply. I obviously do not get to CP every day and do not know what has been covered. My boat is equipped and customized the way I want it and has been very reliable. I therefore do not have many questions about Parker boats. I am most likely on my last boat.

The crack was deeper than just gel coat. When I ground down with a carbide burr and die grinder, the hairline crack showed as a dark line. It went down about 1/4". It would not have caused any real problems because the transom is very thick and does flex even as the motor is trimmed up to full extent. You can see the actual transom move which is normal considering all the weight of the motor and the normal flex of fiberglass and resin. The floor to transom attachment does add strength to the transom but is not the major strength of the transom. I did not want water to seep into that crack. Actually when the glass man ground out the crack, there was steering fluid in a small void that he cleaned out.

 

[Fly Rod]

Thanks for the description (and solution) to your issue. Living in NYC, I couldn't imagine towing a boat down the Cross Bronx Expressway -- it's a disaster of a highway. :?

If you don't mind me asking, who did you use for the fiberglass work?

-- Fly Rod

 

[Wild Bill]

Thanks for the description (and solution) to your issue. Living in NYC, I couldn't imagine towing a boat down the Cross Bronx Expressway -- it's a disaster of a highway. :?

If you don't mind me asking, who did you use for the fiberglass work?

-- Fly Rod

I agree about CBE. It the no trailers on parkways law in NY that limits choices. Do you know of a route from the NJ TP to get to the LIE that works well for a boat and trailer headed to Montauk?

I used Wayne Youngblood (Glassman) in North East MD.

 

[Harpoon]

If you stand on the cav plate of your motor and bounce up and down...how does the crack behave ? This is sometimes a good "crude" indication of a problem vs. cosmetic.