Another transom thread...

[Cessna152heavy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I've read all of them, and the 181 transom rebuild posted by Marooned is amazing. I'm about to embark on this journey myself. There's a ton of info on here and elsewhere, but the ONE thing I cannot find is anything about LONG TERM durability, specifically concerning the Arjay or Seacast pour. Have any of you done this or know of someone who has? I'm really interested in talking to someone who has some years on their new transom.

Also, where could I get my hands on some champion drawings or "blue prints"? I'd really love to see how they're built inside before I start cutting and gutting.

TIA - Frank

[SCOTT196]

Take it up the road to Championship Marine in Spokane Missouri . Thats who did mine and they do top quality work and he uses Coosa, not wood!!!

[pmgoffjr]

Really no way to give an answer as to how long does anything last...there's plenty of 1977 champs running around with original transoms that never had a problem, so you can honestly say they last 45 years. Or not...

The big lie that nearly every bass boat person believes is that "composite" is superior to *ANY* sort of wood in the construction. The reality, ANY laminate, regardless of material will fail under water intrusion. The only thing that protects the core material is the gelcoat and proper sealing any holes that penetrate the gel. Don't believe it? Simple test, throw a square of whatever "composite" construction you want into a bucket of water and let it sit. Report back in a month. Only then will you understand that there is no magic material that will require no intermittence or proper sealing.

So the correct answer is it'll live as long as you want it to.

[ewop304]

AMEN!

[rboren]

Really no way to give an answer as to how long does anything last...there's plenty of 1977 champs running around with original transoms that never had a problem, so you can honestly say they last 45 years. Or not...

The big lie that nearly every bass boat person believes is that "composite" is superior to *ANY* sort of wood in the construction. The reality, ANY laminate, regardless of material will fail under water intrusion. The only thing that protects the core material is the gelcoat and proper sealing any holes that penetrate the gel. Don't believe it? Simple test, throw a square of whatever "composite" construction you want into a bucket of water and let it sit. Report back in a month. Only then will you understand that there is no magic material that will require no intermittence or proper sealing.

So the correct answer is it'll live as long as you want it to.

I have noticed a couple of the composite pieces of left over material that I have used for projects have deteriorated when the scrap pieces I automatically chunked in the yard were it was rained on. Seems like this year it rained a lot! I looked at them closely and saw what was happening. Impervious to water? Yeah,right! Nothing totally is. Not saying one is better than the other. It’s just not true that the materials they are using will never have problems.

[SCOTT196]

Coosa is better than plywood or all the bass boat mfgs. wouldnt be using it!

[Bauerd]

I replaced my transom with Seacast at least 5 years ago. 99 Champ 203, 250 Prox, 10" atlas, power poles. Holding up perfect. Use it every other day usually.

[pmgoffjr]

Coosa is better than plywood or all the bass boat mfgs. wouldnt be using it!

That's not exactly true. Coosa is easy to work with, and it is a very good material, but if you get water in it after it's been installed and glassed up, it's not going to live much longer than any of the other materials that are out there.

Boat companies are directed by the market and competition. If *EVERYONE* wants something, and your competitor is doing it, then you better jump on the wagon quick. If it was the perfect laminate, why do they still want you to seal up your transom holes?

Give that one a think.

[SCOTT196]

Why seal transom holes??? So water doesn't get inside the boat ! Really? No thought to that !

[jarhead175]

Point is if it gets wet and stays wet your going to have issues no matter what it is made of. All these boat manufacturers bragging about their "composite" transom means absolutely nothing if you have water intrusion they will come aparts just like wood does. What the transom is made of irrelevant if you take care of it and keep it sealed.

[SCOTT196]

My point is its better than plywood and obviously anything that stays wet will deteriorate over time. Its sure as hell not as cheap as plywood so builders don't use due to cost!

[mohawkman]

What alot of people don't know is that you might have a solid transom but if you ever let your boat out in a major downpour and had your plug in without the electric on for your bildge.... that you probably have rot in many areas below your floor that you just don't see. Once all that foam gets loaded with any water, it don't get dry.. never... never ever.... and your boat is probably 300 lbs heavier than when you bought it.. If your boat is 20 years old chances are its water logged and stringers are messed up even if your transom looks good.

Water intrusion is difficult to avoid. Champion had the fatal flaw of not wrapping the top edge of the transom boards and all these sad posts about Champion transom rot are probably 95% related to that design issue that hit most of us, including me.

Good luck with your rebuild.

[druthomas]

I’ve been through this, searched and found a guy to do my 184 for 2700. Worth every penny!