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  1. #1
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    Any Fiberglass Experts Out There?

    There’s no wood in my hull, Triton uses 100% composite fiberglass layups. But I have severe oxidation on the central lower part of my transom (just above the pad) and I’m a bit worried it could be a symptom of a larger problem. My gel coat is in great shape in all other areas. I installed trim tabs last fall and on one drill hole it seemed to break through a bit early and when I pushed the drill bit further in I could still feel slight resistance behind it, like the last layup had seperated on the inside surface.

    I fished around in the bottom of the hull against the transom as best I could and I actually did pull about a sliver/flake of what looked like delaminated fiberglass, about 1/16” thick x 1” wide by 4” long. I tried to fish one of those inspection tool cameras in the back of the hull to see the inside surface of the transom but really couldn’t see anything with the way my boat is constructed.

    The boat otherwise looks almost new so I’m not sure if extreme oxidation in this one particularly concerning location or finding a relatively small piece of thin delaminated fiberglass in the hull on a 10 year old is something to be worried about or not.

    I don’t beat the boat at all, it barely gets any use, but my lake is rough. Hitting rogue waves from wake boats will happen on occasion. It looks like Caddyshack on Lanier in the summer.

    Any recommendations on how I can set my mind at ease in terms of the structural condition of my lower transom? Is delamination from the interior uncommon? Will structural issues in the fiberglass layup generally cause oxidation on the exterior gel coat?
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  2. Moderator Fishysam's Avatar
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    #2
    Plywood sandwiched with glass is a "composite" (not saying you have wood as I do not know), reason I'm commenting is electrolysis may cause the oxidation make sure you motor still has its three sacrificial anodes one under the trim area and two on the lower unit. Did the trim tabs have any wire like cable you didn't install? Also what battery are the trim tabs hooked to, any corrosion there?
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  3. Member
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    #3
    The trim tabs did not come with any wire straps. No corrosion at the battery that the trim tabs are connected to. This is not something that happened after the trim tabs were installed, it happened gradually over the years, and I really didn’t notice how bad the oxidation was until I was installing the trim tabs.

    I’ll check on the anodes. Thanks.
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  4. Member
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    #4
    I wouldn't worry too much about that area, the 215's were built like tanks.

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    #5
    Do you leave your boat tied to the dock? Is it in the water all the time? I saw a stratos once that appeared oxidized but in fact it was water logged from being tied to the dock every day and n ever having a chance to dry out

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    #6
    Air pockets are very common on fiberglass boats, often covered up by thick layers of gelcoat, and really not an issue, would be more of an issue if it were along the gunwale in the first few layers of layup where it would be exposed to swelling from extreme heat. What I would do if I were worried about a spot, like where you drilled for your trim tabs, is use a syringe and inject epoxy into the area. Realistically, if its all composite construction, there's hella glass there, and its likely very strong. As snickers mentioned, water logging can be an issue with fiberglass, but beyond that you're probably in the clear.

    Also, the gelcoat oxidizing has nothing to do with the layup, could be the way it was mixed, more likely caused by pointing toward the sun more. ;) However, gelcoat does tend to break down its uv resistance over time, and fading isn't that uncommon.

    Post some pics if you're still worried about it so we can all tell you you're okay.

  7. Member crank68's Avatar
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    #7
    Tap around your transom with the butt end of a screwdriver....make sure you don’t hear any thuds.
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  8. BBC SPONSOR Bass Cat Boats's Avatar
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    #8
    Non wood "composite" doesn't mean no issues, it is a foam core or urethane composite transom most likely and these come from a 12 pound pure foam density to a 36 pound fiberglass loaded transom. The price goes up exponentially as the material increases density and loading of glass.

    Good luck!

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    #9
    Assuming I do this right, the pic below shows the oxidation before I installed the trim tabs. I really wasn’t worried about it until that one drill hole felt like it broke loose on me a bit prematurely.

    Last edited by rpr; 01-27-2018 at 10:20 AM.
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  10. Member
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    #10
    Not working. What do you guys use to post pics now that PhotoBucket restricted this on forums?

    Last edited by rpr; 01-28-2018 at 11:10 AM.
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  11. Member
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    #11
    Second try. The lower portion of the transom was originally black, just like the stripe above the silver and the diagonal strip through the white area. The entire hull is black, as is the lower portions of the sides of the boat. It only oxidized on the stern. The sides are still black. The back of the boat does likely get more sun on my lift than the sides, but still seems extreme to me.

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  12. Member
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    #12
    Could there have been an old repair in the area? If so that me whats oxidizing . Could be sun but hard for me to see how the bottom portion get that much more sun than rest of back. Its possible but seems unlikely. As bcb said no wood doesn't mean no issues. when foam core gets bad its more of a degradation than rot but in common terms about same thing. I just keep going back to it being an old repair showing age. Lot times colored gels if too much thinner used to spray it can cause the sun effects to accelerate

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    #13
    WAX IT!!!!!!!

  14. Member DrewFlu33's Avatar
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    #14
    If it's on a lift with a canopy, the canopy is probably protecting the stuff up above while the sun hits it down on the bottom. I've seen a bunch of boats sitting on lifts that look very similar to this. The silver is probably oxidized badly as well, particularly near the bottom, but it's not as obvious due to the color. You can see around the corner where the oxidation fades away. I'm betting those corners are shielded by the posts on your lift or dock and the sides are shielded by the walkway on the dock. Same story near the overhangs next to your livewell drains...I bet the black looking parts are perfectly in the shade from the morning sun while it's on the lift.

    Try quickly wet sanding a portion of it to see if it's not the original color when you do.
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    #15
    Wetsand and buff a small spot, should confirm if it is just UV damage to the gel kote.
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  16. Member
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    #16
    Believe it or not, that is “waxed” with a marine gel coat cleaner/polisher (can’t remember the name of the product) but it was not wet sanded first. My mooring cover barely drapes over the sides of the boat so the difference is not due to the cover, that’s a good thought though.

    There’s a local marine fiberglass guy in my area that I may just ask to take a look at it to get his thoughts. Or I may try the wet sand and buff suggestion first. I’m not a worrier, but this troubles me a bit.

    Thanks for the replies and suggestions.
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    #17
    Neglected to mention, no repairs were ever made to that area, I’m the original owner.
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    #18
    Looks like "Sun Fading" to me, from being on the water constantly. I am no expert by any means, but I see this allot with the darker color boats that sit in or on the water. You get reflection of the sun off the water, plus water continually splashing on it when the water chops up due to wind and/or passing boats. I would guess it does not get wiped down on a regular basis. I have seen this even trailer'd boats that are not wiped down and protected with something on a regular basis. For example, I had a 1995 Viper bass boat that was deep red metal flake with solid black accent striping in the top cap and on the sides. As I got lazy with wiping down the glass(aged boat), it started to get the haze building up. Not to the extent of what you have but it was showing when I sold it. It was stored in a shop so that helped. I also have 2008 Caravelle bow rider that is red and cream colored gel. During the summer it sits outside with a good cover, but it still has exposure to the sun. It qets wiped down after every w/e of use with Babes Boat Bright, which is a spray on cleaner, with a light wax additive. Do not need to hose/soap wash it. During spring de-winterizing and clean up, I apply a coat of classic turtle wax to the glass. The gel coat looks pretty much like the day I took factory delivery. I do the same for current 2016 Z21.

    It looks like it needs to be sanded and worked to get the true color to come back out.
    Last edited by rampaage; 02-01-2018 at 09:18 AM.