Transom question.

I just bought a 1991 Champion, 190 DC with a 200 yamaha pro v. The boat is awesome and for it's maiden voyage I took it out on the Cal Delta with 30 MPH winds and 3-4 foot rollers. The boat handled great and I averaged 35-40 MPH without feeling unsafe. I did find a sheltered channel and was able to get her up to 68.7 on the GPS!! Im sure it will do better as I learn to drive it, but that is pretty fast as it is.

My question is: after reading all these posts on rotten transoms, I pulled the corner pieces and aluminum strip from the transom to inspect it for rot. Prior to doing that, I checked for conductivity on different points with my multimeter. I found resistance on the starboard side between the transom tie down and a screw on the transom rail this afternoon on my lunch break. By evening, I checked again and the resistance was gone between those two points. After pulling the rail and corner pieces off, I stuck a small screw driver down each of the screw holes. I was able to push the screw driver about 1/4 inch into the wood at the bottom of two screw holes, which were located on the far starboard and far port side of the transom. I left everything apart to dry them out. I also forced a rolled up paper towel down a few of the holes to check for standing water and found none. Also, there is ZERO flex on the transom when jumping on the cavitation plate with the motor trimmed up and no stress cracks in the gel coat anywhere near the transom.

With that in mind, should I just seal everything up and get back to rippin' lips, or is more digging necessasary?

Pull the motor, put a heat/sun lamp on it for a week and you won't worry about it anymore. Seal properly and run it another 20 years.

http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/thumbsup2.gif What pat says http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/thumbsup2.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/USA1.gif

Pat, is pulling the motor really necessary? http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/praying.gif I would realy like to avoid that if I can... I also want this boat to last a long time, I do not have the funds to replace it, nor do I want to end up having to replace the transom.

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by siskiyoucrash &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote"> http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/thumbsup2.gif What pat says http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/thumbsup2.gif http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/USA1.gif </td></tr></table>
+1

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by dan-k &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Pat, is pulling the motor really necessary? http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/praying.gif I would realy like to avoid that if I can... I also want this boat to last a long time, I do not have the funds to replace it, nor do I want to end up having to replace the transom. </td></tr></table>

If there is any dampness in there, yes, pulling the motor is necessary. Easy fix to the transom....

However, the dry paper towels may mean no intrusion. Hard call....

I posted this in the resto section also, but......

Ok, I conducted another test today... I took a 1/4 inch drill bit and hogged out two old screw holes under the metal trim on the top of the transom which were not being used for anything. These holes DID NOT have any sealant in them whatsoever, so I thought it would be a good test of the condition of the transom wood. The results were for the first 1/4 inch or so into each hole, the wood chips were dark, but did not feel wet to the touch. When I drilled any further than that it looked like brand new wood. I sealed everything back up REAL GOOD with clear marine silicone and called it a day. I bought a real multimeter from Lowe's, as I was previously using a 5 year old harbor freight special. I rechecked everything for conductivity and was unable to get a reading anywhere without setting it to 200M, and even then the highest reading was around 10.00ish. Any thoughts?

I would probably heat lamp it and ck, reseal it and call it good. I think over a period of time without resealing the transom a small amount is going to seep into those places that has the least amount of sealant. JMO

Would it be ok to reseal everything now, use it throughout the tournament season, then pull everything and heat lamp it in November? My next door neighbors are poultry farmers and they have indoor heated barns with plenty of heat lamps I could use. I think if it has gone this long and is still solid, I would be ok to wait a bit.

I would think so.

I think you'd be fine. If/when you decide to put it under the lamps, then you need to pull <u>everything</u> off the transom. This allows for air flow and for the moisture to have escape routes as it is evaporated out by the heat. If you haven't already, do some searches in this forum for "wet transom" and you'll find Pat's instructions on how to do the heat lamp procedure. Also, I think ChampioNman has some great instructions for sealing the motor mount bolts.

I probed a couple other holes into the transom and found nothing but hard dry wood. Still can't figure out why the multimeter is showing resistance, there is no other evidence at all of moisture or rot in the transom. WTF???? I'm at a loss. I'm going to end up replacing a perfectly fine transom!! Is there anything in these transoms that could create resistance on the meter?

dry it now , you wont have to beat youself up later. JMHO. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/thumbsup2.gif

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by dan-k &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I probed a couple other holes into the transom and found nothing but hard dry wood. Still can't figure out why the multimeter is showing resistance, there is no other evidence at all of moisture or rot in the transom. WTF???? I'm at a loss. I'm going to end up replacing a perfectly fine transom!! Is there anything in these transoms that could create resistance on the meter?</td></tr></table>

I have the same question, but I put it to rest... I found beautiful wood that felt and looked dry, yet I have conductance all over the place... Maybe the wood has chemicals?

What year is your boat slinky? Mine is a 1991 so it has kiln dried fir for a transom, not the baltec composite. From most of the old posts I have read, it sounds like the baltec composit is where the problem is. I called my boat guy and told him everything posted here. He advised me to seal it up good and have fun fishing! I think I will finish the season and baby it while doing so, then heat lamp it and cross my fingers.

I have a 2000 with baltec. I took my conversation here to avoid the risk of being banned. http://forums.iboats.com/showt...age=1

That is all that I will say.

FWY: I just called a local fiberglass shop and explained my problem. They said they could drill some holes into the transom and use acetone to dry the wood out. Does this sound legit?

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by dan-k &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">FWY: I just called a local fiberglass shop and explained my problem. They said they could drill some holes into the transom and use acetone to dry the wood out. Does this sound legit? </td></tr></table>

Dude, I would not do this! Would it work? Yeah probably, but you can get the same results w/ the lamps without drilling any holes into the transom. It really doesn't sound like from what you have described that you have a problem. If you're worried, then take everything off the transom and put it under the lamps for a couple of weeks to make sure it's good and dry. Then seal it back up real good.

Just about everyone on here (myself included) that had transom issues with water intrusion has found significant signs/evidence that the wood was wet. The dreaded brown stains, water seeping from a screw hole, etc. From what you've described, it really doesn't sound like you've found much evidence that it's getting wet. I know you stated that you did the conductivity test but personally I am not sold on that as the be all - end all indicator. Guess I just like to have more visual proof.

Based on what you've found, if it were mine I would seal it back up real good and go enjoy it.