Pat: Need your input re: wet transom, 95 202

[lak100]

Pat,

I’ve read your prior posts on drying out transoms and wanted to run this by you for any other suggestions or guidance.

Last fall I noticed some brown stains on the stern under the motor mounting bolts. Sure enough there was water in the transom and one bolt was actually loose. Boat sat during our long winter and this week I had the motor removed and brought the boat home to do the heat lamp drying routine.

1995 Champion 202 Elite with 1994 Evinrude 225, no jackplate

Pictures are below, my story and questions follow. I just started today, 4/15.

1. Drying out with two or three lamps with 250 watt infra-red bulbs. Correct?
2. Plan on two – three weeks of heat application, Correct?
3. How hot is too hot? At about 12”-18”, the surface is too hot to touch. Will this cause trouble over time? Blistering?
4. Fill the gap between top cap and hull – see pix where gap is evident. Correct?
5. Boat had a speedo pickup that I just removed as part of this project. I will seal holes. This area is damp too.
6. There definitely is water in the transom but no flex.
7. Note: in the pictures, the orange squiggly line is a reflection of the extension cord.


The dealer that took the motor off and will re-mount it is an Evinrude dealer but mostly works on pleasure boats and larger I/O yachts that run the Delaware River. After he got the motor off, he told me that the gas tank should be removed and the bad area of the transom should be cut out and re-glassed by accessing from the gas tank/battery compartment.

Note the starboard side of the mount has some crushed glass on the hull. Inside, the glass has been compressed and the washer more or less embedded into the inside glass. The bolts are too long to remove from the inside as they butt up against the U-shaped tank. I have no desire to pull the tank.

Will I be good to go by drying from the outside as described above?

I always enjoy reading your posts; thanks for your help on this.

Larry












And one just to enjoy...

[pmgoffjr]

Give it the lamp treatment and see what happens. I've seen it successful every time it was used, but by no means is it guaranteed.

Let it get hot, sunlamp won't get hot enough to do any damage.

[slinkeey]

I assume the lamb helps to evaporate the moisture..

Will the moisture never naturally evaporate otherwise?

[pmgoffjr]

Doubtful...you need to evaporate the water to the point it steams up and wants to leave.

Your transom is a 14 layer composite, glass and kiln dried fir, it won't rot like plywood, but it will saturate. Get rid of the moisture and it should be like new.

[lak100]

Thank you Pat. Your advice and comments are appreciated.

Larry

[rdrakeinOK]

I did this just as Pat suggested. It worked great for me. It took about 2 weeks to dry out completely. I will caution you on having the lamps too close. I had mine about 12 inched from the glass and it discolored the glass a little. It turned a slightly brown hue. So, again, be careful. You don't notice it until you turn off the lights so shut them off once in a while and take a look.

[kris_tx]

Hope it works good. Thats a great looking rig!

[TN Tornado]

The first thing I would be looking at is how the moisture or water got in, after drying make sure you seal that badboy up so you won't have to do it again. Just got through pulling the gas tank on a 190sx, its not that bad of a job

[lak100]

thanks to all for the interest and recommendations. As to exactly what failed, it's hard to tell, definetely starboard side, and I know that the lower starboard motor mounting bolt was loose so water got in there. I also found that the starboard side splashwell drain had begun to fail....not the seal...the actual metal....lead tubes. Got both out and will be replacing those as well. I'll update in three weeks. Larry

[gr8wt]

I didn't see any "black death" in your pictures-good thing you caught it before that happened...

[BILLY]

Any news??

[Mallard Cutter]

That is an awesome looking boat.Hope everything works out.

[lak100]

Sorry for the delay; I haven't been checking BBC as frequently these days. Yes, all put back together again and in good shape.

I haven't been fishing much this year as my wife has a progressive medical condition that has worsened and while she says I should go fishing, it just doesn't seem right to go and leave her alone. We enjoy our time together.

Larry

[BILLY]

. Also sent.

[lak100]

Billy, thanks for your kind thoughts and prayers.

LK

[MMosher]

Glad it worked our fer ya, thoughts and prayers to your wife.