ZX225 Skeeter Jackplate/Transom problem

[Baytownbrown]

Need some input please.

I recently purchased my first Skeeter which I found on the BBC classifieds. I didn’t even see this damage when I looked the boat over when we tested it at the ramp however it was after the boat was purchased and was back home when my son was cleaning the boat up that a chip of fiberglass fell off in his hand while washing the Jackplate area.

I asked the original owner about it and he said this was unknown to him which could very well have been the case so my questions are mainly on what to do on repairing it.

It appears that the Jack Plate is causing damage to the transom for some reason and I would like to know if this is a frequent problem with this setup? The boat is a 2004 ZX225 with a 225 Yamaha with a 14" jack Plate.

Is this the correct Jackplate for this boat/motor?

I asked this questing on Skeeters website however I haven’t gotten a response back.

I also took it to several fiberglass shops getting quotes for repairs and the best price was over $600.00 due to the motor and jackplace would have to be removed to repair the chips however they also said their work would not be warranted, they say that the Jackplate should not land so close to the edge of the boats hull/transoms edge and this was a bad design by Skeeter.
Which brings me to my next question, did Skeeter design this or was this done by a dealer?

Sorry for the long winded post however wanted to supply as much info as I could as my son and I are quite anxious to get on the lake.

TIA for your help.

Modified by Baytownbrown at 12:05 PM 6/3/2008


Modified by Baytownbrown at 12:07 PM 6/3/2008

[frogbite]

It came stock with a 12" Slidemaster and I have never personally seen the jackplate causing any damage.

Can you post a pic?

[Baytownbrown]

See if this link works.

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/baytownbrown/


Modified by Baytownbrown at 11:04 AM 4/28/2008

[fishin couillon]

By looking at the pics it appears to be the original jp. Now for the crack/chip, i don't know. Have you noticed if the jp was loose on the transom? Maybe if it was it could have caused it that way. Just a thought.

[frogbite]

It is hard to tell how the jackplate would have caused that chip. From looking at it, can you speculate what you think may have occurred? The glass guy you talked to, what was his reasoning?

Unless the plate is lose itself, how would do that kind of damage?

[DJSkeeter]

That looks like the Slidmaster JP, if this is the very bottom on one of the corners it has happened to mine also 06 ZX 225. Mine was reapaired under waranty.
When I asked a buddy of mine who used to set up race boats he had mentioned that this is common if the JP is not sqaure to the transome, meaning it is kinda loose and the torque will jam it on the bottom causing the gelcoat to chip off.
I had the dealer check my JP and had the repair done and it hasn't done it since.

[Baytownbrown]

The Glass guy kept stating that the jack plate should not land so close to the edge of where the hull and transom meet. I really don’t buy this though as it seams to me that this would be the strongest area for the plates edge to land.

I also noticed that there was a lot of silicone between the jack plate and the transom that has the plate held off the transom at the top " maybe 1/8 "which looks to me like this would allow for some movement under a heavy torque situation.
I add another photo of the right side which has some damage as well and you can see the silicone in this picture " That is if the hosting site hasn’t shrunk the photo down to much".

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/baytownbrown/

Could the silicone be the problem? It seems a little around the bolt holes would have been enough.

Thanks

[fishing2much]

Still shrunk, try photobucket.com

[Baytownbrown]

Photobucket is much better, thanks for the info

Here are the photos of the damage
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[Mark Perry]

Almost looks more impact related.

[Baytownbrown]

Not certian on an impact however the speedometer hole pickup on the lower unit was packed full of wood.

So is this 1/8" of silicone normal between the jackplate and transom install? I was thinking the silicone may have acted like a coushion and was allowing some give under sever tourqe.

Got another photo showing all the silicone at the top of the jackplate and where I pulled a piece back to see the thickness.
[IMG][/IMG]

[frogbite]

I am not an expert but mine does not have that much silicone between the jackplate and the transom. I would contact Skeeter and be sure to email them the pictures. It looks like the jackplate may have flexed or rocked. This could of happened while you were transporting it. It is possible that Skeeter would pay for the repair although seems more like a rigging problem to me.

When you transported it, were you using a transom saver?

[skeetzx225]

looks like the previous owner went to battle with a stump or rock and lost...

[ricqik]

Yep, looks like it hit something and the bottom of the jp kinda pulled outward causing the chips.

[DJSkeeter]

No stump or rock was hit, this is the exact same damage as mine had not to that extent though. It is caused by the torque on the jackplate so I was told, it is not square to the transome. As for the amount of silicone, mine is nowhere near that amount and it didn't have that amount from the begining. Here are a couple of pictures when it was damaged you will see vertually the same damage and nothing was hit and transome saver always used when trailoring.

[frogbite]

That certainly seems like something Skeeter should cover. Now I am curious to look at my ZX225 which I don't get back from Texas until May 7th. If it is torque, are you running the stock prop and how was it determined that it was not mounted square to the transom?

[Baytownbrown]

Yes, This is the stock Yahama prop "25-T1" and yes, It has a nice transom saver that was on the boat and the original owner says it has been used ever since the boat was new and he has not hit anything that would have caused this or he would have known it.

I would like to thank you all for the help you have given me. I will send these pictures to Skeeter and see what they say however since this boat is used but new to me and I am not the original owner; I suspect they will tell me to take a flying leap.

Thanks again

[frogbite]

My experience is that if you are the second owner you can register the hull in your name and you get 10 years from the date of your purchase. If for some reason the transom is not square or something was wrong with the boat that caused the jackplate to be able to flex, they should cover it.

It might take a few phone calls and your local Skeeter dealer sticking up for you, but I would think they would help you out with this.

[K.D.]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by frogbite &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My experience is that if you are the second owner you can register the hull in your name and you get 10 years from the date of your purchase. If for some reason the transom is not square or something was wrong with the boat that caused the jackplate to be able to flex, they should cover it.

It might take a few phone calls and your local Skeeter dealer sticking up for you, but I would think they would help you out with this.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You might want to doublecheck that. I'm pretty sure it's 10 years from the original date of sale which is also referred to as the "in service date".

http://www.skeeterboats.com/my_boat/

[Baytownbrown]

After seeing DJSkeeters same problem, I checked the transom with a straight edge and no doubt, its not flat, there’s a ¼” hump the middle of the transom and this is why all the silicone was on the top and bottom which was allowing the jack plate to move under heavy loads just as DJSkeeter described.

I just got off the phone with Skeeter as I was going to transfer the warrantee first thing however as it turns out I am the 3rd owner. The original owner was a dealer as they had purchased as a demo boat which made what I thought was the original owner, really the second owner… Oh BOY!

I then asked Renee “The lady with Skeeter” about the possibility of Skeeter doing something to help me with this since it was obvious something that had happened while the boat was being built, she said to send her the pictures and she would give them to her manager for review. I guess will see, I hope like heck they will as my cost to fix the 2 chips was going to be $600.00, I shudder to think what the cost will be to level the transom out flat…I have my fingers crossed….