'68 sea ray endless project

hello gentlemen , i recently installed a new fishfinder /gps to the old barge and i noticed on my transom that there had previously been several other accessories attatched and then removed leaving screw holes in the transom . while installing my transducer , i used 3m 5200 above / below sealant . noticing these screw holes i grabbed some extra screws and put a nice blob of sealant on them and screwed them into the extra holes. question being is was this an acceptable fix for the problem? thanx in advance...dimitri

Depends how long these holes have been open and how much water has saturated into your transom wood you may have a rot problem.

It's kind of a hillbilly fix but if it works, then it works assuming they are stainless screws.

Normally one would at least take a countersink and open up the holes so that one could blob in some thickened epoxy or Marine Tex. When it kicked one would then sand it flush and smooth and paint. Trouble is that these holes can let water into the transom and we often see transoms completely waterlogged due to shoddy accessory installs.

When putting holes in the boat you should always drill larger than the screw, fill with thickened epoxy and then drill for the screw. And to take it a step further you shouldn't really use screws in fiberglass but rather drill and tap for a machine screw. When you use a screw it cracks and distorts the fiberglass and can actually cause damage. A threaded hole will hold the fastener better without pooching up the glass.

hillbilly fix it is , the screws are stainless and im a hack so i suppose im happy...thanx for the advice...when i buy a new boat ill definately use this technique. this old barge however , will be lucky if she dont sink on my maiden voyage...lol thanx ...dimitri