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How prevalent are rotted out transoms

Ted Dammit

New member
Hi all:
I am going to get a boat in the near future and am doing my due diligence on learning as much as I can before taking the plunge.
The size I'm going to go with is only a 17' or so as I don't get in over my head with trailering right off the bat.
Something I've run across here & there are transoms that are rotted out. My question is: do all smaller boats use plywood for the core on transoms with glass wrapped around it or are some solid glass.


I know one way to test a transom is to pull & push on the OB engine to see if there's any significant play in it. But even if it passes that test, what else can be done. I know there are meters that check moisture content, but is that really reliable?


Thanks for replies
 
Doing an ----Action Marine 17 -----And replacing the rotten plywood in the 25" transom , that came out as powder and flakes.----Found the main stringers to be fiberglass so no problem there.------Rotten plywood floor and water logged foam also came out.------Unbelievable how some boats are built !------Mine will not have any wood when done.-----Mostly hollow transom of composite materials.-------Will have some carbon fiber and kevlar in it too.-----So if you see a boat with say 1/4" aluminum plate on the transom or something similar you have to use the " buyer beware " idea.------Many boats in the junkyard for this reason.----Saw one boat one time that had " chipboard " for stringers.
 
Racerone: how much is the transom work going to cost - or are you doing it yourself?
I've seen Youtube vids on this and it's an extensive ball busting job. I certainly don't want to get involved with that, at least at this time.
 
The way this boat was built actually makes it fairly easy to replace the junk they put in.-------Every boat is different in the way you might approach the job.----I am doing this by myself / for myself / for the grandkids.-----Not keeping track of the time or the $ spent.----Look for ------Action Marine 17 ----on google and youtube to maybe see why.
 
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